City Council

November 2, 2020 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Council Meeting City Hall 474 Broadway 7:00 PM 6:45 PM P.H. – CDBG PY Substantial Amendment – Third Tranche Funding Allocations P.H. – 2021 Proposed Comprehensive Budget 7:00 PM CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL SALUTE TO FLAG PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD / 15 MINUTES PRESENTATION CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of 10/19/2020 Pre-Agenda Meeting Minutes 2. Approval of 10/20/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes 3. Approval of 10/22/20220 Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes 4. Approval of 10/26/2020 Budget Workshop Minutes 5. Approve Budget Amendments – Regular (Increases) 6. Budget Transfers - Regular 7. Approval Payroll 10/23/2020 $513,330.33 8. Approval Payroll 10/30/2020 $504,556.52 9. Approval Warrant – 2020 20MWOCT1 $181,550.28 10. Approve Warrant – 2020 20NOV1 $911,627.14 MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT 1. Discussion and Vote: 2021 Rate Renewals for MVP Hospitalization 2. Discussion and Vote: Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee Recommendations for Third Tranche of CDBG-VC Funding 3. Discussion and Vote: COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program 4. Discussion and Vote: Economic Development Revolving Loan Recommendation 5. Announcement: UDO Draft 2 Q&A Workshops 6. Announcement: Building Department – Permit Application Status ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT 1. Nothing at this time. City Council Meeting 11/2/2020 FINANCE DEPARTMENT 1. Presentation: 3rd Quarter 2020 Financial Report 2. Update on 2021 City Budget Reflecting Budget Workshops and Revenue Projections 3. Discussion and Vote: Budget Transfers – Payroll PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT 1. Nothing at this time. PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT 1. Announcement: COVID-19 2. Set Public Hearing: Chapter 225 – Vehicle and Traffic 3. Announcement: City Council SUPERVISORS Matt Veitch 1. Saratoga County Early Voting 2. COVID-19 Update 3. Saratoga County Budget Update Tara Gaston 1. Saratoga County Voting 2. COVID-19 Update 3. External Review Committee 4. Public Forum ADJOURN Page 2 of 7 City Council Meeting 11/2/2020 November 2, 2020 CITY OF SARATOGA SPRINGS City Council Meeting City Hall 474 Broadway 7:00 PM PRESENT: Meg Kelly, Mayor Michele Madigan, Commissioner of Finance John Franck, Commissioner of Accounts Anthony Scirocco, Commissioner of DPW Robin Dalton, Commissioner of DPS STAFF PRESENT: Lisa Shields, Deputy Mayor Deirdre Ladd, Deputy Commissioner of Finance Maire Masterson, Deputy Commissioner, Accounts Joe O’Neill, Deputy Commissioner, DPW Eileen Finneran, Deputy Commissioner, DPS Vincent DeLeonardis Matthew Veitch, Supervisor Tara Gaston, 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 CDBG PY Substantial Amendment – Third Tranche Funding Allocations Mayor Kelly opened the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. No one spoke. Mayor Kelly closed the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. 2021 Proposed Comprehensive Budget Mayor Kelly opened the public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Commissioner Madigan reviewed the City budget process from call letter to adoption of budget. The comprehensive budget includes all budgets – 8 of them. If no amended budget is approved by November 30th, the proposed budget presented by the Commissioner of Finance at the beginning of October will become the City’s comprehensive budget. Page 3 of 7 City Council Meeting 11/2/2020 Sam Brewer of Saratoga Springs stated a million dollars is a lot of money. The Council needs to look at we are in an emergency and all people need to be retained on payroll. Police officers and firefighters should not be cut in the middle of a pandemic. He would like to see the Council be more proactive to make sure everyone stays on the payroll. Joe Ogden of Saratoga Springs thanked the Council and the Recreation Department for clarifying things in the recreation budget. He knows there is a lot of work to do. Commissioner Madigan advised this public hearing will remain open until the vote is taken on the budget. Mayor Kelly concluded the public hearing at 7:00 p.m. and left it open. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Kelly called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Kelly said the public comment period is limited to a total of 15 minutes and individuals are limited to two minutes. Mayor Kelly opened the public comment period at 7:01 p.m. No one spoke. Mayor Kelly closed the public comment period at 7:02 p.m. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Kelly moved and Commissioner Dalton seconded to approve the consent agenda as follows: 1. Approval of 10/19/2020 Pre-Agenda Meeting Minutes 2. Approval of 10/20/2020 City Council Meeting Minutes 3. Approval of 10/22/20220 Budget Workshop Meeting Minutes 4. Approval of 10/26/2020 Budget Workshop Minutes 5. Approve Budget Amendments – Regular (Increases) 6. Budget Transfers - Regular 7. Approval Payroll 10/23/2020 $513,330.33 8. Approval Payroll 10/30/2020 $504,556.52 9. Approval Warrant – 2020 20MWOCT2 $181,550.28 10. Approve Warrant – 2020 20NOV1 $911,627.14 Ayes – All MAYOR’S DEPARTMENT Discussion and Vote: 2021 Rate Renewals for MVP Hospitalization (20-383) Mayor Kelly moved and Commissioner Scirocco seconded to approve the 2021 rate renewals for MVP hospitalization as published with this agenda. Ayes – All Page 4 of 7 City Council Meeting 11/2/2020 Discussion and Vote: Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee Recommendations for Third Trance of CDBG-CV Funding (20-384) Mayor Kelly advised the City’s chair presented the recommendations at the October 20th Council meeting and are attached to the agenda. Mayor Kelly moved and Commissioner Madigan seconded to approve the Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee recommendations for the third tranche of CDBG-CV funding as published with this agenda. Ayes - All Discussion and Vote: COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program (20-385) Mayor Kelly advised the program will be administered through the City’s Community Development Office and funded through the allocation of $256,503 CDBG CV Cares Act Funding. Mayor Kelly moved and Commissioner Dalton seconded to approve the COVID-19 small business grant program as published with this agenda. Ayes – All Discussion and Vote: Economic Development Revolving Loan Recommendation (20-386) Mayor Kelly advised the Office of Economic Development is recommending the Council approve a loan application by James and Jerry Morris and Michele Morris in the amount of $25,000. The term of the loan is 5 years at a fixed rate of 2.25%. Mayor Kelly moved and Commissioner Dalton seconded to approve the economic development revolving loan recommendation as published with this agenda. Ayes – All Announcement: UDO Draft 2 Q&A Workshops Mayor Kelly announced the workshops are listed on the City’s website. Announcement: Building Department – Permit Application Status Lisa Shields, deputy mayor, advised there is a new page on the City’s website for people to look at the status of their permit application. It lists all the applications in house. Applications are done first in first out. ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT Commissioner Franck advised he has nothing for his agenda at this time. FINANCE DEPARTMENT Presentation: 3rd Quarter 2020 Financial Report Commissioner Madigan advised this report is as of 9/30/2020. The Finance Office has reviewed the property tax payments made as of 09/30/20 and 85% has been collected or $13,768,882. Last year at this time, 83% was collected. Many of the City’s revenue items are received on a lag. VLT money was received in June at a 20% reduction. The City is not sure if or when it will receive the remaining 20% of the Page 5 of 7 City Council Meeting 11/2/2020 VLT money. The amount of sales tax received as of 09/30/20 was $6,447,380. This was a decrease of 16% from 09/30/19. Hotel occupancy tax is much than 2019 and are not expected to meet the 2020 budgeted amount. County surplus distribution is received quarterly and is expected to meet this year’s budget. NYRA admissions tax is not expected this year as there were no spectators at the track this year. State aid revenue sharing was 20% lower than expected. Mortgage tax receipts saw a slight increase when compared to 09/30/19. As of 09/30/20, $630,204 was received and as of 09/30/19, $623,055 was received. The City refinanced $6,180,000 of outstanding principal for the 2011 and 2012 bonds. The aggregate budgetary savings is $1,230,509.58. Liability insurance has been paid in full for the year. Final retirement payments will be made on 12/15/19. Update on 2021 City Budget Reflecting Budget Workshops and Revenue Projections Commissioner Madigan advised the 2020 sales tax budget has been revised to $9.7 million. This is 27.3% less than the 2020 adopted sales tax amount of $13,550,000. This represents a decrease in spending subject to sales tax of $247 million dollars in the City of Saratoga Springs. The City of Saratoga Springs has realized the largest decline of year over year in the state. Taxpayers are being asked to support the City with a 6% tax increase. Fund balance has been significantly depleted to manage the 2020 COVID-19 effects. We ended 2019 with $8.4 million in the unrestricted/unassigned fund balance. Each department, with the exception of the Accounts Department has made presentations requesting more funds. The Mayor’s Department has presented revenue improvements that are still be evaluated and the Recreation Department has ensured that their requests are budget neutral. Discussion and Vote: Budget Transfers – Payroll (20-387) Commissioner Madigan moved and Commissioner Dalton seconded to approve budget transfers – payroll as submitted with the agenda. Ayes - All PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Commissioner Scirocco advised he has nothing for his agenda at this time. PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT Announcement: COVID-19 Commissioner Dalton announced as of the next Council meeting she will go back to providing updates on COVID-19. Set Public Hearing: Chapter 225 – Vehicle and Traffic Commissioner Dalton set a public hearing for Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 6:55 p.m. Announcement: City Council Commissioner Dalton stated she has had an exceptional year working with the Council and looks forward to the next year with them. Page 6 of 7 City Council Meeting 11/2/2020 SUPERVISORS Matt Veitch Saratoga County Early Voting Supervisor Veitch reported early voting has increased over the number from 2019. There was concern from City residents that there was not a polling place in the City for early voting. COVID-19 Update Supervisor Veitch reported we are seeing increased numbers in Saratoga County. He reminded people to protect themselves by social distancing, washing hands, and don’t congregate. We need to slow this down. Saratoga County Budget Update Supervisor Veitch reported the County has not released their budget to date. Tara Gaston Saratoga County Voting Supervisor Gaston reported 2019 was the first year of early voting. In 2019, 3,000 people took advantage of early voting. Over 27,000 absentee ballots have been filed. COVID-19 Update Supervisor Gaston reported there are 129 active cases in Saratoga County. The primary concern is many of these cases can’t be traced to a known source. External Review Committee Supervisor Gaston reported the Committee met again today. They will be presenting recommendations to the County Board on November 17, 2020 at 4 p.m. Public Forum Supervisor Gaston reported the next public forum is November 19, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Kelly adjourned the meeting at 7:41 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lisa Ribis Clerk Approved: 11/17/2020 Vote: 5 - 0 Page 7 of 7