City Council

December 4, 2012 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Council Meeting Agenda 6:45 PM – Swearing-In Ceremony for New Firefighters 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL SALUTE TO FLAG PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD / 15 MINUTES PRESENTATION(S): 1. Visitor Center Exterior Roof Project and Canfield Casino Handicap Ramp Project 2. County Sewer District 3. Urban Forestry Update 4. GAPS Report EXECUTIVE SESSION: None CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approve Budget Amendments (Decreases) 2. Approve Budget Amendments (Increases) 3. Approve Budget Transfers - Regular 4. Approve Payroll 11/21/12 $443,349.87 5. Approve Payroll 11/30/12 $405,810.26 6. Approve Warrant 2012 Mid – 12MWNOV2 $507,035.23 7. Approve Warrant 2012 Reg – 12DEC1 $5,357,897.69 MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT 1. Announcement: 2013 Community Development Block Grant Applications 2. Set Public Hearing: Amend the 2012 Capital Budget for Spring Run Trail 3. Discussion and Vote: Change Date of January 1, 2013 City Council Meeting 4. Announcement: Brown Bag Lunch 5. Announcement: Gideon Putnam Anniversary and Exhibit at the Visitor Center ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Acceptance of the State Archives Grant – 2013 Building Department Files 2. Announcement: Certificate of Residency 3. Award of Bid: Extension of Bid for Hydraulic Dump Trailer 4. Reappointment: Board of Assessment Review FINANCE DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: 2013 City Fees 2. Announcement: 12/08/12 Property Auction 3. Discussion and Vote: Budget Transfers – Payroll City Council Meeting 12/04/12 4. Discussion and Vote: Budget Transfers – Benefits 5. Discussion and Vote: Budget Amendments - Benefits PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: Authorization to Pay Invoice to Alpine Environmental Services – Visitor Center PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT 1. Announcement: Swearing In Ceremony for New Firefighters 2. Discussion and Vote: Digital Surveillance Solutions Services Agreement 3. Discussion: November 12, 2012 Incident SUPERVISORS Joanne Yepsen 1. County 2013 Proposed $300 Million Budget 2. Lease of Mental Health Space 3. Racing Committee Resolution 4. December Meetings of the Board Matt Veitch 1. Technology Committee Update 2. County Budget Public Hearing ADJOURN Page 2 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 December 4, 2012 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Council Meeting City Council Room PRESENT: Scott Johnson, Mayor Michele Madigan, Commissioner of Finance John Franck, Commissioner of Accounts Anthony Scirocco, Commissioner of DPW Christian Mathiesen, Commissioner of DPS Joanne Yepsen, Supervisor Matthew Veitch, Supervisor STAFF PRESENT: Shauna Sutton, Deputy Mayor Lynn Bachner, Deputy Commissioner, Finance Sharon Kellner-Chille, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Tim Cogan, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Eileen Finneran, 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 7:00 p.m. PUBLIC COMENT 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. Mayor Johnson opened the public comment period at 7:01 p.m. Page 3 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 Diane Pedinotti of 38 Pinewood Avenue stated she is here regarding the proposed parking garage on High Rock Avenue. She is not opposed to the parking garage but she is concerned about the footprint blocking her business. She is also concerned about it long-term as the street being sealed off and the retail not being there. The Mouzon House, the Farmer’s Market, and High Rock should be taken into consideration. Jeff Clark, president of the Downtown Business Association stated he is here to thank all for the cooperation with the Victorian Streetwalk. It was the best and biggest Victorian Streetwalk ever. Special thanks went out to D.A. Collins, R.J. Donnelly, and William Morris Excavating. John Tighe of Rowland Street, Milton thanked Commissioner Mathiesen for making the police code of conduct public. He would like to see a formal written policy outlining that anyone in this City who is a victim of a crime will ever have their immigration status questioned. It is time this City had a native, Spanish speaking police officer. Charlie Samuels of 58 Court Street stated he is on the Complete Street Advisory Board, but his comments are not representative of that Committee. Complete Streets law states new roads or road improvements must consider the needs of all users. The sooner the City enacts these policies, the quicker the residents will benefit. Phil Diamond of 55 Railroad Place stated he tries to look at the motives when a public official does something which appears ridiculous to him. For example, the commissioner of public works has a women supervisor sitting in the City garage counting garbage bags and tools. Most recently he transferred $90,000 from his labor line for the purchase of vehicles when he is always complaining he needs people. He also has 2 people at the transfer station on days when it is not busy and 1 person on duty on a Saturday when it is the busiest. He can’t figure out why these things are done and would hope the Commissioner would explain his actions someday. Tom Denahey of 205 East Avenue thanked the City Council for getting us as far as we have gotten on the Urban Forestry Project. He thanked them specifically for the 2008 grant and the flexibility in 2009 when Sustainable Saratoga stepped up to execute the inventory. Commissioner Mathiesen asked Dale of Saratoga Wire to describe the forum that will be taking place tomorrow night. Dale explained this forum is an opportunity to take an important issue and bring the community together and get past it. Commissioner Mathiesen stated this is being sponsored by Saratoga Wire in the Music Hall tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Johnson closed the public comment period at 7:18 p.m. PRESENTATION Visitor Center Exterior Roof Project and Canfield Casino Handicap Ramp Project Commissioner Scirocco advised there is a brochure with some history and project details of the Visitor Center. He provided some history on the Visitor Center including when it was built; 1915. In 1941, New York State purchased the building and converted it to a drink hall. The third use of this building is its current use – a Visitor Center. This building was turned into the Visitor Center in 1974. In 1992 there was interior restoration done with minor attention being paid to the exterior walls and roof; in 2010 asbestos was discovered; 2011 asbestos remediation was designed and funded; and in 2012 the asbestos was removed and roof was restored. Page 4 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 Commissioner Scirocco went on to provide some history of the Canfield Casino including the building being built by James Morrissey of Troy in 1871. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. DPW will be re-installing the railings and added granite curbing. The approximate cost of the repairs totaled $130,000. Commissioner Scirocco thanked everyone involved in the project. Debbie LeBreche was the head engineer on the project. County Sewer District Supervisor Yepsen advised that she and Supervisor Veitch thought the two commissioners that represent our City on the County Sewer District should come in to explain why there is a great increase in the sewer rates. The City of Saratoga Springs is the only municipality that is charges in bulk based upon what the County calculates as the City’s usage. It was recently announced that the sewer rates are remaining the same as last year but this is not true for us. George Cannon and Charles Marshall are here to explain. George Cannon, one of the sewer commissioners stated the sewer rate jumped $120,000 in 2010. That was the first increase he had seen in the 8 years he has been with the Sewer District. This was due to the sewer treatment expansion. The County does not control the sewer system within Saratoga Springs; the City controls it. The County does not know how many more people are tapping in; it’s based upon flow. Saratoga Springs is responsible for 23% of the flow into the sewer system but pays 19% of the costs that are sent out. Commissioner Madigan asked if the surrounding towns are metered the same as we are. Mr. Cannon stated they are not. They have meters on the individual units. Urban Forestry Update Mayor Johnson stated the City Council passed a resolution in 2008 to seek funding from New York State. This lead to where we are today. The next phase is to develop a draft urban forest management plan. He introduced Bill Sprengnether; who the City has contracted with to develop the management plan. Bill Sprengnether stated tonight’s presentation will be a brief overview of the public presentation held last week. In 2008, the City adopted a resolution to preserve and expand the urban forest. The Urban Forestry Project was started by Sustainable Saratoga. Sustainable Saratoga performed the inventory which consisted of counting all the trees. From the data, DPW will be able to target areas for future plantings and lay out a process where species can be selected to be site specific. They learned there are 4,801 trees in the City right of way. It is important to know the percentage of the types of trees that make up this number because urban forestry best practices state no more than 30% of any genus should be in your urban forest and no more than 10% of any species. We out shout that. DPW spends $128,000 per year in their tree budget. Suggested ways to improve our street trees include: diversify the street tree population, improve planting techniques, increase the total number of street trees, improve maintenance techniques, and involve the local residents. Next steps of this project include: collection of public comment, draft of initial master plan for presentation to the City Council and public, provided revised draft, and provide final master plan by end of March. GAPS Report Commissioner Franck provided some background information about how this Committee and process came about. He thanked the board members for their time and effort. Page 5 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 Supervisor Veitch also thanked the Council and Supervisor Yepsen for their appointees and the Committee members for all their time and effort. He provided the mission statement of the Committee and advised the process was limited in scope. The process involved public meetings, public comments, and land use board representatives. He provided pictures of what Saratoga Springs looked like in the past and what it looks like in those same areas now. The Committee broke this area up into 3 sections: Northern Section which is West Circular Street to West Fenlon Street; Central Section which is from West Fenlon Street to East – West Road; and the Southern Section which is from East – West Road to Driscoll Road. There are 7 different zones on South Broadway. The Northern Section impacts include: no clear identity, cost of implementing comp plan vision falls to landowners, lack of residential component; non-conforming structures/lack of pedestrian design; code issues; truck bypass in area; and above ground utilities. The Committee recommends: creating a marking plan, coordinate land use boards to streamline approval process; anchor business; more residential development, park district; bury utility lines, code enforcement, vacant building registry, new truck route, update street grid, and extend “485 – B” tax incentive to northern South Broadway. Central Section impacts include zoning issues and a 4 lane highway. The Committee recommends the City work with NYSDOT on traffic improvement and the Comprehensive Plan Committee should focus on area to determine appropriate vision for development. Southern Section impacts include: traffic issues, lack of sewer infrastructure, and limited land for development. The Committee recommends the City work with NYSDOT on traffic improvements, create greenway trails and environmental center; install municipal sewer, and explore funding for sewer system. The report gets more into what the funding sources would be. Commissioner Mathiesen stated they are working on a registry for vacant properties in the City. They hope this will provide incentive for people to turn those properties over. Mayor Johnson stated the land use boards do coordinate now when appropriate. He believes they could look at things again to streamline the process and make the City more user/business friendly. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Madigan seconded to approve the consent agenda as follows: 1. Approve Budget Amendments (Decreases) 2. Approve Budget Amendments (Increases) 3. Approve Budget Transfers - Regular 4. Approve Payroll 11/21/12 $443,349.87 5. Approve Payroll 11/30/12 $405,810.26 6. Approve Warrant 2012 Mid – 12MWNOV2 $507,035.23 7. Approve Warrant 2012 Reg – 12DEC1 $5,357,897.69 Ayes – All * Commissioner Madigan’s agenda was moved up before the Mayor’s agenda as she was ill and left the meeting immediately after (8:44p.m.). MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Announcement: 2013 Community Development Block Grant Applications Page 6 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 Mayor Johnson announced the City will have approximately $330,000 in grant funds. The applications will be accepted through 4:30 p.m. on July 31, 2013 and are available through the City’s Community Development Department and the City’s website. Set Public Hearing: Amend the 2012 Capital Budget for Spring Run Trail Mayor Johnson set a public hearing for Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 6:55 p.m. Discussion and Vote: Change Date of January 1, 2013 City Council Meeting (12-398) Mayor Johnson moved and Commissioner Franck seconded to move the date of the January 1, 2013 City Council meeting to Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at the same time of 7 p.m. Mayor Johnson stated they will look at the calendar for the rest of the year and address any other dates which require change in the future. Ayes - All Announcement: Brown Bag Lunch Mayor Johnson announced the next Brown Bag Lunch is about Gideon Putnam, our founding father. This Brown Bag Lunch will be held on Thursday, December 13 at noon at the library. Announcement: Gideon Putnam Anniversary and Exhibit at the Visitor Center Mayor Johnson announced there is a new exhibit that opened this week at the Visitor Center to honor Gideon Putnam. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: Acceptance of the State Archives Grant – 2013 Building Department Files (12-399) Commissioner Franck advised the New York State Department of Education sponsors, through the New York State Archives, a competitive grant program called the Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund. We have just been notified that our 27th grant application is successful in the amount of $17,306 to complete the inventory of the Building Permit files. These are non-matching funds for an Inventory Clerk, benefits (including worker’s comp, FICA, Retirement), office supplies, and some shelving. This brings the total amount received for records management grants to $501,845. Commissioner Franck moved and Mayor Johnson seconded for the City Council to accept the grant award and to authorize the Mayor to sign any and all documents pertinent to the project. Commissioner Franck thanked and congratulated Nancy Wagner on all the success she has had in grant writing. Ayes - All Announcement: Certificate of Residency Commissioner Franck advised at the last Council meeting he announced the receipt of notification from the County that we will no longer be issuing Certificates of Residency. Upon receipt of notice from the County yesterday, we are to resume issuing Certificates of Residency. The Saratoga County Treasurer’s Office and the Saratoga County Attorney’s Office are in the process of revising their office’s policy on issuing Certificates of Residency to be sure it complies with the New York State Education Law. Therefore, until further notice, they have requested we resume the issuance of the Certificates of Residency. Page 7 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 Award of Bid: Extension of Bid for Hydraulic Dump Trailer Commissioner Franck pulled this item from the agenda as it was identified that the bid was still in effect. Re-appointment: Board of Assessment Review Commissioner Franck announced the re-appointment of Camille Daniels to the Board of Assessment Review. Camille has served on Saratoga PLAN, the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, as well as volunteering for many other organizations. This is her second 5 - year term with the Board of Assessment Review. He publically thanked her agreeing to stay on and for all her work with this board. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: 2013 City Fees (12-400) Commissioner Madigan stated all the City fees have remained the same except for the Recreation Department and Planning Department. Mayor Johnson proposed the Council agreed to waive the reading of the fees. Commissioner Madigan moved and Commissioner Franck seconded to approve the 2013 City fees as distributed with the agenda. Ayes – All Announcement: 12/08/12 Property Auction Commissioner Madigan announced there will be 3 properties: 292 West Circular Street, Ingersoll Road, and 382 Lake Avenue, up for auction this Saturday, December 8th at 10:00 a.m. in Council Chambers. Discussion and Vote: Budget Transfers – Payroll (12-401) Commissioner Madigan moved and Commissioner Mathiesen seconded to approve the 2012 budget transfers - payroll which were distributed with the agenda. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Budget Transfers – Benefits (12-402) Commissioner Madigan moved and Commissioner Mathiesen seconded to approve the 2012 budget transfers - benefits which were distributed with the agenda. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: Budget Amendments – Benefits (12-403) Commissioner Madigan moved and Commissioner Mathiesen seconded to approve the 2012 budget amendments – benefits which were distributed with the agenda. Ayes - All PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Page 8 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 Discussion and Vote: Authorization to Pay Invoice to Alpine Environmental Services – Visitor Center (12- 404) Commissioner Scirocco advised the Visitor Center roof restoration was bid in the fall of 2010. Alpine Environmental Services estimated a project schedule of 21 days. That scheduled was lengthened by 14 days. Commissioner Scirocco moved and Commissioner Franck seconded to authorize the payment of an invoice in the amount of $6,966 to Alpine Environmental Services for monitoring the asbestos at the Visitor Center. Funding is in line H3531492 / 52000 / 1141. Ayes – All PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT Announcement: Swearing In Ceremony for New Firefighters Commissioner Mathiesen congratulated Corey Helwig and Addison Smith who were sworn in earlier tonight. Discussion and Vote: Digital Surveillance Solutions Services Agreement Commissioner Mathiesen pulled this item from his agenda. Discussion: November 12, 2012 Incident Commissioner Mathiesen advised that early in the morning of November 12th a complaint was received by City police that he was assaulted at Dango’s. Three off duty City police officers were on the premises at the time of the altercation. After investigations of the incident, it was determined that 2 of the officers acted in a manner not consistent with the code of conduct for off duty officers. Both men accepted responsibility for their actions and have served a period of suspension without pay. Ed Braim, the third officer has been charged and continues to be suspended without pay. SUPERVISORS Joanne Yepsen County 2013 Proposed $300 Million Budget Supervisor Yepsen reported the County proposed a $300 million dollar budget for 2013. There are 32 departments with 7 separate funds. The 2013 tax rate is proposed to increase 4% over last year. They will be using $1.9 million of their reserve fund in 2013. Lease of Mental Health Space Supervisor Yepsen reported the lease of the mental health facility on South Broadway will be discussed at a public hearing on December 12th at 4:40 p.m. Racing Committee Resolution Page 9 of 10 City Council Meeting 12/04/12 Supervisor Yepsen reported the Racing Committee appointed a sub-committee to determine what their position is going to be on the proposed amendment to the state constitution allowing no more than 7 casinos. The resolution being presented to the Racing Committee will involve several pieces. December Meetings of the Board Supervisor Yepsen reported she already mentioned the meetings that will be occurring in December. Matthew Veitch Technology Committee Update Supervisor Veitch reported they hope to use their new on-line agenda system at this week’s meeting. Also, they have an RFP out for the County website. County Budget Public Hearing Supervisor Veitch reported the budget is being reduced in 2013 to $300 million from $305 million in 2012. The tax increase is below the state tax cap. The tax rate for the City will be $2.98 per thousand. 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 9:03 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Ribis Clerk Approved: 2/5/13 Vote: 5 - 0 Page 10 of 10