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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CA-2020-05-20CITY ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK Regular Meeting 6:00 p.m. May 20, 2020 PRESENT: Alderperson Mohlenhoff – Chair Alderpersons (4): Gearhart, Kerslick, McGonigal, Nguyen Mayor (1): Myrick OTHERS PRESENT: Alderpersons (3): Brock, Fleming, Lewis City Attorney – Lavine Deputy Director of Economic Development – Knipe 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 April 18, 2020 meeting of the City Administration Committee. Seconded by Alderperson McGonigal. Motion carried unanimously. 1.3 Statements from the Public. A comment from the following person was read into the record: • Tom Kurzweil, Ithaca resident, asked that the City of Ithaca move forward with “action that helps all the stakeholders of the Primary Commons (PC) have more understanding of their rights and responsibilities during these uncertain times. The leaders of Downtown Ithaca [elected and appointed] should be collecting data/information in real time about these things happening on the PC: busking, dogs [leashed and unleashed], smoking, wheels [bikes, scooters, skates, uniwheels] and, now, masks”. 1.4 Statements from Employees. None. 1.5 Council Response. None. 2. Consent Agenda Items. None. 3. Finance, Budget and Appropriations 3.1 Approval of AOC Recommended Budget for 2021 Moved by Alderperson Gearhart. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. 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 City Administration Committee Meeting May 20, 2020 Page 2 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 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 anticipates that new or replacement equipment will be needed, WHEREAS, at their regular meeting on May 5, 2020, the AOC recommended earmarking up to $20,000 as contingency to purchase equipment as needed for the functioning of PEG operations, 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. 3.2 Home Rule Request to New York State for the Enactment of an Act to Amend the State Tax Law, in Relation to Authorizing the City of Ithaca to Establish Hotel and Motel Taxes Moved by Alderperson Nguyen. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. WHEREAS, on February 5, 2020, Common Council adopted a resolution stating the City’s “commitment to pursue a City of Ithaca hotel occupancy tax and commitment to provide a shared financial guarantee with Tompkins County”, and WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020 Common Council adopted a resolution which had as its subject a “Commitment to terms between the City of Ithaca and Tompkins County and the City of Ithaca and the DIA in support of the City’s financial guarantee for the Community Conference Center project”, and which included a commitment to “Establish a hotel room occupancy tax to support the Conference Center or, if such a hotel room occupancy tax is unsuccessful in being authorized, establish a City tourism improvement district (TID) to generate the required revenues from the lodging industry for the Conference Center”, and WHEREAS, new state enabling legislation specific to the City of Ithaca is required for the City to have the power to enact a local law establishing a City of Ithaca hotel occupancy tax, and WHEREAS, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton and Senator Tom O’Mara have introduced identical bills in the NY Assembly and NY Senate – Assembly Bill Number A.10414 and Senate Bill Number S.08331 – which have as their title “An act to amend the tax law, in relation to authorizing the City of Ithaca to City Administration Committee Meeting May 20, 2020 Page 3 establish hotel and motel taxes”, and have as their Purpose, “To authorize the City of Ithaca to enact, at local option, a room occupancy tax on hotel, motel and ‘b & b’ room rentals, with revenues to be used for the construction, promotion, maintenance, capital improvements, operation and other expenses of a conference center in the City of Ithaca”, and WHEREAS, a formal home rule request from the City of Ithaca citing the specific bill numbers is required to be delivered to both the Assembly and Senate before the bill can be advanced in the Legislature, and WHEREAS, this formal home rule request may be made by the Mayor as long as it is concurred by a majority of the total membership of the Common Council, and WHEREAS, if passed by the Legislature and signed into law, Common Council will be authorized to enact a local law establishing the new City room tax in support of the Conference Center project under terms provided by this state enabling legislation; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the City of Ithaca Common Council does hereby request that the NY State Senate adopt Bill Number S.08331 and that the NY Assembly adopt Bill Number A.10414. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3.3 Resolution Authorizing Mayor and City Controller to Close Proposed Budget Deficit via Reduction in Funding to City-Funded Organizations Moved by Alderperson McGonigal. Seconded by Alderperson Kerslick. WHEREAS, the shutdown of the economy in response to the COVID-19 crisis has seriously impacted City revenues, resulting in a projected budget deficit for 2020 of between $4 million and $13 million due to decreased sales tax collections, decreased parking revenues, decreased trash tag revenues, likely reductions in state aid, and reductions in other revenue sources; and WHEREAS, just weeks ago the Common Council authorized and the City instituted the furlough of approximately 87 City employees, the temporary discontinuation of virtually all City-provided youth services, adjustments to staff benefits, and various other reductions targeted at realizing approximately $5.4 million in savings from the 2020 budget; and WHEREAS, the services of many of the organizations funded by the City have, like a variety of City services, been curtailed or put on hold because delivery of those services has not been permissible due to the Governor's executive order to put New York on Pause; and WHEREAS, in addition to furloughing numerous employees, Tompkins County has also announced reductions in funding to organizations sponsored by the County by 25% of the third-quarter funding allocations previously budgeted by the County, equivalent to an annual reduction of 6.25%; and City Administration Committee Meeting May 20, 2020 Page 4 WHEREAS, the Common Council wishes to authorize the Mayor and City Controller to take the steps necessary to implement comparable reductions in funding to organizations funded by the City, with the potential for further reductions later this year; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Common Council of the City of Ithaca hereby authorizes the Mayor and the City Controller to take the steps necessary to reduce funding allocations to organizations funded by the City by 6.25% of the annual allocation previously budgeted by the City for each such organization; and be it further RESOLVED, that notwithstanding the foregoing, no organization sponsored by the City shall be required to return to the City any funds already paid by the City to that organization, and this resolution shall not apply to any City funding upon which unreduced County funding or unreduced Downtown Ithaca Alliance funding is contingent; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Common Council of the City of Ithaca hereby authorizes the Mayor and the City Controller to make appropriate modifications to any fund in the City budget to account for these changes; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Common Council authorizes the Mayor to enter into amended funding agreements with any impacted organizations to account for the reduction in City funding resulting from this resolution. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3.4 Resolution Authorizing Increase to Capital Project for Financial Software Improvements Moved by Alderperson Kerslick. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. WHEREAS, as part of the 2016 Budget approval, Capital Project #825 was established in the amount of $150,000 to allow for several improvements to our main financial software for the City, Tyler Technology MUNIS, and WHEREAS, while it took some time for design of those improvements, we are currently implementing many of those upgrades, mainly for Tax billing and Collection, Capital Projects, General Billing, Accounts Receivables, Cashiering and Citizen Self Service, and WHEREAS, while we knew we would also need to expand our MUNIS improvements at some point to include Utility Billing and Cash Management, we were not aware of the need for a more secure hosting of our financial software and ease of use from remote sites such as home, and WHEREAS, with the recent COVID-19 pandemic and recent fraud and hacking issues, it has become necessary to work remotely at times, and for network security reasons it has been difficult to perform our accounting functions through the current MUNIS system, and our plan for more secure transactions for the community from remote locations cannot be performed on our internal network, and City Administration Committee Meeting May 20, 2020 Page 5 WHEREAS, Tyler Technology MUNIS has proposed to the City a remote solution which will alleviate many security and data protection concerns and will provide secure remote access for our financial system, and WHEREAS, the estimated cost to provide all the stated improvements is estimated at $225,000, with an annual hosting fee of $78,537, and WHEREAS, it is expected that these software and hardware improvements, once implemented, will allow for increased operating efficiencies, cost avoidance, and other time and cost savings; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That Common Council hereby amends Capital Project #825 in the amount not to exceed $225,000, for a total project authorization of $375,000, to improve the City’s financial software system, including upgrades to the Utility Billing system, remote software and management hosting, and cash management, and be it further RESOLVED, That funds necessary for this software and hardware upgrade shall be derived from the issuance of Serial Bonds. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 3.5 Approval of Bond Resolution Moved by Alderperson Mohlenhoff. Seconded by Alderperson Gearhart. The Committee approved the resolution authorizing the issuance of Bonds in the amount of $722,685; to pay the cost of certain capital improvements in and for the City of Ithaca. A vote on the resolution resulted as follows: Passed unanimously. 4. City Administration, Human Resources, and Policy. None. 5. Discussion 5.1 Budget Update • Controller’s Report: Controller Thayer gave an update on the City’s budget and how it is being impacted by COVID-19. • Annual Budget: Budget meetings in the fall will be conducted virtually. Committee members were encouraged to share thoughts with Chairperson Mohlehhoff on what would be needed to improve virtual meetings. Proposed budget dates will be forwarded to Council. 6 Meeting Wrap-up City Administration Committee Meeting May 20, 2020 Page 6 6.1 Announcements. None. 6.2 Next Meeting Date: June 17, 2020. 6.3 Review, Agenda Items for Next Meeting • Rules of Procedures (ROP): The Committee will decide how to continue discussion about this topic. It was suggested that Remote Meeting be added to the ROP. • Public Comments: The Committee will discuss how to improve this part on the agenda. They will look at how it is done with other virtual meetings held by the City. 6.4 Adjourn: With no further business and on a motion by Alderperson Kerslick, the meeting was adjourned at 7:44 p.m.