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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-C&NS-2006-02-08 Community and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting Minutes of February 8, 2006 Committee Members present- Chairperson Robin Korherr, Alderpersons Michelle Berry, Shane Seger, JR Clairborne, Gayraud Townsend, Staff and others present- Mayor Peterson; Alderpersons Joel Zumoff, Maria Coles- Common Council 1. Meeting called to order at 7:06pm 2. Approval of Minutes- January 11, 2006 - moved by Michelle Berry, seconded by Shane Seger. Carried unanimously. 3. Agenda review/Introductions - Chairperson Korherr asked that item #6 be moved to the beginning of the agenda, and introduced Debbra Bond as the support staff person from the Ithaca Youth Bureau. 4. Public Comment - - Mr. Harland from Newfield spoke on the issue of traffic lights. - Seth Seicobbs spoke of the need for an off leash dog area in Ithaca. David Nudder spoke in opposition to an off leash dog area, and in support of tighter enforcement of leash laws. 5. Response to Public and Privilege of the Floor- Michelle Berry responded to Mr. Harland' s concerns, and declined to speak on the dog area issue until it was discussed later in the evening. 6. Ithaca Beautification Project - Beverly Baker and Paul Steiger provided a sample brochure and description of the project. They spoke of all the "ingredients" Ithaca has to offer tourists with the exception of beautification. The project would request that Block Captains provide support and initiative to their surrounding neighbors. Comments were positive and encouraging. 7. Neighborhood Programs and Services Originating in the Department of Planning- Leslies Chatterton-Neighborhood and Preservations- Leslie provided the committee with an overview of programs, and added that she assists groups whenever possible and maintains the neighborhood association listing. She helps the neighborhood groups with planning special projects and provides funding information to any requesting party. S. Neighborhood Improvement Incentive Funds Request and Reimbursement- Utica/Marshall Street Neighborhood Association- moved by Michelle Berry, seconded by JR Clairborne. Carried unanimously. Mayor Peterson clarified to the committee that approval is limited to the committee level and not the full council. 9. Pedestrian Awareness-Public Information/Relations Campaign with Ithaca College- Robin Korherr and Michelle Berry presented the focus of the Pedestrian Public Information/Relations Campaign with Ithaca College and introduced the student subcommittee - Kaitlin Coray; Emily Drastly; Lauren Oman; Amanda Piasicki; Elizabeth Salvas and Joseph Zarko; the six seniors who are enrolled in Ithaca College' s Roy H. Park School of Communications Television-Radio Department Public Relations Lab. This team will work to develop a strategic information campaign. Part of the team spoke on the importance of "Branding" the City of Ithaca as a leader in public safety issues, Marketing and Public Information. Moved by Michelle Berry, seconded by Gayraud Townsend. Carried unanimously. 1 r. 10.Extending the Taxi Rate Increases in the Taxicab Zone and Rates Schedule Ordinance 05-20 Beyond the March 31, 2006 Sunset Clause- Chair Korherr distributed the rates. She introduced John Kadar from Ithaca Taxi who discussed the continued need for the marginal rate increase given the high prices of gasoline. Chair Korherr explained the previous approvals by council and the sunset clause. Several members of the committee provided examples of incorrect charging, some that occurred within the city and some that originated outside of the City limits. Moved by Chair Korherr, seconded by Shane Seger. Voted in favor Chair Korherr, Shane Seger. Voted against Michelle Berry, JR Clairborne, Gayraud Townsend. Motion failed. Each of the members voting against the resolution expressed the need to form a sub-committee to discuss discrepancies in the rates being charged to riders. 11.Elimination of the Inclusion of Sales Tax Reference in the City of Ithaca Municipal Code Chapter 317-14 Entitled "Removal of Vehicles"- Chair Korherr explained the necessary changes in the code to accurately reflect increases previously approved by City Administration. Moved by Chair Korherr, seconded by Michelle Berry. Motion carried unanimously. 12.Pilot Program for Rescinding Leash Laws in Designated Areas- Ken Zeserson, Tompkins County Dog Owners Group- presented the committee with the proposal. He offered the committee the opportunity to view the data that the group has gathered. He presented a map to show the proposed property. The committee thanked Mr. Zeserson for his in-depth presentation. Chair Korherr explained the process for the group to proceed, beginning with the Parks Commission. 13.Pedestrian Safety Initiative- Chair Korherr had nothing to report. 14.Adjournment at 9:15pm- Motion to adjourn Michelle Berry, seconded by Shane Seger. Carried unanimously. 2 Adoption of the National Incident Management System WHEREAS, In Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-5, the President directed the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to develop and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS) , which would provide a consistent nationwide approach for federal, state, local and tribal governments to work together more effectively and efficiently to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size or complexity; and WHEREAS, the collective input and guidance from all federal, state, local and tribal homeland security partners has been, and will continue to be, vital to the development, effective implementation and utilization of a comprehensive NIMS; and WHEREAS, it is necessary that all federal, state, local, and tribal emergency management agencies and personnel coordinate their efforts to effectively and efficiently provide the highest levels of incident management; and WHEREAS, to facilitate the most efficient and effective incident management it is critical that federal, state, local, and tribal organizations utilize standardized terminology, standardized organizational structures, uniform personnel qualification standards, uniform standards for planning, training, and exercising, comprehensive resource management, and designated incident facilities during emergencies or disasters; and WHEREAS, the NIMS standardized procedures for managing personnel, communications, facilities and resources will improve the state's ability to utilize federal funding to enhance local and state agency readiness, maintain first responder safety, and streamline incident management processes; and WHEREAS, the Incident Command System components of NIMS are already an integral part of various incident management activities throughout the state, including all public safety and emergency response organizations training programs; and WHEREAS, the National Commission of Terrorist Attacks (9-11 Commission) recommended adoption of a standardized Incident Command System; now therefore, be it RESOLVED, the Common Council of the City of Ithaca hereby mandates the National Incident Management System be adopted and implemented by all City Departments, and utilized for all emergency incident management in the City of Ithaca, New York; and, be it further RESOLVED, the City of Ithaca will provide the resources necessary to fully implement this resolution; and, be it further RESOLVED, this resolution shall take effect immediately. �tbn q, Resolution Requesting Ithaca City School District Cooperation To Reduce the Effects of Racism in Our Community, Campuses and Classrooms WHEREAS, many researchers contend that discrimination based on race, especially the belief that one race or culture is superior to another is one definition among many for the term "racism, " and that it may be expressed individually as a group either consciously or subconsciously through explicit thoughts, feelings, or acts through places, organizations and or institutions; and WHEREAS, racism and other forms of systematic oppression are not inherent genetic characteristics and therefore just as they can be learned, they can be "un-learned; and WHEREAS, Common Council's Community and Neighborhood Services Committee invited a panel of teens of color from Lehman Alternative Community School and Ithaca High School to address the committee; and WHEREAS, the students offered a comprehensive overview on what it feels like to be students of color, how they often feel ignored, how they see themselves disciplined differently than their peers, how they are often the victims of racial profiling while shopping throughout our region, and how their issues are poorly covered in the local, regional, and national news media; and WHEREAS, students expressed serious concern on the decline in services and cuts to affirmative action programs, the lack of appropriate numbers of staff and faculty of color in the schools, the rise of racial slurs echoing throughout school hallways, feelings of not being informed clearly about Advanced Placement classes or being discouraged from attending prestigious colleges, and their growing concern about the differential treatment (often negative) they receive; and WHEREAS, teens and adults of color have called upon the Community and Neighborhood Services Committee, and by extension all of Common Council to take action and demand access and equity in treatment for them in their schools, throughout the community and its shopping districts, with school personnel, and throughout the County so that they might have more tangible, effective, and legal support in their fight against oppression; and WHEREAS, teens, parents, and leaders collectively urged the City of Ithaca Common Council to send a strong message that the City has zero tolerance for any and all forms of oppression and that we will stand united with young and older people of color to ask that all our businesses, schools, and organizations take a strong stand against any and all injustice and that we work hard to insist that our jury pools, classrooms, boardrooms, retail operations, and other key areas in our system reflect diversity; and WHEREAS, the Community and Neighborhood Services Committee also pledged to draft a resolution in support of these initiatives and share this resolution with the Ithaca City School District Board of Education during the public comment section of the meeting; now therefore be it RESOLVED, that this Common Council will continue to outline key steps that can help eradicate the ills of racism so that our City, and by extension our community of color can be afforded equal rights to dream, work, and play; and be it further RESOLVED, that Common Council request that Administrators, Officials, Teachers and Staff from the Ithaca City School District work both collaboratively with the City of Ithaca and individually to resolve the issues presented by the student panelists on school campuses and classrooms.