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Home My WebLink AboutMN-WDLP-2026-05-27YouTube Link:https://tinyurl.com/32nh7ea2 Date: Location: Wednesday May 27, 2026 City Hall Council Chambers 108 East Green Street, 3rd Fl Ithaca, NY 14850 May 27th 2026 WRONGFUL DISCHARGE AND LABOR PROTECTIONS Meeting Minutes Voting Record 1.Call To Order 1.a Emergency Evacuation Notice 1.b Agenda Review 2.Petitions and Hearings of Persons Before Council (30Min) 3.Approval Of Minutes 3.a Approval of the 4-29-2026 Special Committee Meeting Minutes Attendance Record of Voting Members Name Present Absent/Excused Chair - Jorge DeFendini X Member - Kayla Matos X Member - Pat Sewell X Member - Robin Trumble X Member - Patrick Kuehl X Discussion Summary: Meeting called to order at 6pm. Alderperson and Chairperson DeFendini presiding. The emergency evacuation notice is read for those in the audience. There are no changes the agenda. (Timestamp 0:26-1:48) Discussion Summary: No one from the public appeared for public comments (Timestamp 1:50- 1:54) Moved By: Robin Trumble Seconded By: Pat Sewell Motion Summary: Motion to approve the 04-29-2026 WDLP meeting minutes. Moved by Alderperson Trumble, Seconded by Alderperson Sewelll. All In Favor 5-0 (Timestamp 1:55- 2:09) Vote Passed 5-0 Carried Unanimously 4.Committee Updates (5Min) 4.a DCWP Update 4.b Updates on Prospective Town Halls, Public Forums 5.Guest Speaker Presentation (80Min) 5.a City Manager Dominick Recckio (30Min) 5.b City Attorney Victor Kessler (30Min) 5.c DCWP (20Min)- Online Material 6.Order of Business (40Min) Member Approve Oppose Recuse Jorge DeFendini X Kayla Matos X Pat Sewell X Robin Trumble X Patrick Kuehl X Discussion Summary: Chairperson DeFendini provided an update on the Department of Consumer Works Protections. Because of the late notice of information, discussion surrounding the written testimony will take place in June. DIA has reached out regarding prospective public forum with members of the DIA and Special Committee (Timestamp 2:15-8:46) Discussion Summary: Acting City Manager Dominick gave a presentation/discussion on how the city interacts with businesses. Council members followed up with questions and comments for discussion (Timestamp 8:50-54:08) Discussion Summary: Discussion with City Attorney Victor Kessler to talk about potential enforcement models for a proposed Just Cause employment protection law, (Timestamp 54:14-1:46:30) Discussion Summary: Review of Department of Consumer & Workers Protection (DCWP) online material. Notice of Termination For Just Cause NYC Fast Food Complaint Form NYC Fast Food Employers-Progressive Discipline Policies Discussion Summary: Committee discussion of presenters content/information. (Timestamp 1:46:46- 2:02:45) Discussion on Policy Statement (Timestamp 2:02:48-2:18:48) 6.a Committee Deliberation of presenters' content (20min) 6.b Policy Statement (20Min) 7.Next Steps (10Min) Objective: Develop a concise policy statement that provides a clear summary of the proposed policy. Six key areas to address: (1) Goal, (2) Policy Rationale, (3) Covered Populations, (4) Enforcement Framework, (5) Economic Impact, and (6) Implementation Considerations Discussion Summary: Meeting Adjourned. (Timestamp 2:18:50-2:19:03) Moved By: Kayla Matos Seconded By: Patrick Kuehl Motion Summary: Motion to Adjourn. Moved by Alderperson Matos, Seconded by Alderperson Kuehl. All In Favor 5-0 Vote Passed 5-0 Carried Unanimously Member Approve Oppose Abstain Jorge DeFendini X Kayla Matos X Pat Sewell X Robin Trumble X Patrick Kuehl X Public Comments Submitted 6-24-2026 Adopted 06-24-2026 Shaniqua Lewis, Deputy City Clerk Carried Unanimously 5-0 IthacaCity of L abor Protections & Economic Development The Big Picture & Organizational Capacity w w w.ci tyof i thacany.gov May 27, 2026 Presentation to Special Committee Today’s Conversation: Acting City Manager - Background in business support services, public relations, government communications Current City Activities - Big picture overview of how the City interacts with businesses Economic Development - What the City does and can do Bird’s Eye View - Community and economic context Vision - What would success look like for the City in this area? Rollout and Capacity - How could the City implement such a policy? What this presentation is not - advocacy for or against legislation being considered Permi tting and Direct Support How does the City of Ithaca Interact with Businesses? General Public Services Economic Development Building and development permits Fire Code / Safety Inspections Sign permits Street permits / engineering Event, outdoor dining, other business activity permits Use of City property (examples: Farmers Market, DICC, Intercity Bus) Zoning Special initiatives IURA Grants and programs DIA support IAED Contract Letters of support and commendation Purchasing and Contracts Short Term Rental Conference Center Tax incentive programs (IDA) Advocacy Youth Employment Services GIAC Entrepreneurship Program Green New Deal Workforce Programs Hospitality Employment Training Program Entrepreneurship and EmploymentParking (availability, enforcement, etc.) Public Safety (Police and Fire) Waste Collection Infrastructure (Roads, Water/Sewer) Commons Maintenance Sustainability Programs Recreation facilities Quality of life investments Supporting Public Transit (TCAT) *Not an exhaustive list Insights: Dozens of formal and hundreds of informal touchpoints Services generally available to the public also support businesses Fragmented points of access and user experience Some programs already support business success by supporting workers and jobs Economic Development - At the High-Level Expand and develop local economy into a thriving center of activity through: Direct Business Assistance Economic Development Projects and Programs Real Estate Development Assistance Economic Development Planning and Policy Desired economic development outcomes: Collaborative and strategic partnerships with other entities An attractive local business environment Businesses want to locate and grow here Talent is easily recruited and retained here Foundation for incubating new projects and initiatives Stable, well-paying jobs and career opportunities Expanded and diversified tax base Resulting in more investment in government services Economic Development - Community Strategy The City of Ithaca is a partner of IAED (Ithaca Area Economic Development) IAED develops a County-wide Economic Development Strategy Graphic outlines IAED’s County-wide Economic Development Priorities Economic Development - Bird’s Eye View Strategy in City of Ithaca Context: Leads in regional housing access and development Opportunities for additional investments and planning in water and wastewater infrastructure Zoning, density targets, etc. offer future site readiness opportunities Room to grow in business attraction to City Central point for tourism industry (hotels, destinations, etc.) Maintains relatively high quality of life Contains and invests in several top outdoor assets Our Local Workforce is: Highly Educated Regional Significant in-commuter population Driven by Ithaca’s base of higher-paying jobs and low unemployment rate Helps drive demand for housing development Entrepreneurial And 1/3 of workers are employed at a small business (50 employees or fewer) Burdened by childcare costs, housing costs/availability, and access to diverse career opportunities (employer base) Economic Drivers: Led by Education, Medical Services, Government Employers Opportunities to develop professional, scientific, technical, and manufacturing industries Tourism, hospitality and service businesses Retail, large brands and local entrepreneurs Hard to create proactive touchpoints with big out-of-town brands Can be challenging to start and grow a local business Opportunities in the innovation economy How do we keep businesses here that start here? Consider successes made by City as a place v. City as an entity Economic Development - Bird’s Eye View Overall: Diversified base of employers Employers can easily attract and retain talent Highest and best use of real estate sites in city boundaries Small and locally-owned businesses thrive here, outside businesses want to locate here Businesses see the City as a partner in their success City services adapt to and support constituent and business needs Centralized and simple access points for city constituent and business services Increased economic activity Stable, competitive wages to support cost of living, wealth creation, and public services In the context of if wrongful discharge and labor protections were to be adopted: City positioned as: A reliable source of information Conducting processes that operate with integrity and consistency Proactive supports for employers and employees Reduced need for enforcement High degree of job stability / talent retention Attracts values-aligned businesses and workforce Strong local “consumer protections” Economic Development & Business Support - What success looks like? Is Enforcement and Implementation of “Just Cause” in alignment with other city initiatives and operations? Example constituent services and protections Wage transparency Tenant protections (good cause) Example enforcement activities Short Term Rental regulations Zoning Code enforcement Fire safety Housing and property maintenance Violations i.e. noise ordinance activities in public spaces How do the City’s efforts on economic development coincide with municipal just cause? Refer to previous slides on Economic Development Workforce Development Diverse employee and employer base Talent attraction and retention Competitive wages Business and Constituent Services Effort to be a trusted source of information and services to the public Quality of Life Consider “placemaking” through values-aligned business activities and labor protections? What role could the City play in implementing just cause labor protections? These activities would require staffing and other supports to best serve constituents and businesses Proactive Supports and Services Recieving Questions and Complaints Assessing Complaints Mediation and Supports Enforcement Implementation should be considered along a spectrum of activities the City might carry out: *Incl. navigation to outside resources (local, state, federal, etc.) How the City could support the rollout of worker protections (including publicizing): More than one way to implement (refer to attorney discussion) Onboarding of Businesses Proactive supports Background information Templates Coaching Technical assistance Centralized access points for businesses and workers Regular public information efforts Website Newsletters Public Relations Social Media etc. What capacity increases would be necessary? Need for administrative, technical, and legal capacity Would need several staff members to begin work (proactive and reactive) Consider salary and fringe for attorney/head (>1?), technical assistance staff, and administrative staff - $600,000+ (personnel costs only) Rollout of a new program such as this should be contextualized within a larger operation within the City: Consider “constituent and small business services” department/division Would allow for deeper focus and capacity for proactive engagement, receiving complaints, and enforcement actions Could align with broader City opportunities / goals Office space and other non-staffing budgetary items incl. public information, legal services, engagement activities, travel and training, etc. - ($300,000+ operational costs)