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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-03-10 Common Council Meeting AgendaOFFICIAL NOTICE OF MEETING A Regular meeting of the Common Council will be held on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in the Common Council Chambers at City Hall, 108 East Green Street, Ithaca, New York. Your attendance is requested. AGENDA 1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: 2. ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: 3. PROCLAMATIONS/AWARDS: 4. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS: 5. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS BEFORE COUNCIL: 5.1 Update on Building Renovations at GIAC from GIAC Director Marcia Fort and Community Development Deputy Director Sue Kittel 6. PETITIONS AND HEARINGS OF PERSONS BEFORE COUNCIL: 7. PRIVILEGE OF THE FLOOR – COMMON COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR: 8. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS: There were no items submitted for the agenda 9. PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: There were no items submitted for the agenda. 10. CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE: 10.1 Change of Starting Time of Monthly Council Meetings from 7:00 PM TO 5:30 PM - Resolution 10.2 Water & Sewer Division- Request to Standardize on Master Meter Radio Read Water Meters - Resolution 10.3 Amendment to 2010 Budget for Commons Clock Tower Repairs - Resolution 10.4 City Controller’s Report 11. REPORTS OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES: 12. NEW BUSINESS: 12.1 Common Council’s Appointment to the Local Advisory Board of Assessment Review – Resolution 12.2 Mahogany Grill Alcohol Permit Request - Resolution 12.3 Taste of Thai Alcohol Permit Request - Resolution 12.4 Simeon’s Alcohol Permit Request - Resolution Common Council Agenda March 3, 2010 Page 2 13. INDIVIDUAL MEMBER – FILED RESOLUTIONS: 13.1 Resolution Affirming the City’s Appreciation of Its Immigrants and Calling on the United States Congress to Enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform - Eric Rosario (resolution to be distributed under separate cover) 13.2 Resolution to the Board of Education Regarding the Closure of Fall Creek Elementary School 14. MAYOR’S APPOINTMENTS: 14.1 Appointment of City Representatives to the Recreation Partnership Board - Resolution 15. REPORTS OF COMMON COUNCIL LIAISONS: 16. REPORT OF CITY CLERK: 17. REPORT OF CITY ATTORNEY: 18. MINUTES FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS: 18.1 Approval of the February 3, 2010 Regular Common Council Meeting Minutes – Resolution 19. ADJOURNMENT: If you have a disability that will require special arrangements to be made in order for you to fully participate in the meeting, please contact the City Clerk at 274-6570 at least 48 hours before the meeting. ______________________________ Julie Conley Holcomb, CMC City Clerk Date: February 25, 2010 10. CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE: 10.1 Change of Starting Time of Monthly Council Meetings from 7:00 PM TO 5:30 PM - Resolution WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Common Council presently meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM, and WHEREAS, Common Council meetings have often continued into late evening hours, thus reducing the possibility for public participation as well as the public's ability to follow these proceedings broadcast on Public Access Television, and WHEREAS, it is desirable that Common Council meetings be conducted during a time period that would be more convenient for the public to attend these meetings; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, The Common Council of the City of Ithaca supports moving the Common Council meeting time from 7:00 PM to 5:30 PM on the usual meeting day, the first Wednesday of each month. 10.2 Water & Sewer Division- Request to Standardize on Master Meter Radio Read Water Meters - Resolution WHEREAS, this Common Council has been requested by the DPW Water and Sewer Division to standardize to Master Meter water meter equipment to be used by the Water and Sewer Division and to authorize the City to purchase approved equipment from the manufacturer, or a representative thereof, and WHEREAS, radio based automatic meter reading systems are proprietary by manufacturer, radio read system components are not interchangeable between manufacturers; although there are a number of different commercially available systems with different features and capabilities, DPW staff along with Johnson Controls staff worked together from January of 2007 to January of 2008 to research, identify, and select the best and most cost effective available radio read water meter system to meet the City’s needs and goals, and WHEREAS, Johnson Controls incorporated the use of the selected Master Meter radio read water meter system in their proposed performance contract with the City of Ithaca, and WHEREAS, On April 2, 2008 at a regular meeting of Common Council the resolution for “Approval of Johnson Controls Water Meter Project’ carried unanimously, and WHEREAS, On April 17, 2008 the “Performance Contract – Water Meters” was executed by the City with Johnson Controls, and WHEREAS, A Master Meter radio read water meter system was implemented and all water meters City wide were either replaced with Master Meter water meters or retrofitted with Master Meter water meter register heads from July 2008 to December 2008, and WHEREAS, it is deemed to be in the best interest of the City for reasons of efficiency, compatibility and economics to approve such standardization as more fully spelled out in the following items: 1. Master Meter is the current water meter and water meter reading equipment used in the City; 2. Master Meter water meters are compatible with radio frequency used by the City’s current field and office equipment for reading the meters (data collection) and data processing; 3. Master Meter water meter equipment is compatible with the data format used in the City’s current water meter field and office software for record keeping and data analysis, and in the Govern billing system used by the City; 4. Master Meter water meters and equipment are less expensive than other equivalent water meters purchased with the additional equipment necessary to ensure their compatibility with the current data format for collection, processing, analyses, record keeping, and billing processes; 5. This action will minimize the inventory of repair parts which will have to be maintained for the service of said meter equipment; 6. Labor costs for maintenance and service associated with a standard equipment will be less than different types of meter equipment; 7. Standardization will require service training only a single type of equipment; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That pursuant to Section 103, subdivision 5 of General Municipal Law of the State of New York, this Common Council hereby authorizes the standardization to, and purchase and use of Master Meter radio read water meters and associated equipment for the City of Ithaca Department of Public Works Water & Sewer Division. BACK UP ITEM 10.2 Notes for Water & Sewer Division’s Request to Standardize on Master Meter Radio Read Water Meters We did the cost analysis up front and have already standardized on the Master Meter. In addition to the meters in the field all the Master Meter radio receivers/transmitters, field controllers, data collectors/readers, post collection data processing software and office software (GreenTree) are exclusively compatible with radio frequency and data format out puts from the Master Meter radio read water meter, as is also the case for the custom programmed interface with the Govern billing software in the Chamberlains Office. To purchase whole meters from another manufacturer would require us to also purchase, at great expense, all the supporting field and office components including software and interface for another wholly independent and redundant AMR system. Individually the Master Meter water meters are less expensive than the equivalent water meters from two other manufacturers (Neptune & Sensus), and very competitive from slightly less to slightly more expensive than another (Badger). Bottom line, our initial selection of one system precluded use of all other manufacturers radio read components with that system (this is true of all the manufacturers out there). However, we did indeed initially retro fit some of the existing Badger and Neptune meters out in our system, removing their registers/heads and replacing them with Master Meter radio read heads/registers. This turned out to be a somewhat protracted exercise and a problematic experience in accounting for the different programming for differing meter manufacturers and differing models gear ratios to get correct readings. We have explored purchasing only the new meter bodies from different manufacturers and separately purchasing the radio read heads/registers from Master Meter, but the additional work required for assembly and programming during the installation makes this option far more expensive than purchase of the whole meter, both body and register from Master Meter. Keep in mind the radio read register/head is between 60% and 80% of the whole meter cost depending on size of the meter. Upon initial inquiry we also found that some and maybe all the other meter manufacturers will not be able and/or willing to sell us anything less than a whole meter, the companies we talked with were very adverse to supplying only their meter bodies. 10.3 Amendment to 2010 Budget for Commons Clock Tower Repairs – Resolution WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca has received a donation of $20,000 from the Tompkins Trust Company, and WHEREAS, the donation will allow the City to repair the time and temperature towers at the three main entrances of the Commons; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the 2010 Commons budget shall be amended as follows: Increase Revenue Account: 2705 Gifts and Donations $20,000 Increase Appropriate Accounts: 5411-5225 Other Equipment $20,000 10.4 City Controller’s Report 12. NEW BUSINESS: 12.1 Common Council’s Appointment to the Local Advisory Board of Assessment Review – Resolution RESOLVED, That Tom Clavel and Bill Goldsmith be appointed to the Local Advisory Board of Assessment Review. 12.2 Mahogany Grill Alcohol Permit Request - Resolution WHEREAS, the City Clerk has received a request to allow the Mahogany Grill restaurant to utilize certain areas along Aurora Street for outdoor dining, and WHEREAS, this use of public property has been deemed proper and successful, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca wishes to promote diverse uses of the Primary and Secondary Commons, including outdoor dining, and WHEREAS, it is Common Council's responsibility to determine whether or not to allow the serving and consumption of alcohol on the Primary and Secondary Commons, and WHEREAS, Common Council has determined that the use of this public property for outdoor dining at the Mahogany Grill Restaurant, including the responsible sale and consumption of alcohol, is desirable, and WHEREAS, Common Council has determined that any use of this or similar public property involving the same and consumption of alcohol should be covered by a minimum of $1,000,000 insurance under the Dram Shop Act; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, For the year 2010, Common Council hereby approves a revocable Alcoholic Beverage Permit for the outdoor sale and consumption of alcohol for the Mahogany Grill Restaurant that includes the sale of alcohol in accord with the terms and conditions set forth in application therefore, including minimum Dram Shop coverage in the amount of $1,000,000 and the approval of an outdoor dining permit. 12.3 Taste of Thai Alcohol Permit Request - Resolution WHEREAS, the City Clerk has received a request to allow the Taste of Thai Restaurant to utilize certain areas along the Primary Commons for outdoor dining, and WHEREAS, this use of public property has been deemed proper and successful, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca wishes to promote diverse uses of the Primary and Secondary Commons, including outdoor dining, and WHEREAS, it is Common Council's responsibility to determine whether or not to allow the serving and consumption of alcohol on the Primary and Secondary Commons, and WHEREAS, Common Council has determined that the use of this public property for outdoor dining at the Taste of Thai Restaurant, including the responsible sale and consumption of alcohol, is desirable, and WHEREAS, Common Council has determined that any use of this or similar public property involving the same and consumption of alcohol should be covered by a minimum of $1,000,000 insurance under the Dram Shop Act; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, For the year 2010, Common Council hereby approves a revocable Alcoholic Beverage Permit for the outdoor sale and consumption of alcohol for the Taste of Thai Restaurant that includes the sale of alcohol in accord with the terms and conditions set forth in application therefore, including minimum Dram Shop coverage in the amount of $1,000,000 and the approval of an outdoor dining permit. 12.4 Simeon’s Alcohol Permit Request - Resolution WHEREAS, since 1987 the City of Ithaca has issued a license to Simeon's Restaurant allowing that restaurant to utilize certain areas along Aurora Street and on the Ithaca Commons for outdoor dining, and WHEREAS, this use of public property has generally been deemed proper and successful, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca wishes to promote diverse uses of the Ithaca Commons, including outdoor dining, and WHEREAS, it is Common Council's responsibility to determine whether or not to allow the serving and consumption of alcohol on the Ithaca Commons, and WHEREAS, Common Council has determined that the use of this public property for outdoor dining at Simeon's Restaurant, including the responsible sale and consumption of alcohol, is desirable, and WHEREAS, Common Council has determined that any use of this or similar public property involving the same and consumption of alcohol should be covered by a minimum of $1,000,000 insurance under the Dram Shop Act; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, For the year 2010, Common Council hereby approves a revocable Alcoholic Beverage Permit for the outdoor sale and consumption of alcohol for Simeon's Restaurant that includes the sale of alcohol in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the application therefore, including minimum Dram Shop coverage in the amount of $1,000,000 and the approval of an outdoor dining permit. 13. INDIVIDUAL MEMBER – FILED RESOLUTIONS: 13.1 Resolution Affirming the City’s Appreciation of Its Immigrants and Calling on the United States Congress to Enact Comprehensive Immigration Reform - Eric Rosario (resolution to be distributed under separate cover) 13.2 Resolution to the Board of Education Regarding the Closure of Fall Creek Elementary School 1. WHEREAS, the Ithaca City School District Board of Education is responsible for providing an excellent education for the students within the school district, and 2. WHEREAS, the school district is facing a $3.25 million reduction in state aid due to budget cuts in Albany, in addition to over $7 million in increased expenses, and 3. WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Common Council recognizes the very difficult choices facing the Board of Education as it seeks to close an unprecedented budget deficit, and 4. WHEREAS, while the Board of Education and Common Council are separate political entities, decisions made by one body may have ramifications that affect areas of responsibility of the other, and 5. WHEREAS, among other responsibilities, Common Council is responsible for the health of our neighborhoods and the maintenance of city infrastructure, and 6. WHEREAS, the Board of Education is considering the closure of Fall Creek Elementary School, sending the current K-5 students to other schools and turning Fall Creek Elementary into a pre-K center for all the other schools in the district, and 7. WHEREAS, on May 4, 2005 Common Council endorsed the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which calls for taking local actions to reduce global warming, such as adopting land use policies that “create compact, walkable urban communities,” and 8. WHEREAS, the Fall Creek neighborhood is precisely the kind of neighborhood we are trying to promote, with two-thirds of the students at Fall Creek able to walk and bike to school, and 9. WHEREAS, Fall Creek Elementary serves as a central part of the Fall Creek neighborhood, offering the opportunity for parents to walk and bike to school with their children and meet other parents and children, thereby promoting interaction and connections and helping to create a sense of cohesiveness and community, and 10. WHEREAS, Fall Creek Elementary also serves as the home school for students living south of Six Mile Creek and helps to provide a sense of community to that neighborhood, and 11. WHEREAS, currently, only one school bus in the morning and two in the afternoon are needed each day to transport students to and from Fall Creek Elementary, while the number of trips in private automobiles is also low, and 12. WHEREAS, turning Fall Creek Elementary into a pre-K center would result in a dramatic increase in the number of car and bus trips to the neighborhood, straining the capacity of the streets and intersections and increasing the emissions of greenhouse gases, now therefore be it 1. RESOLVED, That Common Council respectfully requests that the Board of Education consider all of the implications of closing Fall Creek Elementary School and that it do everything within its power to prevent the closure of this important neighborhood school, and be it further 2. RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to members of the Board of Education and to the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Judith Pastel. 14. MAYOR’S APPOINTMENTS: 14.1 Appointment of City Representatives to the Recreation Partnership Board - Resolution RESOLVED, That Joan Spielholz be reappointed to the Recreation Partnership Board as the City’s representative, with a term to expire on December 31, 2010, and be it further RESOLVED, That Maria Coles be reappointed to the Recreation Partnership Board as the City’s representative, with a term to expire on December 31, 2010.