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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-C&OI-2008-02-13Community and Organizational Issues Committee Regular Meeting February 13, 2008 8:00 p.m. PRESENT: Chair J. R. Clairborne Alderpersons (9) Dan Cogan (Vice Chair), Robin Korherr, Svante Myrick, Joel Zumoff, Mary Tomlan, Jennifer Dotson, Maria Coles, Eric Rosario, Nancy Schuler OTHERS PRESENT: Mayor — Carolyn Peterson City Clerk — Julie Conley Holcomb Acting Police Chief — Edward Vallely City Attorney — Daniel Hoffman Superintendent of Public Works — William Gray ADDITIONS TO OR DELETIONS FROM THE AGENDA: Chair Clairborne requested the addition of Item 7C — Update from the Ithaca Police Department on Staffing and Community Policing. Alderperson Dotson requested the addition of Item 8C — Update on Negotiations with the Ithaca Farmer's Market. Chair Clairborne requested the addition of Item 8D — Organizational Issues — Process regarding Carbon Tax Resolution — How to Receive Advice Prior to Consideration. Mayor Peterson requested the addition of Item 8E - A Possible Motion to Enter into Executive Session to Discuss a Matter which if Disclosed could Imperial Public Safety. No Common Council members objected. Mayor Peterson and Chair Clairborne acknowledged the tragic loss of their colleagues in Kirkwood, Missouri who were shot and killed at a Council meeting. Chair Clairborne requested a moment of silence to respect those government officials. PUBLIC COMMENT: Tom Stern, employee of GIAC addressed the Committee regarding the $2 million funding request for repairs and renovations at GIAC. He suggested that data be gathered regarding program attendance and outcomes that could be used as a model for future funding requests. Laurie Brewington, employee of GIAC but speaking as a native Ithacan, homeowner and landowner addressed the Committee in support of the GIAC repair and renovation project. She stated that she has not seen many improvements made to the building in the past 10 -12 years and believes that the building should be repaired and expanded. February 13, 2008 Caleb Thomas, Race Liberation Alliance, stated that the Alliance is advocating for groups that further equity issues. He encouraged Council members to get involved with children of color and noted that the City's hiring process should include diversity language in the employment application. He stated that the city organization should reflect the community. He further voiced his support for the GIAC repair project. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE CHAIR: Chair Clairborne announced that the GIAC teen presentation of "Voice Suspended" was a huge success and played to a packed house. He noted that the teens did an excellent job and the presentation resulted in an interesting dialog at the end with sweet and sour moments. He acknowledged the teens for their hard work, and Professor Cynthia Henderson from Ithaca College for working on this project. 6. SET COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE: Chair Clairborne noted that he is still working on finding a permanent meeting date, however the next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 7:30 pm. 7A. ACESS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE- TIME WARNER CABLE: Alderperson Dotson noted she e- mailed her comments Common Council members. The City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, and Village of Cayuga Heights have a 10 year franchise agreement with Time Warner Cable. There are capital monies left over from the previous franchise agreement that belong solely to the City (approximately $133,000). City staff has been working on a "wish list" to exhaust these funds. At this point the list includes connecting City Hall to the Fiber Optic I -Net - $8,000; DVR Machine for recording Common Council meetings - $500; and video conferencing equipment. The cut in Access Studio hours from 20 hours to 16 hours is constituting a big problem for program producers and discussions are ongoing regarding finding a way to increase the hours back to 20. Alderperson Dotson further reported on the future of cable franchises. She stated that the cable industry is moving toward State franchises. Funding for educational and PEG programming is being reduced and easy to find channels are going away. She stated that the City should take action now to safeguard these resources. 7B. BUDGET REVIEW SCHEDULE: Alderperson Coles distributed a list of potential budget sessions and requested that Common Council member provide feedback on their availability. She noted that it is a very arduous task to coordinate both Council and department head schedules. 61 February 13, 2008 7C. ITHACA POLICE DEPARTMENT STAFFING UPDATE: Acting Police Chief Ed Vallely reported that the roll -out of the electronic activity log (e- blotter) on the IPD website has been well received by the public. He noted that Officer Jeffrey Cole has been promoted to Sergeant and a new police officer was recently hired. A new eligibility list is available and the Police Department expects that they will have 4 vacancies by April 15, 2008. The police academy starts in June, 2008 so the recruitment team will be working hard to meet that deadline. Acting Chief Vallely reported that 2 arrests were made on the Fall Creek Halloween assaults. Both of the people who were arrested were under 16 years old. In 2007, 42,065 traffic tickets were issued in the City of Ithaca. The 3- person Traffic Division issued 40% of those tickets. Acting Chief Vallely stated that he would be creating a 4th position in the Traffic Division by rotating one officer from patrol into the Division every 4 months. Preference for this detail will be given to officers who have shown a proficiency in writing traffic tickets. Acting Chief Vallely has challenged all of the IPD Officers to do even better with traffic enforcement to enhance the safety of city streets. Acting Chief Vallely distributed a sample copy of the community policing logs that beat officers are required to complete during their shifts. Alderperson Coles stated that the Police Department is doing everything possible to reach out and be open to the community. She stated that two community meetings have been scheduled with South of the Creek residents and West Hill residents to answer questions regarding criminal activity in their neighborhoods. Mayor Peterson acknowledged the quick actions of the Ithaca Police Department and the Ithaca Fire Department in the recent Spencer Street fire. She stated that their actions saved lives and protected residential properties. Acting Chief Vallely responded to questions raised at a previous meeting regarding the use of cell phones by police officers when driving. He explained that New York State has exempted police officers from the cell phone law as there are many times when sensitive information needs to be communicated that shouldn't go out over the police scanner. 8A. GIAC FACILITY: Chair Clairborne explained that this item was placed on the agenda as an update item. He stated that actions are being taken throughout the organization including on -going staff meetings to review the building needs both interior and exterior. The proposed redesign of space in the interior of the building needs to be in compliance with State building and fire codes. The Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency will be working with the City on this project as well as assisting with the funding of the project. The total cost of repairs and rehabilitation is '43 February 13, 2008 projected at approximately $4 million. Congressman Hinchey is working to secure earmark funding in the amount of $125,000 for new furnishings that are not included in the project. Chair Clairborne explained that GIAC Director Fort was not able to attend the meeting due to an illness. He further stated that the LaBella Architects report justifies the funding request. This project will not address the programmatic needs of the department. Alderperson Korherr left the meeting at 8:55 pm. 8113. PROPOSED RESOLUTION OF UNIVERSITY AVENUE ISSUES: The following people were invited to join the discussion: John Gutenberger, Community Relations Cornell University, Shirley Egan, Cornell University Counsel Office, Superintendent of Public Works Bill Gray, Board of Public Works Commissioner Jill Tripp, and City Attorney Daniel Hoffman. City Attorney Hoffman introduced the Resolution and explained the history of the issue. He stated that discussions between the City and Cornell University regarding the Millstein Hall project focused attention on the ownership of University Avenue. University Avenue pre -dates the University's history and the extent of the public's interest in the road is unclear and not documented. Cornell University has offered a proposal to pay for 100% of the re- building, repairs, and upgrades (including a bicycle lane and snow storage space) of University Avenue if the City agrees to release its interest in the road (discontinuance). Cornell University would be responsible for maintaining the street and keeping it open permanently for use by the public. This proposal requires both the consideration of the Board of Public Works and Common Council. The timeline for action includes BPW approval in June and Council approval in July. This timeline includes the referral of the issue to the Planning Board for recommendation and public comment sessions. John Kiefer, Cornell University Soils Engineer stated that 2 studies of the cost of construction resulted as follows, although no design work has been completed at this point: $1 million — stabilize the roadway $1 million — rebuild the road. $2 million — Total Mayor Peterson stated that she views this as a win /win solution and keeping to the timeline will be important in looking out for everyone's interests. CI February 13, 2008 Alderperson Tomlan questioned how the rebuilding of University Avenue fits in with the 3 building projects in the area. Mr. Kiefer responded that the issue has not been discussed yet. Alderperson Coles questioned how Cornell University ownership could change the use of the street (ex. restricting traffic, building on it, etc.) Superintendent Gray responded that Cornell University has many of the same traffic related concerns as the city does. He stated that this would be a transfer of rights, not a sale of property but the City would be relieved of the responsibility of maintaining the road. Discussion followed on the floor regarding where this issue should go from here. It was decided that for the time being this issue will remain with the Community and Organizational Issues Committee. Chair Clairborne questioned what the concerns are that the City should be looking out for? Mr. Gutenberger responded that the Forest Home Drive residents and emergency access are two concerns that have been raised throughout the years. City Attorney Hoffman noted that the Terms of Agreement are very important and need to include everything that the City deems important in writing. Alderperson Dotson stated that she believes that maintaining public access as close to what exits now should be included in the Agreement. 8C. ITHACA FARMER'S MARKET LEASE NEGOTIATIONS: Alderperson Dotson explained that the City's lease with the Ithaca Farmer's Market is due to expire in December, 2008. An internal working group has been developing the City's position. The working group consists of Alderperson Dotson as Chair, Mayor Peterson, City Attorney Hoffman, Superintendent of Public Works Gray, Acting Planning & Development Director Cornish, and Community Development Director Bohn. Alderperson Dotson noted that the site is unique as it is situated near the waterfront and the Waste Water Treatment Plant, and the Ithaca Farmer's Market is a unique asset to the community. The City's desire is to retain the ability to produce good wastewater treatment, conduct more comprehensive planning for the waterfront, and improve ways to work with the Ithaca Farmer's Market. This issue is not ready for consideration yet as several items such as site definition, lease terms, rental fees, infrastructure improvements, and site use still need to be addressed. '61 February 13, 2008 8D. CARBON TAX PROCESS: Alderperson Rosario noted that subsequent to Common Council passing the Carbon Tax Resolution there were questions regarding the accuracy of the technical language included in the Whereas clauses. He questioned when issues like this arise whether Council should consult an advisory group such as the Conservation Advisory Council or the Tompkins County Environmental Management Council to advise them. Alderpersons Tomlan and Dotson agreed that it would have been appropriate to forward that Resolution to an advisory committee for review. Mayor Peterson noted that there are times when outside expertise such as experts from Cornell University may need to be consulted as well. MOTION TO ENTER INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION: By Alderperson Cogan: Seconded by Alderperson Coles RESOLVED, That Common Council enter into Executive Session to discuss a matter which if disclosed could imperil public safety. Carried Unanimously (9 -0) Alderperson Korherr absent from vote RECONVENE: The Committee reconvened with no formal action taken. ADJOURNMENT: On a motion the meeting adjourned at 10:25 p.m. Julie Conley Holcomb City Clerk Al J. R. Clairborne Chair