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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2016-05-18CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. May 18, 2016 PRESENT: Alderperson Mohlenhoff – Chair Alderpersons (4): Fleming, Gearhart, McGonigal, Smith Mayor – Myrick OTHERS PRESENT: City Attorney – Lavine Superintendent of Public Works – Thorne 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 Smith made a motion to approve the minutes from the April 20, 2016 meeting of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson Fleming. Motion carried unanimously. 1.3 Statements from the Public. None. 1.4 Statements from Employees. None. 1.5 Council Response. None. 2. Consent Agenda 2.1 Babe Ruth License Agreement Moved by Alderperson Fleming. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. WHEREAS, Ithaca Babe Ruth League serves the area’s youth by providing social and athletic recreational opportunities for its members and guests through baseball leagues, clubs and games, and WHEREAS, Ithaca Babe Ruth Baseball League is proposing to fund and install a new 12’ x 12’ storage shed next to Field 9 in Cass Park, and WHEREAS, the Parks Commission and Board of Public Works have reviewed the proposal and support the installation of the new shed, and WHEREAS, City staff support installation of the new shed so long as staff approves final location of the shed, staff is allowed access to the shed, Ithaca Babe Ruth Baseball provides insurance and maintains City Administration Committee Meeting May 18, 2016 Page 2 the shed in good condition for the duration of the license, and that ownership of the shed transfers to the City at the end of the license, and WHEREAS, pursuant to City Code Chapter 170 “Use of City Real Property”, any non-transitory use of City parkland requires a license, and Section 170-5(G) vests in the Common Council sole authority to grant approval of any license to use City parkland; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Common Council finds that the licensing as described above enables the public to enjoy the recreational and athletic opportunities offered by Cass Park, and thereby fulfills a valid park purpose; and be it further RESOLVED, That the Common Council finds that the licensing of an exclusive shed space narrowly- tailored to the equipment-storage needs of the Ithaca Babe Ruth League effectively serves the public in enjoying the recreational and athletic opportunities offered by the Cass Park; and be it further RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby authorizes the Mayor, upon the advice of the City Attorney, to enter into a license agreement charging an annual fee based on the Marine Commercial appraisal category of $0.48 per square foot, adjusted annually in accord with the Consumer Price Index, for the installation of the shed and use thereof with the following conditions: 1) City staff approve the location, 2) City staff are allowed access, 3) Ithaca Babe Ruth Baseball League maintains the shed in good condition for the duration of the license, 4) Ithaca Babe Ruth Baseball League provides proper insurance as required by the City, and 5) Ownership of the shed be transferred to the City at the end of the license agreement, or if the City prefers, the group will remove the shed from the premises and return the site to its original condition; and be it further RESOLVED, Said license shall be for a one year term with provisions for automatic renewal, but providing the City unfettered ability to revoke or modify said license upon at least nine months’ written notice that the Common Council has so resolved, and be it further RESOLVED, The license agreement shall require Ithaca Babe Ruth League to: 1) submit documentation ensuring that participation in its activities is available to all members of the public via membership application and payment of fees, which may not be unreasonably large, said unreasonableness to be evaluated after accounting for discounted or income-sensitive opportunities for participation in the Babe Ruth League’s activities, and 2) file with the City Clerk an annual report on: a) the then-current fee structure for membership, b) the reasonableness of said fee structure, and c) community participation opportunities and events being offered by the League. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. City Administration Committee Meeting May 18, 2016 Page 3 3. City Administration, Human Resources, and Policy 3.1 DPW – Amend Personnel Roster Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Smith. WHEREAS, it is anticipated that the current Financial Clerk will soon be retiring, and WHEREAS, the Department wishes to sustain a competent support staff and reorganize the responsibilities of the financial function within the Department, now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the Personnel Roster of the Department of Public Works be amended as follows: Add: one (1) Financial Management Assistant (40 hours/week) and be it further RESOLVED, That upon the retirement of the current Financial Clerk, the position vacated through retirement shall be abolished effective on the employee's retirement date; and be it further RESOLVED, That the funding for this change shall be derived from existing funds within the Department of Public Works budget. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3.2 Ithaca Welcomes Refugees Moved by Alderperson Smith. Seconded by Alderperson Fleming. WHEREAS, The Refugee Act of 1980 declared that it is “the historic policy of the United States to respond to the urgent needs of persons subject to persecution in their homelands” and gave the President the power to handle an “unforeseen emergency refugee situation” such as one involving “grave humanitarian concerns”[i], and WHEREAS the people of the City of Ithaca and their government have a long history of opening their community and welcoming refugees, and WHEREAS, Mayor, Svante Myrick, has publicly stated his support for Ithaca’s welcome of refugees during the current international crisis, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca is proud to be an ethnically diverse city, with 10.4% of its residents born outside the United States indicating that Ithaca is truly a city of immigrants[ii], and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca is proud of its immigrant communities, many of whose members arrived here as refugees, and City Administration Committee Meeting May 18, 2016 Page 4 WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca should stand ready to respond in this humanitarian crisis in which the number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to neighboring countries has now eclipsed four million[iii], thus confirming the Syrian refugee crisis as the world’s single largest refugee crisis in almost a quarter of a century, and WHEREAS, refugees in the United States are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to our country[iv], and WHEREAS, refugees are vetted by the National Counterterrorism Center, the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center and the Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, and WHEREAS, refugees are subject to additional screening that verifies what caused them to flee their homes, and WHEREAS, the intense background and medical checks required of refugees can take as much as two years to complete[v], and WHEREAS, more than half of the refugees brought to the United States have been children[vi], and WHEREAS, a public statement that Ithaca is a welcoming community demonstrates our community’s compassion and global concern, and WHEREAS, the City of Ithaca, as part of the world community, can and should play a role in the collective response to human suffering and prejudice; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, Common Council, a body that represents people from a multitude of ethnicities and religions, reaffirms the City’s commitment to remain a place of support for the refugees who have, in past years, made Ithaca their home; and be it further RESOLVED, That the City of Ithaca affirms and expresses a commitment to be a welcoming community to any and all future refugees who have gained sanctioned entrance into the United States of America. [i] 94 STAT.102.PUBLIC LAW 96-212-MAR. 17, 1980. Public Law 96-212 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/96th-congress/senate-bill/643) [ii] From US Census Data (http://www.city-data.com/city/Ithaca-New-York.html#b) [iii] As of this writing, UNHCR counts 4,390,439 (http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php#) [iv] http://www.rcusa.org/uploads/pdfs/Refugee%20resettlement%20- %20step%20by%20step%20USCRI.pdf [v] Why It takes Two Years for Syrian Refugees to Enter the U.S., (http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/ 2015/11/20/us/why-it-takes-two-years-for-syrian-refugees-to-apply-to-enter-the-united-states.html) [vi] US Boosts Efforts to Help Syrian Refugees (Voice of America, 9/3/15) A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. City Administration Committee Meeting May 18, 2016 Page 5 4. Finance, Budget and Appropriations 4.1 Bond Resolution Moved by Alderperson McGonigal. Seconded by Alderperson Smith. The City borrows funds twice a year. To borrow these funds, Common Council must first authorize the issuance of the bonds. This request is to approve the authorization of Capital Projects approved by Council since the last authorization in December 2015. The projects needed for authorization include projects approved since January 2016 and any Council previously authorized projects not yet included in a bond resolution. The total amount of the projects needed for authorization is $236,000. The City is required to pay its debt first. The City’s current outstanding debt, including this issuance, is $133,032,704. While $58,102,806 of the City’s outstanding debt is related to water, sewer or wastewater and is exempt from the debt limit, the City still has a significant amount of general outstanding debit totaling $69,486,834. The amount of reimbursement for Federal and State aid will range from $5,000,000 to $8,000,000. The total issuance for late July will be $266,000 plus renewal of the BANS coming due. Of the new money, $30,000 is General Fund bonds. The other $236,000 is for Water Fund bonds. Interest rates for these BANS will be between .50% and 1.50%. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 5. Performance Measures. None. 6. Budget Process Chairperson Mohlenhoff stated that the dates for the budget meetings have been finalized. She will e- mail them to Council members. Chief of Staff Cogan and Chairperson Mohlenhoff will meet to draft the budget meeting process and to make the schedule for department heads. Any feedback on the budget process can be forwarded to Mr. Cogan or to Chairperson Mohlenhoff. The City Administration (CA) Committee meeting agenda will be revised by removing Performance Measures and by adding Committees Working Group. 7. Meeting Wrap-up 7.1 Announcements. None. 7.2 Next Meeting Date: June 15, 2016. 7.3 Review, Agenda Items for Next Meeting. None. City Administration Committee Meeting May 18, 2016 Page 6 7.4 Adjourn: With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Smith, the meeting was adjourned at 6:48 p.m.