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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2020-12-23CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. December 23, 2020 PRESENT: Alderperson Mohlenhoff – Chair Alderpersons (4): Gearhart, Kerslick, McGonigal, Nguyen Mayor (1): Myrick OTHERS PRESENT: Alderpersons (2) – Fleming, Lewis Youth Bureau Director – Klohmann Deputy Director of Economic Development – Knipe IURA Executive Director – Bohn City Attorney – Lavine Fire Chief – Parsons Chief of Staff – Cogan HR Director – Michell-Nunn Controller – Thayer 1. Call to Order 1.1 Agenda Review. None. 1.2 Review/Approval of Minutes: Alderperson Kerslick made a motion to approve the minutes from the November 23, 2020 meeting of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. Motion carried unanimously. 1.3 Statements from the Public. None. 1.4 Statements from Employees. None. 1.5 Council Response. None. 2. Consent Agenda Items 2.1 YB - Amendment to the 2021 Personnel Roster Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the Youth Bureau is requesting an amendment to the 2021 roster; and, WHEREAS, the Youth Bureau has worked closely with HR to help determine the best staffing pattern to serve our community and meet programmatic needs; and WHEREAS, the Youth Bureau’s roster amendment to the 2021 Roster includes defunding the Recreation Program Coordinator position and funding a Recreation Program Specialist position; and WHEREAS, this amendment does not require amendments to the 2021 YB budget; now, therefore, be it City Administration Committee Meeting December 23, 2020 Page 2 RESOLVED, That the Personnel Roster of the Youth Bureau shall be amended effective January 1, 2021 as follows: Fund: One (1) Recreation Program Specialist (35 hours) Defund: One (1) Recreation Program Coordinator (35 hours) A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2.2 YB - Amendment to the 2021 Personnel Roster Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the Youth Bureau has a longtime Youth Program Assistant who passed the Civil Service promotional exam for Youth Program Leader; and, WHEREAS, the Youth Bureau can more effectively utilize the employee as a Youth Program Leader than as a Youth Program Assistant; and WHEREAS, the Youth Bureau requests an amendment to the 2021 Roster to fund the vacant Youth Program Leader and defund the existing Youth Program Assistant; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Personnel Roster of the Youth Bureau shall be amended effective January 1, 2021 as follows: Fund:One (1) Youth Program Leader (35 hours) Defund:One (1) Youth Program Assistant (35 hours) and, be it further RESOLVED, That any existing funds associated with this change will come from within the approved 2021 Ithaca Youth Bureau budget. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 2.3 IPD – Acceptance of Donation for Improvements to Training Building Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the Ithaca Police Department (IPD) was recently notified that they have received a $10,000 grant from the TRIAD Foundation for 2020; and City Administration Committee Meeting December 23, 2020 Page 3 WHEREAS, the funds will be used to continue the improvements for the newer building at the department’s range so that the building can be used as a training classroom for defensive tactics, de-escalation and reality-based training exercises; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby accepts the $10,000 grant for the Ithaca Police Department to help make further improvements to the newer building at the range as stated above, and be it further RESOLVED, That the 2020 Authorized IPD Budget be amended as follows: Increase Revenue Account A3120-2705 Gifts and Donations $10,000 Increase Appropriation Account A3120-5475 Property Maintenance $10,000 and, be it further RESOLVED, That the Common Council thanks the TRIAD Foundation for their generous donation for the City’s Police Department. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3. Finance, Budget, and Appropriations 3.1 Support of a 2021 Application to the New York Main Street Program By the Downtown Ithaca Alliance Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the New York Main Street Program was created by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (HCR) to provide financial resources for the revitalization of downtown districts throughout New York State; and WHEREAS, the New York Main Street Program requires that qualified administrator applicants propose applications on behalf of specific projects in eligible districts; and WHEREAS, Downtown Ithaca qualifies as an eligible district for Main Street grant awards due to its demographic statistics and its designation as an IURA target area; and WHEREAS, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance has undertaken a process to notify property owners of the availability of grant funds and has solicited expressions of interest from property owners to participate in a Main Street Grant, if awarded; and WHEREAS, the New York Main Street Program prioritizes projects with housing components in existing buildings and the DIA has identified several possible properties where housing can be created and/or renovated; and City Administration Committee Meeting December 23, 2020 Page 4 WHEREAS, the owners of these properties are aware that units rehabilitated under this program are required to lease units at no more than 90% AMI for the Ithaca area for a period of five years; and WHEREAS, the Downtown Ithaca Alliance has successfully been awarded previous NYMS awards to assist projects in the Downtown Ithaca district and is prepared to meet the January 15, 2021 deadline for application submission; and WHEREAS, the final composition of the application will primarily include several housing projects from eligible Downtown properties; and WHEREAS, the maximum Main Street Program award is $500,000 and the DIA application will be within but close to the $500,000 award limit; and WHEREAS, the State of New York Main Street Program requires that the elected municipal body (Ithaca Common Council) pass a resolution supporting an application to the Main Street Program and said resolution should be included in the submitted application; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca Common Council does hereby provide its endorsement and support to the application of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance to the New York Main Street Program for the 2021 funding cycle; and be it further RESOLVED, That the Downtown Ithaca Alliance will provide the City of Ithaca and Common Council a copy of the final application upon completion and submission. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3.2 Finance – Bond Resolution Moved by Alderperson Kerslick. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. This request is to authorize the issuance of $3,650,400 bonds of the City of Ithaca to pay the cost of certain capital improvements in and for said City. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 4. City Administration, Human Resources, and Policy 4.1 Attorney – Approval of NCRE Transportation Improvements MOU Moved by Alderperson Kerslick. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. WHEREAS, Cornell University is in advanced stages of the construction of the North Campus Residential Expansion (“the NCRE”); and WHEREAS, the NCRE will substantially increase the pedestrian traffic travelling from north campus to central campus; and City Administration Committee Meeting December 23, 2020 Page 5 WHEREAS, the Planning Board required Cornell, as a condition of site plan approval, to make appropriate transportation improvements to certain City streets that would experience said increased pedestrian traffic, and to enter into an MOU governing such improvements; now, therefore be it RESOLVED, That the Mayor, upon review by the City Attorney, is hereby authorized to execute an agreement substantially similar to the agreement included herewith. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 4.2 HR – A Local Law Entitled “Repeal of Employee Residency Requirements in City Code Chapter 90, Article X, Sections 90-67 and 90-68.” Moved by Alderperson Nguyen. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, in December 2002 Common Council adopted a City residency requirement for department heads and deputy department heads, with exemptions for fire fighters, employees who serve at the pleasure of the Mayor, and non-department head or deputy department head employees hired before January 1, 1992; and WHEREAS, the rationale was that living in the City would give those employees a greater personal knowledge of City conditions and greater personal stake in the City's progress; and WHEREAS, in November 2006 Common Council amended the residency requirement for department heads and deputy department heads to expand the allowable municipalities of residency to include all of Tompkins County, and to expand the exemption for non-department head or deputy department head employees to include those who were hired before November 1996; now, therefore, BE IT ENACTED by the Common Council of the City of Ithaca as follows: Section 1. Legislative findings, intent, and purpose. The Common Council makes the following findings: 1. The City anticipates a number of retirements of department heads and deputy department heads in the next three to five years. 2. Many City employees hired since 1996 have worked for the City for years, in some cases decades, and have great knowledge of and personal stake in the City and County. 3. Some of these employees live outside the County and have deep ties to the communities where they live, rendering them ineligible to be promoted to department head or deputy department head unless they made a move that could be extremely disruptive for their families. 4. Common Council believes it to be in the best interest of the City to be able to hire and promote the most qualified and experienced candidates to department head and deputy department head positions and continues to be committed to broad outreach to attract strong candidates with diverse backgrounds who will add significant technical and cultural value to our organization. City Administration Committee Meeting December 23, 2020 Page 6 Based on the foregoing, the intent of and purpose of this Local Law is to eliminate the above-described residency requirement. Section 2. Repeal of Article X of Chapter 90 of the City Code. Article X of Chapter 90 of the City Code, “Employee Residency Requirements,” containing sections 90- 67 and 90-68, is hereby repealed in its entirety. Section 3. Severability clause. Severability is intended throughout and within the provisions of this Local Law. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this Local Law is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction, then that decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Local Law. Section 4. Effective date. This Local Law shall take effect upon the filing of the Local Law in the office of the Secretary of State. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 4.3 IURA - Advocacy for Federal Guaranteed Income Programs Moved by Alderperson McGonigal. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. WHEREAS, Mayor Svante Myrick is a member of a network of Mayors advocating for a guaranteed income through the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) initiative; and WHEREAS, a guaranteed income is a monthly cash payment given directly to people, without work requirements or other stipulations; and WHEREAS, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) first appeared in December 2019 and has spread throughout the world, and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global pandemic; and WHEREAS, the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in an income recession and economic hardship for millions of Americans; and WHEREAS, low-wage workers have lost far more jobs and wages than top earners due to the coronavirus pandemic; and WHEREAS, the unemployment rate is slowly declining, but 46% of American households have experienced serious financial trouble during the pandemic, including running out of savings, trouble affording food, paying utility bills, and paying their rent or mortgage; and WHEREAS, Black and Latinx/Hispanic workers are more likely to have experienced COVID-19-related unemployment than white workers, as well as higher levels of food insecurity and nearly twice as much difficulty meeting household expenses; and City Administration Committee Meeting December 23, 2020 Page 7 WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act at the end of March, which included a package of relief and stimulus programs, including $500 billion for large corporations and one-time $1,200 Economic Impact Payment (EIP) checks to individuals; and WHEREAS, the EIP checks to individuals were the primary reason that poverty fell by as many as 4 million people at the start of the pandemic-caused recession; and WHEREAS, the EIP checks boosted the economy by increasing spending at all income levels, and the most among low-income earners; and WHEREAS, people spent the EIP checks quickly, and most spent them on food, rent, and utilities; and WHEREAS, when the CARES Act aid ran out, 8 million people were forced into poverty; and WHEREAS, the Urban Institute estimates that one additional direct payment check could keep more than 8 million people out of poverty and two additional checks would keep 14 million people out of poverty; and WHEREAS, direct cash payments to the American people help state and local economies recover by putting more cash into local households and state budgets; and WHEREAS, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 45 million Americans, or 12% of the U.S. population, were living in poverty, including about 7 million employed people who did not have resources to cover even the most basic necessities, despite working; and WHEREAS, nearly 40% of Americans could not afford a single $400 emergency prior to the pandemic, and rising income inequality is compounded by an ever-growing racial wealth divide; and WHEREAS, providing an income floor through which no American family could fall will benefit individuals and communities; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Common Council for the City of Ithaca hereby supports ongoing, direct Federal cash payments throughout the pandemic and until our economy recovers, and calls on President-elect Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McConnell to ensure such payments are included in the next stimulus package; and, be it further RESOLVED, That the Common Council urges President-elect Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and Leader McConnell to develop an ongoing federal guaranteed income that provides an income floor for all Americans. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 5. Discussion. None. 6. Meeting Wrap-up City Administration Committee Meeting December 23, 2020 Page 8 6.1 Announcements. None. 6.2 Next Meeting Date: January 27, 2021. 6.3 Review, Agenda Items for Next Meeting. None. 6.4 Adjourn: With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Kerslick, the meeting was adjourned at 7:23 p.m.