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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2019-05-15CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. May 15, 2019 PRESENT: Alderperson Mohlenhoff – Chair Alderpersons (4): Gearhart, Kerslick, McGonigal, Nguyen Mayor (1): Myrick OTHERS PRESENT: Chief of Staff – Cogan Controller – Thayer Sustainability Coordinator – Goldsmith 1. Call to Order 1.1 Agenda Review 1.2 Review/Approval of Minutes: Alderperson Kerslick made a motion to approve the minutes from the April 17, 2019 meeting of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. Motion carried unanimously. 1.3 Statements from the Public Elmer Ewing, Town of Ithaca, spoke in support of and encouraged the City of Ithaca to take the lead in the Ithaca Green New Deal. If the City of Ithaca does not take the lead, who will? Mr. Ewing urged the City to adopt the resolution. Ken Jaffe, of Ithaca, spoke strongly in support of adopting of the Ithaca Green New Deal resolution. Susan Holland, Historic Ithaca Executive Director, was encouraged by Mayor Myrick’s approval of the Ithaca Green New Deal. She supports this initiative, suggested looking for funding at the State/Federal level and offered to help in anyway. Mike Moritz, of Ithaca, acknowledged, first, the land of the Indigenous people and, then, expressed his excitement in seeing the Ithaca take the lead in climate action and justice. Robert Hockett, Cornell University Law Professor, spoke in support of the Ithaca Green New Deal resolution. He talked about him drafting the dream resolution, what happened in Washington, and what has to happen locally to move this initiative forward. Mr. Hockett offered his help in any way that he can. Scott Morris, founder of Ithacash and the Pay it Forward campaign on the Commons, commended the City of Ithaca for bringing forth the Ithaca Green New Deal. Alex Hyland, of Ithaca, spoke in opposition of Ithaca’s Green New Deal until he can obtain more information about this initiative. clean green. Mr. Hyland wants to ensure that it is a greener deal and not just a green deal. City Administration Committee Meeting May 15, 2019 Page 2 Magda Kossowska, Ithaca High School student, voiced her support on the Ithaca Green New Deal. Marisa Lansing, of Ithaca and Ithaca College graduate on Sunday, was impressed by Common Council and the Mayor. She learned about climate change and who will feel the impact. First poor people and, then, people of color and Indigenous people. Sophie Becraft, of Town of Ithaca and cofounder of Sunrise, has seen injustice happen. Sees it every day. She expressed her support for the Green New Deal. Osamu Tsuda, lives in Covert, but, works and goes to school in Ithaca, spoke in support of the Green New Deal. 1.4 Statements from Employees. None. 1.5 Council Response Alderpersons Gearhart, Kerslick and Nguyen thanked the public for attending the meeting and expressing their thoughts about the Green New Deal. 2. Consent Agenda Items 2.1 Human Resources – Request to Amend Authorized Budget for a Safety Grant Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the City applied for and received an Occupational Safety and Health Training Education Program Grant from the New York State Department of Labor in the amount of $12,435, and WHEREAS, the grant will run until July 31, 2019, and provide City staff with various safety training, including, but not limited to confined space, trenching, excavation, lockout/tagout, hazard communications and work zone safety; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 2019 Authorized Human Resources Budget to account for the $12,435 Safety and Health Training and Education Program Grant from New York State as follows: Increase Revenue Account: A1430-3489 NYS Aid Health $ 12,435 Increase Appropriations Account: A1430-5435 Human Resources Contracts $ 12,435 A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2.2 DPW – Parking Division - Amendment to Personnel Roster City Administration Committee Meeting May 15, 2019 Page 3 Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the Director of Parking is continuing to assess and realign staffing to most effectively address operational needs, and WHEREAS, the Director of Parking is recommending the elimination of a maintenance position and the addition of a parking lot attendant position, and WHEREAS, a current employee is interested in changing from a maintenance position to a parking lot attendant position; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Personnel Roster of the Parking Division of the Department of Public Works be amended as follows: Unfund: One (1) Building and Grounds Maintenance Worker Fund and increase to full-time: One (1) Parking Lot Attendant and be it further RESOLVED, That the above changes shall be funded within the existing budget. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3. Finance, Budget and Appropriations 3.1 Adoption of the Ithaca Green New Deal Moved by Alderperson Kerslick. Seconded by Alderperson Nguyen. WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Common Council has demonstrated its desire and commitment to be a leader in sustainability and social equity by passing resolutions to:  Join the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (2001)  Endorse the US Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement (2005)  Adopt the Climate Smart Communities Pledge (2009)  Adopt the City of Ithaca Energy Action Plan 2012-2016 (2013)  Adopt Plan Ithaca, the City’s Comprehensive Plan (2015), which features equity and sustainability as thread-through themes and contains the chapter Sustainable Energy, Water, & Food Systems, and WHEREAS, the October 2018 report entitled ‘‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C’’ by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the November 2018 Fourth National Climate Assessment report found that human-caused climate change is causing an increase in extreme weather events that threaten human life, healthy communities, and critical infrastructure, and City Administration Committee Meeting May 15, 2019 Page 4 WHEREAS, there is a clear emerging international consensus that to avoid the most severe impacts of a changing climate, we should work together to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which is even more ambitious than the previous target of 2 degrees, and WHEREAS, to accomplish this, scientists say that the entire world needs to get to net-zero emissions by 2050, meaning the same amount of greenhouse gases would have to be absorbed as released into the atmosphere, and WHEREAS, the United States should take a leading role in achieving that, but with active resistance at the federal level, it has fallen to the states, to local governments and to individual citizens to lead the way, and WHEREAS, versions of a Green New Deal, which have been proposed at both the Federal and the State level, aim to address climate change and other societal problems like economic inequality and racial injustice, and WHEREAS, local sustainability professionals, activists, and a growing youth climate movement have urged the City of Ithaca to show more leadership on these challenges, and WHEREAS, the City has already taken several steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including the following:  Performed energy efficiency upgrades and installed rooftop solar energy systems at several locations. The Ithaca Area Waste Water Treatment Facility, recognized by the U.S. DOE for its efforts, has improved the efficiency of its operations dramatically and produces up to three quarters of its energy needs on-site through the production and use of biogas;  The City is actively working to upgrade its entire inventory of streetlights to LED technology, cutting greenhouse gas emissions 50-60% and slashing lighting costs even more dramatically;  The City worked for years to develop a large scale solar array located at the Ithaca Tompkins airport, which would have generated enough clean electricity to power about one third of City government operations, with significant cost savings. Due to circumstances beyond the City’s control, the project ultimately fell though;  Since 2014, the City has shared a Sustainability Coordinator with the Town of Ithaca; The position is dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in government operations and the Ithaca community;  In 2018 the City adopted the Ithaca Green Building Policy report, with the intention of enacting legislation in 2019, which is currently under development;  The City installed five electric vehicle charging stations in three public parking garages and is an active partner in the EV Tompkins program, which aims to double the number of local EV drivers. The City is working on incorporating the first EV into its fleet;  In collaboration with four other municipalities, the City developed a residential energy score program that would tap market forces to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. New York State is now rolling out regional home energy score pilot programs in several locations across the state, including Ithaca, thanks in part to these efforts; City Administration Committee Meeting May 15, 2019 Page 5  The City enabled the innovative Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing program to offer long-term low-cost financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in commercially-owned buildings. The City of Ithaca and Tompkins County were the first two upstate NY communities to offer this program, and WHEREAS, by adopting a Green New Deal for Ithaca, the City has the opportunity to build on existing momentum and be the most climate forward city in New York State, and WHEREAS, there would be multiple benefits besides greenhouse gas reduction, including local job creation and improved community health, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca acknowledges that to implement a Green New Deal will require support from New York State and the Federal government, and WHEREAS, to be successfully implemented, the Ithaca Green New Deal must have the support of the City of Ithaca at all levels of government, and WHEREAS, this support can be demonstrated at first by the City of Ithaca Common Council through the adoption of this resolution, and WHEREAS, in accordance with the City of Ithaca Code §176-5C (26) “adoption of regulations, policies, procedures and local legislative decisions in connection with any action on this list”, this action does not require a City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR); now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca adopts a goal to meet 100% of its electricity needs for City government operations with renewable electricity by 2025, without the use of renewable energy credits (RECs), and, be it further RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca hereby adopts a goal of achieving a carbon neutral city by 2030 - that is, reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 100% by 2030, and, be it further RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca endorses the following actions to achieve these goals:  Create a climate action plan (CAP) in 2020 to provide details on how to achieve the Ithaca Green New Deal, and update the CAP every five years;  Adopt a Green Building Policy for new buildings in 2019;  Adopt a Green Building Policy for existing buildings by 2021; and  Assign additional staff as needed to implement the plan, and, be it further RESOLVED, That the Mayor will work with department heads and city staff, members of appropriate boards and commissions, businesses, community groups, academic institutions, organizations, and other local governments to achieve these goals; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the City Clerk send copies of this resolution to United States Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand; United States Representatives Tom Reed and Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez; Governor Andrew Cuomo; Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton; State Senator Tom O’Mara, and all the other members of the Honorable New York State Congressional delegation. City Administration Committee Meeting May 15, 2019 Page 6 After discussion, Alderperson Nguyen made a motion to add as the 2nd Resolved: “RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca hereby adopts a goal of reducing its City government vehicle fleet emissions by 50% by 2025; and, be it further”. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. The amendment to the resolution passed 5-0. Alderperson Kerslick made a motion to amend the 1st Resolved and the new 3rd Resolved as follows: 1st Resolved: RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca adopts a goal to meet 100% of its electricity needs for City government operations with renewable electricity by 2025; and, be it further New 3rd Resolved: RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca hereby adopts a goal of achieving a carbon neutral city by 2030; and, be it further Seconded by Alderperson McGonigal. The amendment to the resolution passed 5-0. Chairperson Mohlenhoff made a motion to amend the new 5th Resolved as follows: RESOLVED, That the Mayor will work with department heads and city staff, members of appropriate boards and commissions, businesses, community groups, academic institutions, organizations, and other local governments develop a comprehensive public input process to enable achievement of these goals; and, be it further. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. The amendment to the resolution passed 5-0. A vote on the resolution as amended resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3.2 Modification of Odd/Even Parking to extend hours when in effect and to change where parking is permitted on the 31st of the month Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Nguyen. Redlined Version § 346-26 Overnight parking. Effective November 1 through April 1 of each year, no vehicle shall be parked between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on the odd-numbered side of a City street on even-numbered calendar days, nor on the even- numbered side of a City street on odd-numbered calendar days, no person shall park a vehicle between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. on the odd-numbered side of all City streets on the odd-numbered days of the calendar month, and on the even-numbered side of all City streets on the even-numbered days of the calendar month, except for streets or parts thereof described in Schedules XIX, XX, and XXI of the traffic regulations of the Board of Public Works, attached to and made a part of this chapter. For the purpose of this section, a night shall be deemed even-numbered if that portion thereof prior to midnight was part of an even-numbered day and odd-numbered if that portion thereof prior to midnight was part of an odd-numbered day. This section shall not apply to the streets repealed under §§ 346-27 and 346- 28 below. Clean Version § 346-26 Overnight parking. City Administration Committee Meeting May 15, 2019 Page 7 Effective November 1 through April 1 of each year, no vehicle shall be parked between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. on the odd-numbered side of a City street on even-numbered calendar days, nor on the even- numbered side of a City street on odd-numbered calendar days, except for streets or parts thereof described in Schedules XIX, XX, and XXI of the traffic regulations of the Board of Public Works, attached to and made a part of this chapter. For the purpose of this section, a night shall be deemed even- numbered if that portion thereof prior to midnight was part of an even-numbered day and odd-numbered if that portion thereof prior to midnight was part of an odd-numbered day. This section shall not apply to the streets repealed under §§ 346-27 and 346-28 below. Plain English Version From 9 p.m. on an odd-numbered day to 6 a.m. on an even-numbered day, cars must park on the odd side of the street. From 9 p.m. on an even-numbered day to 6 a.m. on an odd-numbered day, cars must park on the even side of the street. On the nights of Oct 31, Dec 31, Jan 31, Mar 31 and Feb 29, when the next day is also an odd day, park on the odd side of the street. After discussion and since the resolution is not time sensitive, Alderperson Kerslick made a motion to table this resolution until next month. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. Motion passed unanimously. 4. City Administration, Human Resources, and Policy 4.1 Controller’s Office – Bond Authorization Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. The Committee approved the resolution authorizing the issuance of Bonds in the amount of $2,669,000; to pay the cost of certain capital improvements in and for the City of Ithaca. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 5. Discussion 5.1 Flag Flying Policy The Committee reviewed the Flag Flying Policy Report from the Community Life Commission. During discussion, the Committee made suggestions that Chief of Staff Cogan will share with the Chairperson of the Community Life Commission. 5.2 Commission Project Form – ADA Coordinator The Committee reviewed the Project Plan for an ADA Coordinator. After discussion and suggesting changes, the Committee members voted in favor of sending this project plan to the MAT [Mobility, Accessibility and Transportation] Commission. City Administration Committee Meeting May 15, 2019 Page 8 5.3 Commission Project Form – Nighttime Safety Working Group – Sent under separate cover The Committee looked over the Commission Project Plan for Nightlife Safety Working Group. The Mayor gave some background information on how this plan came about. After discussion, Alderperson Gearhart stated that he will take the Committee’s comments back to the Public Safety & Information [PSI] Commission. 6. Budget 6.1 Dates and Special Topics There will be special Common Council meetings on the fourth Wednesday of the months of June, July, August and September. One agenda item for July’s meeting will be Shared Services. 7. Meeting Wrap-up 7.1 Announcements 7.2 Next Meeting Date: June 19, 2019 7.3 Review, Agenda Items for Next Meeting 7.4 Adjourn: With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Kerslick, the meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.