Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-B&A-1988-12-01 BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Public Hearing 7:00 P.M. . December 1, 1988 Meeting Chaired by Budget and Administration Committee Chairperson Schlather PRESENT: Alderpersons - Booth, Cummings, Hoffman, Johnson, Killeen, Lytel, Nichols, Peterson. Alderperson Romanowski excused - (arrived at the meeting at 8: 15 P.M. ) OTHERS PRESENT:. Mayor Gutenberger City Controller - Spano Deputy City Controller - Cafferillo City Clerk - Paolangeli Acting Building Commissioner - Dieterich Fire Chief - Olmstead City Engineer- Gray Personnel Administrator - Baker Assistant Personnel Administrator- Walker Police Chief - McEwen 1989 BUDGET Resolution to Open Public Hearing By Alderperson Killeen: Seconded by Alderperson Hoffman RESOLVED, That the Public Hearing on the 1989 Budget be declared open. Carried Unanimously Leigh Marshall, President Ithaca Paid Firefighters Association, read the following statement to the Council members: "In 1987 you as a group set aside $60, 000 in the contingency account to fund new firefighter positions in 1988. At the last public meeting of the fire department budget, you as a group, set aside $130, 000 in the contingency account to fund new firefighter positions in 1989, an increase of twice as much money this year as last year. You should be proud of yourselves. But the $60, 000 set aside in 1987 was never used. No new firefighter positions were added in 1988. So with this year's $130, 000, the fire department can expect to get twice as many new firefighter positions as last year - none. In light of your track record I am one .of the few people who still believes that this year we may get some of the firefighter positions we so desperately need. While you will be playing political games with the Town of Ithaca in 1989 for the high stakes of who pays how much for the four new firefighter positions, the professional firefighters of this city will be protecting and serving the people of Ithaca by giving their all in every emergency situation that arises. This is the City of -Ithaca's fire department and ultimately it is the city that is responsible and liable for the dangerous condition that you have created by ignoring our pleas for more firefighters. Our fire department does not even come close to meeting generally accepted standards for minimum manning. The situation you have created would be laughable if we weren't talking about people's lives. Again the professional firefighters of this city will be protecting and serving the people of Ithaca by giving their all in every emergency situation that arises. You people are negligent in your duty to protect the lives of the people of Ithaca because you have failed to provide the fire department with adequate personnel. " -2- December 1, 1988 r' Barbara Caldwell, 136 Crescent Place, Ithaca Paid Firefighter, spoke to council on the issue of contingency funds for the fire department and questioned Council members in regard to the budget. Council members responded to her questions. The following persons spoke to the Council members in support of the Ithaca Fire Department: Ernest Jackson - 370 Applegate Road Dan Rhoads - 201 W. Lincoln Street David H. Cornelius, 109 Farm Street, Chairperson Fire Commissioners Mayor John C. Gutenberger congratulated and thanked all the Council members, and especially Alderperson Schlather, for an excellent budget and an excellent process that went through on a tight schedule, and he thanked them for the diligence that they paid to the budgetary process and the responsibility that they showed to the taxpayers of the community. Mayor Gutenberger reported to Council members on a meeting he attended last week in Albany. One of the things that we have been lobbying very hard for in Albany in the last three years is to raise the cap on state Revenue Sharing. We have been unsuccessful in raising the cap for the last three years but the state has maintained its level from 1985. In the meetings last week with a good share of the Mayors through out New York State, the number one topic was the budgetary crisis that the State of New York faces. The New York State Conference of Mayors, with the support of some of the other organizations will not this year be lobbying for an increase in state Revenue Sharing. The reason there will be no lobbying for an increase is real fear that the Governor will completely eliminate state Revenue Sharing or at least cut it back drastically. That would have a severe impact on all municipalities but especially on a city like Ithaca where we are already over fifty percent tax exempt. We will be lobbying this year to keep it at last year's and 1985's level. Mayor Gutenberger stated that the Council has put a number of items in the contingency account and he thinks that is wise and prudent because those that have been put in this account are items that do need more discussion. There will probably be differences of opinion and he thinks it is wise to have it in contingency to allow those discussions to take place outside of the larger context of the entire budget, to let those items be addressed on their own merits. Mayor Gutenberger further stated that he has concerns with two specific items. One is the request for $5,000 from radio station WSKG which he eliminated from the budget. He stated that his decision is not against WSKG. However, he feels very strongly that with the types of cuts that are being made in other existing city departments, we should not be allocating new monies to a radio station. He views this as a gift of public dollars which is illegal. He feels this needs to be discussed more before the Common Council meeting on December 7. He -does not think it should be included in the budget. Mayor Gutenberger also stated that he feels very strongly that there is a $3,900 item that should be included. That is the $3 , 900 reduction in the Tompkins County Area Development Corporation. In the last two years with their involvement just with city firms and businesses, over $900,000 has been generated to local firms within the city through the efforts of TOAD. This is $900, 000 which the city would not have had if it wasn't for the efforts of TCAD. TCAD has also created 67 new jobs within the City of Ithaca which probably would not have been created without the TCAD involvement. Mayor Gutenberger spoke of the forums which were held by TCAD on development in the area, on transportation, the role of education, and of the conferences on � T -3- December 1, 1988 employee ownership of businesses. He feels that TCAD is the type of thing the city should be funding because it is producing money as well as jobs for this community. We all know that we have been arguing long and hard with the County to pick up a larger share of items that we feel perhaps the city taxpayer has been overburdened with. He stated that when TCAD was started, he argued long and hard and successfully with the support of Common Council, that the original request for a 50-50 split between the county and the city, was not an appropriate split since the city taxpayers are paying roughly 25% of the county taxes. The $20, 000 request at that time which was $10,000 each from the city and the county, we were successful in getting down to $8, 000 in the city and $12, 000 in the county, which was a more equal match for what we think the relationship is. The county has allocated $3, 000-$4, 000 more to TCAD this year and - he thinks it does not bode the city well and gives us some creditability problems when we encourage the county to take on more responsibility and they do, and we then in turn reduce our commitment. He does not think the City should be operating that way. No other persons appeared to speak to the hearing. Resolution to Close Public Hearing By Alderperson Booth: Seconded by Alderperson Peterson RESOLVED, That the Public Hearing on the 1989 Budget be declared closed. Carried Unanimously ADJOURNMENT• On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. Callista F. Paolangeli R ym ' d M./ Schlather City Clerk Chairperson r� r" BUDGET AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING 7 :30 P.M. December 1, 1988 M I N U T E S - PRESENT: Committee Members: Schlather, Hoffman, Killeen, Cummings, Romanowski OTHERS PRESENT: Mayor - Gutenberger Alderpersons - Booth, Nichols, Johnson, Lytel, Peterson City Controller - Spano Deputy Controller - Cafferillo Personnel Administrator - Baker Personnel Associate - Walker City Engineer - Gray Transit Supervisor - Carpenter Acting Building Commissioner - Dieterich Planning Department - azzarella, Evans Community Recreation Center, Inc. - Sciarabba Members of Public and Press 1 . YOUTH BUREAU CONTINUATION Application submission to New York State for continuation of Youth Bureau reimbursement, approved by a 4-0 vote, with no discussion. 2 . DEVELOPER IMPACT FEE PROGRAM Alderperson Cummings requested that a sum .of money be placed in Restricted Contingency in the 1989 Budget for the purpose of hiring a consultant to assist in the design and implementation of a Developer Impact Fee Program. After a lengthy discussion, an amount of $30 ,000 was approved by a 6-4 vote (all Alder- persons voting) . 3 . BUILDING DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY Acting Building Commissioner Dieterich requested the provisional promotion of Carol Shipe from Senior Stenographer to the newly vacant position of Administrative Secretary. After discussion, Committee, by a 5-0 vote, approved the promotion at a salary of $19 ,015 , that being Step 6 on the 1988 Compensation Plan for Confidential Employees Not Covered by a Union, effective December 12 , 1988 . -2- December 1, 1988 4 . BUILDING DEPARTMENT PLAN REVIEW OFFICER Acting Building Commissioner Dieterich requested the permanent appointment of Richard Eckstrom to the vacant position of Plan Review Officer, at a salary of $27 ,406 , that being Step 6 on the 1988 Compensation Plan for the C.S.E.A.-Administrative Unit. After discussion, Committee by a 5-0 vote approved the appoint- ment , with a salary of $26 ,352 , that being Step 5 . 5 . POLICE DISPATCHER Police Chief McEwen requested an increase for Claudia Hutchinson from $14 ,930 to $1.6 ,148 , which provides her with a salary equal to the recent hiring of 3 other Dispatchers. After a lengthy discussion, Committee by a 3-2 vote , approved the request retro- active to August 21 , 1988 . 6 . VEHICLE REPLACEMENT Transit Supervisor Carpenter presented a request to purchase a vehicle as . a replacement for the transit car that was involved in an unauthorized use .accident and damaged beyond repair. After discussion, Committee approved the request by a 5-0 vote , with funding of $7 ,000 to be provided from Capital Reserve #22 - Bus Replacement . 7 . STEWART PARK REPAIRS City Engineer Gray .presented a request to release existing moneys being held in Restricted Contingency, $8 ,586 , and the transfer of $4 ,000 unneeded in the Youth Bureau Building Account to enable the D .P.W. to complete ongoing roof repairs and to prepare specifications for removal of asbestos in the boathouse . After discussion, Committee approved the request by a 5-0 vote . 8 . D.P.W. PERSONNEL ROSTER City Engineer Gray requested amending the Engineering Depart- ment Personnel Roster by deleting a Senior Engineering Aide and adding a Junior Engineer. Committee approved the request by a 5-0 vote after discussion. 9 . CASS PARK ICE RINK AND RECREATION CENTER Andy Sciarabba presented a letter requesting that the City consider bonding up to $250 ,000 toward construction of the new ice rink and recreation center at Cass Park. After a lengthy discussion, Committee by a 4-1 vote requested the City Attorney to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding necessary to implement the project and referred to the Board of Public Works, the Youth Bureau and the Conservation Advisory Council issues concerning location, design, landscaping, roadway and parking concerns . -3- December 1, 1988 10 . EMPLOYEE HEALTH PLAN BOOKLET Committee approved the Employee Health Plan Booklet by a 5-0 vote , with little discussion. 11 . EMPLOYEE DENTAL PLAN Committee approved entering into an Agreement with Blue Cross/ Blue Shield to provide dental coverage for those employees covered by the C.S .E.A.-Administrative Unit and the C.S .E .A.- D .P .W. Unit , by a 5-0 vote . 12 . GADABOUT SERVICE Committee Chairman Schlather read a letter from Gadabout requesting assistance to replace a lift on one of their largest vehicles . Committee agreed to set aside $3 ,200 , with the under- standing that Gadabout also seek funding from the County. If they are successful , City' s share would be reduced. 13 . 1989 MANAGERIAL COMPENSATION A discussion took place on 1989 compensation for managerial employees . Committee agreed on a % increase, but tabled the matter until the December 29 , 1988 Regular B&A Meeting. The Meeting adjourned at 11: 45 P .M.