City Council

October 21, 2015 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS Budget Workshop City Council Room 1:00 PM PRESENT: Joanne Yepsen, Mayor Michele Madigan, Commissioner of Finance John Franck, Commissioner of Accounts Anthony Scirocco, Commissioner of DPW Christian Mathiesen, Commissioner of DPS STAFF PRESENT: Joe Ogden, Deputy Mayor Lynn Bachner, Deputy Commissioner, Finance Maire Masterson, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Eileen Finneran, Deputy Commissioner, DPS EXCUSED: Tim Cogan, Deputy Commissioner, DPW 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 Yepsen called the meeting to order at 1:05 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Yepsen opened the public comment period at 1:06 p.m. No one spoke. Mayor Yepsen closed the public comment period at 1:06 p.m. BUDGET WORKSHOP Commissioner Madigan advised this is the third budget workshop for the 2016 Comprehensive Budget. Today they will be discussing the Mayor’s Office Budget, and the Department of Public Safety’s budget.  Mayor’s Office Commissioner Madigan advised the Mayor’s Office budget totals $2,265,000; a .5% increase over 2015. Most of the increases are due to the contracted services due to Convention and Tourism Bureau take-over of the Visitor Center. This also reflects the investment of the Civil Service Department which the Council unanimously voted in September to keep. Budget Workshop 10/21/15 Mayor Yepsen advised they feel there is a need for the Parks, Open Space, and Historic Preservation position. They would like to put this back on the table to discuss how they can come with a new strategy to put this position back in the budget. There are 3 committees that desperately need this person as staff. They did 2 rounds of interviewed and found candidates who were willing to accept the part time position for $30,000 did not meet the minimum qualifications and those candidates that were qualified were not willing to take the position for the $30,000. In the 2016 budget, they asked for $60,000 as the salary and are willing to revise it to $45,000. This salary with benefits would bring in a qualified professional to fill this position. Commissioner Madigan stated she can provide the Council with an idea how she can see this happening. She received a budget change form from the Mayor’s Department for this. The 2016 amended budget would cover incidentals (social security, health insurance, vision insurance, and retirement contributions) as well as $11,250 of the $45,000 wage; the grant will cover the remaining $33,750 of the wage which will be encumbered. The total cost for the full time POSH position would be $77,400 with the cost to the budget being $43,651. She sees this being much more reasonable of this position. Mayor Yepsen stated they are trying to work with the grant monies as much as possible for this position. Commissioner Madigan reminded all that the grant money is for 2 years. Commissioner Mathiesen stated he can see a need for this position. Mayor Yepsen also wanted to discuss another staff position as it relates to revenue. This position is in the Building Department. She asked to make the part time building inspector a full time inspector. The revenue that they are not brining in is significant. They would be able to bring in a lot more revenue with an additional half person. Man hours do equal revenue for the City with this position. Commissioner Madigan advised she has not received a change request so no analysis has been done. Joe Ogden, Deputy Mayor advised the Building Department is trying to keep up with the backlog. Having a part time person go full time will increase revenue and efficiencies. Steve Shaw, director of building, advised there are a lot of businesses that are not in compliance that they don’t have the time to work with. This would include sign permits, work with land use boards and keep track of their decisions, monitoring projects, assessments, etc. Commissioner Madigan would like to sit with the Building Department and hopes they have some analysis to support this need.  Department of Public Safety Commissioner Madigan advised the Department of Public Safety’s budget is $24,494,876 which is up 4.6% from 2015. Most of the increase is for wages from the settlement of labor contracts. Commissioner Mathiesen stated they are not asking for any changes. The budget is fair and meets their needs. The City Council had no additional comments on the 2016 proposed budget. EXECUTIVE SESSION Mayor Yepsen moved and Commissioner Mathiesen seconded to adjourn into executive session to discuss pending litigation regarding the Anderson Group, LLC versus the City of Saratoga Springs at 1:39 p.m. Page 2 of 3 Budget Workshop 10/21/15 The City Council returned at 2:34 p.m. from executive session. Mayor Yepsen stated they received a full update from their attorneys during executive session. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Yepsen adjourned the meeting at 2:34 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Ribis Clerk Approved: 11/2/15 Vote: 4 - 0 Page 3 of 3