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Home My WebLink AboutMN-CC-2024-04-03YouTube Link: Date: Location: Wednesday April 3, 2024 City Hall Council Chambers COMMON COUNCIL Voting Record 1.Call to Order 2.Agenda Review 3.Reports of Municipal Officials Attendance Record of Voting Members Name Present Absent/Excused Mayor - Robert Cantelmo X 1st Ward - Kayla Matos X 1st Ward - Phoebe Brown X 2nd Ward - Ducson Nguyen X 2nd Ward - Kris Haines-Sharp X 3rd Ward - David Shapiro X 3rd Ward - Pierre Saint-Perez X 4th Ward - Patrick Kuehl X 4th Ward - Tiffany Kumar X 5th Ward - Margaret Fabrizio X 5th Ward - Clyde Lederman X Also Present: Alderpersons Kumar, Kuehl, and Haines-Sharp excused from Council. Discussion Summary: Meeting was called to order at 6pm. Alderpersons Haines-Sharp, Kuehl, and Kumar are excused this evening. Timestamp 0:49 YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=a34tFBxvseI&list=PLfplo_VA57eoynrqxkGvi11vxHlwByjZw&index=3 Discussion Summary: No additions or deletions to agenda. Mayor Cantelmo read the Emergency Evacuation Notice in to the record. Timestamp 1:12 Discussion Summary: Tompkins County Veronica Pillar gave County updates on the Center of Government process; the County Strategic Plan draft version is completed and is being presented at the Government Operations Committee meeting on Thursday, April 4th and will appear for the full legislature for discussion only at the next County legislature meeting scheduled April 16th; the Rapid Medical Response Pilot program launched, and within the first hour succeeded in doing what it was designed to do, which is getting to a lower level medical emergency earlier than transport could get to; the County has started talking about what it looks likes to evaluate the Reimagine Public Safety's plans, process and initiatives; the county continues to have discussions on expanding the shelter capacity, the economic and development committee decided to direct staff to explore expanding sheltering options throughout the entire year. Discussion continued with questions from Council. Timestamp: 2:20- 17:09 4.Proclamations and Awards 5.Review and Approval of Minutes 6.Petitions and Hearings of Persons Before Council 6.1 Statements From The Public 6.2 Privilege Of The Floor- Mayor and Council 7.Consent Agenda Items 7.1-7.4 Discussion Summary: No Proclamations or Awards to present this month. Mayor Cantelmo recognized the following Observances for the month of April: Autism Awareness Month, Arab American Heritage Month, and Fair Housing Month. Timestamp 17:22 Moved By: David Shapiro Seconded By: Pierre Saint-Perez Motion Summary: Motion to Approve March 6th Common Council meeting and March 20th Common Council Special Meeting minutes. Timestamp 18:04 Vote Passed 8-0 Carried Unanimously Member Approve Oppose Abstain Robert Cantelmo X Kayla Matos X Phoebe Brown X Ducson Nguyen X David Shapiro X Pierre Saint-Perez X Margaret Fabrizio X Clyde Lederman X Discussion Summary: The following members of the public shared their thoughts and comments on the following topics: Theresa Alt- various legislation; James Smith- Public Safety; Iva Lesky- March 6th meeting/hate speech; Chana Silberstein- Cease Fire Resolution; Zach Winn-City of Ithaca; Virtually: Jeffrey Morse- Unethical behavior involving Alderperson's Kuehl and Lederman; Mike Morrell- Unsafe environment living in the Jungle. Timestamp 18:22-39:02 Discussion Summary: Mayor Cantelmo started with responding to the Public's comments and concerns. Alderpersons each took their turn to respond to the public's comments and concerns on topics concerning CTAP, Short-term rental, Homeless Encampments, and hate speech in city hall, Ithaca Community issues and solutions, Timestamp 39:16-51:19 Moved By: Clyde Lederman Seconded By: Pierre Saint-Perez 7.1 Grant Administrator Position 7.2 Intermunicipal Agreement for Building Inspection Services 7.3 Amendment to Personnel Roster - DPW - Civil Engineer 7.4 Amendment to Personnel Roster- Administrative Assistant-Building Division 8.New Business / Member Filed 8.1 DRI Consultant Funding Motion Summary: Motion to move Consent Agenda Items 7.1-7.4. Timestamp 51:26 Vote Passed 8-0 Carried Unanimously Member Approve Oppose Abstain Robert Cantelmo X Kayla Matos X Phoebe Brown X Ducson Nguyen X David Shapiro X Pierre Saint-Perez X Margaret Fabrizio X Clyde Lederman X Discussion Summary: Alderperson Saint-Perez summarized the Resolution for the record. Timestamp 51:38 Alderperson Brown expressed concerns and is not in favor of this legislation. Timestamp 52:58 Moved By: Pierre Saint-Perez Seconded By: David Shapiro Motion Summary: Motion to Approve DRI Consultant Funding Vote Passed 7-1 Member Approve Oppose Recuse Robert Cantelmo X Kayla Matos X Phoebe Brown X Ducson Nguyen X David Shapiro X Pierre Saint-Perez X Margaret Fabrizio X Clyde Lederman X 9.Mayor Appointments 9.1 2024 Mayor Appointments Discussion Summary: Mayor Appointments to the Ethics Advisory Board, Mayor Appointments to the 2024 Working Group to Research the State of Wrongful Discharge and Labor Protection in the Ithaca Community, Mayor and City Manager Appointments to the 2024 Working Group for Reviving City Advisory Commissions. The Mayor read each Resolution for the record. Timestamp 54:32-58:21 Moved By: Robert Cantelmo Seconded By: David Shapiro Motion Summary: Motion to appoint Alderperson Pierre Saint Perez and Julia De Aragon for a 5-year term to the Ethics Advisory Board Timestamp 53:55 Vote Passed 8-0 Carried Unanimously Member Approve Oppose Recuse Robert Cantelmo X Kayla Matos X Phoebe Brown X Ducson Nguyen X David Shapiro X Pierre Saint-Perez X Margaret Fabrizio X Clyde Lederman X Moved By: Robert Cantelmo Seconded By: Kayla Matos Motion Summary: Alderpersons Nguyen as Chair, Matos, Shapiro, Kumar, and Kuehl are appointed to the Working Group to Research the State of Wrongful Discharge and Labor Protections in the Ithaca Community. Timestamp 54:27 Vote Passed 8-0 Carried Unanimously Member Approve Oppose Recuse Robert Cantelmo X Kayla Matos X Phoebe Brown X Ducson Nguyen X David Shapiro X Pierre Saint-Perez X Margaret Fabrizio X Clyde Lederman X Moved By: Robert Cantelmo Seconded By: Ducson Nguyen 10.Report of City Controller 10.1 City Controller Report - Month of April 11.Report of City Manager 11.1 City Manager Monthly Report- Month of April 12.Reports from Council and Staff Motion Summary: Appointments to the 2024 Working Group for Reviving City Advisory Commissions. Timestamp 56:19 Vote Passed 8-0 Carried Unanimously Member Approve Oppose Recuse Robert Cantelmo X Kayla Matos X Phoebe Brown X Ducson Nguyen X David Shapiro X Pierre Saint-Perez X Margaret Fabrizio X Clyde Lederman X Discussion Summary: Acting City Controller Scott Andrew provided council with the report for April. A written copy of report has been submitted to council and is included in the legislative packet. Discussions began with questions and comments from Council focusing on projecting sales tax, surplus, and fees, vacancies, and funded positions. Timestamp 58:36-1:06:21 Discussion Summary: Monthly report from City Manager Deb Mohlenhoff for the month of April. Before giving Council monthly report, the City Manager followed up on questions regarding sales tax and will recirculate information that was previously shared, that helps explain the sales tax agreement and hotel tax. The City Manager reminded Council that the site plan review fees are reviewed annually by the building department giving a summarized explanation of the last review. Discussion continued with questions and comments from Council related to the City Manager's report Timestamp 1:06:34-1:19:03 Discussion Summary: Council Liaisons provided updates on boards and committee groups. Timestamp 1:19:10- 1:33:03 No report from City Clerk's office. Report from City Attorney- We are in final month of the foreclosure process in terms of people's ability to pay off back taxes before the Foreclosure proceeding starts. We are down to 19 discreet owners many of which are LLC's or trusts. The full list of foreclosures 13.Executive Session (If Needed) 14.Meeting Wrap Up is posted on the first floor in City Hall and the Courthouse. The Final Month for people to pay off their taxes is April 30th. Timestamp 1:33:08 Discussion Summary: No Executive Session. Discussion Summary: No announcements for the public. Next meeting is April 10th at 6pm the Special Topics Meeting. Mayor Adjourned the meeting at 7:36pm. Timestamp 1:35:58 Moved By: David Shapiro Seconded By: Pierre Saint-Perez Motion Summary: Motion to Adjourn Meeting. Timestamp1:36:14 Vote Passed 8-0 Carried Unanimously Member Approve Oppose Abstain Robert Cantelmo X Kayla Matos X Phoebe Brown X Ducson Nguyen X David Shapiro X Pierre Saint-Perez X Margaret Fabrizio X Clyde Lederman X Public Comment Forum Date: Time: Location: Watch Online: Wednesday April 3, 2024 6:00 PM City Hall Council Chambers https://www.youtube.com/@CityofIthacaPublicMeetings COMMON COUNCIL REGULAR SESSION AGENDA 1.Call to Order 2.Agenda Review 3.Reports of Municipal Officials 4.Proclamations and Awards 5.Review and Approval of Minutes 6.Petitions and Hearings of Persons Before Council 6.1. 6.2. 7.Consent Agenda Items 7.1-7.4 7.1. 7.2. 7.3. 7.4. 8.New Business / Member Filed 8.1. 9.Mayor Appointments 9.1. 10.Report of City Controller 10.1. 11.Report of City Manager 11.1. 12.Reports from Council and Staff 13.Executive Session (If Needed) 14.Meeting Wrap Up 03-06-2024 Common Council Meeting Minutes 03-20-2024 Special Meeting Minutes Statements From The Public Privilege Of The Floor- Mayor and Council Grant Administrator Position Intermunicipal Agreement for Building Inspection Services Amendment to Personnel Roster - DPW - Civil Engineer Amendment to Personnel Roster- Administrative Assistant-Building Division DRI Consultant Funding Appointments to the Ethics Advisory Board City Controller Report - Month of April City Manager Monthly Report- Month of April 1. Report from Council Liaison 2. Report from Clerk's Office 3. Report from City Attorney 1. Announcements 2. Next Meeting 3. Meeting Adjourn 1 Public Comment Forum The public can provide short statements during this portion of the meeting. 3 minutes is the maximum time allotted, but the chair reserves the right to modify the amount of time per individual at the start of the meeting. Only the first hour of the meeting is set aside for Public Comment. Groups of 3 or More Speakers are Allotted more speaking time. For Longer Speaking Time - Multiple Speakers on the same topic can speak as a group with one Designated Speaker to represent the Group. This will give you more time to share your thoughts and concerns during the Public Comment Forum. 3-4 Persons with One Designated Speaker -Allotted 5 Minutes 5-7 or More Persons with One Designated Speaker – Allotted 7 Minutes Can't Come To The Meeting But Still Want To Speak? Register To Speak Virtually-https://tinyurl.com/7ts9zmku Attending The Meeting To Speak In Person? Pre-Registration Not Required Comment Cards are provided to those who attend in Person. Once you have filled out your Comment Card, please hand your card to the Clerk. Your name will be called to speak in the order the cards are received. Please Note Comment Cards will be accepted up until Public Comment Forum begins or a maximum of 30 speakers, whichever comes first. Once we have reached a Maximum of 30 Speakers you can submit your comment using the Written Comment Link Below Want To Submit A Comment and Not Speak In Person? To Submit Written Comments - https://tinyurl.com/mr9kdhw8 *Written comments submitted will be compiled and entered into the record. 2 Amendment to Personnel Roster – Planning and Development Department – Grant Administrator WHEREAS, the approved 2024 City budget includes funding for a new Grant Administrator position, and WHEREAS, the City’s current process for applying for and receiving grants is ad-hoc and lacks standardization, systemization and coordination, and City staff who deal with grants spend large amounts of time on administrative tasks, and WHEREAS, the City currently misses out on opportunities to apply for and receive more grants to bring outside funding to support City priorities due to a lack of capacity to apply for and administer grants, and WHEREAS, the goals of this position are to increase the City’s capacity to secure and administer grant funding; increase overall funding secured for priority City projects; improve efficiency, coordination, standardization, and professionalism in securing and administering grants, and reduce administrative burden on City departments and staff who currently deal with grants, thereby increasing overall capacity of program staff to focus on core functions, and WHEREAS, the Grant Administrator will support departments and staff across the entire City organization with securing grant awards from State, Federal, and other sources, and administering grants that are awarded to the City including supporting research, contracting, reporting, reimbursements, compliance, and process improvement, and WHEREAS, the Department of Planning & Development has the experience, capacity, and interest to support this new position, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Personnel Roster of the Planning and Development Department be amended as follows: Add: One (1) Grant Administrator (40 hours/week) and be it further RESOLVED, that the position of Grant Administrator shall be assigned to the City Executive Association at salary grade 7, and be it further RESOLVED, that for the sole purpose of determining days worked reportable to the New York State and Local Employees Retirement System the standard workday for this position shall be established at eight (8) hours per day (forty (40) hours per week), and, be it further RESOLVED, that the funding for this change shall be derived from existing funds within the approved departmental budget. 3 M E M O R A N D U M Date: March 14, 2024 To: Ithaca Common Council From: Tom Knipe, Deputy Director for Economic Development RE: Grant Administrator Posi�on The purpose of this memo is to provide background informa�on on the Grant Administrator posi�on, which was approved and funded in the 2024 budget. A job descrip�on has been created with input from mul�ple departments, and the Civil Service Commission is scheduled to take this up at their April mee�ng. I look forward to atending your March 20th mee�ng to answer ques�ons and hear feedback. KEY ISSUES AND OBJECTIVES The need for this posi�on has been discussed for many years. Key arguments for establishing a new City of Ithaca Grant Administrator posi�on now are to: - Increase capacity to secure and administer grant funding for the City. - Increase funding secured for priority City projects. - Identify and help plug gaps in fundraising. - Perform research, planning, coordination, standardization, and systemization of grant functions. - Improve efficiency and professionalism in securing and administering grants. - Reduce burden on City staff to administer grants, freeing up significant program staff time to focus on delivery of City services. To guide priorities for the position and ensure that it meets the needs of the entire organization, we surveyed and interviewed staff who currently deal with grants. We received feedback from GIAC, Public Works, Engineering, Ithaca Youth Bureau, Economic Development, Sustainability, Planning, Public Information/Clerk, Fire Department, Police Department and Controller. We asked the following questions: • In what specific areas of grant writing and/or grant administration do you feel that you or your department could use additional capacity? • What is the number one thing that you would most like a new Grant Administrator to do? • What ideas do you have for standardizing or streamlining post-award grant administration? Respondents were posi�ve, even excited, about the establishment of this posi�on, and shared though�ul and detailed ideas for improving the City’s grant processes. Their responses have guided the iden�ﬁca�on of du�es and priori�es. Staﬀ corroborated a need for support with both grant wri�ng and post-award grant administra�on. Many expressed an understanding that this person will not be able to, nor would it be advantageous for them to, be responsible for all grant wri�ng and grant management. 4 This posi�on does not replace the “project manager” func�on for grant-funded projects. Rather, it provides administra�ve support and overall coordina�on across City departments, par�cularly departments with many grants. Building internal and external rela�onships to understand speciﬁc needs and opportuni�es and crea�ng systems and workﬂows that respond to those needs and opportuni�es will be one of the cri�cal early tasks for the posi�on. BUDGET IMPLICATIONS & FUNDING This new posi�on is funded in the 2024 budget. The Human Resources Department has evaluated the posi�on and assigned it to the Execu�ve Associa�on at Grade 7, with a star�ng salary of $68,216 and a salary range of $68,216-$81,859. It is expected that over �me, this posi�on will substan�ally increase grant revenues coming to the City. Grants o�en allow the grantee to use a por�on of funds to support grant administra�on, which will be an addi�onal new direct source of revenue to help support this posi�on. It is expected that this posi�on will also free up program staﬀ citywide by reducing the administra�ve burden on grant administra�on to allocate more of their �me to program and project implementa�on. NEXT STEPS City staﬀ will atend the March 20th Common Council mee�ng. The Common Council is asked to vote at your April vo�ng mee�ng to approve adding the Grant Administrator posi�on to the personnel roster. Soon a�er approval, we will work to recruit a qualiﬁed and diverse pool of candidates. We hope to hire someone to ﬁll this role this summer. The dra� posi�on descrip�on is available upon request. Atachment: - Draft Resolution, “Amendment to Personnel Roster – Planning and Development Department – Grant Administrator” 5 A Resolution to Reauthorize an Intermunicipal Agreement for Building Inspection Services Between the City of Ithaca and the Village of Cayuga Heights WHEREAS, effective January 1, 2011, the City of Ithaca and the Village of Cayuga Heights entered into an intermunicipal agreement to govern building and fire code inspections for certain properties straddling the border between the two municipalities; and WHEREAS, pursuant to that agreement, the City provides inspection services for said properties and is reimbursed for such services by the collection of inspection and permit fees from the owners; and WHEREAS, the City and the Village wish to update and reauthorize the intermunicipal agreement for an additional term; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that City Manager, subject to the advice of the City Attorney, is hereby authorized to enter into an updated intermunicipal agreement for building inspection services in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto. 6 1 CITY OF ITHACA – VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS INTERMUNICIPAL AGREEMENT FOR BUILDING INSPECTION SERVICES This agreement, effective the __ day of ______________, 2024, by and between the City of Ithaca, a municipal corporation having its office and place of business at 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850, hereinafter referred to as the "City" and the Village of Cayuga Heights, a municipal corporation, having its office and place of business at 836 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca, New York, hereinafter referred to as the "Village." WHEREAS, both the Village and the City are required to issue permits for, and cause the inspection of alterations and construction within their jurisdictional limits; and WHEREAS, both the City and the Village enforce the provisions of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the New York State Multiple Residence Law, as well as their own zoning, site plan development review, environmental review, building, housing and fire codes, where applicable; and WHEREAS, certain improvements are located on parcels which lie partially in both jurisdictions, and are therefore subject to the code enforcement programs of each municipality; and WHEREAS, both municipalities are desirous of providing qualified building and fire inspection services in a cost-effective manner and avoiding a duplication of services and/or confusion to property owners to the extent possible; and WHEREAS, the parties are desirous of entering into an intermunicipal agreement in which the City would provide the Village with required building and fire inspection service under the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the New York State Multiple Residence Law, to the extent applicable, for alterations and construction taking place on property which lies within both jurisdictions; and WHEREAS, the City has appropriate trained and certified building and fire code enforcement personnel. 7 2 NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants, agreements, and considerations heretofore set forth, the parties hereto mutually agree as follows: 1. All new property improvements where the improvement currently lies in both jurisdictions will be inspected by City Inspectors who have successfully completed the code enforcement training program through the Department of State of New York, and who are otherwise qualified as inspectors as a result of the current and previous employment by the City as code enforcement officials in the field of building and fire construction inspection. The properties listed below are those which contain one or more buildings or structures that are primarily in the Village and partially in the City and intended by this agreement to be inspected by City inspectors. 115 Ridgewood Road (a Cornell Sorority) 102 Needham Place (a private residence) 105 Needham Place (a multiple residence) 126 Westbourne Place (a multiple residence) 425 Wyckoff Place (a Cornell Fraternity) 208 Dearborn Place (also known as 202 N. Triphammer Road) (a Cornell Rooming House) 220 Dearborn Place (a multiple residence) 207 Kelvin Place (a multiple residence) In the event of the proposed construction of new improvements on property which lies partially in both jurisdictions, the parties may add to the above list by written agreement between the City, through its Director of Planning and Development and Fire Chief ,and the Village, through its Fire Chief and Chief Code Enforcement Officer. 2. The properties covered by this agreement shall be treated for all building, housing, and fire code enforcement purposes, except zoning and site plan development review, as though they were completely within the City of Ithaca. Each jurisdiction shall continue to enforce and operate its own zoning, site plan review, environmental review, and landmarks preservation programs, to the extent applicable. 3. The number of personnel assigned shall be at the discretion of the City, depending upon the availability of said personnel to be assigned to inspect properties which lie on the line between the jurisdictions. 8 3 4. The term of this agreement shall be ten (10) years from its effective date, subject to authorization by the governing legislative bodies of the respective municipalities. This agreement shall automatically renew in 10-year terms unless either party gives written notice, at least six months in advance of the expiration of the current term, of an intent not to renew this agreement. Either party may cancel this agreement upon six months’ written notice to the other party. 5. The City shall be reimbursed for its services by the payment of all building, housing and fire inspection and permit fees directly to the City by the property owner at the rates charged to similar properties located totally within the City limits. Both jurisdictions may charge applicants for zoning, site plan review, and/or environmental review fees, where applicable. 6. Prior to the issuance of a building permit by the City, the City will obtain written confirmation from the Village Zoning Officer that the proposed plans do not violate provisions of the Zoning Law of the Village or that a variance from the Village Zoning Law has been obtained. Properties which lie in both jurisdictions shall be subject to the zoning, site plan development and environmental review regulations and laws of both municipalities. 7. Both parties agree that they will, at their own expense, indemnify, defend, and hold harmless each other, its officers, agents, and employees from any and all liability, judgment costs, damages, attorneys' fees and expenses arising out of the negligence of its employees or by not adhering to the guidelines as established by the City or the New York State Department of State in the provision and performance of inspection work as set forth in this agreement, providing, however, that timely notice shall be given by each party to the other of any claim that may be asserted with regard to the work, labor, and services set forth in this agreement. 8. Each party will certify to the other that insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 to cover liability exists and will make the other municipality the named co-insured on said policy. 9. Each party will provide its own workers' compensation insurance covering its own employees. 10. In the event that the City or Village is, or becomes, self-insured for general liability and/or automobile liability at any time during the term of this agreement, the following language is to be 9 4 incorporated in the agreement without any need for special resolution: WHEREAS, either party, its agents, servants or employees, pursuant to this agreement between the parties are or may be performing various kinds and types of work, labor or services in cooperation with each other: be it resolved that each party agrees that it will, at its own expense, indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the other, its officers, agents and employees from any liability, judgment, costs, damages, attorneys' fees and expenses arising out of the negligent performance of the work, labor or services of the respective party, its agents, servants or employees, providing, however, that timely notice be given to the other party of any action, claim or proceedings which may be filed or commenced against the parties by reason of the performance of such work. Each party certifies, by entering into this agreement, that this section was approved by the governing body of each municipality as part of this agreement, and it is binding upon each party in the event it becomes self-insured as if a special resolution had been adopted by it. [SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS] 10 5 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this agreement the day and year first above written. CITY OF ITHACA By:_____________________________ Deborah Mohlenhoff, City Manager VILLAGE OF CAYUGA HEIGHTS By:_____________________________ Linda Woodard, Mayor STATE OF NEW YORK ) ) SS. COUNTY OF TOMPKINS ) On this ___day of ______________, 20__, before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said State, personally appeared _____________________, personally known to me or proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the individual whose name is subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that they executed the same in their capacity, and that by their signature on the instrument, the individual, or the person of which the individual acted, executed the instrument. STATE OF NEW YORK ) ) SS. COUNTY OF TOMPKINS ) On this ___day of ______________, 20__, before me, the undersigned, a Notary Public in and for said State, personally appeared _____________________, personally known to me or proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the individual whose name is subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that they executed the same in their capacity, and that by their signature on the instrument, the individual, or the person of which the individual acted, executed the instrument. 11 Amendment to Personnel Roster – DPW –Civil Engineer WHEREAS, there is currently an opening for a civil engineering professional in the Engineering Services division of DPW, and WHEREAS, the current vacancy is for a specialized title, and specialized job titles tend to attract fewer job applicants for reasons that include an implied lack of work variation, self- disqualification, and non-typical job title search terms, and WHEREAS, DPW believes that changing the title to the broader Civil Engineer title will attract more applicants with more diverse engineering work experience, and WHEREAS, transportation engineering is a subset of civil engineering, and work in this field is typically performed by civil engineers, now therefore be it RESOLVED, that the Personnel Roster of the Engineering Division of the Department of Public Works shall be amended as follows: Add: One (1) Civil Engineer (Executive Association, grade 8) Delete: One (1) Transportation Engineer (Executive Association, grade 8) and be it further RESOLVED, that there are no funding impacts for this change and funding shall be derived from existing funds within the Department of Public Works budget. 12 CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850-6590 DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS Michael J. Thorne, P.E., Superintendent Telephone: 607/274-6531 Fax: 607/274-6587 “An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification.” MEMORANDUM Date: March 5, 2024 To: Civil Service Commission Common Council From: Michael Thorne, Superintendent of Public Works Subject: Create New Civil Engineer Position Dear Civil Service Commission and Council Members, There is an opening for a civil engineering professional in the Engineering Services division of the Department of Public Works to perform work on transportation related projects. The current vacancy is for a specialized position that works exclusively on transportation projects. However, a majority of the work performed by the Engineering Services division involves transportation related projects performed by civil engineers, and the qualification for both the broader title and specialized title is a degree in civil engineering. Transportation engineering is simply a subset of civil engineering. In our experience, specialized job titles tend to attract fewer job applicants for reasons that may include concerns over limited variation of work, self-disqualification due to a perceived lack of specialization, or simply not seeing the job posting because of non-typical job title search terms. We are requesting to eliminate the specialized title and replace it with the broader Civil Engineer title in hopes of expanding the applicant pool, and to increase flexibility and capabilities in the Engineering Services division by doing so. 13 Resolution to Remove the position of Permit Clerk and Replace with the position of Administrative Assistant for the Building Division Roster WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca now performs all permitting and licensing functions related to Code Enforcement through OpenGov, an online software provider; WHEREAS, the typical work duties for the position of Permit Clerk, such as clerical review and processing of permit applications, collection of fees for applications, and issuance of licenses and permits, are now obsolete due to these procedures being automated in OpenGov; WHEREAS, the position now being held by the Acting Permit Clerk is solely responsible for database management, creation of reports, recording daily ledger activities of the Building Division, and managing projects related to facilitating access to property files; WHEREAS, the position of Administrative Assistant aligns more fully with the typical work duties of the paragraph above and allows for the exercise of a higher level of independent judgment in the performance of the work, now therefore be it RESOLVED THAT, the Director of Planning, Building, Zoning, and Economic Development shall remove the position of Permit Clerk from the Building Division roster and replace it with the position of Administrative Assistant. 14 “An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification” MEMO TO CITY ADMINISTRATION March 8, 2024 Proposed Revision to Building Division Roster Overview of the current duties for the position of Permit Clerk The Planning, Building, Zoning and Economic Development Department now performs all permitting and licensing functions related to Code Enforcement through OpenGov, an online software provider. The typical work duties for the position of Permit Clerk, such as clerical review and processing of permit applications, collection of fees for applications, and issuance of licenses and permits, are now obsolete due to these procedures being automated in OpenGov. For a long time now, the position of Permit Clerk has ceased to include the duties of typist, receptionist, and office supply clerk. Overview of proposed duties for the position of Administrative Assistant The position now being held by the Acting Permit Clerk is solely responsible for database management, creation of reports, recording daily ledger activities of the Building Division, managing inter-departmental projects related to facilitating access to property files, supervising the work of the Office Assistant, and providing staff support to various quasi-judicial boards. The position of Administrative Assistant aligns more fully with the typical work duties of the paragraph above and allows for the exercise of a higher level of independent judgment in the performance of the work. Costs and Other Considerations It is the opinion of the Planning, Building, Zoning, and Economic Development Department that replacing the position of Permit Clerk with the position of Administrative Assistant on the Building Division roster will be budget-neutral for the fiscal year 2024. Taking into consideration the budget for future years, the position of Administrative Assistant is two Grade Levels above that of Permit Clerk in the CSEA Administrative Unit Grade Plan. CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street Ithaca, NY 14850-5690 BUILDING DIVISION DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING, BUILDING, ZONING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 4th Floor City Hall Telephone: 607.274.6508 Fax: 607.274.6521 15 CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850-6590 Planning & Economic Development Shaniqua Lewis, TO:Common Council FROM:Mayor Robert Cantelmo DATE:April 3, 2024 RE:DRI Consultant Funding CP#:N/A MEMORANDUM 2024 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) Grant Application Funding 16 2024 Downtown Revitalization Initiative Grant Application Consultant Funding WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca seeks to hire a consultant to help develop its 2024 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant application, and WHEREAS, the goals of the DRI are to transform downtown neighborhoods into vibrant centers that offer a high quality of life and are magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation, and economic and housing diversity, and WHEREAS, the City has previously applied unsuccessfully for a DRI award, and based on feedback gathered from the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council and others, the City is in a strong position to apply for and hopefully receive a DRI grant award this year, and WHEREAS, The DRI application is a large undertaking, requiring hundreds of hours to coordinate and write, with specific and detailed requirements, and having the services of a qualified consultant to support the City in the development of its application will assist City and Downtown Ithaca Alliance staff in developing a strong DRI proposal, and WHEREAS, many other cities in Upstate New York who have secured a DRI award in a previous round have used the services of a consultant to help develop their DRI application, and WHEREAS, the proposed scope of work for a DRI application consultant includes coordinating public outreach, helping articulate DRI projects that align with a compelling DRI vision and leading the development of the full DRI application, and WHEREAS, a budget for the above scope of work has been developed through extensive research, and adequate funds exist within the unrestricted contingency line of the 2024 City Budget to support a budget allocation for a DRI consultant, and WHEREAS, upon approval of funding, City staff will issue a request for proposals to elicit responses from qualified firms, therefore be it RESOLVED, that an amount not to exceed $40,000 in 2024 City funding be transferred from account A1990 unrestricted contingency to the Department of Planning and Development’s account A8020-5435 contract line to support a consultant to assist with development of the City’s 2024 New York State Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant application. 17 M E M O R A N D U M Date: March 14, 2024 To: Ithaca Common Council From: Tom Knipe, Deputy Director for Economic Development RE: 2024 Downtown Revitaliza�on Ini�a�ve (DRI) Grant Applica�on Funding The purpose of this memo is to request funding to support hiring a consultant to help the City develop its 2024 Downtown Revitaliza�on Ini�a�ve grant applica�on. I look forward to atending your March 20th mee�ng to answer ques�ons and hear feedback. BACKGROUND The City and Downtown Ithaca Alliance have applied unsuccessfully six �mes over the past eight years to New York State to receive a compe��ve $10 million Downtown Revitaliza�on Ini�a�ve (DRI) grant. The DRI con�nues to be a key element of the State’s economic development program. Its goals are to transform downtown neighborhoods into vibrant centers that oﬀer a high quality of life and are magnets for redevelopment, business, job crea�on, and economic and housing diversity. More informa�on about the goals of the DRI program and past awardees can be found on New York State’s website: htps://www.ny.gov/programs/downtown-revitaliza�on-ini�a�ve In 2023, the City of Ithaca decided not to apply because of the changes in City and DIA leadership, and because the Downtown Plan and Retail Study and Strategy were s�ll in process. Both of those plans will be completed this year, new leadership is in place, and we have gathered extensive feedback from Empire State Development, Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council members, and people who have been involved with successful DRI grant applica�ons in other communi�es in Upstate NY. Based on the informa�on we have gathered, we believe that the City of Ithaca is in a strong posi�on to apply for and receive a DRI grant in 2024. Preliminary talks suggest there is support for focusing our 2024 DRI applica�on on the West State Street Corridor and West End. This area, with the downtown core, was the subject of our most recent DRI applica�on in 2022, which by many accounts was our strongest applica�on to date. These are also areas of the City where we can demonstrate a clear need and transforma�ve impact of a DRI award. It is also clear that we need to take a new approach to win a transforma�ve DRI award. The DRI applica�on is a large undertaking, requiring hundreds of hours to coordinate and write, with speciﬁc and detailed requirements. Most communi�es who have won DRI awards used the services of an outside grant consultant. We are proposing to hire a consultant this year to support the City with our DRI applica�on. The suggested consultant scope of work assumes that the City and DIA will work to convene a DRI steering commitee and will do some preliminary work to compile projects and dra� narra�ve, and that the consultant will coordinate public outreach, help ar�culate DRI projects that align with a compelling DRI vision and lead the development of the full DRI applica�on. A more detailed proposed scope-of-work is outlined below. 18 BUDGET IMPLICATIONS & FUNDING The suggested budget to contract with a private economic development and planning ﬁrm to help the City with its 2024 DRI applica�on is approximately $40,000. To develop this budget, I spoke with six individuals with recent knowledge and experience about using a consultant to develop a DRI applica�on including consultants that have worked with other communi�es in Upstate NY on successful DRI applica�ons and economic development leaders in communi�es that have used consultants to win DRI awards. If successful, the City will win a $10 million DRI grant to support transforma�ve revitaliza�on and inclusive housing and economic development in greater downtown Ithaca. QUESTION FOR COUNCIL Do you support alloca�ng up to $40,000 from unrestricted con�ngency or other City source to the Planning and Development Department’s budget in 2024 hire a qualiﬁed consultant to support the City’s 2024 DRI applica�on? PROPOSED CONSULTANT SCOPE OF WORK - Conduct public outreach, to include: o Distribute call for project ideas o Community survey – draft, distribute, compile o Targeted outreach to underrepresented communities – 2 focus groups or similar method o Establish basic DRI website (optional) o Conduct public meetings – one or two – including designing display/informational materials for meetings. o Public walking tour - can be on the same day as public meeting (optional) - Articulate DRI projects o Interviews with potential DRI project partners - a handful, as needed o Produce renderings for up to 3 projects for which renderings are not otherwise available (we will not need new renderings for all proposed projects) - Develop full DRI application document o Document compilation/development o Draft narrative o Coordinate edits o Graphic design – document layout, design, and a .ppt template matching the design of the application document. NEXT STEPS City staﬀ will atend the March 20th Common Council mee�ng. If there is support for the proposed approach, we will dra� a resolu�on for considera�on at a future Council mee�ng. As soon as funding is commited, we will distribute an RFP, with the goal of having a consultant under contract by June. In the past, Empire State Development has distributed a no�ce of funding availability in July, with an applica�on deadline in September, and we are preparing for a similar �meline this year. 19 CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850-6590 Mayor's Office Shaniqua Lewis, TO:Common Council FROM:Mayor Robert Cantelmo DATE:April 3, 2024 RE:Appointments to the Ethics Advisory Board CP#:n/a MEMORANDUM Ethics Advisory Board Appointments- Pierre Saint Perez, Julia de Aragon 20 Mayoral Appointments to the Ethics Advisory Board RESOLVED, that pursuant to §55-15 of the Ithaca City Code that Pierre Saint-Perez and Julia de Aragon be appointed to a ﬁve-year (5) term to the Ethics Advisory Board with a term to expire 12/31/2028. 21 CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850-6590 Controller's Office Shaniqua Lewis, TO:Common Council FROM:Scott Andrew, Deputy City Controller DATE:April 3, 2024 RE:City Controller Report - Month of April CP#:n/a MEMORANDUM Monthly Report from Deputy City Controller Scott Andrew 22 Controller’s Report to Common Council 4/3/24 Our office is busy closing out 2023, which will take us until May 2024. In addition, we are busy catching up on the financial reporting for 2021 and 2022. The 2021 financial audit is in progress with the plan of completing that by April 2024. We will then move onto the 2022 audit work with the estimated completion date of December 2024. Also, we are trying to fill our open positions in the Finance Department. We have an open position in the Chamberlain’s office and two open positions in the Controller’s Office. It’s currently a difficult hiring environment. We have temporary assistance working on audit work, but that person will leave us in April. In addition, we have Steve Thayer assisting us in his retirement, but his time is limited due to NYS pension requirements regarding earnings in retirement. We have many new staff members in the Chamberlian’s Office and training those members and doing the daily work is difficult. That’s the reason for the limited hours in the Chamberlain’s Office currently. 2024 tax collections went as smooth as possible considering all the new staff. It has been a real struggle filling our open positions. We look forward to the day we have a fully trained staff. 2023/2024 financial items: We still have several economic items currently impacting our city operations. Inflation, supply chain issues, and staffing issues all are impacting the City operations. As a result, almost all costs are increasing and making it more difficult to operate. Here is a look at some of the 2023 and 2024 activity: Sales tax: We budgeted $17,108,600 in sales tax for 2023. We now have our final 2023 collections, which are $18,016,269. 2023 sales collections started out strong but finished weaker during the last quarter of activity. Overall, we finished over budget by 5.31%. In addition, we had our first sales tax collections of Adult Use Cannabis. These collections are done on a quarterly basis. With one payment remaining for 2023, we have collected an additional $148,500. Please note the Adult Use Cannabis store on the Commons is currently under renovations, expected to open back up in April. The renovations will have an impact on the 2024 collections. The 2024 sales tax budget is $18,500,000. This estimated amount included Adult Use Cannabis collections as we did not receive a separate collection for Cannabis tax until December 2023. To date our 2024 sales tax collections have been lower than compared to the same time frame collections from 2023. We have collected $2,284,300 to date. We are currently running 5.9% lower than 2023 collections. We caution that collections can swing significantly during a one‐month period due to timing of collections. We like to evaluate collections after a quarterly period has been completed. So, don’t get caught up in the early lower percentage collections, but just be aware sales tax collections are off to a slower start. Update on parking revenues. Although we continue to see slow improvements in parking revenues, we are still running well below budget. We have collected $2,073,000 in 2023 parking revenue to date. We still have final collections to post from 2023, which should be done in the next couple of weeks. This revenue source has never bounced back from the pre‐covid period. There are many reasons for the lower revenues in this area. Lots of construction in and around the downtown area, safety concerns on and around the commons, equipment issues, staffing issues, a frustrated attitude for the downtown parking area, and lack of retail stores in the downtown area may all have a negative impact on our parking revenues. We have made some rate increases for 2024 and we should closely monitor our activity to see if on‐street parking rates need to be slightly adjusted as well. We will have the new Conference Center coming online in mid‐2024 and the construction should ease in the downtown area. We will see how revenues respond to those changes. 23 Building permit revenue for 2023 was budgeted at $1,320,000. Our budget estimate continues to reflect the higher construction activity anticipated inside the city, but less than some recent years’ activity. We collected $1,930,000 in permit revenue for 2023. This is good news and hats off to the hard work the Planning and Building Department does for the city! Site development fees were budgeted at $300,000 in 2023. We collected $272,000. Overall, building revenue exceeded our budget estimates. The 2024 permit revenue is budgeted at $1,480,000 and site fees at $140,000. This is a difficult area to budget since many projects are out of our control and the economy can delay project time schedules. For 2024 so far, we have collected $145,000 for Building Permit Fees and $21,900 for Site Improvement Fees. CPI 2023/2024 – It appears inflation hit its peak in June of 2022 at 9.1%. Since that time, lower CPI percentages have been the trend. The 2023 CPI ended up at 4.1%. This compares to the 2022 CPI of 8%. The February 2024 CPI was 3.2%. It has been a slow decrease in inflation for the last several months. Good news, but overall prices and operations are still higher because of inflation. We would love, and so would the Feds, to see the rate around 2%. On the one hand a higher CPI is good for our Cornell MOU payment, which is driven by the CPI, but mostly it means higher operating costs for City operations and higher costs for the consumers. Hopefully, we can see more reasonable pricing increases for the remainder of 2024. The Cornell contribution payment was estimated to increase by 2% in 2024. Instead, it will increase by 4.1%, bringing a total 2024 contribution of $4,164,000. Room Tax collection update ‐ As you know we established a city room tax to help fund city costs related to the Conference Center. We collected $1,374,819 in 2021 (started in April 2021), collected $2,306,259 in 2022 and collected $2,431,000 in 2023, final 2023 reconciliations have not been done (the 2023 budget is $2,349,869). All collections have exceeded estimates to date. We will be hoping that trend continues. New York State Budget – The NYS Budget, which is due by April 1st, should be approved soon. We will give you any applicable details that may affect the City when they become available. Another result of high inflation and high interest rates, Mortgage tax revenue is down from 2022, but still meeting budget as we knew inflation would have a negative impact on our budget in this area. We budgeted $600,000 in 2023 and will collect a total of $660,619 in 2023. That compares to a 2022 total of $1,342,407. Early report on higher assessment rates. As most of you have heard, Tompkins County property owners, including the city, are receiving their preliminary assessments for their 2025 tax period. Early reports reflect a 20% average increase for the county overall. The city average increase looks to be about 15%. The city won’t receive the final 2024 assessments from the county until July 1st, 2024. The assessments are done by Tompkins County but are driven by the local housing pricing and the local housing market. If housing prices continue to climb and properties are being sold at those higher prices, the assessments will continue to climb. The 2024 assessments are the basis for the 2025 tax levy. The 2025 tax rate is the other piece of the equation. The 2025 tax rate and tax levy will not be finalized until November 2024. The Common Council has an opportunity in October to discuss, amend and approve the City Manager’s 2025 budget. That budget will include recommendations for the 2025 tax rate and tax levy. The 2024 tax levy for the city increased by 5%. The 2024 tax rate remained the same in 2024 at $11.98 per $1,000 assessed value. Please note there are many reasons why the tax levy increased in 2024. Some of the main reasons include increasing labor costs, including fringe. All labor rates 24 increased in 2024, with the lowest increase at 2.25% and many increasing well beyond 5%. We currently have all labor contracts approved during 2024, which is a rare experience. Labor rates had to increase significantly to be competitive with the local labor market. The city has had and still has significant vacancies in many departments and the need to increase salaries is real and costly. Related 2024 fringe benefit costs are also increasing much higher as health insurance premiums increased by 8% and pension contributions for the city increased by 14.5% to 19.5%. With 70% of the city budget devoted to personnel, it’s difficult to have much flexibility in making other adjustments. Not to mention, all costs of city operations increased over the last two years due to the rising inflation. It’s a difficult balance of services and costs for this community. As you learn more and more about city operations, you will see how difficult it can be to keep costs to a minimum, but at the same time provide the community with the necessary services. It’s a necessary balance and a constant battle, but one we take seriously and work hard to achieve. End of report. All areas highlighted in blue are changes from the previous month. 25 CITY OF ITHACA 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York 14850-6590 City Manager's Office Shaniqua Lewis, TO:Common Council FROM:Deb Mohlenhoff City Manager DATE:April 3, 2024 RE:City Manager Monthly Report- Month of April CP#:n/a MEMORANDUM Monthly City Manager Report for April 2024 City Manager 100 Day Plan – 4/3/24 Update 26 City of Ithaca 108 E. Green Street | Ithaca, NY 14840 | cityofithaca.org | citymanager@cityofithaca.org | 607.274.6512 M E M O R A N D U M Date: March 29, 2024 To: Common Council From: Deborah Mohlenhoff, City Manager RE: Monthly City Manager Report for April 2024 I am pleased to provide this monthly report to Council that will serve as an opportunity to highlight the work of our city departments and give key updates on ongoing initiatives. Also, attached to this report is a tracking form that provides updates on the City Manager 100-day plan. City Attorney & Controller and Chamberlain The City Attorney’s oﬃce is very pleased to report that we have brought a new Assistant City Attorney on board. She will be concentrating on protecting the city’s interests in contract negotiations, consulting on freedom of information law issues, and working to support other departmental and legislative initiatives. Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) GIAC programs will be featured in the Community Arts Partnership Art Show beginning with the First Friday Art Trail on April 5th. GIAC Boxing is in the news. Two weekends ago, two boxers from the GIAC’s Chet Cashman Boxing Program competed in matches in Watertown. The Battle of the Badges match featured IFD ﬁreﬁghter Brian Christiansen against a Corrections Oﬃcer from Jefferson County. Often it is State Police v. Fireﬁghter. We are so very proud of Brian for representing GIAC, the City of Ithaca, and IFD in ﬁne form and bringing home the W. Antonios Fight. https://youtu.be/oX303z0cJzY?si=4H5xItZeE_Pq5VS1 IFD Brian Christiansen Fight https://youtu.be/5LqjrOMhMEQ?si=sn7rUffxakda0Tpm All three of our graduating seniors who attend GIAC Teen Program regularly have been accepted to higher education institutions including Ithaca College, Bowie State, and Temple University, among others. We are so very proud of them. We supported several teens traveling overseas in February for academic and cultural enrichment programs through Ithaca High School. Three went to Vietnam and two to Morocco. These experiences are invaluable to our teens, especially those who have never seen a passport or a plane, let alone obtain one and travel for hours on an airplane to a foreign county. 27 City of Ithaca 108 E. Green Street | Ithaca, NY 14840 | cityofithaca.org | citymanager@cityofithaca.org | 607.274.6512 Human Resources • The City continues to successfully hire more Police Oﬃcers. Two additional oﬃcers were hired in March. • The Chamberlain's Oﬃce successfully hired an additional employee, bringing the department back to full staff. • Five employees were promoted across four departments. • Finally, a new Director of Human Resources was hired. Kemi Shokunbi will start in mid-April. Ithaca Fire Department • Fire Marshall / Assistant Chief Gill Haines-Sharp retired on 3/30/24 after 37 years of service. • Three recruits are in week 7 of a 15-week Fire Academy. • A new administrative assistant starts on 4/8/24. • NYS Hazmat and Structural Collapse Training continues. • Due to retirements, individuals on FMLA, parental leave, extended military leave, injuries, and new members in recruit training, both operational shifts and ﬁre prevention staﬃng are low. Summer vacation season will drive unusually high overtime costs to maintain minimal staﬃng needs. BONUS PUPPY CONTENT: Fireﬁghters responded to a car into a building. While there were no serious injuries, several members worked to free a puppy wedged under the car’s back seat (see photo at left) Ithaca Police Department • Completed a departmental in Procedural Justice training with volunteer participation from the community. • Continued planning with the CJC for 6 community healing events, dates coming soon. • Completed the search process for the captain’s position with members of GIAC and CJC serving on the committee. Captain Ted Schwartz was also recognized as Kiwanis Oﬃcer of the month. • Social Media Posts to promote the compliment or complaint process. IPD and CPB working to improve accessibility to information. • Participated in the Polar Plunge on March 23 for Special Olympics (Lt. Banﬁeld, Oﬃcers Papkov, Bliss, and Stypulkowski) • Sgt. Goldsberry, Sgt. Cowen, Oﬃcers Card and McCarty attending Sequential Mapping training at Cornell to help develop robust programs and deliver community services. • Ithaca Youth Bureau • Summer camp preparations are underway with registration scheduled to open on April 12th. Stewart Park and Cass Park Day Camp programs are licensed by both the NYS Oﬃce of Children and Family Services and the Tompkins County Health Department which requires a signiﬁcant amount of pre-season preparation to ensure that our facilities, program design, and staff meet the highest standards of safety. Being licensed by OCFS allows both camps to accept DSS subsidies for approved families. Additionally, both camps have dedicated Recreation Support Services staff to facilitate inclusive programming for youth receiving services through the NYS Oﬃce of People with Disabilities. IYB is currently seeking local grant funding to expand its summer camp inclusion staff capacity to be able to better serve youth with disabilities or behavioral challenges that do not require 1:1 support. 28 City of Ithaca 108 E. Green Street | Ithaca, NY 14840 | cityofithaca.org | citymanager@cityofithaca.org | 607.274.6512 • IYB and the City HR Department are collaborating on a city-wide job fair at the Youth Bureau on Friday, April 19th from 11am-2pm. This will be to promote both roster and seasonal positions available across all City departments. All departments have been encouraged to participate. • College Discovery Program (CDP) participants in the senior cohort have begun to receive college acceptance letters and signiﬁcant scholarship offers. • Ithaca Bike Rental (IBR) is preparing its ﬂeet of bicycles for their season opening on May 3rd. https://www.ithacabikerental.com/ • Paul Schuerers Memorial Program (PSMP) middle school homework club has been incorporating life skills training into their programming including a regular cooking and nutrition session in collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension. After a successful fall trip to Washington DC for the high school cohort, which included a visit to Howard University, IYB is seeking local grant support to continue the travel component of the program this summer for another culture, college, and career trip. • Around the community, Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) volunteer recruitment advertisements are on full display from the screens of Cinemapolis to T-Cat buses to the local radio airwaves. • The Recreation Division continues to see growth in participation. Final review of 2023 reports put participation at 7342 individuals, exceeding pre-Covid numbers of 7023 (2019). • The ice is off the rink at Cass Park and preparation is underway for roller skating season. Water & Sewer broke ground on the excavation work at Cass Park Pool, assisting with the additional task of taking out and replacing 51-year-old piping from the pool to the ﬁlter house before a new concrete deck is poured. We are very appreciative of W&S’s expertise and willingness to assist on this project. Public Information & Technology/Clerk’s Oﬃce The department is moving into the soft launch phase for the SeeClickFix program. Phase one is only intended to replace the outdated request tracker system currently used for reporting. (current process is here: https://www.cityoﬁthaca.org/requesttracker.aspx ) Staff have received training on how to enter, respond to, and track events. A separate staff team met about how to market the new system to the public. We intend the soft launch to take place in April. Public Works Superintendent: • Held design kickoff meeting on ﬂood mitigation project. Obtained drone video of creeks for use in design and presentation work. Streets and Facilities: • Warren Place storm sewer replacement (several locations) • Cook Street rehabilitation (storm sewer installation & curb replacement) • Advertised Bid Package for street rehabilitation/contracted paving • Continued with CarteGraph Asset Management integration 29 City of Ithaca 108 E. Green Street | Ithaca, NY 14840 | cityofithaca.org | citymanager@cityofithaca.org | 607.274.6512 Water and Sewer: • Completed ice jam melting line from Falls St to Woodlawn in front of Fall Creek. • Working on Cass Park Pool in an interdepartmental partnership to install drain lines, feed lines and gutter lines. • Completed an interdepartmental partnership on the installation of a water feed for the Splash Pad in Stewart Park. • Meter replacements. To date, we have replaced 165 meters and are averaging 50/week. This is under target, mostly because of lack of response. Media efforts are in full swing. • Reviewing RFQ responses for renovation design of the 510 First Street Building. • Preparing contract docs for CPI Project for the WWTP Parking and Commons: • New glass panels are scheduled to be installed in both stairwells of the Seneca Street garage on Tuesday, April 2nd. • The Community Service Oﬃcers, with the assistance of the Chamberlain's oﬃce and their new handheld equipment and upgraded software, have successfully booted dozens of cars this month resulting in recovery of thousands of dollars in outstanding tickets (and ﬁnes). • We have the new power inverters for our Seneca Street parking garage in house and are working with Maatco Electric on Installation. • The City had a very productive and promising meeting with Flash Parking Systems in regard to updating and modernizing our off-street (parking garage) capabilities as well as our on-street strategy. Engineering: • Sidewalks - We awarded the contract for sidewalk repairs and a contract for concrete cutting (a cost-eﬃcient method to remove tripping hazards). We were awarded $160,000 from IURA for sidewalks on Cecil A. Malone Drive (bridge to bridge). • Bridges - in design for Stewart Ave over Fall Creek (deck replacement, vehicular detour up to Thurston Ave bridge, ped/bike way to remain during most of construction) and North Cayuga Street over Fall Creek (full bridge replacement). • GIAC teen center is looking great, proposed summer opening • Cass Park pool (repairs) on schedule to open this summer. Kudos to Water & Sewer division for helping with some old pipe replacements. • Grant funding awarded to replace two bathroom buildings in Cass Park. Design development underway. • Dryden Road parking garage repairs scheduled for this summer. Contract awarded. • Street permit program has fully migrated to OpenGov with great success. • BUILD grant (Rt 13 redesign) draft design report to be publicly available soon, City will need to choose preferred alternative. • Continued progress on multi-jurisdiction Safe Streets & Roads for All project, Active Transportation Network plan, and SMART traﬃc signal/dynamic priority for ﬁre, TCAT, and school buses. Planning & Economic Development RestoreNY Grant Application: Municipalities are eligible to submit applications for redevelopment of vacant commercial or residential buildings through the RestoreNY grant program. Ithaca can apply for a single grant of up to $2 million. After scoring 5 applications against state and local criteria, the staff recommended the Mayor select the "Ithaca Flatiron" project for the City's application. The project proposes to demolish two buildings and construct a 24-unit housing project with below market-rate housing at 900-912 W. MLK Jr/State Street sponsored by Alpern & Milton, LLC. A back-up project was selected to demolish the buildings at the former NYSDOT maintenance facility at 683 Third Street to prepare the site for a future large housing project. The grant application is due on May 22nd after completion of a public hearing and Council resolution approving the application. No City match funding is required. 30 City of Ithaca 108 E. Green Street | Ithaca, NY 14840 | cityofithaca.org | citymanager@cityofithaca.org | 607.274.6512 Electriﬁcation Update - Heat Pump Installation: Recently collected data shows that between January 2020 and March 2024, 175 building permits were issued for the installation of heat pumps. These permits include large new projects (such as the Ithacan and MarketView apartments), private home retroﬁts, and commercial conversions, and represent great progress in the electriﬁcation of our building stock. Downtown Plan Public Outreach: City staff and DIA presented the plan and got great feedback at the 2024 Economic Summit on March 28,2024. The public survey is now live and can be found at https://tinyurl.com/IthacaDTPlan Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Update: The state will be adopting a list of approved CCA administrators in May, meaning our long-awaited local program can be up and running soon. One of the ﬁrst activities will be a comprehensive public outreach and education effort. Southside Zoning: Staff are progressing on zoning amendments for the Southside neighborhood to implement the vision of the Greater Southside Neighborhood Plan, adopted in 2019. We hope to bring the proposal to Council this summer. 31 City Manager 100 Day Plan – 4/3/24 Updates This document tracks progress on the goals set in the City Manager’s 100 Day Plan. GOVERNANCE: It is the responsibility of the City Manager (and City Staff) to assist and advise the Common Council as they deliberate and decide on policy. As we switch to a Council-Manager Governance Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates allows for council to set policy that provides clear direction to the City Manager and staff for implementation new structure. Staff seems to appreciate the well- defined process for submitting items to council. COMPLETED -will be making a few adjustments to the staff template for work sessions -feedback from council on the work session memo switch to Council-Manager form of government items that have emerged as potential ONGOING with defined priorities for 2024 the priorities set at the retreat -will follow up with staff on all of the items identified with staff at the first step -will create a list of items to review at the staff agenda setting meeting to determine what topics COMPLETED MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP Management & Leadership Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates formal Leadership Team, determine meeting schedule meeting structure and schedule COMPLETED COMPLETED 32 BUDGET & FINANCE: In the new structure, the City Manager will be responsible for establishing a new budget process as well as day-to-day operations related to financial matters. Budget & Finance Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates Hire a new Controller (Pro-Nexus, a consulting firm, is working on the search process) round, interviews scheduled for week of 3/25 -working on back-up plan if this does not yield a ONGOING ONGOING to Common Council & staff for feedback criteria to process -designed a Capital Projects pre-screen survey so departments can give us basic ideas of projects they would like to be considered, will be sent to Sr staff in April ONGOING included in a monthly Common Council agenda packet -new controller will likely design one that meets their needs COMPLETED PERSONNEL: All City Staff are crucial to providing the many programs and services overseen by the City Manager. It will be important to communicate to all staff that the City Manager is here to support them and their work. Personnel Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates (Pracademic Partners, a consulting firm, is working -planning onboarding process COMPLETED ideas from all City staff are any changes needed to come in line with the more recently negotiated contracts; review management compensation plan and recruitment practices review CSEA Admin contract issues -analyzed current management compensation plan and looking at benchmarks from other municipalities ONGOING 33 TECHNOLOGY: The City is bringing many new systems online to assist with processes and efficiencies. Information Technology infrastructure is critical to ensure smooth operations, data security, and satisfactory customer service. Technology Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates organizational changes to Council at an upcoming ONGOING application processes COMPLETED Continue implementation of Granicus -Council meeting agendas now exclusively in Granicus COMPLETED marketing the new service to the public -aiming for internal soft launch in April and public launch in May ONGOING Here are some examples from around NYS using SeeClickFix Schenectady: https://seeclickfix.com/web_portal/eot5KBrEpspH mkFA4RPdNTZF/issues/map Syracuse: https://seeclickfix.com/web_portal/6Vmkd6ft87yZ yt1MeXke5rXW/issues/map Watertown: https://seeclickfix.com/web_portal/7Fjh8eXXsD1XY ifAqptEKT9J/issues/map comprehensive redesign of city’s website and design process for regular content review and updates 34 CUSTOMER SERVICE: The primary function of all City departments is serving the public. The City Manager is responsible for ensuring that taxpayers, residents, business owners, and visitors have a Governance Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates various processes: -Special Events Permits -Towing Policy -Commons Operations at a future meeting -meeting internally to review Commons tasks and drafting new position to partner with Special Events position on permitting, etc. ONGOING policies that need to be modified or created at an upcoming Department Heads meeting -looking at other municipalities policy books and using them as a benchmark for our design EXAMPLE MODEL: https://tompkinscountyny.gov/ctyadmin/policy/in profits, local leaders of color, etc. help coordinate logistics COMMMUNICATION & PUBLIC INFORMATION: Communication is a key component to transparency in government. A city's ability to convey information, engage with its residents, and manage its reputation is crucial to its overall prosperity and well-being. It will be important that as we manage this tremendous amount of change, that I establish strong communication channels between Communication & Public Information Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates include brief updates from each City department meeting COMPLETED the City’s brand, media relations, social media strategies, public information strategies, and crisis reorganization ONGOING 35 DIVERSITY & EQUITY: It is the responsibility of the City Manager (and City Staff) to assist and advise the Common Council as they deliberate and decide on policy. As we switch to a Council-Manager Diversity & Equity Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates ONGOING employee onboarding process recommendation to HR and City Manager ONGOING CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY: It is the responsibility of the City Manager (and City Staff) to assist and advise the Common Council as they deliberate and decide on policy. As we switch to a Council-Manager form of government, it will be imperative that we all have a working knowledge of clear and consistent processes for creating and implementing policy. Continuous Improvement & Accountability Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates that employees are receiving regular feedback department heads agenda ONGOING budgeting and KPIs ONGOING public MISCELLANEOUS GOALS The following set of goals did not map specifically to any of the 100 day plans. Miscellaneous Goals Goal Progress/Action Taken Other Notes/Updates 4/15 ONGOING making recommendations to council on the Deputy City Manager and unarmed response unit be bringing proposal forward COMPLETED issues on the Commons as well as updating the MOU with the DIA to reflect current practices and will be ready to work on MOU at a later date ONGOING 36 Working with the County and the Continuum of Care to develop an implementation plan for the sanctioned camping area and the enforcement protocols ONGOING Submitted as part of the City Manager’s report for the April 3, 2024, meeting of Common Council 37