HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2023-05-24CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK
Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. May 24, 2023
PRESENT:
Alderperson Cantelmo – Chair
Alderpersons (4): Barken [arrived at 6:03 p.m.], Defendini, Haines-Sharp, McGonigal
OTHERS PRESENT:
Acting Director of PIT – Karasin
Watershed Coordinator – Johnston
Chief of Staff – Mohlenhoff
HR Director – Michell-Nunn
Controller – Thayer
Deputy Controller – Andrew
1. Call to Order
1.1 Agenda Review. None.
1.2 Review/Approval of Minutes: Alderperson Haines-Sharp made a motion to approve the minutes from
the City Administration Committee meeting held on April 26, 2023. Seconded by Alderperson
Defendini. Motion carried 4-0. Alderperson Barken was absent from the vote.
Alderperson Barken arrived at 6:03 p.m.
2. Petitions and Hearings of Persons Before Council
2.1 Statements from the Public. None.
2.2 Council Response. None.
3. Consent Agenda
3.1 Amend 2023 Authorized Budget for Equipment GIAC
Moved by Alderperson Defendini. Seconded by Alderperson Haines-Sharp.
WHEREAS, GIAC has received a grant from the IURA to purchase 10 computers and monitors for
GIAC programming, and
WHEREAS, the cost for said computer equipment for GIAC is $13,816, now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 2023 Authorized GIAC Budget in an amount
not to exceed of $13,816 as follow:
Increase Appropriation Account
A7311-5210-01100 Office Equipment $13,816
Increase Revenue Account
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May 24, 2023
Page 2
A7311-4989 Federal Aid $13,816
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Passed unanimously.
3.2 DPW – Amend 2023 Authorized DPW Parking Budget for Insurance Recovery
Moved by Alderperson Defendini. Seconded by Alderperson Haines-Sharp.
WHEREAS, on January 25, 2023, damage was done to one of the City’s Parking Pay Station at the
Green Street parking Garage producing an insurance recovery of $22,310, and
WHEREAS, the city parking staff have decided that the city would be better served if the insurance
recovery funds went toward the purpose of other parking related expenses including new and improved
parking equipment in the parking garages instead of a replacement of the Parking Pay Station, now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 2023 Authorized DPW Parking Budget by an
amount not to exceed $22,310 as follows:
Increase Appropriation Account
A5651-5225 Other Equipment $22,310
Increase Revenue Account
A5651-2680 Insurance Recovery $22,310
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Passed unanimously.
4. Administration, Human Resources, & Policy. None.
5. Finance, Budget, & Appropriations
5.1 BHU Resolution
Moved by Alderperson Defendini. Seconded by Alderperson Haines-Sharp.
WHEREAS, Common Council as part of the 2023 Authorized Budget placed $50,000 for Black Hands
Universal, Inc. into the Restricted Contingency Account, and
WHEREAS, we have now received sufficient information to release the funds for 2023 programming,
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby releases an amount not to exceed $50,000 in funding from
the 2023 Restricted Contingency Account A1990 and transfers those funds to account A1012-5435
Community Service Contracts for the purposes of funding 2023 Black Hands Universal programming,
and be it further
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May 24, 2023
Page 3
RESOLVED, Common Council hereby authorizes the Mayor, on advice of the City Attorney, to
execute the contract for Black Hands Universal.
After discussion, Alderperson McGonigal made a motion to table this resolution until more information
could be provided. Seconded by Alderperson Barken. After more discussion, Alderperson McGonigal
withdrew his motion to table.
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Yes (4): Barken, Cantelmo, Defendini, Haines-Sharp
No (1): McGonigal
Passed 4-1.
5.2 UPI Resolution
Moved by Alderperson Defendini. Seconded by Alderperson Haines-Sharp.
WHEREAS, Common Council as part of the 2023 Authorized Budget placed $50,000 for the Unbroken
Promise Initiative into the Restricted Contingency Account, and
WHEREAS, we have now received sufficient information to release the funds for 2023 programming,
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby releases an amount not to exceed $50,000 in funding from
the 2023 Restricted Contingency Account A1990 and transfers those funds to account A1012-5435
Community Service Contracts for the purposes of funding 2023 Unbroken Promise Initiative
programming, and be it further
RESOLVED, Common Council hereby authorizes the Mayor, on advice of the City Attorney, to
execute the contract for the Unbroken Promise Initiative.
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Passed unanimously.
5.3 Approval of AOC Recommended Budget for 2023
Moved by Alderperson Defendini. Seconded by Alderperson Haines-Sharp.
WHEREAS, Section 15.12 of the Franchise Agreement of January 2003 between the City of Ithaca and
the franchisee Time Warner Entertainment-Advance/Newhouse Partnership (TWC), subsequently
assigned to Charter Communications, Inc. (d/b/a Spectrum Networks) after Charter's 2016 acquisition of
TWC, requires the participating municipalities (City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, Village of Cayuga
Heights) to provide the franchisee with an annual written budget for Public, Educational and
Governmental access operations (PEG) by June 30 of each calendar year, and
WHEREAS, the Franchise Agreement authorizes Charter Communications to collect $0.15 per
subscriber per month to be used for the purchase of equipment for the PEG Access Studio, and
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May 24, 2023
Page 4
WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca's Ordinance #2003-17, Par 18-4-G, requires the Access Oversight
Committee (AOC) to provide the Participating Municipalities with a recommended annual budget by
May 31 of each calendar year, and
WHEREAS, the AOC has reviewed PEG’s current equipment and facilities and anticipates that new or
replacement equipment and facilities will likely be needed, including certain playback equipment; and
WHEREAS, at their regular meeting on April 4, 2023, the AOC recommended a $29,000.00
contingency to purchase equipment as needed for the functioning of PEG operations, pending receipt
and AOC approval of line-item estimates; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Common Council of the City of Ithaca accepts the AOC recommended budget
for Spectrum Network’s 2021 annual budget for Public, Educational and Governmental access.
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Passed unanimously.
5.4 Water and Sewer - Request to Amend 2023 Budget
Moved by Alderperson McGonigal. Seconded by Alderperson Defendini.
WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca adopted their Drinking Water Source Protection Plan for Six Mile Creek
in November 2022. The Plan was developed by a broad base of stakeholders from the watershed and
with the support of NYS DEC and NYS DOH. It is now a NYS recognized Clean Water Plan; and
WHEREAS, a Plan Management Team (PMT) was created and Ithaca's PMT is comprised of members
from the City of Ithaca, Towns of Caroline, Danby, and Dryden, Tompkins County Planning and Health
Departments, Tompkins County Soil & Water Conservation District, an Agricultural sector
representative, and the Finger Lakes Land Trust; and
WHEREAS, the PMT submitted a grant application to Great Lakes Basin Small Grants Program to
conduct a build-out analysis for the following areas as an implementation task of the City of Ithaca
Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2) Plan (September 2022):
Route 79 corridor (Towns of Caroline, Dryden, and Ithaca)
Coddington Road corridor (Towns of Danby and Ithaca)
and is supported by an agreement with Cornell University in partnership with New York Sea Grant
under Prime Agreement CM04068 from the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation; and
WHEREAS, the Subaward is wholly reimbursable and did not require a local match; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 2023 Authorized Water Fund Budget to
account for the said subaward as follows:
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May 24, 2023
Page 5
Increase Revenue Account:
F8330-3989 State Aid Home & Community $45,500.00
Increase Appropriations Account:
F8330-5435 Contracts $45,500.00
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Passed unanimously.
5.5 Water and Sewer - Request to Amend 2023 Budget
Moved by Alderperson Defendini. Seconded by Alderperson Haines-Sharp.
WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca Water Treatment Plant has requested and been approved for funds from
the Park Foundation to test a model developed by Professor Emeritus Dr. Bouldin. He has developed a
model of inorganic solution chemistry for Cayuga Lake. It is hoped to advance the work further so that
the model can be used to improve our understanding of Cayuga Lake, cyanobacterial blooms, and the
impacts of climate change specifically on Cayuga Lake’s inorganic solution chemistry; and
WHEREAS, the goal of this project is to complete the testing of this model and to advance the work of
Dr. Bouldin by completing the test of his model; and
WHEREAS, the Laboratory Director for the City of Ithaca’s Water Treatment Plant (CIWTP) wants to
hire a master’s student intern with a good understanding of inorganic water chemistry to complete the
testing of the model; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends the 2023 Water Fund budget as follows:
Increase Revenues:
F8330-2705 Gifts and Donations $2,200.00
Increase Expenses:
F8330-5120 Part time/Seasonal $1,995.00
F8330-9030 Social Security $155.00
F8330-9040 Workers’ Compensation $50.00
$2,200.00
A vote on the resolution resulted as follows:
Passed unanimously.
5.6 Bond Resolution: The Committee moved this resolution on to Common Council.
6. City Manager Transition
6.1 Overview of May 31 COW Agenda: The Committee discussed the information received prior to the
meeting from Chief of Staff Mohlenhoff.
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May 24, 2023
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7. Other Business
7.1 Firearms Safety: Chairperson Cantelmo explained the proposed Ordinance and asked the Committee to
review it for more discussion at a future meeting.
3. Government Administration, Human Resources, and Policy
.1 An Ordinance Establishing Chapter 220 of the City of Ithaca Municipal Code Entitled “Firearm
Safety.”
WHEREAS the Common Council of the City of Ithaca is charged with the preservation of order, peace,
and the health, safety, and welfare of the City and its inhabitants; and
WHEREAS firearm-related deaths have increased in the past decade and firearms are the leading cause
of death for those aged 19 or younger; and
WHEREAS the Code of the City of Ithaca is silent on the storage of firearms and has not been updated
with respect to safety since 1974, and
WHEREAS on September 1, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law new legislation to make
New York State a leader in responsible gun safety, and
WHEREAS improperly stored firearms can contribute to their accidental, unauthorized, and illegal use;
now, therefore,
ORDINANCE 2023-XX
BE IT ORDIANED AND 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 unsafe storage of firearms threatens public health and safety in the United States.
Unsecured weapons increase the likelihood of accidents, theft, and unauthorized or criminal use.
2. The International Association of Chiefs of Police recommends that state and local
governments mandate safe storage of firearms to protect children and youth from gun violence.
3. NYS Consolidated Laws, Penal Law §265.45 states no person who owns or is custodian of a
rifle, shotgun, or firearm who resides with an individual who such person knows or has reason to
know is prohibited from possessing a firearm pursuant to 18 USC §922(g)(1),(4),(8), or (9) shall
store or otherwise leave such rifle, shotgun, or firearm out of his or her immediate possession or
control without having first securely locked such rifle, shotgun or firearm in an appropriate safe
storage depository or rendered it incapable of being fired by use of a gun locking device
appropriate to that weapon. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect, impair, or
supersede any special or local act relating to the safe storage of rifles, shotguns, or firearms
which impose additional requirements on the owner or custodian of such weapons.
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4. Public welfare and law enforcement duties in the City of Ithaca would be enhanced by
mandated safe storage practices.
Section 2. Definitions
The following terms shall have the following meanings:
A. “Residence.” As used in this Chapter, “residence” is any structure intended or used for human
habitation including but not limited to houses, condominiums, rooms, accessory dwelling units,
motels, hotels, SROs, time-shares, and recreational and other vehicles where human habitation
occurs. The term “residence” also includes the curtilage of those structures or vehicles.
B. “Firearm.” As used in this Chapter, “firearm” means a device, designed to be used as a
weapon, from which a projectile is expelled through the barrel by the force of an explosion or
other form of combustion. It does not include an “antique firearm” as defined by 18 U.S.C.
921(a)(16).
C. “Firearm precursor part.” As used in this Chapter, “firearm precursor part” means a
component of a firearm that is necessary to build or assemble a firearm and falls within either of
the following categories:
a. An unfinished receiver, including both a single part receiver and a multiple part
receiver, such as a receiver in an AR-10 or AR-15-style firearm. An unfinished receiver
includes a receiver tube, a molded or shaped polymer frame or receiver, a metallic
casting, a metallic forging, and a receiver flat, such as a Kalashnikov-style weapons
system, Kalashnikov-style receiver channel, or a Browning-style receiver side plate.
b. An unfinished handgun frame.
Section 3. Prohibition
A. No person shall keep a firearm or precursor part within a residence unless the firearm or
precursor part is stored in a locked container or disabled with a locking device. The firearm must
be stored or disabled in a manner that a reasonable person would believe renders it inaccessible
to unauthorized users. It is a violation of this prohibition if the key, or mechanism, or code to
unlock or disable the locked container or locking device is closed to, or kept in a location
accessible to, unauthorized usersnot reasonably accessible to someone other than the owner or
custodian.
Section 4. Exceptions
No violation of this Chapter shall be found in the following circumstances:
A. The firearm or precursor is carried on the body of an authorized user who is legally allowed to
possess a firearm or precursor part of that type; or
B. The firearm or precursor part is kept within close enough proximity and control that the owner
or other lawfully authorized user of the firearm or precursor can readily retrieve and use the
firearm or precursor part as if carried on the person.
Section 5. Penalty
A. A violation of §220-3 shall constitute a civil infraction. be punishable by civil fine of $500 for
the first offense. Subsequent violations in a one-year period will be punishable by a fine of
$1,000.
B. If an unauthorized user obtains access to a firearm or precursor part because of a violation of
§220-3 and uses the firearm or precursor part to injure or kill themselves or another, the owner or
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May 24, 2023
Page 8
custodian, shall be liable in a civil action for the death or injury. In such an action a prevailing
plaintiff shall be entitled to recover attorney’s fees.
Section 6. Severability
Severability is intended throughout and within the provisions of this Ordinance. If any section,
subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this Ordinance 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 Ordinance.
8. Meeting Wrap-up
8.1 Announcements. None.
8.2 Next Meeting Date: June 28, 2023.
8.3 Review, Agenda Items for Next Meeting. None.
8.4 Adjourn: With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Defendini, the meeting was
adjourned at 6:53 p.m.