City Council

MINUTES OF THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE SCHENECTADY CITY COUNCIL October 22, 2012 The Meeting was called to order by the Council President Denise Brucker at 7:12 p.m. in Room 209, City Council Chambers at City Hall. Ms. Brucker called upon Reverend Emanuel Adams of The First Reformed Church to deliver the invocation. Ms. Brucker called upon Robert Becker to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The City Clerk called the roll and the following members of the City Council answered to be present: Present – Council members Leesa Perazzo, Marion Porterfield, Margaret C. King, Vincent Riggi, and Denise K. Brucker Absent – Carl Erikson, Barbara Blanchard, Councilmembers Also Present –City Clerk Charles W. Thorne, Corporation Counsel John Polster and Mayor Gary R. McCarthy. At this point of the meeting Ms. Brucker presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Emily Kaufman, a senior at Schenectady High School, for her work in the Woodlawn Park and Neighborhood. Spero Zoulas joined with Ms. Brucker in congratulating Emily. Ms. Brucker Called Miriam Cajuste, the Affirmative Action Officer for the City and the County to the podium. Ms. Cajuste announced the upcoming Civil Service Exam for the Police Department and let everyone know the application deadline is October 1. At this point, Ms. Brucker asked if there were no objections, she would like to take Agenda Item numbers 8, 9, 10 and 11 out of order. There were no objections. Resolution 2012-199 - Honoring George Westinghouse as a Veteran of the American Civil War and Honoring all the Veterans from the Bellevue area of Schenectady by renaming the “George Westinghouse Park” as the “George Westinghouse and Bellevue Veterans Park.” Ms. Brucker invited veterans and members of the Neighborhood inside the rail to accept the resolution. Mr. Riggi moved the resolution and it was seconded by Ms. Perazzo. The resolution was passed unanimously. Resolution 2012-200 - Honoring all Veterans. Ms. Brucker invited any veterans inside the rail to accept the resolution inside the rail to accept the resolution. Ms. King moved the resolution and it was seconded by Mr. Erikson. The resolution was passed unanimously. Resolution 2012-201 - Recognizing the 2nd Annual Robert J. Ludwig Community Service Awards Gala and Acknowledging the 91st Anniversary of JCC of Schenectady. Ms. Brucker invited members and supporters of the Schenectady JCC inside the rail to accept the resolution, there were none. Schenectady City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 of 7 October 22, 2012 Ms. Perazzo moved the resolution and it was seconded by Mr. Erikson. The resolution was passed unanimously. Resolution 2012-202 - Recognizing The Friendship Baptist Church as the oldest Black Baptist Church in Schenectady and its Many Historical Anniversaries. Ms. Brucker invited members of the Friendship Baptist Church inside the rail to accept the resolution. Reverend William Lynn Hamilton accepted the resolution and thanked the Council for the recognition. Ms. Porterfield moved the resolution and it was seconded by Mr. King. The resolution was passed unanimously. Ms. Brucker Called Miriam Cajuste, the Affirmative Action Officer for the City and the County to the podium. Ms. Cajuste announced upcoming free review sessions for the Civil Service Exam for the Police Department. PUBLIC HEARINGS: Proposed 2013 Budget for the City of Schenectady. Ms. Brucker invited all who wished to speak to come forward. Jason Planck, Schenectady – Stated the budget does not include the correct accountability of the PILOT programs, he also said it did not meet the requirements of CDBG funding and Affirmative Action. Jason Cuthbert, Schenectady – Stated that the tax levy was computed incorrectly and it does exceed the State tax cap. He also accused the Mayor of using grant money to create patronage jobs. He also asked to see the Comptrollers audit results that were supposed to be available for the budget. Mary McClaine, Schenectady – I think the salary for a new police chief should be taken out of the 2013 Budget. Such a move would assure the money would not be spent in 2013. No one has advocated residency more that I have but in this case the numbers don’t add up. In the 2013 Budget, the police chief’s salary is fixed at $135,000 annually. If a new police chief, who moved to Schenectady were to buy a home in the most expensive section of the City and pay $20,000 yearly taxes on his home the money the City received from his residency would not cover the cost of his salary. On the other had if the job were given to Commissioner Bennett, there would be no need for the city to pay for an extra salary plus benefits. Over the course of three years the City Council could reduce its expenditures by more than $400,000. In this case the numbers are against the residency requirements at this time and in favor of fiscal sanity. Commissioner Bennett should be given the Police Chief’s position and allowed to hold it until he is ready to give it up. Ellen Lown, Schenectady – voiced concerns about the rising taxes and criticized the amount of money being used for Social Services. Debra Rembrant, Schenectady – Stated the budget is not fair to the poor and quoted a passage from the Book of Proverbs. Seeing no other speakers to come before the City Council, Ms. Brucker declared the Public Hearing closed. Schenectady City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 of 7 October 22, 2012 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Ms. Perazzo made a motion to approve the minutes of the September 22, 2012, as submitted by the Clerk. Ms. King seconded the motion. COMMUNICATIONS: Official: From the Mayor, a list of appointments dated October 22, 2012 General: Bellevue Preservation Inc. meeting Thursday November 8th, 7pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Parish Hall. Guest speaker will be Schenectady County Sheriff Dominic Dagostino. The public is invited. Petitions: None COMMITTEE REPORTS: Finance – Mr. Erikson stated the committee has been holding meetings over the past three weeks and said we must be careful to not spend money we don’t have. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR (LEGISLATIVE ITEMS) Ms. Brucker invited all who wished to address the Legislative Agenda to come forward. Tom Verret, Schenectady – Spoke against the Vital Records Priority fee. He disputed the assumption that most people do not need death certificates immediately and stated many try to accomplish as much as possible in a short period of time, especially when the families are not living in the area. He also stated the issue is not the money, but the way the fee is being applied. Jason Cuthbert, Schenectady – Stated an expense line needed to be created on the budget to get the collected fees to the Rose Garden Committee. Mary McClaine, Schenectady – A resolution authorizing the sale and transfer of title of the vacant lot on Gifford Road designated as lot numbered 60.55-4-18 to Michael Marshe. Is Council establishing precedent with this sale or is the City Going to have different strokes for different folks? I listened to the discussion of this property during the Committee Meeting. The buyer offered the City $5,000 for the lot. When the City foreclosed on the property the previous owner owed $125 in back taxes. Now the City is going to sell this lot for $5,125. In other words the new buyer must also pay for the back taxes. Will this policy continue for all properties sold by the City? The policy must be uniform for every buyer or Council is inviting trouble. Item #8 – Renaming the George Westinghouse Park to George Westinghouse and Bellevue Veterans Park. I do not think the George Westinghouse Park should be renamed. Adding another name to the already established park only waters down the importance of all the people involved. George Westinghouse was an American Industrial giant. His name should stand on its own. Linda Hart, Schenectady – Questioned the sale of the vacant lot on Gifford Road and accused the City of collusion. Seeing no other speakers to come before the City Council, Ms. Brucker declared the Privilege of the Floor on the Legislative Agenda closed. Schenectady City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 of 7 October 22, 2012 INTRODUCTION OF AND ACTION UPON LOCAL LAWS, ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS: Ms. King made a motion that Council approves the Consent Agenda and the motion was seconded by Ms. Perazzo. Agenda number 2 (Roll Call Vote) AN ORDINANCE Amending City Code § 23-7, entitled, “Fee for copies for Documents,” to Establishing a “Fee for Priority Service” for the Handling of Vital Records. 3:3:1 Voting AYE: Perazzo, King, and Brucker. No: Porterfield, Erikson & Riggi Absent: Blanchard Resolution No. 2012 – 203 (Roll Call Vote) A RESOLUTION Authorizing the City Engineer to issue Revocable Permit No. 571 to Migrate America, Inc. for a sign encroaching on the City right-of-way at 411 State Street. 5:1:1 Voting AYE: Porterfield, Perazzo, King, Riggi and Brucker. No: Erikson Absent: Blanchard Consent Agenda – Ordinance No. 2012 – 11 .......................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 204 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 205 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 2066 ..................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 207 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 188 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 189 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – CS-22 ................................Adopted Unanimously PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR: Ms. Brucker invited all who wished to address the City Council on any matter of City business to come forward. The following speakers rose to be heard and their remarks are summarized: Sam Goldstein, Schenectady – Spoke in support of crossing guards citing the safe environment they provide around the schools. Hope Supley, Schenectady – Spoke about traffic problems and cars driving to fast in the area of Van Curler Elementary School. Crystal Hiscock, Schenectady – Complained about a water pipe leaking under her property that does not service her property. She has been in contact with the City and she was told she is responsible for the repairs. She asked the City to bill the right people. Schenectady City Council Meeting Minutes Page 5 of 7 October 22, 2012 P.D. Voorhis, Schenectady – Spoke on various topics in the City. Joy Hall, Schenectady – Expressed concerns about pedestrian safety in downtown, stating new curbs and sidewalks are needed. Ernest Friedow, Schenectady – Displayed a homemade Schenectady City Flag, made by him. He stated the need for a senior citizen center in the city and presented a plea to reopen the Annie Schaffer Center. He stated he was willing to serve on any board or work with any group willing to reopen the center. Marva Isaacs, Schenectady – Stated that seniors are unable to pay taxes and the taxes need to go down. Reverend Emmanuel Adams, Schenectady – Spoke about reducing violence in the community. Judy Rightmyer, Tobacco Free Coalition – Thanked the City for prohibiting smoking in the City Parks and promoted the October 30 walk through Mont Pleasant neighborhood to identify tobacco marketing children are exposed to. Jason Planck, Schenectady – Quoted Social Security payment rates saying they were not keeping up with inflation and questioned the salary of a newly created City position. He also said HEAP grants for the poor were being eliminated and criticized the salaries of City workers general. Jonathan Finn, Schenectady – Thanked the City for correcting the unsafe sidewalk conditions on the Altamont Avenue Bridge. He also thanked Marion Porterfield for attending the Habitat dedication on Pennsylvania Avenue. Don Birch, Jr., Schenectady – Spoke in favor of reopening the Annie Schaffer Senior Center. He also referred to an experiment in psychological conditioning and played a recording of what he stated was him being threatened by the Schenectady Police Department. Kurt von Maucher, Schenectady – Thanked the Council for recognizing the Veterans and spoke against implementation of the Priority Fee for Vital Records. Seeing no other speakers to come before the City Council, Ms. Brucker declared the Privilege of the Floor closed. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS OF THE COUNCIL Ms. Perazzo – Stated she is a single-income taxpayer and is very concerned about the cost to taxpayers. She emphasized that recycling is one way that residents are able to affect the tax rate. She said she recently drove through on e neighborhood for five blocks and didn’t see one recycling container. Mr. Riggi – Suggested a line item for recycling be created in the Budget and agreed with the need to break out a budget line for the Rose Garden. He insisted that the budget needs to be down to bare bones. He also noted that the Hindu Temple has been vandalized Ms. Porterfield – Stated she is open to new ideas for revenue. Schenectady City Council Meeting Minutes Page 6 of 7 October 22, 2012 Mayor McCarthy – Stated the ethics board is active and the final layer of road paving is being applied. He also said he won’t tolerate gun violence in the City. Schenectady City Council Meeting Minutes Page 7 of 7 October 22, 2012 RECESSED: Seeing no further business to come before the City Council, Ms. Brucker recessed the meeting at 9:05 p.m. A true record By Charles W. Thorne Schenectady City Clerk