City Council

MINUTES OF THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE SCHENECTADY CITY COUNCIL January 14, 2013 The Meeting was called to order by the Council President Margaret King at 7:15 p.m. in Room 209, City Council Chambers at City Hall. 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, Carl Erikson, Margaret C. King, Vincent Riggi and Denise Brucker, Absent –Barbara Blanchard, Councilmember Also Present –City Clerk Charles W. Thorne, Corporation Counsel John Polster and Mayor Gary R. McCarthy. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 1. Abandonment of portion of Oregon Avenue Pursuant to New York State Second Class Cities Law § 101. Ms. King invited all who wished to speak come forward. Jason Planck, Schenectady – Stated he hopes that the abandonment does not lead to the sale of the property and the land remains as park land. Seeing no other speakers to come before the City Council, Ms. King declared the Public Hearing closed. 2. The Housing and Community Development Needs for 2013 Consolidated Plan’s Citizen Participation Process. Recorded in a separate document by City Development and Planning. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Ms. Brucker made a motion to approve the minutes of the December 26, 2012 meeting as submitted by the Clerk; Ms. Perazzo seconded the motion. COMMUNICATIONS: Official: From the Mayor a list of appointments dated Monday, January 14, 2013 General: None Petitions: None Schenectady City Council Minutes January 14, 2013 Page 2 of 3 COMMITTEE REPORTS: Finance – Mr. Erikson – Stated he attended the Bellevue Neighborhood meeting to hear Schenectady School Superintendent Larry Springer who spoke regarding the underfunding of the district by the New York State. He has invited Mr. Springer to speak at a future Council Meeting. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR (LEGISLATIVE ITEMS) Ms. King invited all who wished to address the Legislative Agenda to come forward. Seeing none, Ms. King declared the Privilege of the Floor on the Legislative Agenda closed. 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. Consent Agenda – Resolution No. 2012 – 003 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 004 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 005 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 006 ....................................Adopted Unanimously Resolution No. 2012 – 007 ....................................Adopted Unanimously PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR: Ms. King 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: Donald J Birch Jr., Schenectady – Stated that he FOILED to obtain communications regarding himself from L. John Van Norden. He stated Mr. Van Norden had interceded on his behalf. He has recordings of the conversations. Jason Planck, Schenectady – Stated that new jobs have not been created in Schenectady, but transferred in from other areas in the region. He said PILOT programs need to be reviewed. Joe Kelleher, Schenectady – Asked whether or not questions raised by Council Member Porterfield regarding Carver Construction hiring practices have been answered. He also asked whether the plows in front of his house were contractor or city plows. Harry Brand, Schenectady – Asked why the new Police Chief doesn’t live in the City. He also criticized the automobile policy. Joy Hall, Schenectady – Stated that it is unsafe to walk beneath the overpass on State Street, saying that the snow was not cleared and people have to walk over snow banks. P.D. Voorhis, Schenectady – Stated that she was accosted within the past couple of weeks and her purse was stolen. Her ID was taken and information that “they” have no right to! Mary McClaine, Schenectady – The Mayor says “Good things are happening in Schenectady.” The newest Council member says “good things are happening in Schenectady.” I say, anything good happening in Schenectady is coming from this side of the railing, not City Hall. Good – left Schenectady City Council Minutes January 14, 2013 Page 3 of 3 this administration when Jason Cuthbert was fired and Council did not get his job back for him. He is your constituent. Point number two: filling the Police Chief’s position, Mr. Kilcullen is fine. The untimeliness of the appointment is not. Civil Service law does not require that the Police Chief’s position be filled within 30 days of a vacancy. Council and the Mayor had the opportunity to set aside a great deal of money. Instead the Mayor chose to pander to the union and the Council folded when they restored the Assistant Police Chief’s position. Your first decision was the right one. Someone told me the Mayor cares about the City. I have often heard Council members say, “We love the City.” I never heard a City official say, “I love my constituents.” And that’s the difference. When a person loves someone, he doesn’t five him the shaft. Taxpayers got shafted with these two appointments. There was no rush to fill the Police Chief position. And the Police Department could have operated with out a third Assistant Chief for this year. The Mayor and Council are directly responsible for the City’s indebtedness. One more item – litter. There is more litter on the streets since this administration took over than there has been in previous years. Mr. Mayor, if a damsel buys a beautiful gown for the ball and shows up with a dirty face, she won’t get in. Schenectady has a dirty face. No business should be allowed to operate in the City if the grounds are littered with trash. The Rite-Aid Drug Store on Eastern Avenue and McClellan Street is a perfect example. Code Enforcement should have cited them for an unkept property. The week before Christmas the grounds were a filthy mess. Until the litter problem is addressed this administration is spinning its wheels. Seeing no other speakers to come before the City Council, Ms. King declared the Privilege of the Floor closed regarding City Business. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS OF THE COUNCIL Mr. Riggi – Reminded everyone about the March 1st application deadline for assessment exemptions and thanked the Police Department for their work in arresting a suspect in the Greco murder. He also read a confrontational email from Eric Shilling regarding Mr. Riggi and the understanding of the HOMES process. Mayor McCarthy – Congratulated Ms. King on her election as Council President. He also asked Mr. Erikson to include the City’s situation in any discussion regarding inequity in state aid. ADJOURNED: Seeing no further business to come before the City Council, Ms. King adjourned the meeting at 8:02 p.m. A true record By Charles W. Thorne Schenectady City Clerk