City Council

August 3, 2010 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Council Meeting Agenda 6:45 P.H. – Capital Program: 2011 - 2016 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL SALUTE TO FLAG PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD / 15 MINUTES PRESENTATION(S) 1. Safety Committee – Employee Assistance Program EXECUTIVE SESSION Discussion regarding proposed, pending or current litigation; personal private information of a person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a person or corporation. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of 7-20-2010 City Council Minutes 2. Approval of 7-26-2010 City Council Minutes 3. Approve Budget Amendments 4. Approve Budget Transfers 5. Approve Payroll 7/23/10 $384,636.96 6. Approve Payroll 7/30/10 $382,620.64 7. Approve Warrant 2010 Mid 10MWJUL2 $12,443.36 8. Approve Warrant 2010 Regular 10AUG1 $1,261,039.83 9. Commissioner of Deeds MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Bus Driver Revised Rate 2. Discussion and Vote: Camp Saradac Additional Trips 3. Discussion and Vote: Indoor Recreation Facility Rental Agreement 4. Discussion and Vote: Hawley Foundation Donation 5. Discussion and Vote: Permission Agreements 6. Discussion and Vote: State Farm Donation 7. Discussion and Vote: Grand Opening Donations 8. Discussion: Grand Opening of Indoor Recreation Facility 9. Discussion and Vote: Accept Donation for Summer Concert Series City Council Meeting 8/3/10 10. Discussion and Vote: Authorization for Mayor to Sign Amended Agreement with Preservation Foundation for Racetrack Inventory 11. Discussion: Civil Service Decertifies Building Department 12. Set Public Hearing: Amend 2010 Capital Budget for Spring Run Trail ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Employee Assistance Program 2. Announcement: How to Vote Using the New Voting System 3. Award of Bid: Sale of Used Vehicles to Key Motors and General Services FINANCE DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Authorization for Mayor to Sign In-Rem Proceeding Contracts 2. Discussion: 2nd Quarter Report FY2010 3. Discussion and Vote: Finance to DPS Payroll Transfer 4. Discussion and Vote: Recreation Department Payroll Transfers 5. Discussion and Vote: Contingency Transfer 6. Discussion: City Finances PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Authorization for the Mayor to Sign a Contract with the Unified Court System 2. Discussion: DPW Staffing 3. Discussion and Vote: Equipment Purchase 4. Discussion and Vote: Fees – Curbs & Sidewalks 5. Discussion and Vote: Sick Bank Request PUBLIC SAFETY Nothing at this time SUPERVISORS Joanne Yepsen Matthew Veitch 1. Grand Opening – Edie Road-Bullard Lane Trail ADJOURN Page 2 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 August 3, 2010 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Council Meeting City Council Room PRESENT: Scott Johnson, Mayor Ken Ivins, Commissioner of Finance John Franck, Commissioner of Accounts Anthony Scirocco, Commissioner of DPW Richard Wirth, Commissioner of DPS Matt Veitch, Supervisor STAFF PRESENT: Shauna Sutton, Deputy Mayor Kate Jarosh, Deputy Commissioner, Finance Michele Boxley, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Tim Cogan, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Frank Dudla, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Joe Scala, City Attorney ABSENT: Joanne Yepsen, Supervisor RECORDING OF PROCEEDING The proceedings of this meeting were taped for the benefit of the secretary. Because the minutes are not a verbatim record of the proceedings, the minutes are not a word-for-word transcript. PUBLIC HEARING Mayor Johnson presented the proposed Capital Program for 2011-2016. The proposed Capital Program is developed by a committee. The primary focus was the upcoming year, 2011. The projects listed beyond the year 2011 should not be misconstrued as approved projects for recommendation as actual projects to be undertaken as opposed to be targeted for perhaps being done as well as any recommendation of the viability of those projects beyond this coming year. The projected cost of the entire 6 year program should not be an indication that the City should take on all of those projects. He thanked the committee for their dedication, cooperation and hard work. This year this committee met on a monthly basis so that they could address needs as they arise and be better prepared for the future. He explained a Capital Program is – a mandate by the City Charter; intended to identify over a 6 year period the capital needs of the City and the proposed means of financing, the source of funding for each project, and the primary focus for the upcoming fiscal year. The source of funding for each project needs to be identified in order to be included in the Capital Program. The projects that are recommended by the committee are ranked by priority and confirmed sources of funding. Projects for which funding is contingent upon funding other than City bonding are not ranked by the committee. The lacking of a ranking should not be any indication that they are not worthwhile projects. The City’s debt limit is $69,970,406.00, of which the amount remaining that can potentially be bonded is approximately $44,000,000. The committee’s recommendation to bond is $1,999,000 for 2011, of which $800,000 represents water bonds which are excluded from the debt limit. He provided a 4 year history of Capital Program recommendations. Page 3 of 22  City Council Meeting 8/3/10 The proposed Capital Program is: Dept Department Project Title 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Code Rank Total Total Total Total Total Total 1000 MAYOR'S DEPARTMENT Open Space Land Acquisition (other than Waterfront Project) $300,000 $300,000 MAYOR'S DEPARTMENT TOTAL $0 $0 $0 $300,000 $300,000 1100 COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Excelsior Ave Improvements - Phase I $315,000 Excelsior Ave Improvements - Phase II $770,000 Railroad Run Trail - Phase II $320,000 Geyser Road Trail - Design and Construction - Phase I $1,584,000 CED TOTAL $0 $0 $320,000 $315,000 $1,584,000 $770,000 HOME AND COMMUNITY 1200 SERVICE HOME AND COMMUNITY TOTAL $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 2000 FINANCE DEPARTMENT FINANCE DEPARTMENT TOTAL $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PUBLIC WORKS 3000 DEPARTMENT Water Treatment Plant Pole Barn # for Water Tanks $450,000 Canfield Casino Rehabilitation Project 7 $300,000 $300,000 $300,000 $300,000 $300,000 $300,000 City Buildings and Facilities: Repairs and Upgrades 9 $100,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 Infrastructure Improvement and # Replacement Project 4 $800,000 Infrastructure Improvement and # Replacement Project $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 City Public Works Garage / Rehabilitation Project 8 $175,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 Broadway Street Light Replacement/Improvement Project $60,000 $60,000 $60,000 Compost Facility Improvement/Expansion Project $450,000 Old Ballston Avenue Culvert Replacement Project $165,000 DPW Equipment Requests + Vacuum/Sewer Cleaning Truck Combination 5 $225,000 Dump Truck with Plow Equipment and Spreader (replace #47) $140,000 F450 Dump Truck (New) $60,000 Tractor Backhoe/Loader Machine (replace #82 and rental) $110,000 Page 4 of 22  City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Dump Truck with Plow Equipment and Spreader (replace #99) Dump Truck with Plow Equipment and Spreader (replace #99) $140,000 Road Grader with Wing Plow (replace #39) $250,000 Dump Truck with Plow Equipment and Spreader (replace #97) $140,000 Loader/Tool Carrier Machine (replace #6) $160,000 Dump Truck with Plow Equipment and Spreader (replace #18) $140,000 Loader/Tool Carrier Machine (replace #15) $160,000 Dump Truck with Plow Equipment and Spreader (replace #31) $150,000 Loader/Tool Carrier Machine (replace #51) $160,000 Dump Truck with Plow Equipment (replace #53) $120,000 PUBLIC WORKS DEPT TOTAL $1,600,000 $2,330,000 $1,315,000 $1,150,000 $1,200,000 $1,330,000 4100 POLICE Reflective Sign Project MUTCO 10 $110,000 Reflective Sign Project MUTCO $110,000 $110,000 $110,000 Civilian Fingerprinting Equipment 6 $19,000 Traffic Light Lake Avenue at Fire House $150,000 Variable Message Sign (Traffic Sign) $22,000 Workplace Violence Program Building Security Repair 1 $36,000 POLICE TOTAL $165,000 $282,000 $110,000 $110,000 $0 $0 4200 FIRE Brush Truck (F553) 11 $50,000 Lake Avenue Fire Station Roof 3 $120,000 Blood Borne Decontamination and Cleaning Facilities 2 $64,000 Cold Storage Pole Barn (West Avenue) $60,000 Fire Engine #2 (E562) $410,000 Emergency Response Vehicle (M568) $145,000 Fire Engine #4 Ladder Truck (EL563) $990,000 FIRE TOTAL $234,000 $470,000 $0 $1,135,000 $0 $0 PUBLIC SAFETY DEPT TOTAL $399,000 $752,000 $110,000 $1,245,000 $0 $0 5000 ACCOUNTS ACCOUNTS TOTAL $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 CULTURE AND RECREATION 6000 DEPARTMENT Resurfacing/Repairing Tennis and Basketball Courts $236,800 Fencing $12,000 Development of Recreation $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 Page 5 of 22  City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Fields CULTURE AND RECREATION TOTAL $0 $12,000 $436,800 $200,000 $200,000 $200,000 TOTAL BONDED PROJECTS $1,999,000 $3,094,000 $2,181,800 $2,910,000 $3,284,000 $2,600,000 Less Projects funded by Water / Sewer Funds $800,000 $700,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 $250,000 NET AMOUNT - TOTAL INCREASE IN DEBT LIMIT $1,199,000 $2,394,000 $1,931,800 $2,660,000 $3,034,000 $2,350,000 REQUESTS CONTINGENT ONLY UPON RECEIPT OF GRANT FUNDS 1000 MAYOR'S DEPARTMENT Waterfront Property * Redevelopment phase 2 $800,000 MAYOR'S DEPARTMENT TOTAL $800,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 PUBLIC WORKS 3000 DEPARTMENT Water Treatment Plant Emergency Power Generator $750,000 PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT TOTAL $0 $750,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 REQUESTS CONTINGENT ONLY UPON RECEIPT OF SCHOOL FUNDS CULTURE AND RECREATION 6000 DEPARTMENT East Side Rec. & West Side Rec ## Capital Improvements $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 CULTURE AND RECREATION TOTAL $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 TOTAL CONTINGENT UPON RECEIPT OF GRANT / SCHOOL FUNDING $825,000 $775,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 + plus $125,000 Previously appropriated in 2010 * Contingent on Grant Funding # Indicates Water Funds ## Contingent on School Funding SC = Safety Committee Ranking Fire equipment note: orders for fire engines take approx 330 days Page 6 of 22  City Council Meeting 8/3/10 The 2011 Capital Project list by ranking is: Dept 2011 Capital Project Title Total Rank Requests Requiring Bonding DPS Workplace Violence Program Building Security Repair $36,000 1 DPS Blood Borne Decontamination and Cleaning Facilities $64,000 2 DPS Lake Avenue fire Station Roof $120,000 3 DPW # Infrastructure Improvement and Replacement $800,000 4 DPW + Vacuum/Sewer Cleaning Truck Combination $225,000 5 DPS Civilian Fingerprinting Equipment $19,000 6 DPW Canfield Casino Rehabilitation Project $300,000 7 DPW City Public Works Garage/Rehabilitation Project $175,000 8 DPW City Buildings and Facilities: Repairs and Upgrades $100,000 9 DPS Reflective Sign Project Mutco $110,000 10 DPS Brush Truck (F553) $50,000 11 TOTAL BONDED PROJECTS $1,999,000 Less Projects Funded by Water Fund $800,000 NET AMOUNT – TOTAL INCREASE IN DEBT LIMIT $1,199,000 REQUESTS CONTINGENT ON GRANT / SCHOOL FUNDING MAYOR * Waterfront Property Redevelopment Phase 2 $800,000 REC ## East Side Rec and West Side Rec Capital Improvements $25,000 TOTAL CONTINGETN ON GRANT / SCHOOL FUNDING $825,000 # Indicates Water Funds + Plus $125,000 previously appropriated in 2010 * Contingent on Grant Funding ## Contingent on School Funding Mayor Johnson further explained there are 2 requests contingent upon outside funding. The next steps include 2 additional public hearings – August 11, 2010 @ 12:30 p.m. and August 17, 2010 @ 6:45 p.m. Mayor Johnson opened the floor to the public for comment. Raoul Gagne of 22 Vichy Drive asked who the members of the capital committee are by name. Mayor Johnson advised Chief Cole would attend as needed, Deputy Commissioner Boxley, Deputy Commissioner Jarosh, Kathy Moran from DPW, Christine Gillmett-Brown, Paul Male, Deputy Commissioner Frank Dudla, Linda Terricola, etc. Molly Gagne of 22 Vichy Drive stated we have Railroad Run, Spring Run being completed, ADA compliant crosswalks coming up S. Broadway and seeing a lot of improvement in transportation throughout the City. The southwest neighborhood has been without cost to the City. They make up 20% of the City’s population in the Geyser Road area but they don’t see the Geyser Road Trail as anything important to the City. She is hurt by this as it was there before and not there now. Page 7 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:23 p.m. PUBLIC COMENT Mayor Johnson opened the public comment period at 7:24 p.m. Mayor Johnson said the public comment period is limited to a total of 15 minutes and individuals are limited to two minutes each according to the rules approved in February of 2004 by the City Council. Pat Kane of 19 Marion Place stated he has been actively pursuing a charter referendum. He presented documents to the Council. One piece is the profile of the petitioners. On June 15th they submitted to the Council their proposed Charter document. He followed up the submission with an 88 page document with an excess of 1200 signatures. At the last Council meeting he stated he had another 80 pages of signatures as well. They now have over 2300 signatures. They have taken the time to verify the signatures and bumped them against the voter database. They discounted their own numbers which are not verifiable and have had an accuracy rate of 96% on those 2000 signatures. They only have 1200 signatures in front of the Council but have close to another 800 signatures to submit to them should they reject this proposal. They are required to give 1137 signatures. He urged the Council to remember these are 2200 voters that vote routinely. Demographics show people from all parties are signing this petition. The profile of the signatures is very representative of what the community is asking you to do. He asked that someone on the Council place the recommendation on the agenda to put this on the ballot. The state is clear on the standards and they have exceeded all those standards. Based on legal counsel, they will wait for the Council’s decision to reject or pass this before submitting the additional signatures. Bonnie Sellers of 73 Fifth Avenue stated Commissioner Ivins mentioned financial difficulties in next year’s budget and he would have to reduce each budget by 10%. That way the tax payers would not be hit with double digit tax in crease. The 2 biggest departments stated they are going to have a hard time finding justification in providing services for the City by making those cuts. Although Mr. Kane’s group may have met all the requirements, they need to consider the tax payer and the voter. There is very little financial information in this proposal. There are no financials on adding the next layer; the City manager layer. That always has to be worked into the budget to protect the tax payer and the Council from instability. Even if we wanted to change the form of government she is not sure we could afford it. Steve Hubbard of 4 Richard Avenue stated on June 14, 2010 he and his wife have submitted a building application. Since the plans have been submitted, they have made modified upon the City’s request. Because of the action taken by the Civil Service Department, we have not been able to get our permit. He respectfully urged the City Council to look at other options such as 3rd party inspector contractors, borrowing from other towns, etc. Brent Wilkes of 5 Thames Way stated there is substantial broad based support to put the proposed Charter reform on the ballot this fall. You can decide to approve this to be put on the ballot or you can reject the petition and allow them to submit the additional signatures to put this on the ballot without Council approval. He asked that the Council not turn their back on those that seek debate on this issue and seek to exercise their constitutional right. The proposed Charter will not cost the tax payers an additional dime. The proposed charter has been in the public domain since June. The changes to the Charter are well known. Kyle York of 59 Railroad Place thanked Supervisor Veitch for his work on the trails. It is worth going out to the new trail and it has very interesting stuff to look at. He has been here twice before to address the algae in the ponds and to volunteer. He has 2 more people that are willing to use their time. He didn’t get any personal response back from reaching out. He did read in the paper that the responsible commissioner was going to talk to the City attorney, risk and safety, and the unions. He is asking tonight if he and the other 2 volunteers can step forward to clean the ponds. Page 8 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Scott Prehn of 10 Pleasant Drive hopes he will live at 19 Jenee Way if he can get a building permit. It has been 8 weeks since he has applied for one. There are people who could not earn money this week because they couldn’t show up to work. He would be thrilled to pay taxes if he can build his home on the now empty lot. He too is happy to clean up muck out of the pond. Derrick Legall of 3 Deer Leap Place and chairman of the Recreation Commission thanked the Council for attending the grand opening last week. The building has not been cleaned since the grand opening. It is a mess. They have 150 kids attending Camp Saradac each day. For people to come in the building and see it in the condition it is in; he is ashamed. Commissioner Scirocco stated he is doing the best he can but does not have the manpower to fully take care of the building. If something isn’t done, he will see what he can get done by outsourcing it. He will not have this facility run down in less than a year on his watch. He spoke with Commissioner Ivins last week about having people register on line with a credit card. This will allow our employees to become more efficient. We are 1 of only a few municipalities that does not have this ability. Also, why are they still having to do payroll in the Recreation Department; it takes 1 employee 2 – 3 days to get payroll done. Remijia Foy of 95 Oak Street stated several stats were presented about the petitions. What was missing from the statistics is the question “Have your read the proposal and do you know what the petition is about”. We didn’t see any statistics on that. This is a minority number, however the intent is to lead the public to believe there is an overwhelming ground swell for this kind of thing and it doesn’t exist. Al Callucci of 9 Lexington Road stated he supports Mr. Legall’s comments. Also, we haven’t seen the support to justify the across the board 10% cut. It is creating uncertainty in this City and moral is low. We need to get our act together on this. Also, he has done research on the Charter and there is no way someone can say this will not cost more money. The question that was asked at his house is “Would you be willing to vote for an amendment to the Charter?” There has been no explanation. People have signed not knowing what they are dealing with. Phil Diamond of 29 Waterview Drive stated he is not making comment for or against the Charter change. He is surprised Mr. Kane wasn’t able to get 5,000 signatures – all you have to do is walk in Congress Park – it is a mess. That Saturday night all you had to do was walk down Broadway; the garbage was overflowing on to the streets. The Council needs to wake up. Don’t let the City fall apart like it is now. Commissioner Franck stated there was some incorrect information said at the mic. You can’t bring this up tonight even if you wanted to. It is no just certification; there are 13 paragraphs to Section 37 and also Section 24. The simplification that as long as you have the signatures, that’s incorrect. Just because signatures are on a voting list does not mean that they are counted. He has taken that process out of his hands; the law firm is working with the County. The clock did not start in June, the clock started July 20th. He has until August 19th to go through and either certify or decertify. Even if he decertifies these signatures, it does not stop this Council from going ahead and voting this up or down or ignoring it. If he decertifies it, the individuals who have brought this forward have 5 days to go to court and fight it. If he certifies it, the group that is against it has 5 days to go to court. To hear it is just signatures, that is incorrect. He suggested people read Section 37 of Municipal Home Rule Law. This has not happened a whole lot of times therefore there is not a lot of case law. Even if a motion was brought forward tonight, it will not qualify until he certifies or decertified. Mayor Johnson closed the public comment period at 7:50 p.m. PRESENTATION Safety Committee – Employee Assistance Program Marilyn Rivers, Safety Committee Chairperson stated Mayor Johnson asked the Safety Committee in June of this year to investigate an employee assistance program (EAP). A sub committee was formed and Page 9 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 chaired by Harry Bucciferro, the City’s insurance agent. That committee met with several providers. In the past EAP has been approached on an individual collective bargaining unit basis. Safety Committee asked everyone to put aside which organization they belong to and sit on the committee as a Safety Committee member – they all did that. Harry Bucciferro provided the council with a handout. He is here tonight as a Safety Committee member, not as the City’s insurance agent. He is here to recommend to the Council to adopt an EAP program. It is a confidential, voluntary program that the employees can access to gain counseling for a variety of issues that can affect their health and welfare. They employee is entitled to 3 visits. Should the employee need to go for help beyond those visits, it becomes a health insurance case. The family members of the employees are also eligible, not just the employees. The City Charter talks about developing an EAP. The handout provided gives information of each of the providers that were looked at. After initial discussion, we received specific proposals from each provider. They are here to recommend the City Council adopt an EAP for full time employees. They are also recommending ESI as the EAP provider for the City. The cost presented is approximately $540/month. There is money already budgeted for the EAP in 2010 and there will be separate agreements for 2011. The cost is $7,000 for a 13 month contract and $8,000 for a 16 month contract. ESI provides professionals on the line 24/7. They will provide additional services such as a web page and will help the City develop a wellness program. Mayor Johnson thanked Harry and the Safety Committee for their efforts. The program has cost savings measures in place and is a win-win situation. He hopes to bring a contract for acceptance to the August 17th meeting for the EAP program. EXECUTIVE SESSION Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to move to executive session for discussion regarding proposed, potential, pending or current litigation; personal private information of a person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a person or corporation at 8:02 p.m. Ayes - All Council returned from session at 9:05 p.m. Mayor Johnson stated nothing was resolved during executive session, therefore there is nothing to report to the public. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the consent agenda as follows: 1. Approval of 7-20-2010 City Council Minutes 2. Approval of 7-26-2010 City Council Minutes 3. Approve Budget Amendments 4. Approve Budget Transfers 5. Approve Payroll 7/23/10 $384,636.96 6. Approve Payroll 7/30/10 $382.620.64 7. Approve Warrant 2010 Mid 10 MWJUL2 $12,443.36 8. Approve Warrant 2010 Regular 10AUG1 $1,261,039.83 9. Commissioner of Deeds Commissioner Ivins stated he has a change to the regular warrant – 2010 Regular 10AUG1 is now $1,260,757.83. Page 10 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Ayes - All MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: Bus Driver Revised Rate (10-224) Linda Terricola advised they were notified yesterday that the school district revised their bus contract. The current rate the Council approved is $15.50 per hour. The new hourly rate is $15.75 effective July 6, 2010. Mayor Johnson asked if she knew how this affects the overall budget with this increase. Linda advised the change is minimal. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the revised rate as described. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Camp Saradac Addition Trips (10-225) Linda Terricola advised the average number of people attending camp is lower than budgeted, so they have additional funding available to take the kids on trips. This request in funding is within their budget. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the additional trips as described. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Indoor Recreation Facility Rental Agreement (10-226) Linda Terricola advised Marilyn Rivers and Joe Scala have reviewed and approved the agreement. Mayor Johnson asked if the rental amounts are according to the fee schedule approved. Linda advised it is according to the fee schedule approved in December 2009. Commissioner Scirocco asked Linda the fee schedule included the price of rental on the building. Linda advised the rates are in the fee schedule. Commissioner Scirocco asked Linda if she will be taking care of all the bookings for the different events. Linda advised she will be doing the bookings for the community room and the gym. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the rental agreement as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Hawley Foundation Donation (10-227) Mayor Johnson recused himself as he is on the board and past president of the Hawley Foundation. Commissioner Ivins will take this issue over on behalf of the mayor. Page 11 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Linda Terricola advised the Hawley Foundation is donating $35,200; the most ever received. This funding is used for scholarships for Camp Saradac. Commissioner Ivins moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to accept the donation as outlined. Ayes – 4 Abstained – 1 (Mayor Johnson) Discussion and Vote: Permission Agreements (10-228) Linda Terricola stated Marilyn Rivers and Joe Scala reviewed the agreements. One agreement is for an adult and one is for a child. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to approve the permission agreement as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: State Farm Donation (10-229) Linda Terricola advised State Farm has made a donation of: combination lockers for the ice rink, 3 tables, 90 stacking chairs with chair dollies, blue cubical panels, 6 receptacles, 1 portable stand/riser, 2 couches, 1 flat screen TV., lateral shelving unit, and 3 desks. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the donations as described. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Grand Opening Donations (10-230) Linda Terricola advised some people were overlooked the night of the grand opening and she thanked them publicly. These people are: Paul Male – City Engineer, Phil Rankin – Project Manager of Bast Hatfield, Vincent Zebowski of Bast Hatfield, Christopher Bast – CEO and owner of Bast Hatfield, Mike Szemansco of Synthesis Architects, Volker Husel of Synthesis Architects, Mary Moore of Sysnthesis, and Sue and Don Davis of SD Atelier Architects. She thanked the following for their donations: Matthew Angelini for singing the national anthem, Seth Berger – assistant food and beverage director of Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, Ms. Bobbi Matthews – graphic designer of program, Debbie Strom of Allerdice Rent-All, Jerry Burke of Dunkin’ Donuts, Rick Stauffer of Hannaford, Price Chopper, Saratoga Springs City Schools, Saratoga Springs Football Booster Club, Saratoga Water, Saratoga Springs City Center, Eclectic Songs, Marilyn and Rick Bocchi, and all the other who volunteered their time to make this event happen. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to accept the donations as described. Ayes - All Discussion: Grand Opening of Indoor Recreation Facility Mayor Johnson stated the grand opening on July 27th was an evening of good buzz. People were surprised at what they saw; many didn’t expect the facility would live up to expectations but found otherwise. Special thanks to the Recreation Department staff who stuck with this all the way through, and the Recreation Commission for keeping this project on track. They had 300+ people attend and he invited the community to come out and see it. Discussion and Vote: Accept Donation for Summer Concert Series (10-231) Page 12 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to accept a donation of $200 from Ben and Jerry’s and $250 from the Holiday Inn to help support the financing of the summer concert series. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Authorization for Mayor to Sign Amended Agreement with Preservation Foundation for Racetrack Inventory Mayor Johnson pulled this item from his agenda. This item is being pulled at the request of the Preservation Foundation. Discussion: Civil Service Decertifies Building Department Mayor Johnson stated the recent action taken by the Civil Service Commission has resulted in shutting down the Building Department in its ability to issue any building permits until the dispute is resolved. When he took office he found the situation in the Building Department to be unacceptable in terms of needing more efficiencies and restructuring of that department to better serve the public. There were significant delays in the issuing of permits to where some builders were no longer building in this City because of unacceptable waiting times. The staff at that time was working under certain antiquated conditions and the goal of his administration was to streamline things, update and computerize it. They have come a long way towards achieving those goals. Part of the recent problem and dispute with the Civil Service Commission is over their ability and desire to restructure that department to make it more efficient and responsive to the community need. On July 19, 2010 the City Civil Serve Commission took it upon themselves to take these actions. He feels compelled as an elected official and as the one who is over this department to speak out publicly as to where they are and where they stand. Since he is the appointing authority under Civil Service Law and also being the mayor and overseeing the Building Department, he has certain rights that others do not have when it comes to personnel and the ability to effectuate change. He never requested that they do what they have done most recently. It is important for the public to realize and assess if the actions taken by this commission are legal and taken in good faith. On their own initiative and without request from his office or the Building Department, the commission changed the job description of the 2 assistant building inspectors by deleting their prior granted authority to issue building permits. By doing so, they have shut down the department to issue building permits until further action is taken or this issue is resolved. Also on July 19, 2010 another step was taken that impacts the department. The commission eliminated the position of the zoning enforcement officer and building inspector that they just agreed to approve upon his request in June. His goal in having a new position was part of the restructuring effort of the Building Department for better efficiencies and better service to the public. His office went to the commission with the request to create this new position so they could get the most qualified person to serve in that capacity and the City. The commission agreed with and approved the request in June. They advertised for the position and received responses to that advertisement. As they received the applications, in a matter of days, this latest action was taken to eliminate the position by the Civil Service Commission. He believes we have solid legal ground to contest and reverse the action. We have hired outside legal counsel. In the interim, effective tomorrow and in full compliance with the latest job description by the Civil Service Commission, the 2 current assistant building inspectors will be able to operate according to the way their job description was revised and amended by the commission this past July 19th. These inspectors will be authorized to begin issuing building permits for up to 3 months. This gives them time to resolve the legal issues. This is the prime building season and we must take action. Set Public Hearing: Amend 2010 Capital Budget for Spring Run Trail Paul Male advised they received notification from DOT that they have increased funding for the Spring Run Trail in the amount of $282,000 =/-. The total project amount is now $2,070, 003.00. This money is coming through stimulus funds and at no cost to the City. They will be asking for 2 change orders next week. Mayor Johnson set a public hearing for August 17, 2010 at 6:35 p.m. Page 13 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: Employee Assistance Program (10-232) Commissioner Franck advised the City Safety Committee is recommending the Council adopt an employee assistance program. The Safety Committee has reviewed 3 program providers and is recommending utilizing the services of ESI Corporation to administer this program. The contract between the City and ESI Corporation will be on the next City Council agenda. Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to adopt the employee assistance program as previously discussed. Commissioner Ivins asked for an outline of the finances for the public. Commissioner Franck advised the amount is not on the vote for tonight. The cost of the service being proposed is $7,023.15 for a 13 month contract. Commissioner Ivins asked if the money is coming out of this year’s budget. Marilyn advised it is budget neutral because we have the money through savings in the insurance program. The money is there for September 1 through the end of this year and we also have the money for all ofnext year for this program. Ayes - All Announcement: How to Vote Using the New Voting System Commissioner Franck announced the Saratoga County Board of Elections is going to provide a demonstration of the new voting machines on August 17 in City Hall from 4 – 7 p.m. A video on how to use the machines was shown. A brochure is available in the City Clerk’s office. Award of Bid: Sale of Used Vehicles to Key Motors and General Services (10-233) Commissioner Franck moved and Mayor Johnson seconded to award the bid for the following vehicles to Key Motors – the 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006 Crown Victoria Police package and the following vehicles to General Services – 2001 Chevy Impala and 1996 Valley Horse Trailer for various prices. Ayes – All **Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to add item to his agenda to authorize the settlement of an article 7 real property tax assessment case. (10-234) Ayes - All Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to authorize the settlement of an article 7 real property tax assessment case referred to tax map 165.52-4-1 as previously distributed. (10-235) Ayes - All FINANCE DEPARTMENT Page 14 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Discussion and Vote: Authorization for Mayor to Sign In-Rem Proceeding Contracts (10-236) Commissioner Ivins moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to authorize the mayor to sign a revised contract with John Mannix and a contract with Broadway Title for title work for in-rem proceedings. Commissioner Ivins stated the contracts are for $425 per tax map number. The total amount is still $55,375. Unless the City taxes the parcel, this amount is charged back to the parcel and is paid by the person clearing up the back taxes or the new owner if it goes to auction. Ayes - All Discussion: 2nd Quarter Report FY2010 Commissioner Ivins stated this on the agenda for review and will also be in the City Clerk’s office this week. Sixty three percent of the property taxes have been collected versus 67% in 2009. Sales tax was up 8% over 2009 as of June 30th. One quarterly payment of occupancy tax has been received and is 21% over 2009. One quarterly payment for the County surplus was made in April and appears we will meet budget on this item. The NYRA admissions tax, CHIPS reimbursement, AIM funding, and franchise tax are expected later in the year. It does not appear the budget will be met for mortgage tax, possibly down about $50,000. The City will issue a bond in July for the 2010 projects and 2009 additions after bonding. Overall 44% of the revenues have been received as of 6/30/10. On the expense side most department expenditures are running at or below 50% as of 6/30/10. Capital debt and Community Development expenses vary based upon the timing of the project, timing of the debt payment and grant scheduling. Commissioner Franck asked if we received June sales tax number yet. Commissioner Ivins stated he has not received yet. They are projecting them to be low. Commissioner Scirocco asked how the room occupancy tax plays into this. Commissioner Ivins stated we do get a portion of it. We won’t have a good feeling for it until after track season. Discussion and Vote: Finance to DPS Payroll Transfer (10-237) Commissioner Ivins moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the finance/public safety payroll transfer as previously distributed to the Council. Commissioner Ivins stated this is the payment from the donations to go toward the July 4th police and fire services. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Recreation Department Payroll Transfers (10-238) Commissioner Ivins moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the Recreation Department payroll transfers as previously distributed to the Council. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Contingency Transfer (10-239) Commissioner Ivins moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to approve the contingency transfer as previously distributed to the Council. Page 15 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Commissioner Ivins stated this is for the repair of the Lillian’s parking lot. The beginning balance in the contingency fund is $39,622.44; the total amount of the transfer is $3,517.37. The ending balance in the contingency is $36,105.07. Ayes – 4 Nays – 1 (Commissioner Franck) Discussion: City Finances Commissioner Ivins stated occupancy tax is up from 2009. Mortgage tax continues to decline – about 31% below 2009. We are also in the final stages of our audit for 2009 and hope to have a presentation from our auditors in the next couple of weeks. *Commissioner Ivins moved and Commissioner Franck seconded to add an item to his agenda to set a public hearing for August 17th for the early retirement law. Ayes – All Commissioner Ivins set the public hearing for August 17, 2010 at 6:25 p.m. PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: Authorization for the Mayor to Sign a Contract with the Unified Court System (10- 240) Commissioner Scirocco stated the City renews this contract every year. The renewal period is 4/1/10 – 3/31/11. The proposed budget is $59,728 for reimbursement for services rendered. Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to authorize the mayor to sign the renewal contract with the Unified Court System for the period 4/1/10 – 3/31/11 as presented. Ayes - All Discussion: DPW Staffing Commissioner Scirocco stated since 2008 they are down 60 employees due to resignations, retirement and layoffs. Public Safety got a lot of play in the past about being down 4 or 5 firemen and 5 or 6 police officers; they are down 60 employees based upon where they were in 2008. This is why they can’t clean the algae out of the ponds, the issue with the recreation center. They used to have 10 on the night crew with 3 trucks and now they only have 3 with 1 truck. The flower crew used to have 10 people now they are down to 4 (actually 3 because one person is out due to a broken hand). We used to have 6 people maintaining Congress Park; now we only have 3. This year we lost the director of public works through retirement and the building and grounds supervisor; these were 2 key positions. He will address these positions in the upcoming budget. DPW has 31 buildings to maintain and 140 miles of roads to maintain. The 2008 budget, his predecessor’s budget, was $9.6 million dollars. His budget in 2009 was $8.6 million and the 2010 budget was $8.6 million; then it was amended again in 2010 and he believes he will come in under that number. The buildings they have to maintain on a daily basis are: Casino, Senior Center, City Hall, water treatment plant, carousel, the Waterfront Park, drink hall, City garage, Arts Council, transfer station, parking garages, ice rinks, and now the indoor recreation center. Keep in mind they are down close to 60 employees. We have 113 parcels of land, 545 acres of land that needs to be mowed, plowed, and litter picked up, etc. The east side field, the west side field, north side field, Weibel Avenue Rink, Vernon Rink, indoor rec, and the spray parks are all things they maintain on a daily basis and again they are down 60 employees and they are doing it. Congress Park – they have 30 acres to mow, plant flowers, weed wack, rake leaves, and snow removal with 3 employees. They 3 ponds to maintain, 2 springs, public bathrooms, priceless artifacts, and the carousel now runs 7 days a week. Everyday the parking lots are full Page 16 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 of litter, glass, etc. and their people are in there picking up all that stuff. They lost the court room cleaner through layoffs and channeled their City Hall person to help out with that. There were a lot of people that retired during his tenure that they never really replaced, then they got hit with the layoffs, and then they got hit with a hiring freeze. It put them in a bad position, but they are maintaining doing what they need to do. They had 2 individuals to handle the banner program, and now they only have 1. Those are the flags that get put up on Broadway on a daily basis and the banners that get put up on the Congress Park fence. If they lose any more people, they won’t be able to do that program; and it is a revenue generator for theCity. General maintenance like lawn and leaf pick up is done on a daily basis. They are probably on a 1 week – 1 ½ week turn around before they come back and get the leaves a 2nd time around. The City is 30 square miles and they have to maintain the whole thing; they are doing it with 60 less employees. They have 140 miles of road – 280 miles round trip; they have to shovel all the sidewalks on Broadway, all the recreation field sidewalks, crosswalks, all the sidewalks in the park. That is a lot of concrete to maintain whether we get 2 inches of snow or 6 inches of snow. It has to be done because it is a liability for the City. Our guys have stepped up to the plate; he doesn’t know how much longer they can continue to do what they need to do. Special events like (Hats Off, 4th of July, First Night, Victorian Street Walk) all require staff to come in during the event and the next day for clean up. The fireworks make a major mess in the park. His priority is to upgrade the City’s infrastructure. They completed the waterline on Nelson Avenue, the Gilbert Road waterline, Beekman Street will start this fall, Church Street reconstruction, Maple Avenue storm drainage, Hawthorn Street, etc. We are talking about a 10% reduction in our budget when they are already pretty hard pressed. If they have to do it then they will do it. He suggested everyone needs to take a look at their own departments and make some cuts. He is hoping that the numbers that come in (revenue generators) come in up enough where if there is a layoff it is not going to be a 10% reduction in public works or public safety. Without those 2 departments, the City can’t function. In his opinion the City looks great, the park looks great, and the streets look great. He is really proud, and he thinks the Council is proud of the job these people are doing. He wanted to bring this up in case of any future reference that might come up. Commissioner Franck stated he believes everyone is going to have to make cuts. His budget was $2.1 million and lost almost a million in his budget and he didn’t start with a big number like Commissioner Scirocco did. In 2008, the budget Commissioner Scirocco was given was the highest budget ever in that department and quite a rise from 2007 and 2008. When Commissioner Scirocco came into office in 2008 he had 139 full time people. Commissioner Scirocco stated that was a budget Commissioner Franck approved. Commissioner Franck stated that is true and Commissioner Scirocco was given quite a sweet deal. He wasn’t coming in with all these cuts, he had a lot of people. Commissioner Scirocco stated he did have everybody. Commissioner Franck stated he thought Commissioner Scirocco used a little too much but that’s neither here or there. He knows Commissioner Scirocco went to the paper, and he has heard tons of complaints about the day the rec facility opened and the grass was up to your knees and hadn’t been cut for that occasion; he was there for July 4th and the pond stunk. He knows the newspaper blamed it on the budget, blamed it on this type of government and blamed the 4 commissioners who aren’t in charge of your department. He stated that Commissioner Scirocco must have a good relationship with the Saratogian because there was little or no blame in the article for Commissioner Scirocco. He knows times are tough. He is looking at more cuts in his department. He believes he will reach the 10%; whatever Commissioner Ivins and Commissioner McCabe before him has asked him to do he has done. He will continue to do it, but one problem is a lack of money. He said he would be more than happy to sit with Commissioner Scirocco – Commissioner Franck said he doesn’t know a lot about mowing lawns but he has management skills. With all due respect, there aren’t a lot of major projects going on in this City right now. Maybe you have to look in the Engineering Department to make some cuts there so you have move people out in the field to take care of these needs that you need. It is nothing like it’s been since he has been in office and the assessments show this, the numbers show this. Design Review Commission keeps cancelling meetings because no one is coming in. Maybe Commissioner Scirocco would want to cut the carousel down – instead of having it 6 days a week have it Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and get rid of an employee Page 17 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 there. You have a coin machine; he doesn’t think it works; maybe get that to work. Maybe we can be more innovative in scheduling – the next thing on the commissioner’s agenda is to purchase a $16,000 or $17,000 lawn mower. Why can’t we take lawn mowers from the rec division and the ones that cut the cemeteries and take 2 or 3 hours and just get the park done instead of just using the 1 mower at the park? You are not mowing the lawn 7 days a week 24 hours a day; it’s been a hot summer and most of the grass is burnt. He would be more than happy to sit down and work him on these things and apparently the newspaper wants us to do this – he is willing to help him out. Grab your utility crew and in 2 days you can have the ponds cleaned up; that should have been done before the summer hit. People are telling him the understand times are tough but there are certain services they want and certain things they want to see. They want to see the parks, the flowers, and their debris picked up. Those are the most important services to these people. He understands how big Saratoga Springs is; it hasn’t grown in the last 40 years – it isstill the same size. A lot of this is state property. He would be more than happy to sit down with Commissioner Scirocco; he is sure we can be a lot more productive than what we are. We need to be flexible; the people he has can be used in different ways. You can have the best talent on earth but you can’t manage it and use them in their best positions then you are going to be hurt. If you do that and it still doesn’t work, then you have a valid argument. Of all the things Commissioner Scirocco read, other than the rec center everything has been there. That is why he was against the waterline being put in down there last year. He thought it was a waste of money we just didn’t need the waterline that badly; there was more need of using these people for regular services. Is infrastructure important – absolutely. Is it number 1 right now – absolutely not. Right now it should be just getting the services you listed done. If you are doing all these other things on the side, he doesn’t know how it going to be done. A good portion of this comes down to scheduling. Going from the minutes, Commissioner Scirocco's number for employees have gone up and down and all over the place. He is going to request from finance that they provide Commissioner Scirocco’s workman’s total hours from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and what we have for hours in 2010. Commissioner Scirocco has people’s names there and others have been hired back. Sometimes we inflate because you put your original budget in adding 27 people and then you get half of that so you say you lost 13 people. He does have payroll stats there and Commissioner Scirocco has had considerable loses between retirements and layoffs. Percentage wise Commissioner Scirocco is not much different than the other offices. Percentage wise Commissioner Scirocco is not as bad as he is; the numbers are smaller but he feels the pain the same way. He has dropped his budget in the same time period about 70% of what Commissioner Scirocco dropped his budget and his budget is 9 times larger. Commissioner Scirocco stated the 5 employees that were hired back are not on the list of names he has. Commissioner Franck stated he would read from the minutes as Commissioner Scirocco’s number changes with the wind. He read: on 4/6/10 Commissioner Scirocco stated he had 153 employees when he took office now he is down to 110; on 4/20/10 Commissioner Scirocco stated he was forced to lay off more than 25 full and part time employees on 12/31/09; on 6/15/10 Commissioner Scirocco stated he went from 158 employees to 110; on 7/20/10 Commissioner Scirocco stated there is no way he can 10% - it is impossible as he has already given up $1 million dollars and down 40 people. Commissioner Franck said he is just trying to show the numbers are all over the place. Some were part time some were full time. Commissioner Scirocco said the part time were 40 hours. Commissioner Franck said if the newspaper wants them to help Commissioner Scirocco do his job he will help him any way he can because he believes they can do it a lot better if they work together. If they are going to be called out on this, which Commissioner Scirocco went to the newspaper and complained about this and they wrote a nice article about it. Commissioner Scirocco stated he did not go to the newspaper and complain about it. Commissioner Franck stated then they picked it up on their own. As a Council if they have to solve the problem he is more than happy to solve it. He has just given Commissioner Scirocco a couple ideas and he could give him a whole list in the next week if he would like. He believes Commissioner Scirocco can work better with what he has. Page 18 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Commissioner Scirocco asked Commissioner Franck since he was on the Council with the previous commissioner, why did that commissioner need all these people. Commissioner Franck stated he gave all those people to Commissioner Scirocco. Commissioner Scirocco asked why he doesn’t need extra people. Commissioner Franck stated the previous commissioner probably thought since Commissioner Scirocco is was new he could probably use a few extra people. Commissioner Scirocco stated he needed 60 more people and $1 million dollars more to run this department. The proof is right here (holding up a list of name). He asked Commissioner Franck if he wanted him to read the names. Commissioner Franck said that Commissioner Scirocco should go back to 2007 the last year that commissioner was in office, not the year Commissioner Scirocco started. Budgets are one thing and operational during the year is another thing. Commissioner Scirocco stated budgets produce workers. That’s where the money was. Commissioner Franck stated Commissioner Scirocco managed the department that year. Numerous times when they had arguments in 2008 he would say times are going to be tough don’t spend it because you can spend it. Commissioner Scirocco stated they weren’t getting the complaints they are getting now. They didn’t have the issue with the ponds last year. Commissioner Franck stated everyone agrees we can do things better. Commissioner Scirocco stated they are doing better right now with less. Commissioner Franck said then there wouldn’t be all these complaints because you are not doing better. If Commissioner Scirocco can’t do better and wants help he is willing to help. The people out there are hard- pressed and don’t want to hear excuses; they want results. Commissioner Scirocco told Commissioner Franck when he asked for help Commissioner Franck flat out turned him down. Commissioner Franck stated he is here to help him. He asked Commissioner Scirocco if he wanted help. He thinks a lot of these issues can be cleared up. Commissioner Scirocco asked what issue they talking about; he wanted an example. Commissioner Franck stated the ponds – they can be cleaned up in a couple of days. Commissioner Scirocco stated they are working on it. Commissioner Franck asked Commissioner Scirocco again if he wanted his help. Commissioner Scirocco asked Commissioner Franck if he is going to put waders on and go down there. He has a set of waders for him. Commissioner Franck asked Commissioner Scirocco again if he wanted his management help. Commissioner Scirocco asked Commissioner Franck again if he wanted to put a set of waders on and go down to help. Page 19 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Mayor Johnson stated they both made their point and asked them to move on. Commissioner Scirocco stated it is his agenda. Commissioner Franck stated with all due respect there are things that can be fixed here. He believes the tax payers don’t want a huge tax increase. They understand things are tough but the only one who is complaining consistently is Commissioner Scirocco; like he is the only one who is taking hits. Commissioner Scirocco stated he is the only one who is taking hits. Commissioner Franck state that is not true. Commissioner Scirocco asked Commissioner Franck how many people he laid off. Commissioner Franck stated he lost 4 people. Commissioner Scirocco stated Commissioner Franck took 1 person with $40,000 with a desk, a chair, and a computer. Commissioner Franck asked Commissioner Scirocco if he took 2 people from his department. Commissioner Scirocco stated those people are no longer with him, they are gone. Commissioner Franck asked Commissioner Scirocco if Kathy Moran no longer works for him; she wrote the notes for Commissioner Scirocco tonight. Bottom line is does Commissioner Scirocco want help. If not, then don’t go to the paper to say you can’t do it without help. He is willing to help him out because a lot of things can be solved. Commissioner Scirocco asked for examples. Commissioner Franck stated he already gave him 4 examples. Commissioner Scirocco asked Commissioner Franck if he is going to come down and put waders because he doesn’t have the people to do it. Commissioner Franck stated he does. Commissioner Scirocco stated he is ready to move on. Discussion and Vote: Equipment Purchase (10-241) Commissioner Scirocco stated per the resolution adopted by City Council on March 16th any non capital program equipment or vehicles valued over $10,000 must be brought to Council for approval. During the summer months, mowing the grass is a substantial part of the daily activity. With the reduction in staff, it has become increasingly more difficult to get other work done. They currently have 1 riding mower and the rest of the mowing is being done by push mowers. In order to operate more efficiently with the reduction in staff, he would like to purchase a riding lawn mower to assist the workers in getting the lawn mowed and move on to more pressing projects. If this is approved by the Council, he will transfer the funds to the appropriate line at the next Council meeting. A quote was received from Grassland Equipment from the state contract. Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to purchase a riding lawn mower in the amount of $20,778.34. Commissioner Franck stated it is a waste of money. We were just talking about not having money and you are going to spend almost $21,000 on a mower when you can take one from the rec and cemeteries and Page 20 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 get it all there for a couple hours and do the place. This is about a management issue; we do not need to spend this money. This $20,000 can be used for other things. In good times he wouldn’t disagree. Why would you want to spend $20,000 right now on a mower? Commissioner Scirocco stated in good times we would have 5 or 6 people down there. In bad times they need to work a little smarter and the way to do that is to get a lawn mower that cuts a 72 inch slot. Commissioner Franck stated in the good times they used to take the mower from the rec division and bring them over. Stop spending money, it is ridiculous. Commissioner Scirocco stated this is to accommodate the loss in personnel. Commissioner Franck stated he doesn’t have a person to drive the lawn mower. This is a lawn mower not a human being; you are better off using the money towards a human being to grab one of the other mowers. Ayes – 3 Nays – 2 (Commissioner Ivins and Commissioner Franck) Discussion and Vote: Fees – Curbs & Sidewalks (10-242) Commissioner Scirocco stated the City has been installing curbs and sidewalks for homeowners for many years. The Finance Department has requested the fees be adopted as follows: $20 per linear foot for pre- cast curbing, $35 per linear foot for granite curbing, and $7 per square foot for sidewalks. Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to adopt the fees for curb and sidewalk installations as presented. Commissioner Ivins stated it is the Finance Department’s policy that fees be adopted. These fees should have been adopted at the beginning of the year; Commissioner Scirocco is just carrying over 2009 rates. He asked Commissioner Scirocco to mark his calendar to have rates approved this December for 2011. Commissioner Scirocco stated this is the way it has always been. They just followed procedure from the past. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Sick Bank Request (10-243) Commissioner Scirocco stated he has an employee who has requested the withdrawal of 13 days from the DPW sick bank. CSEA approved this request. Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the withdrawal of 13 day from the DPW sick bank. Ayes – All * Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Franck seconded to add an item to the agenda regarding the hiring of 2 employees for the indoor rec center. (10-244) Ayes – All Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Franck seconded to add 2 laborers to the Department of Public Works. (10-245) Page 21 of 22 City Council Meeting 8/3/10 Commissioner Scirocco stated he is adding these people for cleaning purposes at the rec center. The crew has tried to do what they can but it is not working. He needs to sort out what they need – just a cleaner or a cleaner/maintenance person. He has 2 people on the lay off list that he has to hire back. Commissioner Franck asked for the title of this position. Commissioner Scirocco stated these people will just be laborers. Mayor Johnson stated they expected to add to the maintenance staff with a new facility Ayes – 4 Nays – 1 (Commissioner Ivins) PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT Nothing at this time. SUPERVISORS Matthew Veitch Grand Opening – Edie Road Bullard Lane Trail Supervisor Veitch announced the 2nd County trail was opened on Edie Road. In 2009 the County appointed a Trails Committee. He has been chair since the inception. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to adjourn the meeting. Ayes – All There being no further business, Mayor Johnson adjourned the meeting at 10:27p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Ribis Clerk Approved: 8/17/10 Vote: 5 - 0 Page 22 of 22