city meeting of the schenectady city council caucus to order we have two public hearings tonight if the clerk would read those public airing number one regarding a proposed amendment to chapter one forty four of the code of the city of schenectady related to an inclusion of a dog in numeration fee and number two number two regarding the approval of the budget for the upper union street bid right then will go right the items original consideration item number one item number one under original consideration a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with schenectady county and title the real property tax levy and collection and enforcement agreement  is there any request to have this is a roll call vote or we ok with consent ok without objection consent item number two i don't number two a resolution authorizing the city to enter into an agreement regarding a bulletproof vest committee without objection on consent item number four i don't number for a resolution approving the adopting the budget of the upper union street business improvement district this is one of those unusual times when it's a public hearing but we're also going to be ninja restaurant for on ngs and a sign on the building located at eleven dash thirteen north broadway schenectady new york without objection on consent item number six item number six the resolution authorizing the city of schenectady to establish a trust an agency account on behalf of the central park dog park renovation committee also discussed in committee without objection on consent item number seven i don't number seven a resolution authorizing the city to enter into an agreement with city smith regarding sanitary sewer overflows discussed in committee without objection on consent item number eight i don't number eight a resolution authorizing the transfer of one three five  van cortlandt street to jessica danny discuss numerous times in committee in claims committee without objection on consent item number nine i don't number nine a resolution authorizing the settlement of a tax or sherry concern concerning four three two franklin street discussed in the claims committee without objection on consent item number ten i don't number ten a resolution authorizing the city of schenectady to settle a claim by vincent and donna am twelve a item twelve a a resolution authorizing the city to enter into an agreement with the city of schenectady industrial development agency for a grant and support of anti graffiti initiatives will entertain and item number twelve well a resolution authorizing the transfer of title of parcels of real property this was discussed in claims committee tonight entertain a motion to move it to the agenda  let us pray almighty an ever loving god we thank you for those who serve the city in the common good night we thank you for barbara blanchard in particular yes we bless her gifts to this community and bless her life bless all of us as we appreciate her service in this holiday season we have situ bless those you reach for your holiness be with all of us as we try to respect each other and as we all try to find your presence as it comes into our lives bless each candle each light each and make as much room as possible you have the floor a resolution honoring the air force reserve officer training corps where as the junior the air force junior reserve officer training corps are o t c it's a program for training young people to become citizens of good character dedicated to serving their nation and community who may intend to join the united states air force armed forces and whereas local court designated new york two zero zero zero zero six two properly operates are the proudly operates out of the schenectady high school as part of the g e scholars of humanities and culture and whereas the students that participate in the a f j r o r o t c have classroom study that includes many aspects of aviation in space flight with introduction to military cus custom and courtesies says citizenship the united states first aid wellness health and fitness basic drill and ceremonies effective communications management human relations and life after high school and whereas their foundational core values being integrity first the service before self and excellent and all we do the a f j r o t c has their mission statement develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community and whereas over the course of the past four years in serving their community the members have accrued over nine thousand seven hundred community service hours now and therefore it is resolved that the schenectady city council i congratulations and thank you madam chair madam president fellow city council members proper or barbara's friends and many many family members and friends that are here tonight is a great honor for me to be able to read this tonight and so glad that you're able to attend and lived in worked her entire life in the schenectady community and where as barbara worked for twenty years in the office of schenectady county child protected services first as a caseworker and later as a supervisor during which period she had a history of visiting homes all over the city to help families deal with the mired of different difficult situations and whereas barbara was instrumental in the creation of the union triangle historic district schenectady is fourth historic district with a name there of having been created  adopted in the parlor of her home a location from which she led many activities that were successful in helping to preserve this neighborhood where her she is where she has lived since the early one nine hundred seventy s and whereas she has had a also served as a girl scout troop leader and as a memory member of the schenectady energy advisory board and whereas barbara commenced her service as a member of the schenectady city council in two thousand and six and has served continuously and honorabl you this is cracker i believe we also have a plaque there to prison absolutely and then i know the mayor has a presentation he wants to make once you come over me we can help with this this is presented to barbara blanchard council woman two thousand and six to two thousand and thirteen and recognition of eight years of exemplary service on the schenectady city council if one pine were placed in a town square what admiration it would excite get who is conscious of the pine tree multitudes in their free woods throw open to everyone and that's from john your and this is very significant from us and we'd like to present you with it and thank you again for everything it was done for the city and all the contributions you made with us during your time on the city council broad outpouring of support that's here tonight but the highest award the city can gives to have the merit designated individual patroon and i can t i can't think of anyone better who represents what's good about this community your perseverance your tenacity and just your friendship has made such a difference in the lives of so many people in the city of schenectady in our surrounding area so i'm very proud to present that to you in wish you the best your future and again thank you for all you've done for the city of schenectady we also have a letter from former council member tom della solid that he has asked us to read into the record so our deputy clerk would read that barbara i'm sorry i can't be there tonight to join in the celebration of your lifetime of public service but i wanted to add my voice of the chorus of those singing your praises during my term on the council i marveled at your passion determination and patience working with you on several committees and sitting next to you at meetings for four years i got an up close look at the way you delve into an issue and push the rest of the council to understand your position even when we didn't agree i respected that you had done your homework and your positions were based on what you saw as the best interests of the city whether it was the green market police cars with better mileage recycling energy conservation and city buildings or the design of the boulevard project you always presented an articulate argument with legitimate talking points you have been the model of a council member and you set a standard that few can surpass as you leave office i wish you and i are nothing but the best sincerely tom  and you know when we do these resolutions we never get everything in the so i have to discount a kite a couple of other things that barbara has done she's been very active with the schenectady heritage foundation she created the livable cities program that many of us participated in she was his energy advisory board member of course we mentioned founding the green market and i still remember going on a trip over to troy with you and others to check out their green market and sell that she was just she really made that happen and i think that's probably one of the best things that has going on in the city right now south i too just want to thank you it's been wonderful working with you and i look forward to seeing you around in the community for different events so again thank you very much oh right now back to city business we have to public hearings one is regarding the dog the numeration fee and i have one person signed up to speak to that and that's august in the city of schenectady today we have approximately twenty one hundred dogs licensed in the city of schenectady and increase from fourteen hundred licenses at the end of two thousand and twelve estimates place the dog population of the city anywhere between eleven to fifteen thousand dogs licensing is vital to protect the health and wellbeing not only of our residents but the dogs as well the benefits to dog owners include a licensing a license identifying the dog allowing you to be quickly ready to unite it in the case that they go stray licensed dogs are held longer at animal shelters than on licensed dogs a license ensures that dogs are vaccinated against rabies which is a fatal disease owners of the lysis dog receive helpful reminders to remove x in eight their pets prior to the rabies vaccination licensing benefits to the public health licensing lowers the overall cost of health risk of rabies by making certain that dogs are vaccinated and providing a revenue stream for prevention programs a single rabies incident resulting from a dog whose vaccination has expired cost the taxpayer thousands of dollars this money could be saved and used elsewhere if the dog's vaccination is current unlicensed dogs unlicensed dog owners who are dental identified through the census will be assessed a fifteen dollar  in addition to a licensing fee they'll be required to license their dog within thirty days owners who do not comply will be issued a summons to appear in court in schenectady as well as other community strain on a license dogs have become a public safety concern and a strain on the limited resources dog numerators dog numerators will be hired as temporary seasonal employees for numerators who work five hours a day during the months of may through september they will cycle through various neighborhoods so no one is able to anticipate detection enumerators will receive training by the schenectady police department they will not enter homes they will identify the presence of a dog and leave a notice of a numeration and information packet which includes license application literature explaining why the license is in it's necessary numerators will be instructed to avoid any level of conflict or confrontation and report any noncompliance through either police or animal control officers by focusing on license to read dollars and delinquent licenses we have improved our retention and have seen a thirty percent increase in licensing fees from two thousand and ten to two thousand and twelve community outreach and public relations campaigns have enabled us to increase licensing by fifty percent in the last six months of two thousand and thirteen stronger measures are required to improve compliance reaching eighty to ninety percent compliance within a three to four year span could result in the revenue of over one hundred thousand dollars per year which would go toward licensing thank you thank you i have no one else signed up to speak to that public hearing so i'm going to declare that hearing closed i also have no one signed up to speak regarding the budget for the upper union street bids on also going to declare that hearing closed and i just remember i was also asked miriam could just be our firm of action officer had wanted to make an announcement miriam come on  madam president council members the affirmative action office would like to what announce to the public that applications are presently being accepted for the firefighter civil service exam the filing deadline is january twenty first and the exam date is march eight anyone interested in taking the civil service exam is asked at the civil service office where at six twenty six states street and they can also call the office the number is five one eight three eight eight four two three three the information is posted on the affirmative action web page and on the civil service web page anyone interested in taking the exam can contact the civil service office or my office and request an application thank you ma'am thank you all right move to the approval of the minutes from december ninth tw president claims committee has been meeting over the past few cycles about the city county tax agreement to make the county whole and this is something that we've been going over and over and over and we finally come to an agreement and the main crux and all the council was in agreement with to pay this over three years once that was hammered out i know this isn't a perfect agreement but it's an agreement and that's the way agreements are there's some give and take in there was a lot of give and take what this but the main thing is the three payments for two thousand and twelve and thirteen they'll be made in three years the payment for two thousand and twelve will be made by january thirty first of two thousand and fourteen by february fifteenth or fifteen we'll pay fifty percent of what we owe in two thousand for two thousand and thirteen in the remainder will be paid the following we gear in two thousand and sixteen so that's the crux of this agreement and it will give the city control of the properties when there's a foreclosure process so there isn't two entities foreclosing on a property which is very important to the administration so again why this is not a perfect agreement it's an agreement and we finally get this albatross out from from under us because we've been dealing with this for quite a while there was a lawsuit that was pending so it a lawsuit has been pulled or will be pulled when that once this agreement passes so that's the main thing and i just want to be bring people up to snuff on that thank you thank you  other night we talked about the civilian police review board the council is looking to appoint someone and we are now accepting resumes so if you're interested in serving on the civilian police review board please to send your resume to me  email or here at city hall my email address is on the website of the city council page and we will you know welcome anyone who is interested in being considered thank you thank you thank thank better president basically this is just a reminder to everybody who wants to save an average of seven hundred dollars on their taxes that the star signing up for the start time is running out so december thirty first is the deadline if you have basic star most people if you own in reside in your home qualify for basic star and if you had it last time you won't automatically get it next time unless you go online and sign up or you call the t ax department at five one eight four five seven two zero three six and so again i'll just remind everybody if you'd like to put an average of seven hundred dollars it says here is an average of seven hundred dollars in your pocket or prevent it from being drawn from your pocket make sure you call or go online and sign up for basic stuff so i should remind her thank you yes and again just reiterate what you said is the fact that if just because you got it this year you have to apply for next year you don automatically get it so just want to remind everyone to do about that all right this is wrecker this did not become come before us in public safety last week but it's appeared on my desk and i want to just mention it especially very important on january twenty first is the deadline there will be a firefighter exam for the schenectady city firemen to join on march eighth two thousand and fourteen but the application deadline which is very important is january twenty first is an excellent salary range is the possibility for young men and women to find an excellent career with the city  schenectady and not only that but to work with a very fine group of men and women very experienced very dedicated to their jobs so again let people know this is an excellent career opportunity for anyone who may be interested the deadline to apply through schenectady county civil service again is january eighteenth thank you thank you and the other committee reports right if not we will move to privilege of the floor related to the legislative agenda i have one person signed binding and future county letters to city council members to disagreement you're setting a precedent saying that that the city should make the county whole for its taxes you know we did the same thing with the sales tax agreement and now we're doing the same thing with us and we need to be able to separate the two on the sales tax agreement you know we've lost well over ten million dollars in additional revenue if not more if you take the old sales tax remit that you had prior to two thousand and eight and you know there's no accountability whatsoever also in this agreement does not set aside exactly the patrol the  properties and you know we need to be able to take a look at it thing but also twenty years that's just way too far out and any city council member past four years could be able to get this agreement completely wiped out  i right then i'll move to privilege of the floor regarding city business and i have four people signed up regus oh i'm sorry i'm sorry thank you that's right we do have the roll call vote though for i would mrs claim involves myself and my wife i'll give a brief explanation of what happened we had a problem with our water pressure at our house when the plumber was called in and it was found that it was the city's piece of equipment that was faulty and at that time the city of plumbing inspector also required for me to change our lateral which was three quarter inch copper to three to one inch copper and after the fact it was the code is kind of ambiguous when i checked with our corporation council so all the main part of this is you know i will be reimbursed my wife will be reimbursed for the money that we put out for the city's problem but this cold problem that we have with what we're requiring for laterals we're going up to a lot of purp and then the water park we working on this to change the code so this won't happen to anyone else and it will be clear of what's required and what's not required that's where the problem was as far as the legislation went that we had prior to this so it's one of those things that i have to say it's it can be look like it's something you know i'm a city council person but what it is what it is and it was the city's problem was faulty city equipment the cost or loss and water pressure so i will abstain on this thank you life and put the snow and block the street again from forty one wasting toys here he put it right back on the street after the city cleared the street this gentleman is not authorize city streets this gentleman has no right he doesn't he has his own driveway your driveway leave everybody is alone i hire somebody earlier from work to finish our street after this ge jeopardize us he's putting people's lives in danger and i went to the police i went to zero on offer joel services and they sent me up to legal services legal services said me to the police department forgotten was is that yes this is private development and he says well this one won't happen if if the numbers didn't work right well the city house under economic development has rules and regulations and that is that the developer cannot make more than five percent r o y which is a return on investment so what is the numbers also the city council has rules that development has to create jobs what jobs did it create also two is that this project has said that it would create palaces well what type of housing they said it supposed to be fifty percent low income but what definition of low income are you using you know all these things that are coming across that are not even being addressed when you're also talking about the sixty nine thousand dollars where's that coming out of community village block grant is coming out of the fifteen percent that means you're looking at a twenty to thirty percent cut across the board of the current services that  meet currently right now so there's a lot of questions that are answered that are the need to be answered that are not and you just ram just through it is it that we disregard any of the pilot programs we need full accountability that's what we've been asking for the cities required as able first of every year do a full accountability on economic developments and the pilot programs it's not being done also to this is that i wanted to  within the disabled community and to work with her on the parks and rec committees and just wish her everything very good for the rest of the holidays and everybody else happy holidays ok thank you jo schenectady talking about the snow these cars need to be off the street so the plows kampala the streets right because if they're not you get a ticket you get told and you gotta pay got to be done because too many things are happening left and right i see you've got people coming down you got drunk all the people off and people coming down the street speeding like like like this should need me speed had all this should stop and think and let these people get out or the car the only people have a hard time and it's not easy for them so the better  tony we had the snow last sunday and i've got to admit around my house in my area it was plowed good the alleyway was plowed first time and i don't know how long but right after snow fall it was but the other day i go down hagerman street between gillon avenue and broadway somebody cleared a whole front of her house snow it's into street on the corner of her men in blue and there's a little the grant that we got for turned down buildings and whatnot what privately owned and what's not you mentioned your bridge is owned by c s x and i know your you r engineering has got this thing going i know we have to design for but you said if there's a better idea you'd like to hear from it well when this thing first happened i had brought up right here to talk to  sex in the city i don't know if that ever happened to see if we could get them to pay for it i know it's in the process of getting it done i understand that but can these people get c s acts to help pay for this i mean it's coming out of our pocket and when the first close up someone well over here i don't remember who it was says if it's unsafe to drive over it must be unsafe for the trains to go by mr  about the snow issues there is there seems to be total disregard again for city ordinances and i've had a lot of complaints about the and i've witnessed plows private plows plowing snows across major streets as a matter of fact when i was coming to the committee meeting last week there was a gentleman from a business on the corner mullard on broadway plowing snow right across a large street up up into the bank and it's going on and on it and  the other thing is people blowing snow into the street it goes on and on the crews have a hard enough time trying to keep things clear mr rodriguez brought up that's clear i mean there's obviously violations here but the problem seems to come because i've asked myself i had people call me and say who do we call to complain to and no one seems to know you call the bureau service i guess police are sposi issue the tickets but any how long story short i would like to see this discussed in committee where we know there's a plan in place and who is going to enforce our ordinances because we can't have people to sue the first snow of the season and we had some a it wasn't the blockbuster of storm of the century by any means was about a foot of snow it's a lot of snow but it's not the end of the world but there was a lot of problems with this storm as far as people not doing what they're supposed to be doing and the other thing the parking that's another issue everybody asks why don't we do it like al why can't we do this i realize these things are expensive but i would like to see this discussed so we have answers to what to tell our constituents when they call up and say why is this happening this way because i can't give them an answer why this has happened why don't we have  street parking is or too many cars what's the deal with this so maybe it's good that we had an early snow because all this stuff is out there now and maybe we can come up with a good plan but i would like to see we need some enforcement we need some tickets issued for obviously scofflaws laws people that are throwing snow into the street either with private plows whore with their snow blowers or with a hand shovel the throw it on the street is is not the thing to do we have to do what everybody else does put it back on your property that's where we were came from and that's where it belongs but i think until we start issuing some appearance tickets this will go on and on and on so anyhow with that it's just something that i think we have to address and i would like to see view avenue that's thirty that's a thursday in the guest speaker all big city engineer chris wall and publics invite and i'm sure the bridge will be the topic of discussion there are so many but it's interested in the old street bridge i would advise them to go to this meeting and maybe maybe mr wong can answer some of your questions but with that i'd like to wish everyone a very merry christmas happy new year my colleagues and in that the people out there that are watching have the best of the holiday season thank you council i was i was a person who was nervous in public speaking who had lots of questions as you might imagine and barbara was one of those people on the council that when i had any questions of your call about the committee meeting or after the council meeting of the hey barbara what does this mean how does this work this is my opinion on something what do i do and even if she didn't agree with me on the issue i was able to see what you do and she would give you good advice so having barbara holidays merry christmas to everybody and enjoy your couple days off here if you have a thank you anyone else you have to echo carl's remarks it was great to have barbara back here tonight i'm so glad that we're able to do this for and so glad that she was able to attend and what a wonderful tribute of all the people that were here tonight for her  everyone happy holidays a merry christmas happy hanukkah everything that goes along with it i'm happy new year and we'll see everyone back here next year january first next year right ok anyone else it's the mayor thank you madam president and it was good to see barbara who wish her and art many years of happiness and they can continue to involvement the community want to thank people during the snowstorm those people that did comply with the rules i think the cruise generally did a pretty good job i think we towed forty cars there were two hundred and some citations issued so we are doing enforcement effort this issue one voiced in st i referred to day for the appropriate remedial action and again we're going to do it we have to do it try to get the job done look for people to work with us but you have to have people that are played by the rules because it makes it a lot easier for everyone so again i thank everyone that did comply again any time i didn't take any calls from the council you think there's a problem or something stuck going quite right i expect to hear about it and i wish everyone a merry christmas so the best in two thousand and fourteen and we'll see everybody back here