Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2012-09-01CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Regular Meeting September 26, 2012 Members Present: Alderperson Brock, Alderperson Fleming, Alderperson Proulx, Alderperson Clairborne, Mayor Myrick Members Excused: Alderperson Kerslick Staff Present: Kent Johnson (Junior Transportation Engineer), Bill Gray (Superintendent of Public Works), Joshua Grant (Firefighter), Steve Thayer (Controller), Scott Andrew (Deputy Controller), Schelley Michell -Nunn (HR Director), Denise Malone (HR Executive Assistant) Others Present: Members of the Public, Members of the Media Chairperson Clairborne called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 1. Chairperson Greeting & Opening Statement Chairperson Clairborne welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained the evacuation procedures. 2. Announcements The Apple Harvest Festival will be September 28 -30, 2012, on the Commons and the First People's Festival will be on September 29, 2012, at DeWitt Park. The Henry Highland Garnett Lodge #40 (Masons) and the Dorinthia Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Stars will have their 20 Annual Scholarship Dance on Saturday — September 29, 2012 at the Ramada Inn @ 6:00 p.m. This dance will also be used to celebrate 200 years of Prince Hall Legacy of NYS. The keynote speaker will be Mayor Svante Myrick. 3. Agenda Review and Amendments The following item was removed from the agenda: 12.2 — Police Department - Authorization for Officers to Undergo Training for Emergency Treatment of Opioid Overdoses and to Perform Such Treatment. 4. Approval of Minutes Alderperson Brock made a motion to approve the minutes, with corrections, from the August 22, 2012 meeting of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson Proulx. Motion carried 4 -0. 5. Statements from the Public. None. 6. Employee Comments. None. City Administration Committee Meeting September 26, 2012 Page 2 7. City Administration Members Response. None. 8. Workforce Diversity Advisory Committee (WDAC) Update Alderperson Brock reported that at the last WDAC meeting, the Committee heard a presentation from Manager of Organizational Development Leslie Moskowitz about creating a framework for best practices on implementing the City's diversity initiatives, worked on developing the Diversity Report Card that is planned to be completed by the end of the year and talked about giving a presentation in early 2013 to Common Council on the Workforce Diversity Plan. The Diversity Report Card, which will be based on the Diversity Statement, will elaborate on each element of the statement and draw an analysis of the City's status in regards to that statement. 9. Mayor's Report /2013 Budget Topics /Updates After giving an update on the budget forums for the public at Southside Community Center, City Hall and GIAC; and for employees at Youth Bureau, Water & Sewer and City Hall, the Mayor gave a PowerPoint presentation on the 2013 budget. The budget presentation will be posted on the City's website. 10. Department of Public Works A Resolution to Authorize Funding for a New School Speed Limit Zone on North Cali a Street Moved by Alderperson Proulx. Seconded by Alderperson Brock. WHEREAS, on September 10, 2012, the Board of Public Works approved a new school speed limit zone on North Cayuga Street next to the Ithaca High School, and WHEREAS, the Transportation Engineer has estimated the cost of the new signs required for the school speed limit zone to be approximately $2,000, and WHEREAS, funding for these signs was not included in the 2012 budget for the Department of Public Works; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council does hereby approve the transfer an amount not to exceed $2,000 from Account A1990 Unrestricted Contingency to Account A3311 -5482 Traffic Control Signs and Blanks for the purpose of funding the new school speed limit signs. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2. A Resolution to Authorize the Submission of Safe Routes to School Program Application Moved by Alderperson Brock. Seconded by Alderperson Proulx. WHEREAS, The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program was created in 2005 on passage of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA -LU), now in its second round of funding, and City Administration Committee Meeting September 26, 2012 Page 3 WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation, which is administering the program in the state, has called for applications to be due on October 5, 2012, and WHEREAS, staff from the Office of the City Engineer have worked with Ithaca City School District (ICSD) officials to jointly develop an application for the SRTS program wherein the City and the ICSD will share the responsible for implementing various aspects of the project; which includes building traffic calming devices, school zone upgrades, and educational activities, and WHEREAS, three ICSD schools - Beverly J. Martin Elementary School, Fall Creek Elementary School, and Boynton Middle School will be participating in this project, and WHEREAS, Common Council supports this initiative and wishes to submit this application, now therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council authorizes the Mayor of the City of Ithaca to sign an MOU with the Ithaca City School District, which has been reviewed by the Attorney's Office to work with ISCD on the Safe Routes to School Program, and be it further RESOLVED, That Common Council authorizes the Mayor to sign and submit a grant application for the Safe Routes to School program in an amount not to exceed $300,000, and be it further RESOLVED, That Common Council also authorizes the submission of this application with the understanding that, though the City of Ithaca will provide funding in the first instance, 100% of eligible costs (which will not include in -kind staff administration expenses) will be reimbursed by federal funds. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 11. Police Department Request to amend 2012 Authorized Budget for Grant Moved by Alderperson Fleming. Seconded by Alderperson Proulx. WHEREAS, the Ithaca Police Department was awarded a grant of $20,000 from the Triad Foundation, and WHEREAS, the money is to be used for the purchase of new patrol rifles and for upgrading existing patrol rifles; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 2012 authorized Police Department budget as follows: City Administration Committee Meeting September 26, 2012 Page 4 Increase Revenue Account: A3120- 2705 -05050 Gifts and Donations Increase Appropriation Accounts: A3120 -5225 -05050 Other Equipment A3120 -5476 -05050 Equipment Maintenance A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: $20,000 $ 6,400 $13,600 $20,000 Passed unanimously. 2. Authorization for Officers to Undergo Training for Emergency Treatment of Opioid Overdoses and to Perform Such Treatment This item was removed from the agenda. 12. Human Resources Director's Report. HR Director Michell -Nunn reported on the following: Smart Works: The City is embarking upon Smart Works efforts to look at the payroll process and have scheduled dates in November to do this. Negotiations: The City is doing prep work and has scheduled initial negotiation meetings with CSEA DPW Unit. Workplace Violence Prevention Training: When the Workplace Violence Prevention policy was created 3 years ago, all employees at that time were trained on the policy. Since that time, the City has not trained new employees. Workplace Violence Prevention Training has now been scheduled in November for employees hired after that initial training. Common Council members are welcomed and encouraged to attend the training. Video: The City and other local employers are looking at bringing into this community a community viewing of the video "Race: The Power of an Illusion ". This is an initiative similar to the community book read. The video is a powerful resource; informative and educational. Participating employers would offer this series in their workplace and, hopefully, will allow community members to attend the series in different venues. Once more information is available, it will be shared with Common Council. 13. Finance /Controller's Office Request to Approve Civil Service Agreement for the Year 2012 -2013 Moved by Alderperson Brock. Seconded by Alderperson Proulx. City Administration Committee Meeting September 26, 2012 Page 5 RESOLVED, That the Mayor and City Controller be authorized and directed to execute an agreement between the City of Ithaca and the Ithaca City School District for performance by the City for services in connection with Civil Service matters, for the period July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013, in an amount of $57,911, payable to the City of Ithaca on or before November 1, 2012. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2. Controller's Report. Controller Thayer reported on the following: 2013 Budget: The Controller's Office is busy with making the final changes to the proposed 2013 budget that will be presented next week. Property Tax Cap: The 2012 property tax cap is 2.77 %; which Common Council can decide to override. The reason for the reduction is mainly due to the exclusion the City was able to use in connection with the pension cost for Police /Fire Retirement System and the Employees Retirement System. Water & Sewer Consumption: There has been a 6% consumption decrease in water and an 8% consumption decrease in sewer; which may cause the water & sewer rates to increase due decreases in water & sewer consumption. Health Insurance: For 2013, the health insurance cost will increase 9 %. Fees: Due to increased development in the City, there has been an increase in building permit fees and the site development fees; property taxes will increase in a few years. Warning System: The State put out a proposal about an early warning system to identify municipalities under fiscal stress. The Controller's Office received the proposal this week and has 60 days to respond. 14. Reports Sub - Committee Updates Common Council Orientation: For the remainder of the year, Common Council orientation will be on the agenda of the GPA Committee; who has assumed the responsibility for Common Council orientation. Key highlights of their discussion were: Common Council orientation would be offered in early 2013. Orientation topics would include, but not be limited to, budget, land use law, planning process, legal issues related to the City, etc. It will be open to all Common Council members and members of City Boards /Committees. Common Council orientation will be designed in a way where members can drop in and out sessions (attend a session where the topic is relevant to the attendee). Ideas for Common Council orientation can be forwarded to Alderperson Proulx, Alderperson Mohlenhoff or City Clerk Julie Holcomb. City Administration Committee Meeting September 26, 2012 Page 6 Community Gardens Update: Chairperson Clairborne thanked Alderpersons Proulx and Kerslick for the efforts they put forth in heading up the Community Gardens Sub - Committee meetings. Alderperson Proulx thanked City staff and IURA for their efforts and work on this issue as well. After expressing her appreciation to all who put forth effort to resolve the matter with the Community Gardens, Alderperson Brock expressed her concern about the process, specifically the lack of due process, that was followed after this agenda item was given to the Community Gardens Sub - Committee. Alderperson Brock stated that when individuals and the public are directly affected by changes made to City policies, they should be allowed to speak before Common Council before a vote is taken. The Committee discussed the concern expressed by Alderperson Brock and agreed that the process could be improved. Special Events Updates: The Special Events Team will meet on October 15, 2012. The public is welcomed to attend. The Team will review the policy before it comes to Common Council. The policy will include, but not be limited to, • Creation of semi - annual strategic planning meeting in February and October; • Expansion of the special events application to include the summary of the event and how the event will impact the city; • A voluntary management plan; • A resource mitigation plan (efforts taken to minimize use of city resources, staff & materials); • A setup plan & schedule and breakdown, cleanup plan & schedule; • Voluntary management plan (encouraging more use of volunteers); • More elaboration on use of private security during events; • Organizers cost and fees; • Non routine work by staff (e.g. collection and disposal of trash, posting on street no parking, delivering and picking up barricades, etc.) • Non routine police charges; • Fees for use of Stewart Park. 2. Next Month's Meeting: Tuesday - October 30, 2012. 15. Adjournment With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Fleming, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.