HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-B&A-1999-01-27 I�
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING 7 :30 P.M. JANUARY 27, 1999
/ MINUTES
Present:
Committee Members: Marcham, Vaughan, Shenk, Blumenthal, Sams,
Manos
Others Present:
Mayor Cohen
City Controller Cafferillo
Deputy Controller Thayer
City Attorney Geldenhuys
City Chamberlain Parsons
Director of Human Resources Michell-Nunn
City Clerk Holcomb
Planning Director VanCort
GIAC Director Fort
Deputy Director of GIAC Thomas
Director of Economic Development MacDonald
Members of the media
Members of the public
1 . Opening Comments:
Chairperson Marcham stated that the following changes were
made to the agenda:
A. Defer action of the Police Department Personnel Roster
item to next month;
B. Defer discussion regarding Human Resources starting
salary to next month;
C. Additional Council item requesting funds for
conference fee;
D. Additional Police item for purchase of parking meters .
Chairperson Marcham stated that the B & A Committee is now
a six-person committee with the Mayor as an ex-officio
member. Members of the public were asked to speak on any
issue; the following individuals spoke:
Mack Travis, President of Ithaca Downtown Partnership,
spoke to the Committee regarding the need to hire a BID
Director, and urged the Committee to provide additional
funding to the BID for this purpose. A qualified
individual is needed for the BID and a larger salary will
be needed to obtain such an individual .
BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
Dan Klein, GIAC employee, discussed with the Committee the
need to upgrade P/T employees at GIAC to F/T with benefits .
He reminded the Committee that the upgrade has not occurred
to date.
Scott Michaels, GIAC employee, also discussed the need to
upgrade GIAC P/T employees.
2 . Common Council
A. Funding Request from Mutual Housing
Tom Edwards, a representative from Mutual Housing
Authority (MHA) , presented a request to the Committee
for City funds to assist MHA with the hiring of an
executive director. Edwards explained his request and
the current Eddygate Housing status with the Committee.
He explained that he is looking for approximately
$20, 000 from the City to offset some of the cost of
hiring an MHA director. Chairperson Marcham explained
that Eddygate Housing distributes funds to the IURA,
which in turn allocates funds to the City for low and
moderate-income housing use.
Edwards stated that the City was receiving $53, 000 in
Eddygate funds and now, due to a loan amendment, $94, 000
is being received by the IURA. The IURA is examining
the development of guidelines for future allocation of
Eddygate funds, but has approved this request. The IURA
and City cannot guarantee next year' s funding and MHA
has stated that they do not want to come back to the
City next year for this funding request. After a brief
discussion, the following motion was made:
WHEREAS, the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency (IURA) and the City
have received a one-year funding request from the Mutual Housing
Association of Tompkins County (MHA) for $20, 000 to partially
offset the costs of hiring an Executive Director for the MHA,
and
WHEREAS, the IURA would allocate the $20, 000 from receipts of a
Housing Development Action Grant (HODAG) loan which is being
repaid by the Eddygate Associates for this purpose, and
WHEREAS, it is the IURA' s intent to formulate a policy regarding
disbursement of repaid HODAG funds in the future, and
WHEREAS, the IURA and City both approve the MHA funding request;
now, therefore, be it
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby approves the one-year
allocation of an amount not to exceed $20, 000 to the Mutual
Housing Association of Tompkins County for said purpose, and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the IURA transfer the funds to the City and the
following amendments be made to the 1999 Budget:
Increase Revenue Account:
A8515-2706 $20, 000
Increase Appropriation Account:
A8515-5435 $20, 000
The motion passed 5-0-1 . Alderperson Sams abstained from
the vote. Alderperson Vaughan requested that MHA develop a
five-year business plan by the end of 1999. MHA agreed to
develop such a plan.
B. Approval of Ithaca Downtown Partnership Request
The Committee discussed a request from the Ithaca
Downtown Partnership for City funds of $20, 000 in each
of the next three years . The funds would be used to
hire an executive director for the Partnership.
Planning Director VanCort stated that an experienced
Executive Director will make a huge difference in
downtown. He also stated that we need to pay more than
$40, 000 for a director with outstanding business
recruitment skills and experience . An additional City
contribution would make this possible. Alderpersons
Blumenthal, Vaughan, and Manos all agreed that the City
should assist with the salary. Mayor Cohen stated that
the request should be approved. Chairperson Marcham
stated that the only source of funds would be from the
City' s unrestricted contingency account. She reminded
Council to be aware of the funding sources for these
requests .
Alderperson Sams explained that she was concerned over
the affirmative action process related to this position.
Mayor Cohen explained that the process is still open and
no decisions have been made.
The Committee agreed to reduce the first year
contribution to $15, 000 based on the fact that the
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
candidate would not be hired until later in the year.
The 2000 and 2001 requests would have to be included in
the Mayor' s Budget request at $20, 000 each year. The
payments to the Partnership would be made quarterly.
After a discussion, the following motion was made:
WHEREAS, the City has received a request from the Ithaca
Downtown Partnership (IDP) for additional funding for the years
1999, 2000 and 2001 in the amounts of $15, 000, $20, 000 and
$20, 000 respectively, and
WHEREAS, the supplemental funds provided by the City should be
directly used to hire an Executive Director candidate with
outstanding business recruitment skills and experience,
especially in the retail sector, and
WHEREAS, in the IDP Executive Director hiring process, the IDP
shall be sensitive to the City' s commitment to affirmative
action; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby approves a supplemental
contract between IDP and the City for an additional three-year
funding commitment to the Ithaca Downtown Partnership for the
period 1999, 2000 and 2001 in an amount not to exceed $55, 000 to
be allocated: $15, 000 in 1999; $20, 000 in both the years 2000
and 2001, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the funds for 1999 will be transferred from
account A1990 Unrestricted Contingency to account A6995-5435 IDP
Contract in an amount not to exceed $15, 000 and the funds for
the years 2000 and 2001 will be budgeted accordingly, and be it
further
RESOLVED, That all payments will be made on a quarterly basis
and reimbursed to the IDP according to the contract terms, and
be it further
RESOLVED, That the City will reevaluate the need for additional
funding beyond the three year funding period based on the City' s
financial situation and the IDP' s fiscal needs at the time of
reevaluation.
The motion passed 5-1 . Alderperson Sams voted against the
motion.
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
C. Voice Mail
Chairperson Marcham drafted a Policy on Voicemail and
sent it to Senior Staff for review. Marcham explained
that she received feedback that requested a more
flexible voicemail system. The Committee wanted to be
sure that as much as possible the phone should be
answered by a human, not a machine. A discussion
regarding the policy and the possibility of a
subcommittee followed. It was noted that the voicemail
system is currently being designed.
The Committee agreed that the Council will put forth a
general resolution on the Voicemail Policy at the next
council meeting. No formal action was taken.
D. Approval of Funding Support for Feasibility Analysis of
Downtown Transportation Center
Chairperson Marcham explained to the Committee that the
City has been asked to contribute $1, 000 to support the
$6, 500 Feasibility Analysis of the Downtown
Transportation Center. Planning Director VanCort
explained that the Center is important to the City and
may be a great benefit to downtown.
The funds would be derived from the Unrestricted
Contingency account. In the spirit of cooperation, the
following motion was made:
WHEREAS, the City and Tompkins County are working together to
generate tax revenues and strengthen the downtown core of the
City, and
WHEREAS, in conjunction with the County library move to the
Woolworth Building, a downtown transportation center will be
examined, and
WHEREAS, the County has hired a consultant at a cost of $6, 500
to examine three alternative sites in the city for a downtown
transportation center, and
WHEREAS, the County would like the City to contribute $1, 000 to
assist with payment of the consultant for said service; now,
therefore, be it
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
RESOLVED, That the City believes a downtown transportation
center may greatly benefit downtown and hereby authorizes the
transfer of an amount not to exceed $1, 000 from account A1990
Unrestricted Contingency to account A8020-5435 to provide the
City' s contribution to the County for said consulting services.
The motion passed 6-0 .
3. Planning Department - Approval of Southwest Area Land Use
Plan GEIS Contract Addendum
Planning Director VanCort presented a request to amend the
current GEIS contract for Southwest Park by $5, 000 to print
and deliver 31 copies of the draft GEIS report. VanCort
explained that the contract with Clark Patterson included
provisions for possible addenda. The funds would come out
of existing Capital Project funds . After a discussion, the
following motion was made:
WHEREAS, on May 6, 1998, the Common Council, as Lead Agency,
determined that the Southwest Area Land Use Plan may have a
significant environmental impact and directed preparation of a
Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) , and
WHEREAS, on December 16, 1998, the City of Ithaca entered into a
Contract for Professional Services with Clark Patterson
Associates, of Rochester, New York, to prepare the GEIS, and
WHEREAS, the Contract for Professional Services includes
provisions for possible addendum to the contract for additional
services over and beyond the original Scope of Services, and
WHEREAS, the City requires additional services to be performed
as follows :
The Contractor agrees to print and deliver 31 copies of the
draft GEIS report and appendix after completeness is
determined by the Lead Agency with the appropriate changes,
and
WHEREAS, the Contractor is desirous of performing such
additional services and the City is desirous of amending the
Contract for Professional Services to provide such services;
now, therefore, be it
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
RESOLVED, That the Mayor for the City of Ithaca is hereby
authorized and directed to enter into a Contract Addendum with
Clark Patterson Associates for additional services as described
above for an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars
($5, 000) , including all reimbursable expenses, and be it further
RESOLVED, That said funds shall be derived from Capital Project
#367 Southwest Area Land Use Plan.
The motion passed 6-0 .
4 . Attorney' s Office
A. Request for Transfer of Funds for Salary Adjustment
City Attorney Geldenhuys presented a request to adjust
the salary of the legal associate in the Attorney' s
Office by $5, 000 . Geldenhuys explained that Council
agreed to increase the associate' s salary when, and if,
she passed the Bar Exam. She stated she passed the exam
on January 26, 1999.
The funding for the salary increase would be derived from
the City' s Contingency Account. The following motion was
made:
WHEREAS, by resolution adopted on April 1, 1998, Common Council
created the position of legal associate with a salary range of
$25, 000 . 00 - $30, 000 . 00 prior to admission to the New York State
Bar, and $30, 000 . 00 to $35, 000 . 00 after such admission, and
WHEREAS, Khandikile Sokoni, who currently holds the position of
legal associate, was admitted to the New York State Bar on
January 26, 1999; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the legal associate' s salary shall be increased
to $30, 000 . 00 per year effective January 26, 1999, and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the sum of $5, 000 . 00 shall be transferred from
account A1990 Unrestricted Contingency to account A1420-5105
City Attorney Salaries for said adjustment.
The motion passed 6-0.
B. Postering Ordinance Revisions
The latest revised ordinance for postering was discussed
by the Committee. Chairperson Marcham explained the
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
revisions that were made by the Attorney' s Office and the
postering committee. Postering fines and offenses were
discussed.
The Committee voted, 6-0, to amend the Postering
Ordinance by removing the item in Section D dealing with
snot less than sixty dollars ($60 . 00) for a first
offense," but leaving in the ordinance the 'not less than
$80. 00 for a second offense."
The Committee voted, 6-0, to move the ordinance forward
to the next Common Council meeting. The final ordinance
will be presented at the Council meeting.
C. Approval of Quitclaim Deed for Mulberry Street Parcels
City Attorney Geldenhuys presented a request to approve a
Quitclaim Deed for parcels 110-5-11 and 110-5-12 on
Mulberry Street. Geldenhuys stated that after some
research by the Attorney and Chamberlain Offices, it was
determined that the deed for the property was lost before
it was recorded back in 1937 . It was noted that Mulberry
Street was a paper street off of Giles Street. The
following motion was made:
WHEREAS, the City has been approached by a City property owner
to Quitclaim deed City tax parcels #110-5-11 and 110-5-12 on
Mulberry Street, and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney' s Office has researched the property
and has found that the deed was lost before it was recorded in
1937, and
WHEREAS, the City Attorney' s Office recommends to Common Council
to approve said Quitclaim deed; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby approves of a Quitclaim
deed for the City tax parcels #110-5-11 and 110-5-12 and
authorizes the Mayor to sign said deed.
The motion passed 6-0.
D. Approval for Sale of Vacant Industrial Land
City Attorney Geldenhuys presented a request to approve
the sale of vacant industrial land to Lansing
Instruments . She explained that the land has now been
appraised and is ready for sale. The price is $24, 100
and will be advertised as required by the City Charter.
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
A discussion concerning the land followed. The following
motion was made:
WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca has received an offer from Lansing
Instrument, Inc. to purchase from the City of Ithaca an
approximately 8, 777 square feet parcel of unimproved land lying
to the rear of 715 Willow Avenue, being contiguous with the
northerly boundary to Lansing Instrument Corporation property
and situated in the southeast corner of a city-owned 2 . 465+/-
acre parcel of industrial land, and
WHEREAS, the Board of Public Works passed a resolution in 1977
recommending said sale, and
WHEREAS, notice of this proposed sale of land will be published
in the official newspaper of the City of Ithaca at least once
each week for three weeks, the first such notice being published
no less than thirty (30) days prior to anticipated approval by
the Common Council meeting of March 3, 1999, as required by
Section C-36A(40) of the Ithaca City Charter, and
WHEREAS, an appraisal of this property has been done by Midland
Appraisal Associates, Inc. , and
WHEREAS, considering the neighborhood, the subject property, the
zoning, the assessed valuation and taxes, and the highest and
best use as described in the appraisal, the Committee hereby
determines that the offered price of twenty-four thousand one
hundred dollars ($24, 100) is the full value of the property to
be transferred; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby approves the sale, by
Warranty Deed, of the aforesaid premises to Lansing Instrument,
Inc. for the purchase price of $24, 100, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the City Controller is hereby directed to
establish the appropriate mandatory reserve from the proceeds of
the sale.
The motion passed 6-0 .
5. Chamberlain' s Office - Approval of Amendment to Authorized
Personnel Roster
City Chamberlain Parsons presented a request to amend the
authorized Personnel Roster in the Chamberlain' s Office by
deleting a Principal Account Clerk position and adding a
Customer Service Representative. The amendment is the
result of a retirement incentive taken by a long-standing
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
employee in December, 1998 . Parsons noted that the
amendment was approved by both the Vacancy Review Committee
and the Civil Service Commission. The following motion was
made:
WHEREAS, the Chamberlain' s Office is recommending to reclassify
a position in its office due to a retirement and to improve
staffing needs; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Authorized Personnel Roster for the
Chamberlain' s Office be amended as follows :
Delete: One (1) Principal Account Clerk
Add: One (1) Customer Service Representative
The motion passed 6-0 .
6. Building Department — Approval of Amendment to Authorized
Personnel Roster
Building Commissioner Eckstrom presented a request to amend
his department' s roster by adding one Permit Clerk.
Eckstrom explained that in an attempt to reorganize his
front office staff, a Permit Clerk was developed by his
staff. The position will have different added duties above
that of a senior typist, including reviewing applications
for complete information and assuring that the clerical
aspects of a permit are handled. The position will improve
application processing and relieve the department' s deputy
from some more repetitive tasks . The request will include
leaving the senior typist position vacant and unfunded to
make it easier to deal with potential complications as
staff changes are implemented. The following motion was
made:
RESOLVED, That the Building Department Authorized Personnel
Roster be amended to add one Permit Clerk, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the position of Permit Clerk be assigned to the
CSEA Administrative Unit at grade 9 of the administrative salary
plan, and
RESOLVED, That the position of Permit clerk be shown as a funded
roster position and that the position of Senior Typist be shown
as an unfunded roster position, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Building Commissioner be authorized to make a
provisional appointment effective February 8, 1999, and be it
further
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
RESOLVED, That needed funds for said roster amendment shall be
derived within the existing Building Department Budget.
The motion passed 6-0 .
7 . GIAC
A. Request to Release Funds
GIAC Director Fort and Deputy GIAC Director Thomas
presented a request to release restricted contingency
funds related to the $34, 520 placed in the 1999
Restricted Contingency for the upgrade of six (6) part-
time roster positions at GIAC. Fort stated that the six
positions are currently working 140 hours and the
request would upgrade the positions to 35 hours each, or
an additional 70 hours .
Fort explained that the upgrade would allow her staff to
better meet the needs of the community GIAC serves . The
$34, 520 includes the upgrade and related benefits . She
further explained that the necessary funds from GIAC' s
120 account will be transferred to the 110 account and
used in conjunction with the $34, 520 to fund the six new
full-time positions . It was noted that these transfers
are being made to fulfill a program need and not to
acquire benefits for part-time seasonal employees . A
discussion followed regarding the request. Fort stated
that the current titles of the positions will remain
Recreation Attendant until the appropriate titles can be
established.
The Committee voted, 6-0, to move this request forward
to the next Council meeting. Mayor Cohen stated that he
would work with GIAC and Human Resources regarding the
position title issue.
B. Request to Amend Personnel Roster and Budget
GIAC Director Fort requested to amend GIAC' s Authorized
Personnel Roster by deleting a Senior Stenographer
position and adding an Administrative Secretary. Fort
explained that the salary would increase for the
individual involved and $1, 704 was placed in the
Restricted Contingency account for this purpose. The
following motion was made:
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 1999 GIAC
Authorized Personnel Roster as follows:
Delete: One (1) Senior Stenographer (35 hours)
Add: One (1) Administrative Secretary (35 hours)
And be it further
RESOLVED, That Julia Ortiz be appointed to the position of
Administrative Secretary assigned to the Confidential Unit at a
1999 salary of $23, 001 effective February 4, 1999, and be it
further
RESOLVED, That an amount not to exceed $1, 704 be transferred
from account A1990 Restricted Contingency to account A7311-5110-
1100 Staff Salaries to fund said amendment.
The motion passed 6-0 .
8 . Youth Bureau - Approval of Fund Transfer for HVAC Y2K
Compliance Upgrade
The Youth Bureau requested $2, 675 in additional funds to
purchase a software patch for the Youth Bureau' s HVAC
System to correct a potential Y2K problem. It was noted
that $17, 823 was placed in Restricted Contingency for
additional Y2K Compliance items during 1999 . After a
discussion, the following motion was made:
WHEREAS, the Ithaca Youth Bureau renovation project authorized
an electronic HVA monitoring system, and
WHEREAS, the software supporting the HVAC system was not found
to be Y2K compliant, and
WHEREAS, a computer upgrade for the system has been incorporated
into the City-wide Y2K Computer Acquisition Capital Project, but
the software upgrade was not; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes the Youth Bureau
to purchase a software patch for the HVAC system from PASCO
Inc. , 25 Main Street, Camillus, New York 13031, for an amount
not to exceed $2, 675 to be charged to the Y2K Contingency Fund,
and be it further
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes the transfer of
an amount not to exceed $2, 675 from account A1990 Restricted
Contingency to account A7310-5225-1400 for said software
upgrade.
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
The motion passed 6-0 .
9. Human Resources
A. Approval of Expanded Role of Vacancy Review Committee
Mayor Cohen discussed the role of the Vacancy Review
Committee. Cohen explained that members of Common
Council requested that the 'requests for items such as
change of hours, pay rate changes, ' and title changes be
examined to determine if a better avenue of approval
process could be established. Cohen stated that his
office and the Human Resources Office discussed the
issue and found that an expanded role of the Vacancy
Review Committee might be the avenue needed. B & A
would still see these items after vacancy review was
complete.
Mayor Cohen explained the following changes to vacancy
review:
Name change to Position Review
Change of title, change of grade and change of
hours were added
Composition now includes a member of B & A,
member of HR Committee
A discussion regarding the expanded role followed. The
following motion was made:
WHEREAS, Common Council has adopted the 1999 City of Ithaca
Municipal Budget, and it will be necessary throughout 1999 and
beyond to exercise great caution in the expenditure of City tax
monies; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That effective January 1, 1999, no position for a City
employee that is vacant for any reason on or after said date
shall be filled, not title for a City employee shall have its
grade or number of work hours per week changed and no title for
a City employee shall be changed unless and until the action is
approved by the Position Review Committee (PRC) , which committee
shall consist of a member of the Budget and Administration
Committee and a member of the Human Resources Committee, both to
be chosen by the Common Council and the Mayor, and
That the PRC shall work in conjunction with the Controller, the
Director of Human Resources, and the applicable department head
in determining whether or not the request should be approved,
and
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
That the PRC shall not approve the filling of any vacant
position in the City government unless and until the Committee
determines either that the filling of a particular position is
essential to the proper functioning of the City government, and
be it further
RESOLVED, There will be established an Affirmative Action
Advisory Subcommittee (AAAS) of the PRC, consisting of the
Common Council Liaison to the Affirmative Action Advisory
Committee, the Director of Human Resources and the Mayor, and
That whenever a department head has a choice of job candidates
that includes members of one or more protected classes, the
department head shall not be permitted to hire a candidate who
is not a member of a protected class unless the department head
has first received approval to do so from the AAAS, and
That whenever a department head is contemplating filling a
position through the transfer of an external candidate in lieu
of through a civil service list, the department head shall not
be permitted to hire the transfer candidate unless the
department head has first received approval to do so from the
AAAS, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the PRC shall report all of its actions at least
once each month to Common Council, and
That Common Council shall retain authority to consider and
decide any matter that has been, or might be, reviewed by the
PRC, and the PRC shall have authority to refer any matter
subject to its review to the full Common Council for its
decision, and
That the PRC shall have authority to adopt such reasonable
procedures including but not limited to setting meeting dates
and agendas and requiring the submission of documentation
relative to any request it is considering as it deems necessary
to carry out its authority under this resolution.
The motion passed 6-0.
B. Work Environment Task Force
Human Resources Director Michell-Nunn discussed the Work
Environment Project Proposal for Services with the
Committee. Michell-Nunn explained that $20, 000 was placed
in the Restricted Contingency account for the Work
Environment Project. The project would assess the quality
of work life for City employees by use of a climate survey.
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
The results of the survey will be actively addressed. She
explained the RFP process to date and requested that the
$20, 000 be released from Restricted Contingency. The
company selected is Programs for Employment and Workplace
Systems from Cornell University at a cost of $28, 000 .
Michell-Nunn explained that the additional $8, 000 needed to
perform the services would be taken from existing 1999
budget funds . After a discussion, the following motion was
made:
WHEREAS, the City has formed a Work Environment Task Force
Employee Assessment Sub-committee to assess the quality of work
life for City employees, and
WHEREAS, the Work Environment Task Force will use a consultant
to assist the Task Force in its quality of work life assessment,
and
WHEREAS, the Task Force is recommending to hire Programs for
Employment and Workplace Systems from Cornell University at an
estimated cost of $28, 000 to perform the following:
Survey Design
Validity Review & Recommendations
Survey Administration
Data Processing
Small Group Processes
Synthesis of Predictions
Immediate Action Teams
Interactive Data Analysis
Long Term Change Strategies
Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes the Mayor to
sign the contract between the City and Programs for Employment
and Workplace Systems at a cost not to exceed $28, 000, and be it
further
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby approves the transfer of an
amount not to exceed $20, 000 from account A1990 Restricted
Contingency to account A1430-5435 Human Resources Contracts for
the purposes of hiring said consultant, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the remaining $8, 000 needed to hire the workforce
consultant shall be derived from within existing funds in the
Human Resources 1999 Budget.
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
The motion passed 6-0.
9. Police Department - Approve Establishment of Capital
Project for Parking Meter Replacement
City Controller Cafferillo presented a request to establish
a Parking Meter Replacement Project on behalf of the Police
Department. Cafferillo explained that this request is the
Phase I of a four-phase project that will cost
approximately $250, 000 in total . The City' s current meters
are 25 to 30 years old and parts are not being made for our
meters any longer. The City cannot afford to have our
meters out of service.
Cafferillo explained that the Collegetown meters,
approximately 100 meters, are all out of service. This
first phase would allow for the replacement of the
Collegetown meters and then additional downtown meters . A
total of 250 meters will be purchased in Phase I . The City
currently has 1, 000 parking meters in service. He stated
the meters have a 10-year life and about a 5-year payback
period. We would purchase a much newer technology meter.
The meter purchase would have to be financed. The
Committee requested that careful thought be given as to
where the meters are placed. After a discussion regarding
the meters, the following motion was made:
WHEREAS, the City' s 1, 000 parking meters are at least 20 years
old and are in need of repair and replacement, and
WHEREAS, the City will phase the replacement of the meters over
the next four years, at an overall cost of $210, 000, by
purchasing 250 replacement meters a year at an annual estimated
cost of $52, 200, and
WHEREAS, the parking meters will be of the latest technology and
parking meter revenue will help to offset the cost of meter
acquisitions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes the
establishment of Capital Project #377 Parking Meter Replacement
in an amount not to exceed $52, 200 for the purchase of said
replacement parking meters, and be it further
RESOLVED, That the funds necessary for said acquisition shall be
derived from the issuance of Serial Bonds.
The motion passed 6-0 .
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BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
10 . DPW - Approval of Standardization of City-wide Safety
Equipment
A request to standardize on Simplex fire and smoke detector
equipment was presented. After a brief discussion, the
following motion was made:
WHEREAS, the majority of City owned and maintained buildings are
equipped with Simplex fire and smoke detectors, alarms and
control equipment, and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City for reasons of
efficiency, compatibility and economics to standardize fire and
smoke detectors, alarms and control equipment from a single
manufacturer, as more fully spelled out in the following items :
1 . Several City buildings, namely, G. I .A.C. , Ithaca Youth
Bureau, Southside Community Center, City Hall, Ithaca
Police Department and Central Fire Station presently
have Simplex detection/alarm systems . Use of
standardized equipment will allow for simplified
inventory and will permit City staff to make quick
response, short-term repairs .
2 . This equipment will make it possible to assure
compatibility with all similarly equipped City
buildings .
3 . Maintenance and service contracts for a single type of
equipment Citywide will be easier to manage and should
be more cost effective. Simplex is unique among
detection systems in that it utilizes and services only
Simplex equipment - there is no mixing and matching of
components .
4 . Simplex equipment is very highly regarded by the Ithaca
Fire Department and is readily available. It is
commonly used in many other public buildings .
5. Simplex will guarantee a credit for existing new
equipment in the Ithaca Police Department for the
current system upgrade;
Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That pursuant to section 103, subdivision 5-A of the
General Municipal Law of the State of New York, Common Council
hereby authorizes the standardization on Simplex equipment as
the type of equipment to be used and purchased by the City of
Ithaca during 1999 and 2000 for fire and smoke detection as well
as related alarm and control equipment.
The motion passed 6-0 .
17
BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
11 . Finance/Controller
A. Establishment of a Snow Removal Reserve
Mayor Cohen explained that there is an interest to
establish a Snow Removal Reserve fund for the future.
The funds would be derived from unexpended 1998 Snow
Removal funds . Due to the mild winter, excess funds
remained in the Snow Removal account. Controller
Cafferillo explained that the reserve would be
established through the Contingency account or an
encumbrance. After a discussion, the Controller stated
the mechanism to establish the reserve will be brought
to the next Council meeting. The Committee voted, 6-0,
to approve the establishment of a Snow Removal Reserve
in concept.
B. Approval of 1997 Annual Financial Report
Deputy Controller Thayer presented the 1997 Annual
Financial Internal Report to the Committee. After a
discussion concerning the City' s AA3 bond rating, the
following motion was made:
RESOLVED, That the 1997 Annual Financial Report prepared by the
Finance Department be approved as presented.
The motion passed 6-0 .
12 . Mayor
A. Deletion of Three Existing City Commissions
Mayor Cohen discussed with the Committee the deletion of
three committees that are not currently active:
1 . Advisory Commission of Art & Design
2 . Energy Commission
3 . Circle Greenway Commission
The Mayor explained that he will bring back to the B & A
Committee next month details on the deletions of the
three committees .
B. Department Head Evaluation
Mayor Cohen explained that Department Head evaluations
will start in February, and the Human Resources Director
will sit in on the meetings. The Mayor also stated that
18
BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
he has started regular meetings with Department Heads on
a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly basis, separate from the
evaluations .
C. Holcomb-Parsons Inquiry
Mayor Cohen presented the Committee with a draft
response to the Department Heads inquiry and will seek
comments from the Committee over the next week.
13. Chair Reports
Chairperson Marcham reported on the following:
A. She stated there is a meeting Friday with the Youth
Bureau on the Stewart Park Carousel .
B. She reported there have been meetings with the taxi
companies on various issues and making some
progress .
C. Pat Vaughan reported that the meeting with the
Cornell University class regarding the community
survey fell through. The City will have to decide
if it wants to do the survey and expend funds for
such a purpose. A discussion regarding the survey
followed.
D. The County is discontinuing the Celebrations
funding as it currently exists and redesigning new
guidelines .
E. Marcham reported that she sent letters to the State
regarding the City' s election not to participate in
the permanent exemption of clothing and footwear
sales tax. Marcham reported she did receive some
responses, but nothing positive. She also reported
that the City met with the Chamber of Commerce on
the same issue.
14 . Committee to Proceed into Executive Session
The Committee voted, 6-0, to move into executive session to
discuss personnel items .
15. Report from Executive Session
After the Committee voted, 6-0, to move back into regular
session, it was reported that no action was taken during
the executive session.
19
BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
16. Consent Agenda B & A Items
The following items were agreed upon by the Committee to be
placed on the Consent Agenda for the next Common Council
meeting:
A. Youth Bureau - Request to Amend 1999 Cass Park Budget
WHEREAS, the Cass Park Ice Rink is continuing to sell
advertising space on the rink' s dasher boards, and
WHEREAS, the estimated cost to prepare this phase of dasher
boards for advertising is $4, 000 for printing and other
associated costs, and
WHEREAS, the cost of said preparation would be offset by
advertising revenue; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 1999 Youth Bureau Budget is hereby amended as
follows for the purpose of selling Cass Park Rink dasher board
advertising:
Increase Revenue Account:
A7310-2070-1511 $4, 000
Increase Appropriation Account:
A7310-5477-1511 $4, 000
B. Youth Bureau - Request to Amend 1999 Youth Development
Budget
WHEREAS, the Youth Bureau has been notified by the Ithaca City
School District that it will receive $4, 159 in additional
revenue to support and expand the current community learning
center development at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 1999 Youth Development Budget is hereby
amended as follows :
Increase Revenue Account:
A7310-3820-1203 Special Projects $4, 159
20
BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE JANUARY 27, 1999
Increase Appropriation Accounts :
A7310-5120-1203 P/T Seasonal 2, 160
A7310-9030-1203 Social Security 166
A7310-9040-1203 Workers' Compensation 1, 833
The meeting adjourned at 11 : 45 P.M.
NOTE : In many cases the actual texts of the resolutions
presented in these minutes were prepared following the
Committee' s deliberations and decisions on the matters involved.
The resolutions presented here are in complete accord with
decisions made by the Committee.
21
'S A I( 114 l g,g -7-777777 -_ ._._.. ...
J
Tompkins County j
BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES I �t I ► I i
Courthouse,Ithaca,N.Y. 14850
January 11, 1999
Honorable Alan J. Cohen, Mayor
City of Ithaca
108 East Green Street
Ithaca, New York 14850
Dear Alan,
I want to inform you that the County Board decided that its program of financial support
for local celebrations was not successful. Therefore, the County Board terminated that program
at the end of 1998.
This does not mean that the County will no longer support community celebrations.
Instead, the Board has charged the Committee which I chair with the responsibility for
developing entirely new guidelines for funding celebrations for 1999. It has asked that a new
approach with new guidelines be presented to the full Board by the end of February.
Consequently,you should not proceed with any plans to seek funding from the County for a local
celebration until you are informed of the County's action.
We continue to believe that community celebrations are important activities in building
local pride which fosters community improvement and is of benefit to the entire county.
Sincerely,
Stuart W. Stein, County Representative
Chair, Economic and Workforce
Development Committee
P. Recycled paper
{N. ft
CITY OF ITHACA
108 EAST GREEN STREET
ITHACA,NEW YORK 14860
COMMON COUNCIL January 8, 1999 TELEPHONE: (607)2746570
The Honorable George Pataki
Governor of New York
The Executive Chamber
State Capitol
Albany, New York 12224
Re: Permanent Exemption of Clothing and Footwear Sales Tax
Dear Governor Pataki:
The City of Ithaca' s Common Council has voted unanimously
against participating in the state' s permanent exemption of
clothing and footwear from sales tax, despite our wishes to do so,
because we simply cannot afford to lose these tax revenues . Our
reasons are explained further in the enclosed resolution.
We also ask state government to pay more attention to the
serious financial predicaments of New York localities, which have
been largely forgotten in the midst of Albany' s good fortune.
In the hope that this problem can be addressed in the New
Year,
Yours truly,
ane Marcham
Budget & Administration chair
Ithaca' s Common Council
JM:chs
Enclosure
xc: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno
Assemblyman Martin Luster
State Senator James Seward
Barbara Mink, chair,
Tompkins County Board of Representatives
Tim Joseph, budget committee chair,
Tompkins County Board
New York Conference of Mayors
New York Association of Counties
'An Equal Opportunity Employer with an Affirmative Action Program* 41W
�� Recycled Paper
JAN IG 1999
CHAIRMAN
THE ASSEMBLY Committee on Libraries and
Education Technology
� STATE OF NEW YORK Legislative Commission on
f` Government Administration
ALBANY
Fxce�soa COMMITTEES
Aging
Agriculture
MARTIN A.LUSTER Energy
Assemblyman 125th District Health
Higher Education
MEMBER
January 12, 1999 Joint Legislative Commission on
Rural Resources
Jane Marcham
Chair, Committee on Budget and Administration
Common Council
r•t1f Of i+uiaeu
1-u
108 East Green Street
Ithaca,New York 14850
Dear Jane:
Thank you for your January 8h letter regarding the City's determination to not participate
in the clothing and footwear sales tax exemption. I certainly understand the City's concern and
the reasons for this decision.
As you know,the main thrust of the legislation is to eliminate the state sales tax on these
items while giving localities the option to deal with the local sales tax.
I also understand the need for stronger state fiscal support for our municipalities. It
appears that the days of generous revenue sharing are over(due, in part,to the over$12 billion in
tax reductions enacted over the past 4 years),but I am hopeful that the 1999-2000 budget will see
some targeted efforts at assisting cities and other municipalities.
I will keep you posted.
Sin ii-XI
If
/ZfMdrti�nA. Luster
Member of Assembly
125t'District
MAL/kb
cc: Barbara Mink
Tim Joseph
ALBANY OFFICE:Room 704,Legislative Office Building,Albany,New York 12248,(518)455-5444
DISTRICT OFFICE:106 East Court Street,Ithaca,New York 14850,(607)277-8030
❑ ROOM 307
_ LEGISLATIVE OFFICE BUILDING
�' ALBANY.NEW YORK 12247
(518)455-3131
JAMES L.SEWARD = -
SENATOR.50TH DISTRICT i�) 0 41 S.MAIN STREET
ONEONTA,NEW YORK 13820
CHAIRMAN (607)432-5524
ENERGY&TELECOMMUNICATIONS {�.t
COMMITTEE
THE SENATE CORTLAN (607) ) 8-90033
SECRETARY HERKIMER(607)758-9005
MAJORITY CONFERENCE STATE OF NEW YORK ITHACA(6 (315)-4806 32
ITHACA(607)272-4806
NORWICH(607)336.7309
January 14, 1999
Hon. Jane Marcham
Budget & Administration Chairman
Ithaca Common Council
108 East Green Street
Dear Alderman Marcham:
I have your letter and the Common Council's resolution concerning the
clothing and footwear sales tax holiday.
The Legislature crafted the bill to give local governments the choice
whether to participate, and the Council is exercising its prerogative. For some
communities, participation may not be appropriate, and it's up the local
government to make that decision.
As we review the Governor's 1999-2000 budget this year, I will certainly
bear in mind the Council's concerns for the financial needs of local governments.
With best wishes, I remain
Sincerely yours,
ES L. SEWARD
S ate Senator
JLS/dd:ecr
1999 SALARIES FOR MANAGERIAL EMPLOYEES
Excel File: City Salaries/Managerial Employees(effective 01/06/99)
DATE OF DATE OF 1999 WORK
DEPT TITLE NAME HIRE APPT SALARY WEEK
BUDG Controller Cafferillo, Dominick 11/03/80 05/29/89 78791 35
DPW Superintendent of Public Wks Gray,William 12/15/86 01/01/92 74149 40
POL Police Chief Basile, Richard 07/18/97 07/18/97 73544 40
PLNG Director of Planning&Devel VanCort, Matthys 04/02/73 04/02/73 71851 35
HR Director of Human Resources Michell-Nunn,Schelley 07/06/98 07/06/98 71238 40
FIRE Fire Chief Wilbur, Brian 08/09/87 07/01/93 71080 40
POL Deputy Police Chief Barnes, David 10/20/69 10/19/92 69957 40
DPW Asst Supt of Public Wks(W&S) Fabbroni, Larry 11/03/86 11/16/93 69797 40
FIRE Deputy Fire Chief Dorman,Thomas 05/22/89 05/22/89 65754 40
DPW Asst Supt of Public Wks(S&F) Ferrel, Richard 10/25/82 08/12/91 63353 40
PLNG Director of Econ Development McDonald, Douglas 08/24/98 08/24/98 60988 40
YB Youth Bureau Director Cohen,Samuel 01/01/74 06/01/88 59762 35
BLDG Building Commissioner Eckstrom, Richard 07/01/87 03/04/92 59270 40
BUDG Deputy Controller Thayer,Steven 05/08/89 05/08/89 55367 35
GIAC GIAC Director Fort, Marcia 07/23/84 01/01/99 52500 40
PROS City Prosecutor McCarthy,Margaret 08/06/98 08/06/98 51250 40
CHMB City Chamberlain Parsons, Debra 01/13/86 01/13/86 49298 35
YB Deputy Youth Bureau Director Green,Alice 07/05/77 01/19/99 45715 40
CLRK City Clerk Holcomb,Julie 10/16/89 03/04/95 43721 35
MAYR Systems Administrator Kinne,Richard 02/10/97 02/10/97 42025 40
ATTY City Attorney Geldenhuys, Mariette 01/01/96 01/01/96 40106 20
HR Deputy Director of Human Resr Saul,Valerie 10/26/87 07/06/98 39445 27
CLRK Deputy City Clerk Korherr, Robin 11/14/83 12/07/98 36613 40
GIAC Deputy GIAC Director Thomas, Michael 01/02/84 01/01/99 35875 40
ATTY Legal Associate Sokoni,Khandikile 08/04/97 04/13/98 25795 35
PROS Deputy City Prosecutor Sherman,Ezra 11/17/97 11/17/97 19550 17.5
TOTAL PAYROLL: 1426794
CITY OF ITHACA
108 East Green Street Ithaca, New York 14850-5690
y�►�,� �,.•� BUILDING DEPARTMENT
PoRATEO Telephone: 607/274-6508 Fax: 607/272-7348 J A N 2 1 1999
To: Jane Marcham, Chair Date: 20 January, 1999
Budget and Administrative Committee
RV�4k --
From: Richard L. Eckstrom, Building Commissioner
Re: Building Department Roster Amendment - Permit Clerk
In November, the typist position in the building department became vacant. The department
has taken the opportunity offered by that vacancy to examine the work flow in the "front
office." We have decided that our customers will be best served if we make an adjustment in
the titles and the duties of the support staff. Currently, the roster includes an administrative
secretary, a senior typist, and a typist. We would like to add the position of permit clerk to the
roster and leave the senior typist vacant.
The new permit clerk position has been created by the Civil Service Commission and has been
reviewed by the human resource department. The new position would be involved in the work
flow of the permit process more than the current support staff are now. The duties assigned to
the permit clerk include those of the senior typist but go beyond that of our senior typist.
These higher level duties include the responsibility for reviewing applications for complete
information and assuring that the clerical aspects of a permit are handled. Also the person in
this position will be better equipped to answer general questions about the permitting process
in greater detail than we can now.
The reasons for the restructuring are to improve application processing and to relieve the
department's deputy from some of the more repetitive tasks in her current work.
You may know that one of the most successful parts of the building department's customer
service program are the two hours that Phyllis is available every day for permit applicants on a
walk in basis. During this time Phyllis adds a great deal of value to our process and our
customers experience. But, she has to deal with some basic issues with nearly every applicant
that the permit clerk can handle. These issues include requiring insurance certificates or
workers compensation statements, dealing with the fees, and getting the information in the
databases. We are convinced that this restructuring will free up time for Phyllis to spend on
higher level work.
Adding this position will not add additional steps in our process. It does not reduce the
availability of Phyllis or other staff for the work that only they can perform with the
applicants. It is important to us that the approval process be visible and understandable to our
"An Equal Opportunity Employer with a commitment to workforce diversification." CIO
customers. In addition, we want the experience of the application and review process to
impress upon our customer that we are really striving to assist them in accomplishing their
goals, of course, in a compliant way. This change will increase our ability to live up to these
values.
The duties assigned to this position also have the benefit of integrating the application into the
computer system at an earlier stage. The system will capture the permit application at the
point where the very first contact is made with the department. From there on the staff has the
information available right on the computer screen for review.
The human resource department has recommended that this position be added to the city's
Administrative Unit of CSEA and that the position be assigned grade level 9. Our plan is to
offer the position to our current support staff as a promotional appointment. This has no 1999
budget impact and can occur within the existing building department budget. The likely
outcome will be a salary raise, required by our agreement with the union, of 8% or about
$1699 on a yearly basis for our senior typist. This money is available in our budget because of
the difference in typist starting salary and the salary of the former employee.
I request that you add the new position as a funded position to the roster. I also request that
you leave the senior typist as a vacant and unfunded position to make it easier to deal with
potential complications as we implement the staff changes.
Cc: Mayor
Susan Kittel, Administrative Unit President
♦���F ITI��'
CITY OF ITHACA
10B EAST GREEN STREET
ITHACA,NEW YORK 14850
COMMON COUNCIL TELEPHONE: (607)274-6570
January 20, 1999
TO: City department heads
RE: Proposal for a city voice mail policy
FROM: Jane Marcham, B&A chair
The Budget and Administration Committee will be discussing city
policies on voice mail at our Jan. 27 B&A session. I'd welcome
comments and suggestions regarding this proposed draft at the
Jan. 22 staff meeting (or call me at 273-5754) :
Whereas, the City of Ithaca this year plans to install
"voice mail" telephone equipment in many departments, which will
be capable of greatly improving services to the public and
expanding the possibilities for staff efficiency, and
Whereas, overuse of automated equipment and poor design of
voice mail systems could confuse, offend and alienate people who
are telephoning city departments, thus posing a public relations
problem in city dealings with the public, now therefore be it
Resolved, voice mail can be used routinely without
limitation after regular business hours, but during regular
business hours all city phone numbers must be answered initially
in person by a city employee -- who may then refer the caller to
a voice mail system, as designed by the individual departments
for obtaining added information, leaving messages, or other
purposes, and be it further
Resolved, when department employees are unavoidably absent
during regular business hours, phone calls are to be forwarded
and answered by employees in an adjacent department instead of
relying upon recorded messages or voice mail, and be it further
Resolved, that any use of voice mail should be clear and
concise and should make allowances for callers without touch-tone
phones, and departments' voice mail systems will be subject to
review by a designated committee of Common Council, if needed.
'An Equa 7rtunaWyEmploymr with an Affirmative Action Program' �� Recycled Paper
Proposal for Services
CLIENT: The City of Ithacan 1999
PROJECT: Work Environment Project
DATE: December 15, 1998
BACKGROUND The City has formed a Work Environment Task Force Employee
Assessment Sub-Committee to assess the quality of worklife for
City employees. It is the intention of the Task Force to
administer a climate survey and to actively address issues that
are identified from its results. This is desired to be a very
participative process and engage, at some level, all City
employees.
OBJECTIVES As we understand them, the objectives of the client in
sponsoring the Work Environment Project are:
• To conduct an assessment of the workplace climate
within the City
■ To identify issues that require attention and initiate
appropriate actions
• To engage the active participation of the maximum
number of employees possible in the process
PROPOSED DESIGN We recommend an approach that integrates survey development
and administration with group process. By this we mean
utilizing city employees themselves, with professional
assistance, to design a climate survey, interpret its results and
initiate appropriate action taking.
This approach begins with an analysis of the strengths and
weaknesses relative to climate issues within the City structure.
The broad participative element helps ensure that the outcomes
of the survey are well known and understood among city
employees, management and policymakers. Engagement by
significant numbers of city employees and managers throughout
the process helps build commitment to act and make change in
the future.
STAGES The broad stages of the proposed design are as follows:
1. Survey design by Task Force with process assistance
and validity review by consultants
2. Survey administration by City, processing off-site by
consultants
Programs to
Employment CS Workplace Systems
City of Ithaca Work Environment Project p.2
3. Survey results predictions in small group discussions
4. Immediate action team activity
5. Data analysis and key findings
6. Long term action strategies
CONCEPT FLOWCHART The diagram below depicts the flow of work activities involved
in this approach.
External Data Processing Data Storage
j Small
Validity Review& 1 Groups
Rcornmenda* I K��W�4
�� �- Fu gs Mechanisms
Survey ��
Admin r„b,�
Long Term Change
Immediate Action Teams Strategies: Departmental
cfO� ""g and Inter-Departmental
Potential Pilots
DISCUSSION A key element that bears highlighting is the prediction of
findings by groups of employees. In these sessions,participants
(in small groups intentionally configured to represent similar and
different perspectives), having already personally completed the
climate survey will attempt to predict the overall results. This
activity is very useful in terms of surfacing the assumptions that
individuals and groups hold regarding issues of difference and
equity in the workplace.
The range of predictions made will be evaluated by the Task
Force and consultants to determine the working hypotheses that
currently exist in the city's work environment. These will then
become the basis for data analysis and interpretation.
It is expected that the sessions that are convened to predict
findings will also generate suggestions for immediate changes to
improve the work environment. Teams can be formed
immediately to deal with these short term items and give early
credibility to the effort by demonstrating concrete action.
Long term change strategies will be based upon findings from
the survey effort and will require organized action planning.
Some of these efforts will be at the departmental level, while
others will cross departments.
Programs!or
Employment tf Workplace Systems
City of Ithaca Work Environment Project p.3
INCLUSION As a research based project, a number of the activities involved
are of a technical nature. If the preferred design, however, is a
highly participative one, precautions need to be taken to assure
that the process is open to those of varying abilities and
backgrounds. We do this in two principal ways: 1)By asking
participants to operate from their existing knowledge bases
while we provide the technical expertise, and 2) By limiting the
need for literacy skills in participative events and processes
through mostly verbal communication.
COMMUNICATION We anticipate that all City employees will be invited to complete
ISSUES a climate survey. In the course of other proposed activities, we
estimate that 25% or more of the workforce could be directly
involved in small group work, data analysis and immediate
action teams. This level of involvement will have significant
benefits in terms of diffusion but will still require a regular
communication program to elevate awareness of project
activities. We view internal communication as principally a
responsibility of the City but will work closely with the Task
Force to devise effective methods to accomplish it.
CONTRACT ISSUES It is recommended that an explicit protocol be agreed with union
leadership at the outset in terms of the handling of matters that
have contractual significance.
TIMEFRAME It is expected that the work activities outlined above can be
completed in a 9 month timeframe following a decision to
proceed.
PRINCIPALS The following are key personnel who will be devoted to the
project:
ROBERT RICH Robert Rich is Senior Extension Associate at Programs for
Employment and Workplace Systems where he is also Director
of the Cornell Job Retention and Expansion Program. He works
in both the public and private sector in organizational change
and development based on principles of Participatory Action
Research. His area of specialty is design and facilitation of large
and small group processes. He is originator of the Convergence
Conference, a large group planning and problem solving process
and is co-originator of Fast Cycle Survey Research, a
participative approach to survey design and analysis. Recent
clients are Hewlett-Packard Company,The Alliance (AT&T),
Programs lo'
Employment' Workplace Systems
City of Ithaca Work Environment Project p.4
the Oregon Natural Resources Council, the Johnson School of
Management at Cornell University and Schoharie County, New
York. He holds a BA from SUNY Geneseo and is a candidate
for the Masters of Professional Studies at Cornell University.
JANE MAESTRO- Jane Maestro-Scherer is President of Fathom,Inc. a firm that
SCHERER specializes in technical assistance and training in all phases of
social science research. She is former Manager of the Survey
Research Facility at Cornell University. Her practice includes
survey research,interactive focus groups, `research literacy'
training and she is co-originator of the Fast Cycle Survey
Research technique. Recent clients are the United States
Department of Agriculture, Bristol Hotels and Resorts,
Institutional Planning and Research at Cornell University and
the New York State Department of Labor. She holds a
Bachelor's degree in Communication from Marynoll College in
the Phillipines, a Master's degree in Journalism from the
University of Wisconsin at Madison and post-graduate work in
Rural Sociology at Iowa State University.
SUSAN WOODS Susan Woods is a Senior Extension Associate at Cornell
University ILR where she specializes in education, training and
facilitation for labor and management practitioners. Current
areas of work include high performance work systems, mutual
gains bargaining and the implementation of the Americans with
Disabilities Act in unionized work settings. She edited the study,
Case Studies in Labor-Management Cooperation: Examples
from Western New York, produced for the WNY Economic
Development Corporation. She co-manages THE
WORKPLACE DIVERSITY NETWORK, a joint project of
Cornell University ILR and The National Conference, designed
to extend"diversity learning" across organizations by
networking diversity practitioners on a national basis. She serves
on the Board of Directors of The Western New York Council on
Occupational Safety and Health and The Everywoman
Opportunity Center,both located in Western New York. She
holds Masters degrees in Labor Studies, from-the University of
Massachusetts, and in Economics, from Duke University.
SALLY KLINGEL Sally Klingel is a Senior Associate and Director at Programs for
Employment and Workplace Systems (PEWS), Cornell
University, where she works as a consultant and researcher on
union-management partnerships and changing work systems.
Her work with PEWS in the past ten years has included training
Programs dor
Employment&Workplace Systems
City of Ithaca Work Environment Project p.5
and consulting with union and management groups in a variety
of industries, state agencies, union internationals and locals, and
worker owned companies. Her primary focus is on creating
participatory processes through the labor-management
relationship to improve work systems. Recent clients include
ALCOA and the USWA, Schlegel Corp. and UNITE, and TRW
and the ICWU. She studied for a M.S. in Organizational
Behavior at Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor
Relations, and holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan.
She is one of the authors and co-editors of A Fighting Chance:
New strategies to save jobs and cut costs, published by the ILR
Press.
REFERENCES References are provided for Robert Rich as Project Leader.
References for other principals available on request.
Reference Nature of Work
Barry Gruenberg Large group process design for
Director of Organizational organizational change effort.
Development
Hewlett-Packard Company
Colorado Memory Systems
800 South Taft Hill Road, M-1
Loveland, CO 80537
970-635-6856
Dean Robert J. Swieringa Design and facilitation of
Johnson Graduate School of group process following up on
Management climate survey.
207 Sage Hall
Ithaca,New York 14853
607-255-6418
Alicia Terry Group process based survey
Director research project.
Schoharie County Department
of Planning
Cobleskill, New York 12043
518-234-3751
Programs to�-
Employment tS Workplace Systems
City of Ithaca Work Environment Project p.6
PROJECTED FEES
Work Activity Fees
Survey Design No charge
Validity Review &Recommendations $2,000
Survey Administration 2,000
Data Processing 5,000
Small Group Processes 6,000
Synthesis of Predictions 2,000
Immediate Action Teams 5,000
Interactive Data Analysis No charge
Long Term Change Strategies 6,000
Total: $28,000
Programs!o&
Employment CS Workplace Systems
PROPOSED STEWART PARK CAROUSEL OPERATING BUDGET
The proposed budget includes set up,take down and routine maintenance of the carousel
for the 1999 season. Budget does not include costs of attendants to operate carousel and
collect revenues. Budget prepared based on previous owners expenses and experiences.
Utilities-NYSEG $500
Insurance- liability 900
Fire 350
State insurance fund(if applicable) 600
Amusement licenses and taxes(if applicable) 1700
Parts-mechanical and electrical 2000
Maintenance Supplies- cleaners,paint,oil and grease 500
Initial set up- Contract with previous owners employee to train 600
DPW staff regarding proper set up and take down
operations.
SUB TOTAL $7,150
In House Labor Costs-DPW Crew
Set up -two crew members/40 hours each $990
Hunt- $12.72, Allen- $12.03 hourly rates
Take down at end of season-two crew members/24 hours each 594
Routine seasonal maintenance to carousel and buildings-two hours
per week for 18 weeks. Allen-$12.03 hourly rate 433
TOTAL LABOR $2,017
TOTAL MAINTENANCE COSTS $9,167
REVENUES -Previous owner reported gross revenues, during 1997,of$22 -23,000.
Carousel was operated from Memorial Day through Labor Day/seven days per week
with hours of 11 AM to 8 PM. During the month of September, carousel was operated on
the weekends. Based on this schedule,the 1999 operating hours would total 954.
Employee costs to operate the required hours at$8.01/hour=$7,641 plus 32%benefits
for a total employee cost of$10,086. Ride tickets cost 75 cents each during 1998.
RLF/ 12-21-98 (revised from BPW submittal following receipt of actual figures from
Mrs.May)
NOTES on Carousel Subcommittee meeting, held Jan. 29, 1999
Present: Sara Shenk, chair, Pat Vaughan, Jane Marcham of B&A;
Rick Ferrel of DPW; Sam Cohen, John Doyle, and Alice Green of
the Youth Bureau. Summarizing more than an hour's discussion:
For 1999 operation of the carousel, Shenk said the options up for
discussion appeared to be 1) an outside bidder; 2) Youth Bureau
or YES; 3) entrance charge for Stewart Park; or 4) city staffing.
1) Bids: Ferrel said the Board of Public Works' plan for this
year was to operate the carousel and food concessions at the golf
course and Stewart Park through outside contractors, who could
bid on 1, 2 or 3 of these offerings. (However, the carousel
equipment would be stored and maintained by city personnel, which
could cost up to $9, 100 annually -- see attached list. )
A key reason for reviewing this plan was the B&A's concern that
an outside bidder might want to raise the carousel ticket price.
2) Youth Bureau: Wished to discontinue operating park concession
this year, because of declining sales and rising utility costs,
and expressed little interest in operating carousel (operation by
youths, even if allowable, would need close adult supervision) .
3) Park entrance charge: If the city charged a fee per car, this
could offset park expenses and allow the city to offer free
carousel rides. Youth Bureau staff noted, however, that there's
already been a serious decline in park attendance and an entrance
fee could make matters worse. Also, park users are roughly
1/3 city, 1/3 Town of Ithaca, 1/3 outside, and talk of joint
sponsorship of the park costs can be launched after Recreation
Partnership renewal is settled this year. (It's a long wait, but
meanwhile an entrance fee may have a chilling effect. )
4) City staffing: Ferrel said he believed the DPW could operate
the carousel this year IF the city provides $17-18,000 in funds
to cover the maintenance costs, seasonal labor, etc.
(Presumably, ticket revenues would be used to offset city costs. )
Shenk said she'd prefer city operation of the carousel by the
DPW, rather than trying to limit outside bidders to a a maximum
ticket price of 75 cents (the 1998 price) , and proposed reducing
the ticket price to 50 cents. Vaughan appeared to agree.
Marcham wanted to take a closer look at costs, since reducing the
price might require a significant city subsidy, but this is the
proposal the subcommittee is submitting to B&A.