City Council

City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY COUNCIL ROOM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2006 6:45 P.M. PRESENT : Valerie Keehn, Mayor Commissioner John Franck, Accounts Commissioner Ron Kim, DPS Commissioner Matthew McCabe, Finance Commissioner Thomas McTygue, DPW SUPERVISORS: Cheryl Keyrouze Joanne Yepsen STAFF PRESENT : Lynn Bachner, Deputy Commissioner, Finance Michele Boxley, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Patrick Design, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Eileen Finneran, Deputy Mayor Michael Englert, City Attorney Tony Izzo, Assistant City Attorney PUBLIC HEARING All Way Stop at York and Pinewood Avenues Mayor Valerie Keehn read the proposed ordinance for the all way stop at York and Pinewood Avenues. An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 225, Section 225-77 of the Code of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York, entitled “Vehicle and Traffic – Schedule XII: Stop Intersections” BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York as follows: SECTION 1. Section 225-77 of the Code of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York entitled “Vehicle and Traffic – Schedule XII: Stop Intersections”, is hereby amended to add the following: Stop Sign on Direction of Travel At Intersection of Pinewood Avenue Both York Avenue SECTION 2. This ordinance shall take effect the day after publication as provided by the provisions of the City Charter of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York. Mayor Valerie Keehn then opened the public hearing. Barry Fischer, 22 Pinewood Avenue, thanked City staff for coming out to look at this location and encouraged the Council to adopt the proposed ordinance. There being no one wishing to speak, Mayor Valerie Keehn closed the public hearing. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Valerie Keehn called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Valerie Keehn opened the meeting for public comment. 1 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Wilma koss, 160 Kaydeross Park Road, said she was in favor of the moratorium on construction near Saratoga Lake. She said allowing construction with septic systems was turning back the clock. Septic systems and leech fields can leak and/or collapse and could cause harm to the lake. There is also the concern of the City’s emergency response time to homeowners living near the lake. Overdevelopment was one of the reasons that many of the Council members were elected. Development has outpaced infrastructure in this area. John Kraus, 227 Grand Avenue, said there are no sidewalks, curbs, bike lanes and the street lights are poor in the Weibel Avenue area. There is no sewer connection and there is a landfill. This is not an appropriate location for the indoor recreation facility. He suggested High Rock Avenue. He said the Weibel Avenue area should be left to the next generation to determine its use. He said it was up to the Mayor at this point. David Bronner, 5 Royal Henley Court, said the actual vote on the charter was 60 percent to 40 percent. He said he does not contradict himself during the public comment period. His position is consistent. The Weibel Avenue location for the indoor recreation facility had not yet been approved. The clear cutting that was taking place was a waste of City time and resources. The Commissioner of Public Works has violated his fiscal and fiduciary responsibility in conducting the clear cutting. The indoor recreation facility should be constructed on the west side or in the downtown area. The City will loose business and sales tax with the indoor recreation facility being constructed on Weibel Avenue. He suggested moving the DPW garage to Weibel Avenue and locating the indoor recreation facility at that location on Division Street. He also said that Commissioner John Franck’s office should investigate with the insurance company the liability of having a Commissioner not living in the City. He said it was a violation of the public officers’ law. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said David Bronner was a public nuisance and a stalker. A general uproar of the audience and some Council members ensued. Kyle York, 59 Railroad Place, distributed to Council members information on the expansion of the Moreau State Park. He said there is pcb sediment in the Hudson and now they are proposing access along the Hudson through this expansion project for canoe access. They are constructing more than 40 campsites. According to DEC there are pcbs right up to the shoreline in this area. He said that Governor-elect Elliot Spitzer has stated that this location is second on the list after the GE site area that is to be cleaned. Rich Flaherty, chair of Commissioner Matthew McCabe’s recreation advisory committee, said this committee was formed two weeks ago. They have had two meetings and have reviewed all of the material on this matter. Their goal is to be helpful and to move the process along. After a lot of discussion, the committee concurred that 60 Weibel Avenue was the suitable location. They agreed there should be a campus setting. The committee also suggested that the in-kind services as promised by Sonny Bonacio be formalized and there be follow through. They also felt that there should be a traffic study. They requested to be part of the RFP process. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the City has been talking about the indoor recreation facility for years. They have looked at many sites including the west side. All sites were found to be unsuitable or there was no support from the neighbors or neighborhood associations. It’s easy for members of the public to get up and say that other locations needed to be reviewed, but that is what the City has been doing for the last three or four years. He agreed there will be some pedestrian issues that need to be addressed. He noted, though, that Sonny Bonacio had already completed a traffic study. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said that David Bronner uses the public comment period as a complaint session. David Bronner has been stalking City employees and it is making them uncomfortable. He said that the location of the clear cutting is not visible from Weibel Avenue; therefore, David Bronner must have been on the PBA site to take pictures. He said if David Bronner has a problem with the way he was doing his job, then David Bronner should pick up the phone and call him. The more than 140 DPW employees are disgusted with David Bronner’s stalking. Sonny Bonacio clarified that the donations to the indoor recreation facility at the Weibel Avenue location are from both Roohan and himself. He said a traffic study had been completed and he would give it to the City as an inkind service. He said it was a pleasure to work with Richard Flaherty. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he objected to the man in the front row taping the meeting and using it for campaign purposes. 2 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 There being no one else wishing to speak, Mayor Valerie Keehn closed the public comment period. PRESENTATION Economic Impact of the Saratoga Race Course Joanne Yepsen said she was pleased to bring the results of the economic report recently commissioned by the IDA and Board of Supervisors. Economic Research Associates was hired to do independent research on the economic impact of the race track on the county and surrounding counties. She pointed out that the race track is not the only industry in the county that is horse related. She then distributed copies of the report and introduce Larry Benton, CEO of the IDA. Larry Benton said this report shows the dollar impact to the economy of the racing business in the County. This information is available both on the County’s web site and the IDA web site. He said this report was commissioned so that the County’s leadership and others would have fact based information when discussing the economic impact to the community by the horse racing industry. He said this is of great concern no matter who the successful bidder on the race track turns out to be. The horse racing industry cannot compete with casino gambling, however, horse racing in Saratoga Springs has been around for more than 130 years. There is more than money to consider when selecting the next firm to run the track. Larry Benton said the RFP was distributed and there were 11 respondents. The firm of Economic Research Associates headquartered in Los Angeles with an office in New York City was the firm selected. In this analysis, a nine county region was used. The eastern region of New York State has more than 25 percent of the thoroughbred horses. Saratoga County has 14 percent of the breeding farms. This provides for a strong agriculture base and also ensures open space and reducing sprawl. Larry Benton then reviewed the analysis. The Saratoga track has an average attendance of nearly 1 million visitors with daily attendance at 29,000. Church Hill Downs has an average daily attendance of 13,000. The handle at tracks across the country is dropping except in Saratoga Springs. Saratoga race course has the highest purses in the country. There are three avenues of spending connected with the track: the track owner– spending money on daily activities, participant activities – owners, trainers, grooms, jockey, and visitors – both on track and off track expenditures. Those are three sources of spending in this community which total up to more than $200 million. There are 2800 FTE positions and revenue to the government is $5.5 million. The Oklahoma track is a significant economic factor and generates nearly $64 million in gross revenue. Of that nearly $46 million goes back into the economy. Breaking down the numbers per horse and then compiling the aggregate amounts equals nearly $28 million in revenue which produces another $26 million for a total of $54 million. Off track spending for the hotel industry is enormous revenue to the County. There are nearly 54,000 room nights at $200 per night. Proposed construction projects are at $156 million. With completed projects, under construction and planned/approved projects it equates to nearly $.5 billion. The three horse shows have a significant impact to the community bringing in more than 1500 horses in the three events. The feed stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. all see increased revenue during that time amounting to nearly $17 million. Larry Benton said that when Council members, legislators, Chamber officials or the Supervisors are advocating for the race track, this fact based information would be a great resource. Whoever ultimately runs the track needs to maintain these three horse shows. He pointed out the revenues from these horse shows goes back into the community through scholarships at Skidmore and maintenance/construction at St. Clements, etc. He said officials need to argue strongly that these three events remain. Council members thanked Larry Benton and Joanne Yepsen for this presentation. MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Proclamation – Dee Sarno (06-209) Mayor Valerie Keehn said she wanted to recognize the accomplishments and the commitment of Dee Sarno in promoting the quality of life in the City through the arts program. She then read the following proclamation. 3 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 PROCLAMATION CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS WHEREAS, for many years Dee Sarno has proudly served as Executive Director of the Saratoga County Arts Council, and has recently announced her retirement from that position, and WHEREAS, it is impossible to overstate Dee’s contributions to the Arts Council and the Arts Center. Her optimism, her creativity and resourcefulness, and her winning ability with people have helped to make Saratoga County Arts Council a cornerstone of our Saratoga Springs Community. The Arts Center now hosts more than 20,000 visitors each year and presents an ever-expanding variety of classes, exhibits, concerts, films and dances. Through all of SCAC’s years of development and change, Dee has remained one of our City’s most enthusiastic supporters of the arts. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Valerie Keehn, Mayor of the City of Saratoga Springs, am pleased to join with my fellow Saratogians in congratulating Dee Sarno on her retirement, wishing her the best of health and good luck in her future projects and thanking her for giving us all a better opportunity to experience the world of beauty, creativity, and humanity around us. Dee Sarno thanked the Council members for this proclamation. She said the Arts Council came to fruition nearly 11 years ago with the support of the community and volunteers. She thanked everyone for the continued support. Chris Mathiesen – ZBA (06-210) Mayor Valerie Keehn thanked Chris Mathiesen for his years of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals and presented him with a certificate of appreciation. She read the certificate and wished him well. CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION - CHRISTIAN MATHIESEN Member of the City of Saratoga Springs Zoning Board of Appeals Presented to Chris Mathiesen for his many years of dedication and outstanding service to the City of Saratoga Springs as a member and Chairperson of the Zoning Board of Appeals. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Matthew McCabe seconded to approve the consent agenda as follows: 1. December 5, 2006, meeting minutes 2. Award of Bid – Sale of Used Truck – M.R. Parillo $4,270.17 Heavy Duty Single Axle Type, Multi-Purpose Dump Body and Plow Equipment T&T Sales $48,545 3. Rejection of Bid – South Broadway Water Line Replace3ment – over budget 4. Approval Payrolls: Payroll of 12/8/06 $365,482.15 Payroll of 12/15/06 $429,740.47 5. Warrants: Mid MC1DEC06 $115,535.29 General 2DEC06 $3,049,913.03 6. Budget Transfers – Payroll & Social Security (Attachment A) 7. Budget Transfers – Hospitalization (Attachment B) 8. Budget Transfers – Self-Insurance (Attachment C) 9. Budget Transfers – Regular (Attachment D) 10. Budget Amendments (Attachment E) Commissioner Matthew McCabe said the warrant was large due to the sewer payment and county tax payment. Ayes all. 4 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Indoor Recreation Facility Review Requirement Mayor Valerie Keehn said she is committed to seeing the indoor recreation facility become a reality. She said for too long the inertia of the government has resulted in the failure to meet the recreational needs of the community. The inertia and lack of political leadership has resulted in missed opportunities and unrealistic cost estimates. In the previous capital budget there was only $2.2 million budgeted. She said earlier this year a feasibility study was completed. That study examined the programs, locations, size and possible cost. It further recommended the construction of a 41,000 square foot facility with estimated costs of between $5.2 and $6.5 million which was between $3 million and $4.3 million more than the $2.2 million earmarked in the capital budget. She said she took the necessary steps to increase the $2.2 million by $4.33 million to allow for a grand total of $6.53 million. After years of inaction, the City can galvanize the policy on recreation and then implement that policy. This requires discipline and the willingness of all involved parties to work together. Each Council member has a role to play and the process cannot be jeopardized. She then proposed the following: 1. That the feasibility study dated August 29, 2006, be adopted in its entirety as a policy guide. 2. The proposed site identified in the study be designated the tentative site contingent upon completion of local and environmental reviews. 3. The requirements of the SEQR be initiated with the City Council as the lead agency. 4. The site recommendations on page 113 are assigned by the Council to the appropriate department for review and the development of a timeline and cost estimate of implementation – to be completed prior to the final SEQR determination. 5. The Council cause all necessary reviews required prior to a SEQR determination of significance to be completed by January 16. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Site Selection for Indoor Recreation Facility (06-211) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to accept the recommendations of the final draft feasibility study on the indoor recreation facility submitted by SD Atelier and CLA Engineering & Planning dates August 29, 2006. Commissioner Matthew McCabe thanked Rich Flaherty for his presentation. This is the right time to make a decision. He hoped that Commissioner Thomas McTygue would accept the proposal by the Mayor as a friendly amendment. He also requested that Bill McTygue be included on the recreation committee. He said he would support this motion with the Mayor’s proposal included. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said if a friendly amendment was to be offered, it would have been fair to let him know before to allow him time to review the material. This proposed amendment could hold up the process for a couple of years. We have been talking about this project since August and it was time to make a decision. He had no problem in seeking an advisory opinion, but to put this through all of the Board would hold up the project for two or three years. He questioned why the Council would want to give up its authority and control over the project and hand it to the Planning Board. The Council will take the hit from the residents not the Planning Board. He objected to including this amendment. He asked if the Mayor could get this project through the boards within the next three months. Lew Benton, Chair of the Planning Board, said the reality is that this project is required to go through the SEQR process. He said the Mayor read a proposal that embraced the process and said it would be completed by January 16. What the Mayor read was clear – SEQR requires that the process be initiated within 30 days. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked if it could be completed within the next two meetings. Lew Benton said there is state law which they must adhere to. There are also bond resolutions with language that must be met. This can be brought back to the Council by January 16. Commissioner Ron Kim said it did not appear the Council was disagreeing on completing the SEQR process. He said the Council could do it or refer it to the Planning Board. The Council is on the hook with residents and 5 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 not the Planning Board. The Council could seek advice from the Planning Board. He asked if this would need to appear before any other boards. Mayor Valerie Keehn said there are setback issues (ZBA), special use permits (Planning Board) and architectural review (DRC). There could be coordinated review. The Council needs to follow the same rules that are imposed on the citizens. Geoff Bornemann said the Council needs to review the SEQR form and identify all of the other involved agencies. At this time the only other agency identified is the Planning Board. The Council needs to determine if that is correct. This parcel is located in the Transect 4 zone which requires site plan review. The project will also need variances and architectural review; therefore, all three boards are included. If the Council initiates SEQR review, that starts the 30 day time clock. The Council can then make the determination to be the lead agency. He estimated that it would take between three and four months for all boards to review. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said the committee could be working simultaneously so that everything is completed on the same schedule. This is a top priority and the ground breaking should be as soon as possible. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked that a timeline be set. He also noted that recently on three separate occasions the recreation basketball teams were cancelled at Caroline Street school. He said that is what the community is facing. Albany recently constructed a skating facility that cost $2 million more than what the City paid for the same type facility. He said when the money was included in the capital budget last year, no one new the expected cost, so with best estimate of $2.2 million it was included. This year, with better numbers, more funding was included. He also said that the $2.2 million was for a smaller facility. The west side neighborhood was looked at as a location and the Westside Neighborhood Association objected to that proposal. The capital budget was increased through the recommendations of that committee. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said he was prepared to move ahead and if need be it could be discussed every two weeks at a Council meeting. He encouraged the Mayor to get this through the boards as quickly as possible. He will prepare the RFP and deal with the engineering aspects. Commissioner Ron Kim suggested coordinated review. He said perhaps it was time to put all three boards in the same room at the same time. It could save the City quite a bit of time and money. Mayor Valerie Keehn said that the boards have no problem with coordinated review. Bill McTygue, Director of Utilities, said they were looking at a design/build project. There is no set of plans available and they were not looking at spending a lot of upfront money to design this project. With the design/build concept, the developer will come back with the design and cost estimates. Then a set of plans will be produced. If the boards need a set of plans up front, it will cost the City some money. There are conceptual plans available that can be used to develop the RFP. Then the preferred developer will produce plans that can be used for an advisory opinion and/or site plan review. Mayor Valerie Keehn said she wanted to make sure that past practices are not repeated. She wanted to be sure that all the interested parties, boards, building inspector, etc., were involved in the process. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said the Council should accept the friendly amendment. If this project is truly a priority then it’s up to the Council to ensure that it is not held hostage by the boards. Commissioner Thomas McTygue restated the motion as follows: to accept the recommendations of the final draft feasibility study on the indoor recreation facility submitted by SD Atelier and CLA Engineering & Planning dated August 29, 2006. Commissioner Matthew McCabe asked if the friendly amendment was being accepted. The clerk asked for a rereading of the friendly amendment: Mayor Valerie Keehn rest ated the proposal as follows: 1. That the feasibility study dated August 29, 2006, be adopted in its entirety as a policy guide. 2. The proposed site identified in the study be designated the tentative site contingent upon completion of local and environmental reviews. 3. The requirements of the SEQR be initiated with the City Council as the lead agency 6 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 4. The site recommendations on page 113 be assigned by the Council to the appropriate department s for review and the development of a timeline and cost estimate of implementation – to be completed prior to the final SEQR determination. 5. The Council cause all necessary reviews required prior to a SEQR determination of significance to be completed by January 16. Commissioner Thomas McTygue accepted the friendly amendment. Commissioner Thomas McTygue asked what would be completed in January. Mayor Valerie Keehn said the analysis would be completed. The Council needs to look at the SEQR and make the necessary corrections. Bill McTygue said as long as there is an understanding the there are not any plans available. Council members agreed. Mayor Valerie Keehn said this was for the SEQR and to determine whether all of the information within the SEQR is correct. Ayes all . Water Treatment Plant Change Order #6 – Lenz Hardware Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to approve change order #6 for Lenz Hardware for the Water Treatment Plant Disinfection System Improvement project. This is for a time extension only and has no dollar impact. Ayes all. Street Acceptance – Kar Alley (06-212) Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded for the Council to accept Kar Alley, which runs behind the row houses on High Rock Avenue. All necessary improvements have been complied with. Ayes all. Accept Streets for Snowplowing – Ormandy Lane & Tyuler Drive Phase II (06-213) Commissioner Thomas McTygue accepted Ormandy Lane and Tyler Drive, Phase II for snowplowing only. Lillian’s Parking Lot Presentation Commissioner Thomas McTygue announced the workshop for Lillian’s Parking Lot will be held Wednesday, December 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council room. Repair of City Hall Floors Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to repair the City Hall floors in the amount of $10,588 to Carpetland. The money is within the 2006 budget. His department received three proposals to repair the tiles in five locations in City Hall. Ayes all. School Capital Monies Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the City currently receives $50,000 a year from the school district to maintain the east and west side recreation fields. DPW’s current budget is as follows: $355,284 for labor (includes retirement); $25,000 for equipment and $94,616 for other supplies and materials (grass seed, fertilizer, janitor supplies) which brings the total to $474,900. Approximately 75 percent of the budget for the east and west side recreation fields at $356,175. This is what it costs to maintain the fields that the City doesn’t own. Workforce in December Commissioner Thomas McTygue said that during this unusually warm weather, his staff is catching up on work that normally they don’t have time for. His staff has been cutting firewood which will be sold with the revenues going the general fund, delivering sand to residents, installing drywells on Foxhall Drive and Ruggles Road and George Street, drainage work on Fifth Avenue, Washington Street and Excelsior Springs Drive, multiple hydrant repairs and replacements; extensive road side grading brush cutting and tree removal especially in the outside district, on Hutchins road, clearing brush at the Woodlawn reservoir, compost sales delivery and general road side litter pick up. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said that while he sleeps at the farm, he owns three properties in the City and pays taxes in the City. There is a woman who picks up trash along 7 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 County Route 68 and she has noted how bad the trash is along side the roads. The City should be enforcing the litter laws. DPW employees are not sitting around playing cards but rather spending a lot of time catching up on work that normally they don’t have time to do. Memo of Understanding with Andre Schmidt Commissioner Thomas McTygue moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded that the Council enter into an agreement with Andre Schmidt, who is the builder of the Lexington Club Hotel across from the Water Treatment Plant, for a drainage easement along his westerly property line. This easement is necessary in order to maintain the drainage area extending through is property over to the Maple avenue neighborhood near Matt’s Service Center. The City will purchase the materials and Andre Schmidt will install the pipe, then the City will own the pipe. Tony Izzo is preparing the necessary papers for this easement. Tony Izzo noted that the concerns about City reviews had been incorporated into the document. Ayes all. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said the City would purchase the pipe and Andre Schmidt would reimburse the City for the cost of that pipe MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Non-Union Employees (06-214) Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to adopt the resolution for non-union employees as presented ( Attachment F ). Ayes all. January 2007 Council Meeting Date Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to move the January 2 Council meeting to January 3 with a pre-agenda meeting on Tuesday, January 2 at 9:30 a.m. Ayes all. National Grid Petition for Zoning Amendment Mayor Valerie Keehn said that the City has received a petition from National Grid for a zoning text amendment to change the definition of “utility facilities” and “public utility facilities”. This zoning text amendment will facilitate the ability of the company to apply for a special use permit for a new facility on Brook Road in the Rural Residential-1 District. The Council must decide if it will accept this petition for study and forward it to the City Planning Board for the required advisory opinion. Therefore, Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to accept the petition for study and to send it to the City Planning Board for an advisory opinion. Ayes all. Moratorium on Development at Saratoga Lake – Sewer Commission Mayor Valerie Keehn said that the Council had received the letter from the Saratoga Springs Planning Board that recommends the Council consider adopting a moratorium that would, over the next three years, prohibit any of the City development boards or departments from granting any approval for any development near Saratoga Lake that did not make connection to the County sewer system. Most of the area in the City along the northern part of Saratoga Lake is serviced by a sanitary sewer system that is owned and operated by the Saratoga County Sewer District #1. The system flows down along the east side of Saratoga Lake via a number of pump stations and force mains. In recent years, the County Sewer District has experienced capacity problems with this system. In March 2006, the District released a report that identified the need to spend up to $5 million to improve the system. The District has said that the system can’t be improved in parts, but rather has to be done all at once. The District intends to bond this project with the costs being paid for by all the county system users. However, the District likely will not start this project for three or four years 8 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 because they are busy for the next couple of years with the upgrade to the treatment plants. The Planning Board is concerned that they will receive applications for development projects in the Saratoga Lake area that will want to install on-site septic systems if the county denies them a connection to the sanitary sewer system. The Planning Board feels that on-site septic systems in the vicinity of Saratoga Lake might result in adverse environmental conditions and would be counter to long-established public policy to provide sanitary sewer collection system for the area. In their letter, the Planning Board documented their concerns and the various options that they have explored. If the Council concurs with the Planning Board recommendation, a draft of the moratorium would need to be developed and presented to the Council. The Council would then have to send to the Planning Board for a 30 day advisory opinion. Finally the Council would need to seek a referral from the Saratoga County Planning Board and hold a public hearing before voting on the moratorium. She said she had met with representatives of the County Sewer District and she supported the Planning Board recommendations. Mayor Valerie Keehn said if there were no objections, she would ask the City Attorney to draft the appropriate legislation for the moratorium. There were no objections. Commissioner Thomas McTygue said this sewer line was much like the proposed water line from the upper Hudson River – under designed. The proposed water line will only be adequate for 12 to 15 years and then another line will need to be run. He wondered how and who would pay for that second line. Laborer (Recreation) Pay Rate (06-215) Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to establish a laborer position in the Department of Recreation not limited to the skate pa rk and ice rink at $9.50 per hour. Ayes all. 2007 Hourly Rates & Coordinator Rate (06-216) Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to approve the 2007 hourly rates with the increase of 50 cents per hour. She noted that this had been included in the 2007 budget (Attachment G). Ayes all. Mayor Valerie Keehn said this is specific to two employees at the recreation department. The first is Mike Peters. We are proposing that, he is a Recreation Department Senior Clerk, we are proposing an increase in the salary range from $9.50 to $11.00 hour with his new salary being $11.00 with an effective date of January 1, 2007. The next employee is a Recreation Department Key Board Specialist , Marilyn Bocci, salary range will be the same $9.50 to $11.00 with the new salary being $10.50. Both of these increases were budgeted in the recreation budget for 2007. She would like to make that in a form of a motion. Commis sioner Ron Kim seconded. Ayes all. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Records Clerk – Pay Rate (06-217) Commissioner John Franck said the New York State Archives and Records Administration awarded the city a non-matching grant in the amount of $33,404 to scan the DPW and Engineering maps. The maximum amount approved by Council for a City funded part timer is $10.25. The SARA grant award includes funding for a map scanner at $12.00 per hour. Therefore, Commissioner John Franck moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded that the City Council approval to set the salary for the map scanner at $12.00 per hour, to be entirely funded by the SARA grant for 35 hours per week through September 30, 2007. This is for one time only for map scanning. Ayes all. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Health Care Insurers Retiree Drug Subsidy Program (06-218) 9 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to authorize the Mayor to sign the contracts with Blue Shield of NENY – Health Now, Empire Blue Cross – WellPoint Holding Corp and CDPYP and further authorize the Mayor to certify to the RDS program that it has executed written agreements with the health insurance issuers regarding disclosure of information to CMS. These contracts have been approved by the City Attorney and the Risk & Safety Manager. Ayes all. There will be a fee of $1,000 for Empire Blue Cross for this service, which has been budget, however, no other insurer charges for this service. 2007 Fees (06-219) Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to approve the 2007 fees as distributed, noting the addition of the birth and death records, effective January 1, 2007 (Attachment H). Ayes all. Budget Transfer – City Center Contingency Commissioner Matthew McCabe moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to approve the budget transfers from the City Center fund contingency as previously distri buted. These transfers are listed separately per the transfer policy and has met the transfer guidelines (Attachment I). This is a self-contained fund and the City is not transferring funds from the general fund to the City Center. The remaining balance in the City Center contingency line is $4,813.64. Ayes all. Internal Audit – DPW Commissioner Matthew McCabe said the internal audit for the Department of Public Works had been completed and will be forwarded to the Accounts Department for display. Although external audits are done, this is a good self analysis. The Department of Public Safety is next on the audit list DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY Installation of All Way stop Signs at York and Pinewood Avenues (06-220) Commissioner Ron Kim moved and Commissioner John Franck seconded to adopt the following ordinance : An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 225, Section 225-77 of the Code of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York, entitled “Vehicle and Traffic – Schedule XII: Stop Intersections ” BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York as follow: SECTION 1. Section 225-77 of the Code of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York entitled “Vehicle and Traffic – Schedule XII: Stop Intersections ”, is hereby amendment to add the following: Stop Sign On Direction of Travel At Intersection of Pinewood Avenue Both York Avenue SECTION 2. This ordinance shall take effect the day after publication as provided by the provisions of the City Charter of the City of Saratoga Springs, New York. Ayes all. 10 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Mayor Valerie Keehn asked how these requests are brought to the attention of DPS. Commissioner Ron Kim said through staff and residents. Commissioner Matthew McCabe said he had conversations a few days ago with residents in this area who were very happy with this proposal. Apartment Inspection Law – Set Public Hearing Commissioner Ron Kim requested that a public hearing be set for the January 3 at 6:30 on Local Law #1 of 2007 Apartment Inspections. Commissioner Ron Kim said this is another unfunded mandate from the state. It will require the City to perform both fire and property inspections every 36 months on multiple dwellings. This ordinance will set the framework to do those inspections. Other issues that need to be discussed on this matter include the establishment of fees and collections of fees. He said the first thing to be done is an inventory of the dwellings. He said they are also considering an amnesty program for those owners who have not identified their parcel as a multiple dwelling. The purpose of this ordinance is to ensure that apartments are safe, sound and habitable. The City needs to get the cooperation of the property owners in this matter. He will make himself available to Council members for any questions. NIMS Training Commissioner Ron Kim said the NIMS training went well. A list of those who completed the training will be forwarded to the Mayor’s office. SUPERVISOR – Joanne Yepsen Economic Impact of Saratoga Race Course: She thanked Council members for allowing this presentation. She said this information could be used to launch a discussion on what it costs the City to host these events. Saratoga Arts Fest: Joanne Yepsen withdrew this matter from discussion. Foreign Trade Opportunities for Saratoga Businesses: Joanne Yepsen said SEDC and the County will spearhead a trade zone project whereby businesses could realize a savings on importing/exporting through this foreign trade zone. Report from the December Board of Supervisors’ Meeting: Joanne Yepsen said the Board of Supervisors recognized employees with more than 20 years of service. The Gaming and Racing Board distributed their grants. There were 58 applications. There were 8 awarded within the City including: Alcohol and Substance Abuse program, Center for Gambling, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Franklin Community Center, Homemade Theater, Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis, YMCA and the Christopher Daily foundation. The 2007 organization meeting will be held on January 3 where the new chair will hand out the committee assignments. SUPERVISOR – Cheryl Keyrouze SEDC Foreign Trade: Cheryl Keyrouze said she found it interesting and scary that there could be a foreign trade zone within the County. Saratoga County Monthly Meeting: Cheryl Keyrouze said that one particular resolution failed at the County today, but it nearly made it through without comment. It was for the hiring of a Public Information Officer in the amount of $69,000. That individual would have been responsible for press releases, publicity, managing newsletters, answering all press questions, and would have reported directly to the Chair of the Board. She believed it was another layer of bureaucracy. Committee Meeting Updates: At the last meeting of the Insurance and Risk Management committee a contract was signed with Blue Shield of NENY for more than $16 million dollars. However, the Board members were 11 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 unaware that there still outstanding issues with the unions and their contracts on this matter. She said she hoped that it would be resolved next month. Social welfare/subsidized child care: Cheryl Keyrouze said the caregivers in Saratoga County are not receiving their checks within the established two week time period. She said that Robert Christopher stated that it was the state’s fault because the process could not be expedited. She noted that in Nassau County there is direct deposit available, thereby speeding up the process. She said she had a hard time believing Robert Christopher when he made statements that this County has the best turn around time in mailing out these checks. Mommies Bill/Meeting with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s Counsel: Cheryl Keyrouze said she was in Albany on December 12 with Assemblyman Tonko on the Mommies bill. She was there to encourage legislators to pass this bill. She submitted a letter for the record from her to Charlotte Hitchcock of Assemblyman Sheldon Silver’s office. NYS Horse Park: Cheryl Keyrouze said it was interesting that the Empire Racing Association, one of the organizations who would like to operate the race tracks, have flipped flopped on the matter on whether the NYS Horse Park should be not for profit or for profit. She said they are trying to align themselves with the NYS Horse Park. The NYS Horse Park Committee will be incorporated by the end of the month. She said this committee is not working with the Empire Racing Association. Citizens Transportation Committee of Saratoga County: A meeting was held last week by the Citizens Transportation Committee of Saratoga County where Geoff Bornemann, City Planner, made a presentation. She said they continue to look for funding for this program. Saratoga County Household Hazardous Waste Presentation: Cheryl Keyrouze said that Sharon Fisher, recycling coordinator from the Town of Bethlehem, made a presentation to the County Board of Supervisors today on a coordinated effort for household hazardous waste. She said it was time to move forward on this issue. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Valerie Keehn opened the second public comment period. Kyle York, 59 Railroad Place said the Council should consider getting involved in the Moreau State Park expansion project. He said there is no rock solid source that states that a recreational body of water cannot continue to be used for recreational purposes if it is also used as a drinking source. There are restrictions, however, on how close things can be to the intake. He noted though that it was interesting that there would be 8 cabins and 40 campsites located within 75 feet of the intake in the upper Hudson. Neil Marrone said Saratoga Springs is a wonderful place to live. He thanked Larry Benton for the presentation. There is a great quality of life in Saratoga Springs and everything that can be done to maintain it should be. There being no one wishing to speak, Mayor Valerie Keehn closed the second public comment period. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Valerie Keehn moved and Commissioner Ron Kim seconded to adjourn the meeting at 9:15 p.m. Ayes all. There being no further business, Mayor Valerie Keehn adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Moran Clerk 12 of 13 City of Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting Minutes Tuesday, December 19, 2006 Approved: 13 of 13