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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2012-11-28CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Regular Meeting November 28, 2012 Members Present: Alderperson Fleming, Alderperson Kerslick, Alderperson Proulx, Alderperson Clairborne, Mayor Myrick Members Excused: Alderperson Brock Council Members Present: Alderperson McCollister Staff Present: Tom Parsons (Fire Chief), Phyllis Radke (Building Commissioner), Debra Parsons (City Chamberlain), Steve Thayer (Controller), Scott Andrew (Deputy Controller), Schelley Michell - Nunn (HR Director), Denise Malone (HR Executive Assistant) Others Present: Nels Bohn (IURA), Members of the Public, Members of the Media Chairperson Clairborne called the meeting to order at 6:12 p.m. 1. Chairperson Greeting & Opening Statement Chairperson Clairborne welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the evacuation procedures. 2. Announcements Chairperson Clairborne announced that the Clinton Street Bridge opened last week and that he appreciated everyone's role in making this happen. 3. Agenda Review and Amendments 4. Approval of Minutes Alderperson Proulx made a motion to approve the minutes, with corrections, from the November 1, 2012 meeting of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. Motion carried 4 -0. 5. Statements from the Public. None. 6. Employee Comments. None. 7. City Administration Members Response. None. City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 2 8. Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee (WDAC) Update HR Director Schelley Michell -Nunn reported that the Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee continues to work on the City's Diversity Report Card and that the WDAC will give a presentation to Common Council at a special meeting in January 2013. 9. Mayor's Report. None. 10. Fire Department Request to Increase Fees Moved by Alderperson Kerslick. Seconded by Alderperson Fleming. WHEREAS, section 181 -9 F(1) of the Code of the City of Ithaca states the Fire Chief shall promulgate a fee schedule applicable to the permits authorized under such code; and, WHEREAS, §181 -9 F states that fees established in the fee schedule shall reasonably reflect the cost of receiving, investigating, processing, and issuing each of said permits; and, WHEREAS, §181 -9 F requires that any schedule and said changes proposed thereto shall be submitted to the Common Council for adoption prior to the collection of such fees; and, WHEREAS, the permit fee schedule is based on the labor costs of performing the inspections and processing the permits; and because of subsequent salary increases and associated cost of fringe benefits the current fees do not reflect the actual costs of the services being provided; and, WHEREAS, the fees were last adjusted and approved by Common Council on January 7th, 2009; and, WHEREAS, a proposal has been prepared and submitted to increase fees generally and as stipulated in the attached schedule, from $44.00 to $50.00 per hour, and from $66.00 to $75.00 per hour for work performed during non - business hours, which will result in such fees reflecting current costs; and, WHEREAS, the prepared proposal includes the additional permit fees for processing and the administration of permits over and above the costs of the actual inspections for issuing such permits; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby approves the proposed increase in permit fees as proposed; and, be it further RESOLVED, That these changes shall be authorized upon adoption of this resolution by Common Council, with an effective date of January 1, 2013. City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 3 A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 11. Budget Process Afterthoughts The Committee talked about the 2013 budget process and ways to improve the budget process for next year. 12. IURA Recommendation that Condemned Property be Ineligible for an Installment Plan for Payment of Delinquent Property Taxes (Discussion) IURA Director Nels Bohn, City Chamberlain Debra Parsons and Building Commissioner Phyllis Radke came before the Committee to discuss and recommend that condemned property be ineligible for an installment plan for payment of delinquent property taxes. Ms. Parsons explained the installment agreement process. After discussion and as directed by the Committee, Mr. Bohn will draft a resolution about condemned properties being ineligible for the installment plan for payment of delinquent property taxes. This draft resolution would be given to the Mayor and the City Attorney for their consideration. 2. Housing Fund, Funding Round #6, Authorize Disbursement of $230,000 Pursuant to an Executed MOU - Lead Agency Moved by Alderperson Proulx. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Common Council is considering approving funding assistance, pursuant to the Cornell /City /County Housing Fund MOU, to the following affordable housing projects as recommended by the Program Oversight Committee: $100,000 Stone Quarry Apartments, 35 new rental units, INHS /Pathstone $100,000 Seneca /State/MLK/Meadow Street Housing, 56 new rental units, Lakeview Mental Health Services $30,000 10 Hawthorne Circle, 1 rehabilitated owner - occupied unit, INNS $230,000 WHEREAS, State Law and Section 176.6 of CEQRO require that a Lead Agency be established for conducting environmental review of proposed actions in accordance with local and state environmental law, and WHEREAS, State Law specifies that for actions governed by local environmental review the Lead Agency shall be that local agency which has primary responsibility for approving and funding or carrying out the action, and WHEREAS, the construction of 15 or more dwelling units is a Type I action under the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance ( CEQRO), and City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 4 WHEREAS, the proposed 35 -unit Stone Quarry Apartments project has already completed environmental review through the City's site plan review process resulting in issuance of a negative declaration by the City of Ithaca Planning & Development Board (Planning Board) on October 23, 2012, and WHEREAS, the proposed 10 Hawthorne Circle project consists of rehabilitation of an existing, vacant, single - family home and qualifies as a Type II action listed at 176 -5C(2) that requires no environmental review, and WHEREAS, the proposed 56 -unit Seneca/State/MLK/Meadow Street Housing project will undergo a future environmental review by the Planning Board through the site plan review process prior to issuance of any building permit, and WHEREAS, the Stone Quarry and Seneca/State/MLK/Meadow Street projects seek low - income housing tax credit allocations through the New York State unified funding process that has revised its submission deadline to January 8, 2012, and WHEREAS, a written local funding commitment makes a project significantly more competitive for funding assistance through the New York State unified funding process, and WHEREAS, without receipt of funding assistance through the New York State unified funding process the Seneca/State /MLK/Meadow Street housing project will not proceed, and WHEREAS, the above circumstances warrant segmenting the environmental review of the proposed action to commit funding for the Seneca /State/MLK/Meadow Street housing project from the site plan review of the Seneca /State /MLK/Meadow Street housing project, which segmentation is no less protective of the environment; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Common Council does hereby declare itself Lead Agency for the segmented environmental review of the proposed action to approve funding assistance, pursuant to the Cornell/City /County Housing Fund MOU, to the following affordable housing projects as recommended by the Program Oversight Committee: $100,000 Stone Quarry Apartments, 35 new rental units, INHS /Pathstone $100,000 Seneca/State/MLK/Meadow Street Housing, 56 new rental units, Lakeview Mental Health Services $30,000 10 Hawthorne Circle, 1 rehabilitated owner - occupied unit, INNS $230,000 A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3. Housing Fund, Funding Round #6, Authorize Disbursement of $230,000 Pursuant to an Executed MOU — Environmental Determination Moved by Alderperson Proulx. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 5 WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Common Council is considering approving funding assistance, pursuant to the Cornell /City /County Housing Fund MOU, to the following affordable housing projects as recommended by the Program Oversight Committee: $100,000 Stone Quarry Apartments, 35 new rental units, INHS /Pathstone $100,000 Seneca/State/MLK/Meadow Street Housing, 56 new rental units, Lakeview Mental Health Services $30,000 10 Hawthorne Circle, 1 rehabilitated owner - occupied unit, INNS $230,000 WHEREAS, on December 5, 2012, the City of Ithaca Common Council declared itself Lead Agency for the environmental review of this proposed action, and WHEREAS, the construction of 15 or more dwelling units is a Type I action under the City Environmental Quality Review Ordinance (CEQRO), and WHEREAS, the proposed 35 -unit Stone Quarry Apartments project has already completed environmental review through the City's site plan review process resulting in issuance of a negative declaration by the City of Ithaca Planning & Development Board (Planning Board) on October 23, 2012, and WHEREAS, the proposed 10 Hawthorne Circle project consists of rehabilitation of an existing, vacant, single - family home and qualifies as a Type II action listed at 176 -5C(2) that requires no environmental review, and WHEREAS, the proposed 56 -unit Seneca/State /MLK/Meadow Street Housing project will undergo a future environmental review by the Planning Board through the site plan review process prior to issuance of any building permit for the project, and WHEREAS, the Seneca /State /MLK/Meadow Street Housing project seeks low- income housing tax credit allocations through the New York State unified funding process that has revised its submission deadline to January 8, 2012, and WHEREAS, a written local funding commitment makes a project significantly more competitive to receive funding assistance through the New York State unified funding process, and WHEREAS, without receipt of funding assistance through the New York State unified funding process the Seneca /State /MLK/Meadow Street housing project will not proceed, and WHEREAS, the above circumstances warrant segmenting the environmental review of the proposed action to commit funding for the Seneca /State/MLK/Meadow Street housing project from the site plan review of the Seneca /State /MLK/Meadow Street housing project, which segmentation is no less protective of the environment; now, therefore, be it City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 6 WHEREAS, the Full Environmental Assessment Form ( "FEAF ") and supporting information has been provided to the City of Ithaca Conservation Advisory Council for review of the proposed action and no comments have been received to date, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Common Council, acting as Lead Agency for the environmental review, has reviewed and accepted as adequate a Full Environmental Assessment Form, Part 1 and Part 2; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Common Council hereby determines that approving funding assistance, pursuant to the Cornell /City /County Housing Fund MOU, to the following affordable housing projects as recommended by the Program Oversight Committee: $100,000 Stone Quarry Apartments, 35 new rental units, INHS /Pathstone $100,000 Seneca /State/MLK/Meadow Street Housing, 56 new rental units, Lakeview Mental Health Services $30,000 10 Hawthorne Circle, 1 rehabilitated owner - occupied unit, INNS $230,000 will result in no significant impact on the environment and that a Negative Declaration for purposes of Article 8 of the Environmental Conservation Law be filed in accordance with the provisions of Part 617 of the State Environmental Quality Review Act. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 4. Housing Fund, Funding Round #6 — Authorize Disbursement of $230,000 Pursuant to an Executed MOU Moved by Alderperson Proulx. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the Housing Fund Program Oversight Committee (POC) met on November 15, 2012, to review recommendations from the Application Review Committee of round #6 funding applications for new affordable housing projects; and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca is represented on the POC by Alderperson J.R. Clairborne, Alderperson Chris Proulx, and Doug Dylla, past member of the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA); and WHEREAS, the Housing Fund was established in 2009 by Memorandum of Agreement (MOU) as a six -year program between and among the City of Ithaca, Tompkins County and Cornell University to capitalize and award funds to increase the supply of permanently affordable housing in the County, and WHEREAS, the Common Council found that City contributions to the Housing Fund should be used to assist projects located within the City of Ithaca, and City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 7 WHEREAS, City funds committed to the Housing Fund are derived from Gateway Loan proceeds that originated from sale of City -owned land for the Eddygate project, and are held by the IURA, and WHEREAS, a total of up to $880,000 is available to award in round #6 as follows: Funding Awards Funding Sources ($1,OOOs) Total Cornell University Tompkins County City of Ithaca Total 4 -Year Funding Commitment 800 400 400 1,600 Round #1 (2009) 145 100 30 275 Round #2 2010 75 70 70 215 Round #3 (2011) 100 100 0 200 Round #4 2011 0 0 30 30 Round #5 (2012) 0 0 0 0 Totals Awards 320 270 130 720 Remaining Funds for Round #6 480 130 270 880 and, WHEREAS, the POC recommends round #6 funding of a total of $780,000 for six affordable housing projects, of which the City of Ithaca (City) is recommended to fund $230,000 as follows; now, therefore, be it Round #6, Housing Fund - Recommended Funding Awards Applicant Project # Afford. Location Funding ($1,OOOs) Units Cornell County City Total 10 Hawthorne 1 owner- City of 0 0 30 30 INHS Circle occupied Ithaca INHS/ Stone Quarry 35 rental City of 100 0 100 200 Pathstone Apt. Ithaca Village 4 owner- (V)Groton 120: 0 0 120 Habitat Builds occupied T -bur Lakeview Seneca/State/ City of 100 0 100 200 Mental Health MLK/Meado 56 rental Ithaca w St. Housing Lansing (T) 70 130: 0 200 BHTC /NRP Senior 68 rental Lansing Cottages New Earth Aurora 1 owner- City of 30 0 0 30 Living Pocket occupied Ithaca Neighborhood Totals 165 420 i 130 i 230 780 City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 8 RESOLVED, That the Common Council for the City of Ithaca hereby authorizes a total expenditure of up to $230,000, pursuant to the Housing Fund MOU, to assist the following projects as recommended by the Housing Fund's Program Oversight Committee: $100,000 Stone Quarry Apartments, INHS /Pathstone $100,000 Seneca/State /MLK/Meadow Street Housing, Lakeview Mental Health $30,000 10 Hawthorne Circle, INHS, and be it further, $230,000 RESOLVED, That such funds shall be derived from Gateway Loan Proceeds held by the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency, and be it further, RESOLVED, That the Mayor is authorized, subject to advice of the City Attorney, to execute a fiscal agency agreement with Tompkins County to implement this resolution. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 13. Attorney's Office Authorization to Enter into a Lease Agreement with Tompkins County for use of Cites Located on Linn Street for a TCAT Bus Shelter Moved by Alderperson Fleming. Seconded by Alderperson Proulx. WHEREAS, Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, Inc. (TCAT), a not - for - profit corporation, has installed and maintained, at its cost, a bus shelter located approximately ten feet south of the Cascadilla Creek bridge, between the sidewalk and curb, on the east side of the 100 block of Linn Street, in the City of Ithaca, and WHEREAS, the site of the TCAT bus shelter is within the City's right of way for Linn Street, and WHEREAS, the installation and maintenance of the bus shelter provides a clear and desirable benefit to City residents, and WHEREAS, the TCAT bus shelter is currently in use and the City wishes to finalize such agreement with the County regarding the use of said City land for the shelter, and WHEREAS, Section 170 -11 of the City of Ithaca Municipal Code, which is entitled "Form and Terms of Leases and Easements ", states that leases of City land shall be subject to approval by Common Council, and WHEREAS, the City's streets and corresponding rights of way are within the Board of Public Works' scope and authority, and City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 9 WHEREAS, the Superintendent of Public Works does not anticipate any conflicts in the near future with public works uses or needs, due to the existing use of City owned property at this location, and WHEREAS, the Board of Public Work has recommended Common Council's approval of such a lease agreement; and now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Common Council hereby authorizes and directs the Mayor, upon the advice and counsel of the City Attorney, to enter into a lease agreement with Tompkins County, without ,,, nsi *io , for the County's use of the aforementioned City land to accommodate said shelter, in exchange for the provision of the bus shelter and continued maintenance and repair of said shelter for the duration of the lease term all at no cost to the City, which lease shall include standard terms and provisions, as applicable, and which shall (1) indemnify and hold the City harmless with regard to use of the shelter, (2) allow the County to sublease the premises to TCAT or any comparable transit entity for the purpose of maintaining a bus shelter thereon, and (3) have an original term of ten years, with provision for automatic renewal upon the same terms for up to eight five -year periods thereafter, unless either party notifies the other, in advance, of its intention not to renew. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 14. Police Department Request to Approve Contract with Ithaca City School District for School Resource Officer Moved by Alderperson Proulx. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the 2013 authorized Police Department budget included funding for a School Resource Officer for the Ithaca City School District, and WHEREAS, the School Resource Officer would start working at the school district in early 2013 and be funded approximately 75% by the Ithaca City School District and 25% by the City, and WHEREAS, the contract details between the Ithaca City School District and the City of Ithaca are currently being negotiated; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Mayor, with the advice of the City Attorney, is hereby authorized to negotiate and execute an agreement with the Ithaca City School District for provisions of a School Resource Officer with approximately 75% of said officer's expenses to be paid to the City by the School District. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 10 15. Department of Public Works Septage Receiving Facility acility Project Funding Moved by Alderperson Fleming. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Plant's Special Joint Committee at its November 14, 2012 regular meeting selected the three lowest qualified bids for General Construction, Electrical and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning, for the rebuilding of the Septage Receiving Facility, and WHEREAS, the lowest qualified bid for Contract #12 -001 and its alternate 12 -001A for General Construction submitted by McPherson Builders in the amount of $1,919,000 and $1,936,000 respectively, and WHEREAS, the lowest qualified bid for Contract # 12-002 for Electrical Construction submitted by Nelcorp Electrical in the amount of $339,250, and WHEREAS, the lowest qualified bid for Contract #12 -003 for Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning Construction by JW Danforth Co. in the amount of $524,000, and WHEREAS, the cost for these contracts shall be borne by the Town of Dryden, Town of Ithaca and the City of Ithaca based on the percentage of ownership assigned to each municipality; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the partners hereby authorizes the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility Septage Receiving Facility rebuild in the amount not to exceed $3,077,475, which includes the contract values plus a 10% contingency, and be it further RESOLVED, That the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility is hereby authorized to negotiate a final contract based on this resolution, and be it further RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Mayor, the Town of Ithaca Supervisor and the Town of Dryden Supervisor be authorized to sign the contracts, and be it RESOLVED, That in accordance with the final contracts to be negotiated between the partners and the three qualified lowest bidders, funding for said project shall be acquired thru the issuance of Serial Bonds based on the following schedule which are to include interest rates as stipulated by the City of Ithaca Controller, and Municipality Percentage Project Cost City of Ithaca 57.14 $1,758,469.22 Town of Ithaca 40.88 $1,258,071.78 Town of Dryden 1.98 $ 60,934.00 $3,077,475.00 City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 11 be it further RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby establishes Joint Activity Capital Project 418J Septage Receiving Facility in the amount not to exceed $3,077,475, and be it further RESOLVED, That funding for said project is contingent on the approval of the City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, and the Town of Dryden.0 A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 16. Human Resources (HR) Department Amendment of Managerial Benefits for 2013 Moved by Alderperson Kerslick. Seconded by Alderperson Proulx. WHEREAS, Periodic updates are required to clarify existing practices or to indicate changes in benefits for managerial personnel not covered by a bargaining unit, and WHEREAS, The Human Resources Director has revised and updated the Fringe Benefits for Managerial Personnel accordingly; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the current fringe benefits for managerial personnel not covered by a bargaining unit be amended as follows: CITY OF ITHACA FRINGE BENEFITS FOR MANAGERIAL PERSONNEL 1. Annual Leave: Managerial employees shall earn annual leave on a monthly basis in accordance with the following schedule: Length of Service less than 2 years 2 -4 years 5 -9 years 10 or more years 40 hours /week 10 hrs /mo (3 wks)' 14 hrs /mo (4 wks) 17 hrs /mo (5 wks) 20 hrs /mo (6 wks) 35 hours /week 9 hrs /mo (3 wks) 12 hrs /mo (4 wks) 15 hrs /mo (5 wks) 18 hrs /mo (6 wks) Annual leave shall be posted on the first day of each month, beginning with the first day of the month following the month of hire. Annual leave may be accumulated up to a maximum of forty (40) days; provided, however, that no more than thirty (30) days of accumulated annual leave shall be paid on City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 12 separation from service. Unused annual leave in excess of this amount may be applied toward the purchase of health and dental insurance upon retirement. An employee may elect to cash in up to ten (10) days of unused annual leave in December of any calendar year. 2. Holidays: Holiday leave shall be as follows: January 1 st Columbus Day Martin Luther King Day Veteran's Day President's Day Thanksgiving Memorial Day Day After Thanksgiving Independence Day Christmas Labor Day One (1) annual leave day to be credited 2/1 Whenever any of these holidays falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be considered the holiday. If on Sunday, the following Monday shall be considered the holiday. * An annual leave day was added in lieu of Lincoln's Birthday, pursuant to a resolution adopted by Common Council on December 5, 2007. The annual leave day is accrued on February 1St of each year. Managerial employees who work shortened workweeks (i.e. fewer than five days per week) that do not coincide with the established managerial holiday benefit schedule shall receive annual leave accruals on the designated holidays rather than observing the designated holidays as days off. Annual leave accruals shall be prorated as appropriate, based on the employees standard workweek. (For example, a 20 hr /wk employee shall accrue four (4) hours of annual leave on each holiday; a 40 hr /wk employee shall accrue eight (8) hours of annual leave on each holiday.) Such annual leave accrual shall be a replacement for paid holidays off, not a supplement to them. 3. Sick Leave: Sick leave shall accumulate at the rate of one (1) day per month. Sick leave shall be posted on the first day of each month, beginning with the first day of the month following the month of hire. There shall be unlimited accumulation of sick leave. Any employee who is injured in the course of his /her employment and who is entitled to benefits under the provisions of Workers' Compensation Law may elect to use his /her accumulated sick leave benefits to cover the workers compensation absence. If an employee elects to do so, the amount of any award made to the employee by the Workers' Compensation Board for any period of time during which the employee used sick leave benefits shall be paid to the City of Ithaca, which in turn will reimburse the employee's City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 13 sick leave account with the amount of sick leave equivalent to the financial value of the award. 4. Sick Leave Bank: Employees may voluntarily make or receive a donation of accumulated sick leave or annual (vacation) leave to or from any City of Ithaca employee. The employee receiving the donated time must have exhausted his /her leave time. The request to transfer leave time must be submitted in writing to the Human Resources Department. 5. Sick Leave Buyout Upon an employee's retirement, the employee shall be compensated for unused sick leave as follows: a. The employee may elect to receive a cash settlement for unused sick leave not to exceed $11,000. The employee may elect to have the above cash settlement paid weekly as regular salary during his /her last six (6) months of employment; provided, however, that no such settlement shall be paid until after the employee has submitted a letter of commitment which specifies the date of retirement. If the employee elects to receive the above cash settlement and has accumulated sick leave credit in excess of the above amount, the remaining sick leave, computed at the employee's current rate of pay, may be applied toward the payment of extended health and/or dental insurance coverage until exhausted. b. The employee may elect to waive the cash settlement described in (a) above, and apply all of his /her accumulated sick leave toward extended health and/or dental coverage. If the cash settlement is waived, extended health and dental insurance coverage shall be provided at the rate of one (1) month of insurance for each twelve (12) hours of accumulated sick leave. In the event of an employee's death prior to his /her retirement, or if retired, prior to the exhaustion of remaining accumulated funds, such monies due the employee shall be applied toward the purchase of health insurance for his/her surviving dependents, if any. - - - -- - -- .. .. -•- - -- -. Employees may voluntarily make or receive a donation of accumulated sick leave or annual (vacation) leave to or from any City of Ithaca employee. The employee receiving the donated time must have exhausted his /her leave time. The request to transfer leave time must be submitted in writing to the Human Resources Department. 5. Sick Leave Buyout Upon an employee's retirement, the employee shall be compensated for unused sick leave as follows: a. The employee may elect to receive a cash settlement for unused sick leave not to exceed $11,000. The employee may elect to have the above cash settlement paid weekly as regular salary during his /her last six (6) months of employment; provided, however, that no such settlement shall be paid until after the employee has submitted a letter of commitment which specifies the date of retirement. If the employee elects to receive the above cash settlement and has accumulated sick leave credit in excess of the above amount, the remaining sick leave, computed at the employee's current rate of pay, may be applied toward the payment of extended health and/or dental insurance coverage until exhausted. b. The employee may elect to waive the cash settlement described in (a) above, and apply all of his /her accumulated sick leave toward extended health and/or dental coverage. If the cash settlement is waived, extended health and dental insurance coverage shall be provided at the rate of one (1) month of insurance for each twelve (12) hours of accumulated sick leave. In the event of an employee's death prior to his /her retirement, or if retired, prior to the exhaustion of remaining accumulated funds, such monies due the employee shall be applied toward the purchase of health insurance for his/her surviving dependents, if any. City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 14 Upon the exhaustion of the above credits in (a) and (b) above, the City will no longer extend health insurance coverage to retirees and dependents except by direct full payment to the City by the retiree at the appropriate rate available as determined by the City. 6. Bereavement Leave: In the event of death in the immediate family of the employee or family of the employee's spouse or domestic partner, such employee shall be allowed a leave of absence with pay to a maximum of three (3) days. The Mayor may grant additional time as needed. The immediate family is defined as: the spouse or domestic partner, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister of the employee or the parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister of the spouse or domestic partner. It shall apply also to any other relative living in the same household. In the event of death of a friend, family member not in the immediate family or associate of an employee, such employee may be allowed a leave of absence with pay of one (1) day. The Department Head or Mayor, if the department head makes the request, must approve this leave of absence. 7. Parenting Leave: Any employee taking a parenting leave shall be entitled to use up to eight (8) weeks of accumulated sick leave without providing a doctor's certificate. Parenting leaves shall be available to both male and female employees and shall be available only in the case of childbirth or adoption. Employees may use additional sick time at the end of the eight (8) week period for parenting leave upon presentation of a doctor's certificate attesting to the necessity of such continued leave from employment. 8. Jury Dom: An employee shall be granted a leave of absence, with pay, at no loss of accrued leave, to serve jury duty or to appear as a witness pursuant to subpoena, or other order of the court upon presentation to the City of proof thereof. Any compensation received from the court except expense reimbursement, shall be returned to the City. 9. Work Schedule: The City recognizes the need to provide a certain degree of flexibility in the work schedules of managerial employees to accommodate for work performed during non- traditional work hours. 10. Health & Dental Insurance: City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 15 ........... .. .� .._ All employees shall contribute 20% of the health insurance premium equivalent for the type of'health insurance (individual or family coverage) that the employee has elected. Effective January 1, 2013, the employee prescription drug co pay shall be $5 for generic drugs, $15 for brand name drugs that do not have a generic equivalent, and $30 for brand drugs that have a generic equivalent. Each prescription may be filled for up to a three month supply at a time. The City will provide the Excellus Blue CrosslBlue Shield Schedule A Dental Plan as individual andlor family coverage, at no cost to the employee. Employees who elect to carry prime blue dental insurance instead of the Schedule A Dental Plan shall be responsible for payment of the difference between the two premiums. Employees who elect to carry Focus Vision Insurance shall be responsible for payment of the full premium. 11. Retirement: The City shall provide membership in the New York State Employees' Retirement System with benefits as described in the "Improved Non - Contributory Plan" (Section 75- i). In addition, the City shall provide Section 384d benefits for members of the uniformed services, including Section 302(9)(D) for Tier 1 members. 12. Day Care: The City shall continue to provide the established Day Care Assistance Program (Cash Subsidy Program, Flexible Spending Account and Flexible Work Schedule) according to the program and procedures adopted by the Ithaca Common Council. City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 16 13. Educational Assistance: The City of Ithaca agrees to pay the tuition for education courses, including technical and trade schools, to assist employees in furthering their education and enhancing their ability and effectiveness on the job. Such assistance shall be limited to courses which are related to an employee's position and which will further development in the performance of the employee's duties. Additionally, the employee must receive a passing grade in the course before reimbursement will be issued. Educational assistance shall be limited to two (2) courses per calendar year for permanent or provisional employees. No employee shall receive assistance for more than a career limit of twenty (20) courses. The City shall pay the actual per hour tuition cost of any approved courses, provided that any employee who receives educational assistance shall reimburse the City for the cost of any course if the employee chooses to leave City employment within six (6) months of the conclusion of that course. 14. Mileaze Reimbursement: Employees who are required to use their personal automotive vehicle in the conduct of official business shall be reimbursed at the prevailing IRS rate. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2. Director's Report. HR Director Michell -Nunn reported on the following: Novak Report/PUroll Process: The Payroll Staff met two weeks ago to start discussing stream- lining the payroll process. Staff talked about their own payroll process and, then, discussed how the payroll process as a whole could be more efficient. 17. Finance /Controller Bond Resolution Controller Steve Thayer reported that he did not receive the bonding resolution in time to vote on for tonight's meeting. Mr. Thayer stated that this item will be on the agenda of the next meeting of Common Council. 2. Controller's Report. Controller Thayer reported on the following: Budget 2013): The 2013 budget has been approved. Audit (2011): The audit for 2011 will be completed and on the City Administration Committee's agenda for December 2012. City Administration Committee Meeting November 28, 2012 Page 17 Insurance Rates: The insurance rates for workers' comp have increased dramatically due to the lawsuits. The insurance carrier will not renew some of the City's policies. A bid will go out to get coverage in the areas that are being canceled. Pension 2012): The pension payment is due by February 1, 2013. If the payment is made by December 15, 2012, the City will save about $47,000. 18. Reports Novak Report: None. 2. Next Month's Meeting: Monday — December 17, 2012. 19. Adjournment With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Kerslick, the meeting was adjourned at 8:33 p.m.