Syracuse Common Council Meeting – October 22, 2025: Parks, Police Contracts, and Gun Violence Funds
Syracuse Common Council Meeting – October 22, 2025
The Syracuse Common Council held a lengthy working session on October 22, 2025, to consider items spanning parks maintenance, police camera and radio upgrades, a school resource officer agreement, a new credible messenger program, a parking ticket amnesty, and a license agreement to sell the public safety building. Commissioners and department heads presented requests for approvals, contracts, and grant applications, with council members questioning staffing, budget, and community impact.
Consent Calendar
- Items 9-16 (Parks): Agreement with Extra Space Management for fence access at Oak White Oaks Park; SEQR negative declaration for tick and deer management program; agreement with USDA Wildlife Services for deer/tick management (Dec 2025-Apr 2026, not to exceed $100,000); agreement with Marshmallow Ranch for deer meat processing (meat donated to homeless shelters at no cost); amendment with QPK Design to close out Hanover fountain; bond ordinance for Meacham ice rink chiller replacement (not to exceed $425,000); authorization to purchase chiller (not to exceed $425,000); payment to George Pro Sound Company for tree lighting ceremony (Dec 28, 2025, not to exceed $14,425).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Councilmember Cogwell recognized Carletta Rice with an honorary street sign for her community leadership—hosting safe Halloween events and Thanksgiving turkey dinners.
Discussion Items
- Camera Network Expansion (Item 19): First Deputy Chief Shaw presented an agreement with the Downtown Committee to install 9 additional cops cameras (total 25) in downtown, paid for by the committee and wired into SPD’s system. Council asked about maintenance, installation, and footage access.
- School Resource Officer Agreement (Item 20): Interim agreement with Syracuse City School District to provide 10 school resource officers and 1 sergeant. Council asked about staffing impact; chief noted 419 current officers, with retirements expected, and need for 460-480 total.
- Radio System Upgrade (Items 21-22): Proposal to reallocate $785,000 from records management system to portable/mobile radio replacement to complete project this year, citing coordination delays with county.
- Neighborhood Watch Program (Item 23): Budget request for neighborhood watch groups (increase of $2,500 for district meetings). Council noted police officers have not attended meetings since July 1; chief cited budget cuts, but council urged return of officer presence.
- Credible Messenger Program (Items 24-25): Director Latif Johnson-Kenzie presented $15,000 for a coordinator and 4-5 stipended community leaders to mediate conflict, lead small-group listening sessions in hot spots, partnered with faith leaders.
- Salvation Army Contract (Item 26): Extension of DOJ-funded family functional therapy program, to resume Nov 3 after pause due to administration uncertainty.
- Syracuse 360 Model (Item 27): Application to DOJ for $2 million grant to replicate Oklahoma 360 model—focused on community violence intervention, with research partner Finn Institute, facilitation by Gifford Foundation, and SPD hotspot patrols.
- Parking Ticket Amnesty (Item 54): Proposal for Nov 3-21 amnesty reducing all unpaid parking tickets to original fine (penalties waived). Council held for standalone committee meeting to discuss details.
- Public Safety Building Sale (Item 55): License agreement with foundation assets to allow due diligence for sale of 511 South State Street. Council expressed support for potential apartment conversion, but noted need for appraisal and formal sale authorization.
- Water Operations (Items 35-41): Commissioner Robert Brant discussed water sampling expansion (120+ samples per round); chlorine system upgrade at Skaneateles Lake (moving from gas); heavy equipment, hydrant, and valve replacement funds; contract renewal for algae bloom lab testing. Reported 320 water main breaks this year, all repaired; ongoing lead service line replacements coordinated with street/sidewalk work.
- City Hall Security (Items 32-33): Chief Administrative Officer Corey Dunham introduced mobile weapons detection system for City Hall and One Park Place, replacing metal detectors for quicker, more convenient screening.
- Landmark Preservation Training (Item 62): Application to NYS Parks for training funds for Landmark Preservation Board and other city board members; no match required.
Key Outcomes
- All consent items (9-16) were moved to ready with no discussion.
- Item 18 (held), 31 (amended to 1-year term with two 1-year options), 43 (held per council request), 44 (held pending planning commission), 51-57 (various holds and committee referrals) were noted.
- Parking amnesty (Item 54) will have a separate committee meeting before final vote.
- Council will receive updated SRO agreement letter with specific reimbursement amounts.
- Commissioner Brant will provide list of addresses where lead service lines were skipped during replacement.
Meeting Transcript
I am gonna call that ready with a question mark. Councillor Cogwell. Thank you, Madam President. Commissioners here. I have item nine through sixteen. Commissioner Bird, let's go. Good afternoon, Saisha Bird, Commissioner of Parks. Um number nine is um agreement with the extra space management. Um the owner of the property next to our property. We're putting up a new fence, so we need access to their property. Um and if you didn't know our property is called Oak White Oaks Park. So if you ever heard hear that reference, that's 412 Spencer where our building sits. Um number 10 is to authorize the city of Syracuse to adapt a negative declaration for the SEQR Act. It's related to potential environmental impacts of the tick and dare management program. Is is there um strategically where are we with with what side of town are we focused on or something we can disclose? No, we we had a committee meeting and the executive in every quadrant, but the northeast the southeast is the most. Okay. Um both eleven and twelve also pair with the dare management program. So eleven is an agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Service, um, to conduct wildlife management um in the dairy and tick program from December twenty-five to April twenty-sixth, two thousand twenty-six, not to exceed a hundred thousand dollars. Okay. Next number twelve agreement with Marshmallow Ranch to provide meat processing services for all the deer um to be processed, the meat. Um and so the meat is donated to homeless shelters at no cost to the city. Number thirteen is a agreement with QPK design. It's an amendment to the ordinance. Um to extend our contract, um, or our agreement with them so that we can close out Hanover um fountain. The contract ended, we need them to complete the job. So this is it. Yeah. Okay. Moving forward with our other fountains, um, Commissioner. Do we have like a plan? You know, they gotta have maintenance. There's a plan. Yes. There's a plan. I know as you as we all know, the one um in Franklin Square has been redone and um it's so it's new. We're looking at all of them, as is the stairs and the bridges. Yep. Thank you for by the way, if we all receive the um the list and the numbers of all the stairs and the parks and where they're ranked. And there's some that are really high in other parts, right? So um, I appreciate that. You're welcome. Number fourteen is a bond ordinance authorizing the insurance and sell of the bond to defel the cost of a new ice chiller replacement project at Mechum. Um, not to exceed 425,000. Uh the chiller for the ice rink is is gonna go any day. But how long has did when did they put the a chiller in? Because it hasn't been that long, has it? I'm not sure of the life cycle how I can get that information for you. Um I believe it's been a while. It's been since I've been here, but okay.
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