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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-COMSERV-2005-03-09 Page 1 of 3 COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES - UNAPPROVED March 9, 2005 Committee Members Present: Alderpersons Maria Coles, Michael Taylor, Mary Tomlan, and David Whitmore (Chair) Staff and Other Council Members Present: Tim Logue, Neighborhood 86 Economic Development Planner; Lauren Signer, Police Chief 1. Meeting called to order at 7:05 pm 2. Greeting from the Chair Whitmore encouraged people to read the Ithaca Times cover story on the new TCAT General Manager, Joe Turcotte. 3. Approval of Minutes On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Tomlan, the February 9, 2005 minutes of the Community Services Committee were approved unanimously (4-0) as written. 4. Review Agenda The committee agreed to remove the Public Information discussion item from the agenda. Whitmore noted that Alderperson Korherr was sick and requested that the item be tabled for next month. 5. Public Comment There was no public comment 6. Response to Public Comment/Committee Privilege of the Floor Logue announced the Mayor's Forum on the proposed Planned Unit Development ordinance for 7pm on March 10th at the Women's Community Building. 7. Intermunicipal Communications A. Report from Tompkins County Liaison - Coles reported that the County Legislature did not pass a resolution rescinding a 4% tax on clothing and shoes. She noted that the item would likely be brought up again and that she hoped next time, the City would be given more time to act. In response to a question from Whitmore, she said that the County is in the very early stages of researching the possibility of substituting a County income tax for a portion of the County property tax. Page 2 of 3 B. Town of Ithaca Liaison Report- No report. 8. Taxi Rates - Discussion John Kadar and Ron Fay of Ithaca Dispatch, Inc.joined the committee for discussion. There was some discussion of estimated fuel cost increases between 2003 and 2004 and about increased income due to the fare increases approved by Common Council in 2004. Committee members asked Mr. Kadar to write up the information and bring it back to the committee next month. In particular, the committee would like to see a comparison of income from 2003 to 2004, breaking it out with before and after July data (when the fare increase went into effect), and increased income due to the additional night fare. Also, the committee would like to see a comparison of the cost of fuel between 2003 and 2004 and an analysis of the number of calls per day. Mr. Kadar agreed to bring this information to the committee in April. Also, he noted that because the taxi company provides such an important service to the city, it might be appropriate to make an annual report to Common Council. 9. Ithaca Police Department - Update Chief Lauren Signer reported on two items: Police Department recruitment and recent incidents on the Commons. The Police Department has created a recruitment committee, which is currently interviewing 9 candidates for 5 officer positions. They have also been working on a DVD that can be used to market the department and recruit people to take the civil service exam. She praised the committee for their hard work and teamwork. Chief Signer then described the 5 significant reported incidents on the Commons since January 1st. She explained each one, showing how each one was not as bad as it might seem. A short question and answer period followed. A few committee members commented that the Chiefs Commons report reinforced their feelings that, without diminishing the seriousness of specific incidents, the Commons is a very safe place. Taylor expressed his happiness with the Chiefs leadership of the Police Department and asked some questions about the Collegetown Creeper case and a recent hit and run incident in Collegetown. 10. Transportation Demand Management - Discussion Whitmore gave a short introduction to the item and expressed his interest in forming a sub-committee to take up the work. Logue gave a brief overview of transportation demand management (TDM) and the report that was written over the summer by a Planning Department intern. He noted that the report entitled, "Fewer Cars in Ithaca," was available on the City's website (www.cityofithaca.org) under the Plans 8s Studies section. Tomlan noted a number of items that were brought up in the Planning, Neighborhood and Economic Development committee's discussion of TDM. Coles said that the report starts to answer how the City and region can better handle the impacts of growth outside the city on the City's transportation infrastructure. Mayor Page 3 of 3 Peterson commented that TDM had strong connections with other city initiatives, such as the Health City Initiative, the Pedestrian Safety Awareness committee, and the City Trails Master Plan. Whitmore noted that TDM strategies can and should support the health of downtown. He then proposed that a sub-group be formed to work out goals and short term actions and to begin the process of building stakeholders. The following people or organizations were suggested: David Whitmore, Tim Logue, Gary Ferguson, Jennifer Dotson, Fernando de Aragon, the Town of Ithaca, Tompkins County, TCAT, the Planning Board, David Lieb, Maria Coles, Mary Tomlan, and Sustainable Tompkins. 11. On a motion by Taylor, seconded by Coles, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 8:37 pm.