City Council

April 5, 2011 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Council Meeting Agenda 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL SALUTE TO FLAG PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD / 15 MINUTES PRESENTATION(S) 1. Snow Storms 2011 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, collective negotiations. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of 3/15/11 City Council Minutes 2. Approval Budget Amendments 3. Approve Budget Transfers 4. Approve Payroll 3/18/11 $390,606.47 5. Approve Payroll 3/25/11 $371,216.81 6. Approve Payroll 4/1/11 $420,975.23 7. Approve Warrant 2011 Mid 11 MWMAR2 $8,147,278.78 8. Approve Warrant 2011 Mid 11MWMAR3 $154,083.25 9. Approve Warrant 2011 Regular 11APR1 $721,409.57 MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: CSEA Local 1000 City of Saratoga Springs Unit and Saratoga Springs DPW Unit 2. Discussion and Vote: Agreement Between City of Saratoga Springs and Look TV 3. Discussion and Vote: Approval of Community Development Block Grant Recommendations 4. Presentation: City Center Authority Annual Report 5. Discussion and Vote: Approval of Signage for City Center 6. Discussion and Vote: Approval for the Mayor to Sign the 2011 State of New York Department of Health Renewal Application for a Permit to Operate Camp Saradac 7. Discussion and Vote: Approval of Camp Safety Plan Updates 8. Discussion and Vote: Camp Saradac Registration & Fees 9. Discussion and Vote: Camp Saradac Personnel Hourly Rates 10. Discussion and Vote: 2011 Camp Saradac Trip & Programs Approvals 11. Discussion and Vote: Use of Saratoga Casino and Raceway Soccer Fields 12. Discussion and Vote: Accept Stewart’s Holiday Match Donation 13. Discussion and Vote: Summer Clinic & Fees 14. Discussion and Vote: New Program & Fees – Dodgeball 15. Discussion and Vote: Updated Recreation Department Fees City Council Meeting 4/5/11 ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT 1. Award of Bid: Grave Marking Flags to Metro Flag Company 2. Award of Bid: Material Trommel Screen Rental to Emerald Equipment Systems 3. Award of Bid: Medical Supplies 4. Award of Bid: Poly Bags to I-Pac 5. Award of Bid: Port-A-Johns to Stone Industries 6. Award of Bid: Printed shirts to Multi-Image Corp. FINANCE DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Contingency Transfer 2. Discussion and Vote: Department of Public Works Payroll Transfers 3. Discussion and Vote: Accounts Department Payroll Transfers 4. Discussion and Vote: Recreation Payroll Transfers 5. Discussion: VLT Money 6. Discussion: City Finances PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Authorization for Mayor to Sign CO#1 – Anjo Construction 2. Discussion and Vote: Award Alternate 1 of Beekman Street Project – Tom Kubricky Construction 3. Announcement: Compost PUBLIC SAFETY 1. Announcement: Fire at Stonequist Apartments 2. Announcement: Fire at 95 Congress Street SUPERVISORS Joanne Yepsen Presentation: County Revenues to the City 1. Local Government Council; Center for Economic Growth 2. County Veterans Committee: Ceremony to Honor Clarence Dart 3. Saratoga Students Aid Japan Matthew Veitch 1. Saratoga County 2010 Census Numbers 2. Legislative & Research Committee ADJOURN Page 2 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 April 5, 2011 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 Matthew Veitch, Supervisor Joanne Yepsen, Supervisor STAFF PRESENT: Shauna Sutton, Deputy Mayor Kate Jarosh, Deputy Commissioner, Finance Sharon Kellner-Chille, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Tim Cogan, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Frank Dudla, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Joe Scala, City Attorney 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. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Johnson called the meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. PUBLIC COMENT Mayor Johnson opened the public comment period at 7:04 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. John Krause of 227 Grand Avenue stated his comments are based upon the agenda items for tonight. He thanked the mayor for including the City Center Annual Report on his agenda. The City Center is part of Page 3 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 the comprehensive budget and there was no presentation or information. He would like to hear how things are looking for 2011 at the City Center. He is also interested in the VLT topic on the Finance Department agenda. Options would be to put the money in a reserve fund for next year’s budget or in a special capital reserve line for projects we haven’t been able to afford to do. He thinks it would be more important for Public Safety to mention how well St. Patrick’s eve went, or the license plate reader, etc. Katya Leidig of 11 Pearl Street thanked Mayor Johnson, Supervisor Yepsen, Assemblyman Tedisco, Superintendant White, and Joel Reed from the Arts Council for their support of Saratoga Cranes for Japan. They are holding a fundraiser for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami this Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at the Arts Center. They are also trying to raise money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for Japan. Their goal is $10,000. John Ellis of 2 Callagan Drive asked how much money was spent over the past 2 years on outside attorney fees. Patty Hasbrook of 1 Madison Avenue is here to follow up on a petition that was submitted regarding the installation of a 4 way stop at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Nelson Avenue. This is a bad intersection where they have a lot of accidents. There have been previous requests; however, she doesn’t know the process of how to have this move forward. Al Callucci of 9 Lexington Road stated the VLT money should be put in a lock box until the City can find an investment that will not only provide the City with the necessary parking but will also generate money for the City long term. The Recreation Center had another great tournament this weekend and we had hotels booked and people spending in our town. He commended Lee Coleman of the Gazette on his article regarding the revenue the Recreation Center is creating in the City. It is sad our local paper did not address this however the first time we had a parking problem it made the front page. He asked the Council to discuss in executive session if the increase proposed for the union contracts were budgeted for in the 2011 budget. Dave Bronner of 5 Royal Henley Court stated he has a problem with the first item on the mayor’s agenda as he nor any other citizen has seen the contract. He believes this contract should be discussed in detail tonight for the residents to hear so the residents can attend the next meeting to make pubic comment. He assumes the raises that he heard of are true and asks why this would happen in this economy. He is also concerned about the medical contribution he heard of. Are these number realistic? He hopes it is not in this contract that the DPW gets Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays off – we haven’t had those holidays in years. Jeff Clark of 480 Broadway stated he was here representing the DBA. He was here to compliment the DPW on their work to remove the snow on the day after the state of the City address; which was sub-zero temperatures. He asked the Council to keep in mind when preparing the next budget for snow removalthat the DBA would like to help plan. Phil Diamond of 29 Waterview Drive stated he agrees with what Mr. Bronner said. He too planned to come tonight to discuss the union contracts and call for a public hearing. He also learned this afternoon that it doesn’t matter what the public thinks if an arbitrator is used. Can the public comment on a contract and push to change it? He can’t believe NYS would have a law like that. If possible, the public should get a chance to comment and participate in a review of the union contracts which would contain Kyle York of 59 Railroad Place stated he thinks there is a precedent that ‘gambling money’ would support education. He would love to see the money go to the budget shortfalls to help the schools. Pat Kane of 19 Marion Place stated he is here on behalf of Saratoga Citizen. They are encouraging all to participate in a Council wide effort to place the referendum on the ballot. He is here because he believes in what he put in front of them. The voters have to be addressed and it is important to put the voters first. We are spending money in areas we don’t need to. They are continuing their speakers’ series and all are invited to attend. He urges all to push the referendum on the ballot. Page 4 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Mayor Johnson closed the public comment period at 7:33 p.m. PRESENTATION Snow Storms 2011 Commissioner Scirocco stated the City has been hit with the worst winter in a long time. They have not exhausted their snow budget. There were 14 storms from January 1st to March 25th of this year. His department monitors 7 weather outlets to determine if and when employees may be called in. They consider many items when determining when to dispatch employees and spread materials. The City has 145 miles of roads and back alleys to clear. In addition, his crews clear sidewalks, crosswalks, etc. Salt has gone up slightly and sand has remained the same. The 3 major components of a storm are overtime, salt/sand, and gas/diesel. It is likely these budget lines will run short at the end of this year. EXECUTIVE SESSION Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to move to executive session for discussion regarding collective negotiations including but not limited to the proposed contract with CSEA units at 7:40 p.m. Ayes – All Council returned from executive session at 8:15 p.m. Mayor Johnson stated nothing was resolved in executive session to report to the public. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to approve the consent agenda as follows: 1. Approval of 3/15/11 City Council Minutes 2. Approval Budget Amendments 3. Approve Budget Transfers 4. Approve Payroll 3/18/11 $390,606.47 5. Approve Payroll 3/25/11 $371,216.81 6. Approve Payroll 4/1/11 $420,975.23 7. Approve Warrant 2011 Mid 11 MWMAR2 $8,147,278.78 8. Approve Warrant 2011 Mid 11MWMAR3 $154,083.25 9. Approve Warrant 2011 Regular 11APR1 $721,409.57 Ayes – All MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: CSEA Local 1000 City of Saratoga Springs Unit and Saratoga Springs DPW Unit (11-94) Mayor Johnson stated he has provided the City Council a copy of the memorandum of agreement he entered into with the two units during an arbitration session held. The health care will be transferred from Page 5 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 multiple health care providers into one. This arbitration discussion moved into negotiations. He was pleased they were able to come to a tentative settlement. The unions had to take this to their membership for ratification and he must take it to the Council. He believes this is a good proposal; otherwise he would not have signed it. The unions did receive some benefits in these proposed agreements. The contracts at issue are 4 year contracts – 2009 through 2012. Nothing has been made retroactive in either contract. The contract that expired in 2008 for City Hall provided wage increases of 3.5% per year in addition to step increases and the DPW was receiving 4% wage increases per year. Mayor Johnson stated the agreement before them is a proposed 4 year agreement. This is not just a proposed contract but a settlement of a legal claim. The arbitrator asked the City and the unions not to discuss the terms publicly. Both unions ratified to accept the proposed agreements and now it is up to the Council for acceptance. Mayor Johnson stated the proposed contract changes for the City Hall Unit calls for: a 2% across the board increase effective 4/1/2011, effective 1/1/2012 all employees will be frozen on the step they were at in 2011 and receive a 2.25% wage increase will be given, effective 7/1/12 employees who were hired prior to 2001 will contribute $500 per year towards their health insurance, effective 7/1/12 employees who retire will pay for their health insurance at the rate they were paying at the time of retirement, effective 71/12 employees who retire will be able to continue to apply section 8A or apply all or part of the sick leave towards their health care contribution, and the health insurance plan will be converted to one health care provider. The change in health care is a significant cost containment for the City. The City will also pick up the difference in deductibles from the employees current co-pay to the co-pay under the new health insurance policy. This still allows the City a significant health care savings. Mayor Johnson thanked the unions for recognizing the importance of the health care issue. Employees who wish to “opt out” of the health care coverage will be reimbursed as long as they provide proof that they have coverage elsewhere. Family coverage will be reimbursed at $3,000 per year; 2-person coverage will be reimbursed at $2,500, and for a single (individual) coverage will be reimbursed at $2,200. These payments will be made quarterly to the employee. Mayor Johnson stated the proposed contract changes for the DPW Unit calls for: the same cover for health insurance opt-out, the same health insurance contributions, effective 4/1/11 there will be a 2% wage increase across the board; in 2012 there will be a 2% wage increase with no step freeze. There is a change in holiday from Washington’s Birthday to President’s Day, and the union president will be able to use the City issued cell phone during the day for union business as he is on call. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to allow the Council to authorize the mayor to accept the terms of the proposed memorandums of agreement and treat it as the new collective bargaining agreements. Commissioner Ivins stated he believes this is a win/win situation. He thanked the mayor and the unions for their work on getting this resolved as well as his department for their assistance with obtaining numbers. Commissioner Scirocco commended the unions for stepping up to the plate and recognizing some of the problems the City has. He believes it is a good contract. Commissioner Wirth stated the settlement of the legal terms and the health insurance is a benefit to the City. He thanked the mayor and the unions. Commissioner Franck stated the benefits of the saved dollars far out-weigh the costs. He believes both sides followed the agreement of not putting the information out ahead of time; it wasn’t to keep it from the taxpayers. He is glad to see there are no retro-active payments on these contracts. Ayes – All Mayor Johnson thanked the 2 unions again. Page 6 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Discussion and Vote: Agreement Between City of Saratoga Springs and Look TV (11-95) Mayor Johnson stated this is the proposal he raised a few meetings ago. Look TV is on channel 508 and will be able to provide multiple angles of the Council meeting. A live broadcast is cost prohibitive for Look TV at this time; therefore they will broadcast on their channel the day following. The agreement is at no cost to the City. The agreement will begin the date it is signed and will continue indefinitely. The agreement can be terminated by either party upon 30 days notice. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to authorize the mayor to execute the agreement with Look TV. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Approval of Community Development Block Grant Recommendations (11-96) Mayor Johnson stated this process started several meetings ago. Recommendations have been received from the Committee and are before the Council for approval. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the recommendations as submitted by the Community Development Grant Committee. Commissioner Ivins stated he does volunteer work for several of these agencies, however he doesn’t sit on the board of any of these organizations and is not a decision maker. Ayes - All Presentation: City Center Authority Annual Report Mark Baker, President of the City Center stated this annual report is in compliance with the New York State Public Authority’s Law Act of 2005. He provided a hard copy of the annual report to each Council member. He stated 2010 was a challenging but solid year for the City Center. During the construction period, they remained open to the public and hosted 102 events. They have been trying to grow their market share and the economic impact to the community. They grew their lodge guests by 13% in 2010. These numbers are part of the stepping stone of why they went through the expansion of the City Center. Their market share has been the same statistic; going forward they plan to grow the conference/convention business. The conference/convention business has already grown from 33% to 47% of their business. This has a direct impact to our sales tax. The City Center is a New York State local authority and connected to the City of Saratoga Springs by legislation that mandates they use the City of Saratoga Springs Department of Finance as their agent for the collection and disbursement of their funds. They submit their budget to the City Council for inclusion and they are audited by the State of New York as an entity within the City’s budget structure but they are separate and distinct within that. The monies are not comingled but they are held to the same mandates and covenants. This is the first year they ended the year with a deficit - $31,000. Mr. Baker watches their finances closely; however, the deficit was caused by 2 account receivables that did no come in on the scheduled time and the last minute notification of their retirement contribution. They closed their books with a deficit and submitted their books to the Finance Department for their review. Mr. Baker stated the expansion was a $16 million dollar project, not a $14 million dollar project. In addition there were two $6 million dollar grants he wrote. The difference between the actual cost and the grant money was covered by money they have been able to save over the past 20 years; there was no impact to the taxpayer of Saratoga Springs. The grant monies have been received and expended. They will be Page 7 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 under budget with this project. He believes they will be able to grow their market share by 40% over the next 3 years. Mr. Baker thanked the Council for allowing him to present this report to them. Commissioner Ivins reiterated that the City Center is completely independent of the City’s budget and does not impact the tax payer. Mr. Baker added that if they run a deficit it is a deficit that the City Center has to cover. They will be covering the deficit from reserve money the City Center has put aside. Discussion and Vote: Approval of Signage for City Center (11-97) Mark Baker, President of the City Center Authority presented the look of the new sign for the City Center. The previous sign was put in place in 1984. Many people miss that sign as they no longer know what is going on in town. The sign serves as both a welcome point to guests coming into our City and an information point within the City. The new sign being proposed will be a concrete base, it will be more vertical, it will be an electronic message unit, it will be able to announce things in multiple languages, multiple messages will be able to be displayed at the same time, etc. This sign will also be able to be used in emergency situations to put an alert message out to the community. This is a biddable project and will be part of the construction cost. He asked the Council for a motion to approve this sign to be bid. Mayor Johnson confirmed that in the mean time there is no signage at all. Mr. Baker stated that is correct. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to approve the signage as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Approval for the Mayor to Sign the 2011 State of New York Department of Health Renewal Application for a Permit to Operate Camp Saradac (11-98) Linda Terricola of the Recreation Department stated Camp Saradac provides recreation opportunities to the City’s youth. They ask for the Council’s approval for the mayor to sign the 2011 State of New York Department of Health Renewal Application to permit the operation of Camp Saradac. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to allow the application to be filed as described. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Approval of Camp Safety Plan Updates (11-99) Linda Terricola stated they are requesting approval of the 2011 Camp Safety plan. She commended the hard work of Marilyn Rivers to reduce this document to 41 pages from 205 pages. Marilyn was assisted in this task by Kathy Lanfear, and Oliver Aldrich. Marilyn Rivers stated there were basic changes made to the safety plan. This plan has changed the way we take children off the bus, we are logging the kids in, etc. Coordination of activities will be tighter and the kids will be utilizing the resources throughout the City rather than spending money on gas and going elsewhere. Commissioner Wirth thanked Marilyn Rivers for working with the Police and Fire Departments when working through these changes. Page 8 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to approve the Camp Safety Plan updates as discussed. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Camp Saradac Registration & Fees (11-100) Linda Terricola advised registration will begin April 11th through May 13th. Registration forms were consolidated into a double sided package. Again, Marilyn Rivers worked with Oliver Aldrich to reduce the registration form from 7 pages to a double sided form. The Recreation Commission is requesting to lower the extra shirt fee, City rates are a sliding scale fee, before care will begin at 7:30 am rather than 7:00 a.m., and the after care program is the same. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the registration and fees as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Camp Saradac Personnel Hourly Rates (11-101) Linda Terricola stated they are requesting the hourly rate for the director be reduced as this is the first year for this director. The reduction will be from $18.50 to $16.00 per hour and the rest of the personnel rates are the same as last year. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to approve the personnel hourly rates as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: 2011 Camp Saradac Trip & Programs Approvals (11-102) Linda Terricola stated they are requesting approval of the annual trips. They will be taking the kids to Saratoga Strike Zone, Circus Smirkus, Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Youth Day, the Carousel, etc. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the trip and programs as described. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Use of Saratoga Casino and Raceway Soccer Fields (11-103) Linda Terricola advised that Skip Carlson of Saratoga Casino and Raceway has again authorized the use of their fields for our soccer program. The City of Saratoga Springs will provide a certificate of insurance for the use of the fields. She thanked the Saratoga Casino and Raceway for their generosity over the past 10 years. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to approve the agreement as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Accept Stewart’s Holiday Match Donation (11-104) Linda Terricola announced this is the 22nd year they have received a grant from the Stewart’s Holiday Match Donation. The amount they have received this year is $3,750. They will use the funding to purchase recreation equipment and/or scholarships. Page 9 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to accept the Stewart’s Holiday Match Donation as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Summer Clinic & Fees (11-105) Linda Terricola stated they are requesting the City resident fee remain the same at $70 and now include the school district in this fee. They are planning to increase their participation to stay competitive. The $90 fee will be for the non-school district/non-City child. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve the fees as described. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: New Program & Fees – Dodgeball (11-106) Oliver Aldrich, program coordinator for the Recreation Department stated this program will run from April 19th to April 21st. The fees are $5 per day for City residents and $10 per day for non-City residents. The dodgeballs being used are foam. Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to approve the new program and fees for dodgeball as described. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Updated Recreation Department Fees (11-107) Linda Terricola stated changes this year include: increase in trash disposal fee from $50 to $75, organizational fee without lights will no longer be tied to the number of participants and the fee will be increased from $250 to $300 for groups and organizational teams, all-star and travel teams will be increased from $250 to $500, and $100 for fall play. Mayor Johnson confirmed these changes are a result of the Recreation Commission looking at the fee structure with the Recreation Department. Linda advised that was correct. Mayor John moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to approve department fees as described. Ayes - All ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Award of Bid: Grave Marking Flags to Metro Flag Company (11-108) Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to award the bid for Grave Marking Flags to Metro Flag Company in the amount of $1,382.40. Commissioner Franck stated this company was the lowest bidder. Ayes – All Award of Bid: Material Trommel Screen Rental to Emerald Equipment Systems (11-109) Page 10 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to award the bid for the Material Trommel Screen Rental to Emerald Equipment Systems for $12,750 per month. Ayes - All Award of Bid: Medical Supplies (11-110) Commissioner Franck advised that the Department of Public Safety requested the bid for medical supplies be awarded to two companies – Henry Schein, Inc., and Bound Tree Medical, LLC. This is based upon availability and assortment of items. Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to award the bid for Medical Supplies to Henry Schein, Inc., and Bound Tree Medical, LLC for various prices. Ayes - All Award of Bid: Poly Bags to I-Pac (11-111) Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to award the bid for the Poly Bags to I-Pac in the amount of $31.40 per unit. Commissioner Franck advised this company was the lowest qualified bidder. Ayes - All Award of Bid: Port-A-Johns to Stone Industries (11-112) Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to award the bid for Port-A- Johns to Stone Industries as the lowest bidder. Ayes - All Award of Bid: Printed shirts to Multi-Image Corp. (11-113) Commissioner Franck moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to award the bid for Printed Shirts to Multi-Image Corp. for various prices as they were the overall lowest bidder. Ayes - All FINANCE DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: Contingency Transfer (11-114) Commissioner Ivins moved and Wirth seconded to approve the contingency transfer as previously distributed to the Council. Commissioner Ivins stated this is for the purchase of 4 new police vehicles. The beginning balance of the contingency fund was $202,500. The request for the purchase of the police cars was $90,900; leaving a balance of $111,600. Mayor Johnson advised the Capital Program Committee has been working on getting a full list of the inventory of vehicles and their conditions to better plan for the purchase of vehicles in the future. Page 11 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Commissioner Ivins stated vehicles are not a capital item. Due to budget situations vehicles have not been purchased for the last several years. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Department of Public Works Payroll Transfers (11-115) Commissioner Ivins moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to approve the Department of Public Works payroll transfers as previously distributed to the Council. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Accounts Department Payroll Transfers (11-116) Commissioner Ivins moved and Mayor Johnson seconded to approve the Accounts Department payroll transfers as previously distributed to the Council. Mayor Johnson thanked Commissioner Franck for offering to contribute additional money to the salary of the HR position. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Recreation Payroll Transfers (11-117) Commissioner Ivins moved and Mayor Johnson seconded to approve the Recreation payroll transfers as previously distributed to the Council. Ayes - All Discussion: VLT Money Commissioner Ivins thanked the Senator Farley, Senator McDonald, and Assemblyman Tedisco for their diligence on our behalf. The enacted 2011 and 2012 state budget section 54L of the State Finance Law was repealed and re-written for us. Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County are now eligible to receive VLT aid. The distribution formula was also changed to 45% of the amount received in fiscal year 2008 for approximately $1.4 million dollars for our City. He will work with the Council to determine where our needs are and identify projects. Mayor Johnson also thanked our state officials, in particular Senator McDonald for the assistance. Commissioner Scirocco thanked the state officials for their diligence in getting this for us. Commissioner Wirth also thanked our state officials for their efforts. Commissioner Franck stated he always felt that Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County was unfairly taken out of the equation. He could understand we had to be reduced. This is well deserved. Discussion: City Finances Commissioner Ivins stated the 2011/2012 state budget contains CHIPS money but reduces the amount by $33,667. We do not need to adjust the budget. PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Page 12 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Discussion and Vote: Authorization for Mayor to Sign CO#1 – Anjo Construction (11-118) Commissioner Scirocco stated work was done on the Geyser Road forcemain in 2008 by Anjo Construction. He called Paul Male to explain. Paul Male stated this is a 2 ½ year old change order. Anjo Construction was hired to fix this emergency situation. In late January 2009, we received a notice that additional work had been done and not submitted. John Vellano, president of Anjo Construction was working on the site and suffered a heart attack while on the job site. We didn’t receive his paperwork/change order until August 2009 for $12,891.95. We closed the project by that time as they were not aware there was anything outstanding. They contact SEDC and Quad for additional funds but was informed there were no additional funds available. The funds will come out of the infrastructure line. Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Wirth seconded to authorize the mayor to sign change order #1 with Anjo Construction in the amount of $12,891.95 and the funds are within the water infrastructure capital line. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Award Alternate 1 of Beekman Street Project – Tom Kubricky Construction (11-119) Paul Male stated bids were opened last September for the Beekman Street waterline project. They included a base bid and an alternate. The base bid was awarded to Tom Kubricky Construction. We did not have enough money at the time to have the alternate done. We now have the money to have the project finished. The additional cost for the alternate is $379,236.40. The work will begin tomorrow – from Washington Street to Church Street. Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to authorize the mayor to sign alternate 1 with Tom Kubricky in the amount of $379,236.40. Ayes – All Announcement: Compost Commissioner Scirocco stated composed will be available for order April 13th on a first come first serve basis. Compost can be picked up or delivered. Contact the Department of Public Works at 587-3550 ext. 2555. PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT Announcement: Fire at Stonequist Apartments Commissioner Wirth stated the crews arrived in approximately 4 minutes and immediately initiated high rise operations protocol to battle this blaze. He thanked Captain Shaw, Lt. Spensieri and the staff on group 3 for a fantastic job and minimizing the damage. Announcement: Fire at 95 Congress Street Commissioner Wirth stated the fire was Saturday, April 2nd. One victim passed away Monday night from her injuries sustained from the fire. He offered his condolences to that family. SUPERVISORS Page 13 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Joanne Yepsen Presentation: County Revenues to the City Supervisor Yepsen reported she will move this item to the next meeting. Local Government Council; Center for Economic Growth Supervisor Yepsen reported this group is doing economic development through 9 counties. They have a sub-group called the Local Government Council that meets monthly to talk about collective voice, priority issues, etc. Last month they talked about revitalizing communities and grant opportunities. County Veterans Committee: Ceremony to Honor Clarence Dart Supervisor Yepsen reported there will be a special presentation at Wesley in honor of Clarence Dart. We are proud to have him as a City resident. The presentation will be on April 20th. Not only has he received congressional gold medals, he has risked his life for us. Saratoga Students Aid Japan Supervisor Yepsen stated she hopes this community spends a couple of hours and dollars to help another community that is going to spend years getting their lives back together. Matthew Veitch Saratoga County 2010 Census Numbers Supervisor Veitch reported the total county population grew 9.5% over the past 10 years. Saratoga Springs had a 1.5% population growth over the past 10 years. We are represented by population at the County level. The County will confirm the census numbers and will approve the new voting numbers which will set the voting for the next 10 years. Saratoga Springs supervisors will move from the 6th and 7th positions in vote strength to the 8th and 9th positions. Our power at the County is decreasing as a community. Legislative & Research Committee Supervisor Veitch reported there were 2 items on the agenda: joining the Adirondack Partnership and Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission. The Adirondack Partnership was created last year and is a group of local government, state agencies, not for profits, and other institutions that share a common goal of enhancing and benefitting their communities, economies, and the environment within the Adirondack Park. This group is advocacy and also a group to come up with strategies for economic development. Supervisor Veitch explained the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission has not met for several years and has incurred debt. They are calling for their de-commissioning from the state. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Ivins seconded to adjourn the meeting. Ayes – All There being no further business, Mayor Johnson adjourned the meeting at 10:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Page 14 of 14 City Council Meeting 4/5/11 Lisa Ribis Clerk Approved: 4/19/11 Vote: 5 - 0 Page 15 of 14