We're gonna jump right into it.

So counselor, where we see.

All right.

So shall anybody take that or should we so I'll keep it on the back.

So counselor my joke.

Thank you, Madam President.

I have item 12 to 22.

Anyone from BPW here.

You can take 12.

So we were on the purchasing this slot on Midland.

Uh we own most of the properties in the area.

Property owner approached us uh looking to get rid of his property.

Got it appraised.

The sale prices for a little less than appraised value, I think.

And this is just to create um an open space assemblage in the neighborhood.

Okay.

So do we know what we want to do with it?

Just holding it forever uh forever recreational open space, passive recreational space.

Okay.

It's right next to the creek walk, so it's a forever green space, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, it's in the it's in the flood zone.

Um but yeah, we thought it was in the city.

Okay.

Is it getting bought from a resident or from who?

Um I do believe it's a neighborhood resident.

Obviously, it's vacant land, so the person wasn't living there at the time.

But the the space has been vacant for my entire 20 years at least.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thanks all.

Thank you.

Um the next one, maybe Mayor Robuson.

Oh, nil, neil that you're good afternoon, counsel.

Afternoon.

Um3 is uh related to a grant opportunity with New York State DOT.

This is a transportation alternatives grant.

We've been pretty successful with these over the past few years, and these typically cover pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements.

Um we're working on the application now, but we're here for um your approval first before we do anything.

Pedestrian okay, all right.

A new questions.

Thank you, Neil.

Thank you.

Any more detail at a granular level in terms of what you'd want to do with this money?

So for these, we typically utilized studies that have already happened from SMTC.

This area we're looking at near West Side Skunk City.

Uh there's some really great studies that have come out in the past few years from our friends at the MPO.

So we're gonna repackage that and use it.

Um as we get cl further along, we'll be back for authorization as it relates to any bonding or anything like that.

Agreement, yep.

Right.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

By then we should be able to have rooms to maybe be specific as to what we want to engage these money on.

Right.

Yes.

Okay.

Any RFPs that we should know about?

RFPs, none yet.

Um specific you're feel free to reach out always.

Just wanted to make sure that if we were writing a grant that involved vendor selection, that we have that done now versus later on.

Yeah, so we're not there yet, but of course, we'll obviously come to you guys for approval.

Thank you, Neil.

Item 14.

Good afternoon, counselors.

Mary Robison, City Engineer.

Um item 14 through 16 is related to a tip project.

Uh the north-south-east-west corridor signal interconnect um phase two project, which is primarily on uh James Street and South Salina Street.

We bid this project last year and weren't able to award it.

Um so we rebid it recently and unfortunately it came in above what our budget is, so we're asking for an additional 260,000 for um the construction phase.

Um as I told you uh at the last meeting, there's no tip money available for this.

Um so we are using local shares, so that brings our federal reimbursement to 57%, marchically to 11%, and local share at 32%.

The march is selling goes down because of this the additional money.

Last year we needed additional money as well, but now we have a contractor and we're going through the process.

Um we need to get the additional money and amend our agreements with the state.

Yeah.

So 14 is the amending the bond authorization, 15 is um mending the agreement with DOT, and 16 is increasing the project authorization all by 260,000 for total project cost of um just under 4.6 million.

Mary, how far up James Street?

Is it just at James and Salina?

Just at the intersection?

No, it's along the corridor.

I'd have to get back to you specifically.

Okay.

It's miscellaneous intersections tying the signals together so that they're properly timed and traffic flows better.

Thanks.

Any other questions?

So that took care of $14, $15 and 16, right, Mary?

Yep.

So next one is a uh bridge New York project, which is also kind of a tip project for replacing the East Calvin Street um culvert, which uh over Meadowbrook.

So 17, 18, and 19 when we came to you for this project, which is 1.476 million, 100% reimbursement.

Um we forgot to add some language that is required in the ordinance to follow New York State DOT Bridge New York.

And basically it says that if we go over the 1.476 million, um that any additional cost would be local share, and the other piece of language that's added is the schedule to get it done.

Which is like 24 months for design.

We're this is a box culvert, which is like a square culvert, and we're taking it out across Calvin Street, kind of near SU and Comstock Commons in that vicinity, um, and replacing it, putting a new culvert in.

Are we projecting additional costs?

I wish I could answer that question.

I can't at this point.

We're just we're just uh we're just starting.

We're still negotiating the contract with the consultant.

Okay.

I'll be back to you soon with that.

Thank you.

Any questions on that?

No, that's 17, 18, and 19, right?

So 20, the next three are all revocable permissions for SU for their residential um living unit, you know, halls.

Uh the first one is related to the residential hall at 501 Comstock.

They're putting miscellaneous uh duck banks underground.

I can go through the locations, but it's listed pretty clearly in the um short title.

Um so this is our standard revocable permission, giving them permission to install conduits in our right of way or duck banks.

Um, and then the we calculate our annual estimated fee for their occupation of our right of way, and the one at 501 Comstock is three thousand three hundred and twelve dollars.

So mayor for so the duration for this uh permission is three months, right?

The duration of the case.

It's forever.

We we charge them every year.

Okay.

It's revocable if if we're doing a project and they need to relocate or we want want to revoke it, they would have to find no an alternate location.

Obviously, we can't cut off their electric and communications, but there's no sunset for this unless there is no sunset unless the council revokes it.

Okay.

You have the ability to revoke it.

And that can be initiated by the city or uh or a series of university, right?

Yes.

Okay.

Yep.

If they pull it out, they can yep, ask it to be terminated.

How did how did the fee come to be determined?

So this started back in approximately the year 2000.

Um, and the fee at that point was based on a dollar per linear foot for a four-inch conduit.

And that price has been tied the to the I think it's a consumer price index.

It's one of the indexes.

I'd have to look it up.

So that price has escalated every year since approximately year 2000.

Does this provide any additional right of way access?

Like in terms of service and conduit and things like that.

Do they no?

They put it in only if they need to repair it or replace it.

Then so once it's installed, it's just there.

So if you look at the letter, it tells you how much.

I don't have it right in front of me, but it gives the price for each of the conduits, the four-inch, the five-inch, the eight-inch.

Any other questions?

These fees are paid prior to them starting, right?

Yes.

Okay.

Yep.

Once this gets approved, then they submit, they have to submit all the insurance that's required for the revocable permission.

And they have to apply for a streetcar permit.

And they pay fees associated for you know per our streetcar permit.

So this is just the uh the annual fee is you know for occupying the right-of-way.

Okay.

Who set these prices?

We do.

Who set the fees?

Is it the city basal?

The city, yeah, based on the a dollar per linear foot that was initially established in approximate maybe it was the late 90s.

It was around 2000.

Does it have a go up?

Does it have a lot of it?

Yes, it's tied to the index.

Okay.

Consumer price index or construction cost index.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

Any other questions?

All right.

Thank you, ma'am.

Uh so then just 22 or 21 is that for 505 comstock av.

Electrical and communication duck banks.

And 22 is for the residential hall at 315 waverly av again, communication duck banks.

Um others.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That'll be all of them.

Thank you.

Uh, I'm gonna go to Council of Calga.

Thank you.

Um President Tay.

Penny Agua blesses the all today.

I have item number 10, and here we go.

So hello, I'm uh Tom Ferrar from the city school district.

I'm the director of facilities.

Uh Dr.

DeFlorio, Chief of Operations, is here.

So uh we have two projects here that we have to talk to you about, and they are both for field turf field replacement.

So um the turf field behind Sunny Crest Rink at Hannegar, not the main stadium, but the one behind it uh and the one down at Valley Field.

Um both of those pieces of turf are over 20 years old.

I think I've had three park commissioners ask us if we could replace it, and we worked with them to do that.

Uh when the school district does these projects, we get aid on them.

So those two fields are permitted by City Parks who operates those.

Our kids use them heavily, they're used by the community, uh, but we get aid where you would not get aid on.

So that's why we did it as a school district project.

Because we did JSCB phase two projects at both areas, we have to tie them to the buildings.

We had to wait five years to the aid reset.

So we started on these projects 2024.

We got the projects approved by the school board.

We did our normal designs, and we had got those approved by the state.

That usually takes about a year.

Uh we awarded the POs for the projects last November, and the contractor is ready to rock and roll on April 1st, as soon as the weather breaks.

Um and then the projects will be both be done in July.

The fields are in a condition right now where I think it's real questionable.

The safety of them.

I've cut a PO for what we call a G test.

So if we don't do this, we're gonna have to run I'm gonna have to run a G test to make sure that we can still use the fields.

So what happened was um there was a rural school district that used what they call the piggy backing law, and Chief Pachanko would be here to explain this to you today, but he's advocating for the district in Albany.

Um so what happened was there was a piggybacking law in a rural school district down in the Binghamton area went a little too far with the piggybacking and basically like tried to do a whole renovation by piggybacking, and a judge said you didn't competitively come um get that work, you can't do that.

Well, the judge left a lot of uh things unsaid.

There's been an appeal on the case, they're not gonna know the answers on the appeal until like late summer in the fall.

So out of caution, the New York State Comptroller issued some guidance, and people are concerned that the way we procured this, which is through piggybacking uh in November may not be a hundred percent good.

So what we're asking for is a bid waiver because if we cancel these POs, we're gonna get cost, and then we're gonna have to rebid the work won't be done until at best this late fall or next year.

So that's why we're asking for bid waivers on these projects.

Uh on Dog County, Hopkins Field did it the same way using um not a bid waiver, but did use this same piggybacking.

Uh we did something very similar uh on other projects like that for uh for turf replacement.

So I I have a question.

Um I guess my question is are there long-term capital improvement plans in place to to it's it just I'm not a fan of waiving RFPs for whatever reason we do it.

Um when I read over the information in our packet, it said that because you guys had a long-term relationship with this company and have worked with them before, you wanted to go with them.

I don't know that that's always in our best interest to do that.

It isn't.

Um so I'm not saying we shouldn't do these projects, but I have a real issue with us continuing to waive RFPs and not get the most competitive bid on projects because it ends up costing us more in the long run.

You can talk to Mr.

Maroon who's known me for a long time.

I think I think I've asked for one bid waiver in 17 years for the school district from you folks.

So we we don't normally do this when and um so it's it's not something we normally do.

Um we're gonna have to see what the courts say about this.

Um the one thing that's nice with this firm that we're using is field turf.

So the parks department and us have to maintain it, and there's different types of turf.

So when you go to bid, somebody can substitute and under New York State law, because we're using public money, if it's or equal, we have to accept it.

So one thing nice about using these types of contracts is we get the same type of turf, which makes it easier for all of us to maintain it.

So there's pros and cons about things like that.

But I I do think this is uh um a good reason to for a bid waiver.

Go ahead.

Oh, I was just gonna ask, and by by doing this process, then we're you can start in April.

Start April first soon, but even earlier, whenever the weather breaks, whenever the weather breaks and we'll have a couple nice ribbon cutting ceremonies uh end of June for all of you folks to come to the city.

So we don't it would only take to June.

Right.

And our busy time for turf is really the fall because we have football and soccer.

We use it too in the spring for other sports like lacrosse and things, and we have uh the girls' football, flag football is a very big sport now.

It's really taken off.

We we do that in the spring.

But this is actually, and I I won't speak for the commissioner, but this is actually a good time to get the work done.

And then uh for we're also we talked to parks um for the Valley Lacrosse League that starts a little earlier in June.

We'll we will make our other turf fields available for that program.

Yeah, so one of the things that um we've talked previously, and I've talked to um Mike Kachinko uh regarding this, and also we are really pushing away from um letting people get get through without putting RFPs out.

And he explained to me the situation, and also that as you guys are moving forward with all the joint construction school construction board that you guys are RFP in and doing all the great things to make sure we have a competitive bids, right?

Right, that that all gets RFP'd.

Um we work we we do all our capital projects with the city engineer's office.

So uh what happens is it all your role, uh believe it or not, is financing.

So the JSCB stuff we have to bond for that.

So that all comes that'll all come through you.

So yeah, we have the first three projects.

We uh have the architects under contract now, so Nottingham, uh Seymour, and Webster.

Nottingham, okay.

Nottingham is saying Hanneger is on the list too, and is Corkman.

So we're we're gonna do we're gonna get the whole the whole district done.

We're in great shape though, we really are.

So we have the architects just got selected and they've been uh they're gonna start.

We have public meetings next week.

We're hoping we can see it.

Nottingham and Seymour and Webster uh next week, five o'clock.

Uh I think it's Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

So um please come to those meetings and give us your input.

And uh we're looking forward.

Those projects will be coming through to you for the financing.

Thank you.

I do have a question.

Sure.

I understand that you believe that field turf is the safest alternative in terms of the turfs, but my understanding is that turf fields are not as safe for our athletes as grass fields.

Could you give me a justification as to why we would be replacing turf fields as opposed to taking them out entirely?

Um you could take out the turf field entirely and have grass.

Um I I don't know if Commissioner Byrd wants to talk about it, but what's nice about turf fields um is you're gonna get the turf like end of March, early April.

If you're dealing with grass, um my son played college lacrosse, he played in a parking lot when he was in high school.

They practice in a parking lot, and you know, and even in college, uh they would go to different places.

Um so that's what that's what's nice about the turf.

You get it earlier in the spring here and you can use it.

Um if you're talking pure I I'd have to be a doctor to answer is turf better than grass.

There's different maintenance and things like that.

But the the big reason is we get it earlier and you can use it a little later in the season too.

You can usually are most of our stadiums shut down around November after Thanksgiving, but you could actually go farther until the snow really comes.

So I just want to say that um I have been waiting for this field to be replaced.

And and the reason I'm saying that is that I I don't know how many people know that this field is a feel when it comes to Tamatot, it gave you seven days a week.

Right?

I go in there to play soccer, you know, with your seven children with with everybody.

So just you know, you know, as of for the something year old, you are running with 20 something year old playing soccer, and the last thing you want is anything that is going to distract your past and be used as SQs and the feel is like it's it's ripped.

It is ripped.

Yeah, sometimes some winners, we can't always do it, but we actually clean the snow off.

We have like some machinery, and a couple times, like up at Nottingham, we had half of the snow cleared off, and the kids are playing soccer on the other as we're clearing it.

So yeah, um, you know, Lincoln, uh kid kids are out as soon as those fields are cleared.

We uh yeah, we really um get a lot of use community use out of these fields.

So I I appreciate what you guys are doing here.

That feel, even if during the day, if you go summertime, just take a trip out there, summertime, and any uh late afternoon, early evening, you will see three, four, five teams across that field.

Yeah, but it's overly used.

Yeah so you coming guys coming through with this is is really appreciated.

And then on the grass side, it's it's chillapark.

You know, I I know assembly men shout out to assemblyman Mangrele.

We invested a lot of money to get that field back to where it was.

You two years after that, you go back and that field was torn up.

So when you food turpin, you I mean, anything natural is good, but when you get into a position where the field is overused like that, the grass just doesn't hold up.

And then heat, the grass is getting dry, it's not getting water, it's just it's it become a mess.

More injuries, right?

With respect, I hear that.

Yeah, but natural is always good.

Well better, preferably.

Our heat index is also going up, and turf fields can have uh difference of 10 degrees hotter than grass fields in the summertime.

That's gonna impact kids, and it's gonna end up impact use.

So I just I want to make sure that we're thinking about use holistically, in addition to things like ACL tears and things like that.

I want to make sure our student athletes continue to be healthy and have a long and illustrious career, like Counselor Caldwell here.

Still used to have more twisted ankles on grass than I had on turf.

But thank you, I appreciate everybody's because they're we appreciate it.

They have a before you step away.

Um not about this, but could you just give us an update on the field behind ITC?

On the stadium behind ITC?

Yeah, so the stadium behind ITC, we still do not have approval from the state of New York.

We are very, very close.

So as soon as we get that, we will be handing it off to uh city engineer to get it out to bid.

And and I think she wants us to talk to you folks about that too.

So thank you.

Thank you.

And why um uh I'm all over the place today.

Counselor Rouser, um, Jones Rousser mentioned that.

Can you also um make sure that the athletes at ITC get to see the renderings of what the stadium's gonna look like because they mentioned it to me.

So just I just thought about it right here that you get them together so they can see it because they've been talking about it and they just really want to see it.

But thank you for everything you do.

Sure.

Yeah, thank you.

Thank you.

Well, I'll say Councillor Innervick.

Uh item 23 payment to Sundance Leisure for providing services related to the salt conversion systems at city pools.

Hi, good afternoon, Saisha Bird Commissioner Parks.

Um, this is a payment from physical year 2025 to Sundance.

It's an amount of $2,000 to repair the salt water systems to do some work on it.

So, as you all know, we've been converting some of the pools into salt systems versus chlorine.

You still have to use some chlorine.

Um, but the goal we're really pushing this year to get the the pools up and running on these salt systems.

How far are we?

Um we have a training March 11th to learn how to use the system again with the team.

And so I'm hopeful that after that training we can start getting them up and moving.

Some of that had to do with like um IT connection in the in the pools and the buildings, outdoors.

So we've been able to work through some of that.

Um, and just to add to the gro the turf versus grass, I also understand like grass is so much better.

The the hard part about grass for some of the fields.

I know my kids play at Norwood, is irrigating and reseeding, and they play on it so much that there's holes and bald spots, and so I'm sending teams out all the time to fill holes to plant more seeds, but they use them so often it's hard to get them irrigated and seeded because they're always on them.

Is there draining pipes when it rains at these facilities?

Under not I know not Norwood.

No, no, no.

So parts of them stay kind of wet, the practice field does.

So yeah.

But economically, is it more to more to have turf fields and grass fields?

I'm not sure.

I know you get longer play time on a turf field.

Yeah.

You know, they're more attractive.

It's less work for for our crews to go out and seed and arrogate, but no questions about sundance.

We're gonna thank you very much, Commissioner.

Reason why you're up there.

Okay.

Okay.

So counselor Moore.

Thank you, Madam President.

I have items 24, 25, and 26.

Afternoon, counselors.

I'm Deputy Chief Tom, Syracuse Police Department.

Uh I have 24 and 25.

They are to ask and to enter into an agreement with Helio Health to provide mental health awareness and wellness training for our department.

That's through 24.

And 25 is to enter an agreement with Helio Health to provide uh evaluating services for our officers in crisis.

Why Helio Health?

So we did an RFP, and the applicants were Helio Health and another company.

Uh Healy Health provided a better, a better, more comprehensive service.

They have more resources available, they have a larger library when it comes to training.

They were going to dedicate specific people as our evaluators.

We have an established relationship with them already, uh working relationship.

Um, and they were the most cost-effective.

Um was any of the counsel on the RFP?

Um I think President Paniago was there on the committee.

Yes, I was.

Um I have my reservations about Helio Health.

Um, their reputation with their their main business um is not so good, but at the same time, I just feel like being that they need to focus on their primary work, that that will be pulling their staff away from what they do to accommodate this.

Um by any chance do you know what the other uh the other RFP's responses were, who those were.

They couldn't give us so we asked specifically for who the trainers would be and who they're not the trainers, who were the other RFPs.

Uh the only one local was COMCs.

Um, and there they had two clinicians here in City of Syracuse.

They couldn't dedicate them full time.

The other ones were virtual uh in Florida.

And I'd uh capacity.

I'd prefer to work with a company that's local and that we can have face-to-face interactions with.

And they did say that I can't speak for how much of a strain would fall on their other business, but we did have an interview with them, and in meeting with the evaluators and the educators, we felt very comfortable with what they were going to provide just in terms of a service.

They've also um just speaking on the housing aspect, they've also entered that arena as far as like wraparound services, um, and they've done a terrible job at that.

Um so the things that they state they can do, you know.

I don't know, you know, if that's 100% true all the time.

I think they just have their hands in a lot of things.

Um, but from our standpoint, our our um working relationship with them from being co-responders um in and interacting with people with mental health issues, and then working specifically with an officer when we had an officer in crisis.

Um there's a a very the people who will be working with our officers are are not the people that are out in the field, and that was very specific on our part to make sure there was no uh conflicts of interest.

Um I can't speak of how well of a job they did.

They did present really well, and they give a very um very compelling reason that we should go with them.

We could talk all day about the shortage of mental health.

Yes, you know, that we're we have a problem where we just don't have enough providers to actually be taking care of people.

So I know I say this every year, but thank you for at least making sure that we have a place for people to go.

Thank you.

Your jobs are not easy.

You you go to them, or do they heal your health comes to you?

We'll call them.

We'll have what we've done in the past is we can have uh phone conference, and if it escalates to the point where we need them to respond in person, then they'll respond in person.

Okay, so they are there also in emergencies.

Yeah, there so let me let me um clarify.

RFP 24 is specific.

I mean, item 24 is specifically for training uh for our officers, our command staff, our peer support team.

Item 25 is in emergency situations, they will respond.

And to go back to what council Jones Rousser said about the neighborhoods.

Uh Heli Health has an apartment on Catherine Street.

I've heard complaints from constituents there, people shooting themselves up.

We've had many police officers have to travel in that area.

So they and there's people who who have crisis issues, who have mental health issues, who live in that neighborhood, and they call me about issues like that as well.

Last week I met with a nurse in my office, and we talked about healing health and what they do.

So I understand that it's it's important, but sometimes I mean it's a great program, but as the counselor said, um, they're not always good neighbors.

They're not being held responsible of what they're doing sometimes.

And that's the point that we we wanted to bring across.

Because that puts a burden on you department.

I mean, this is not to serve the community, it's to serve this is the only to serve the officers.

We know that we're saying that the just to make sure that what they do is specific to the community, but they're reaching in other places that they're pulling staff, I believe, to do stuff that they don't normally do, and it's weakening everything.

But that's just me.

So Chief, I I understand number 24 as being on the training part.

Number 25 being on the evaluation side.

I thought last year we that there is a specific person dedicated to the evaluation of officers.

Why is helial help being pulled in?

We did.

We had a contract with Dr.

Bernard that we severed our relationship with because there were conflicts of interest in how she was treating our officers.

So we went back to the drawing board, we did an RFP, and we decided to separate the two um programs, being one's treating and then one not treating.

One is an evaluation and one is uh instruction or education.

So we no longer have that relationship with their own.

What about because I I also remember fire department also had at another one.

Is it was there a way?

Chief, uh am I just not am I confusing things here, or don't you have an evaluator as well that you use?

Um, this is a different program.

And we're gonna use Krause help people for similar types of issues, but this is gonna be like um our behavioral health, um, critical incident stress.

Um, when we have uh people that need to get umger management, all these different types of uh social behaviors.

Yeah, the psychological distress of the work itself, right?

And I'm I'm not totally familiar with their program, but I think they're they're not exactly the same, I will say.

Yeah, they're different.

And we were we were working with who who put in for our RFP as well, and they did not apply for our RFP.

So do you have any knowledge of people being pulled out of I I don't know in terms of how their business is run.

I can't I can't speak for what they're doing with their resources.

Um and I understand that's the reputation from the community standpoint, but like I said, we've had a we've had a great experience with them in in or in from a training aspect and also from an evaluation aspect.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

You'll say I'm also thank you.

That project will be um to move us to 1153 and to provide for the remainder of the project management costs on that project.

Rich.

I'm sorry.

So we've um we've had moving expenses on the last three to four uh agendas.

Yeah.

I can explain that.

Yeah.

Yeah, I can explain that.

So two sessions ago, I did come before you and I asked for money for the move and the project uh management, but that was for bonded cash.

And what we learned between the council session and the vote is that um bonded cash cannot be used for services.

So I had to remove those and the appendix, the updated appendix that you got for uh the last vote didn't have the move on it.

So I asked twice, but the the bond council and the usable life and all those specific rules with bonded money forced us to look for unallocated cash in our existing cash capital in order to move this forward.

So apologize for that twice, but that's that's exactly what happened.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Donna, are you on sick?

Oh, I wasn't saying thank you.

Like I spoke for everybody.

I'm sorry.

Oh you good?

Yeah.

Thank you.

Thank you for trying.

Uh council games.

All right.

Thank you.

I have uh oh, I'm sorry, the um the CDBG um item 27 is for a CDBG uh public hearing, um, which is will be held next Monday at 5 30 p.m.

Um item number 28 is in this application I again, everybody.

Uh I can wait.

Yeah.

But we're looking to expand the senior uh exemption program.

Um expanding the pool of um, I should say um increasing the eligible exemption for uh incomes 65 percent of total uh property value.

We've we've provided some numbers to Counselor Jones Rousser.

Uh I think we've got a meeting of the minds uh that this is a pretty good step in the right direction for for the demographic we're looking to serve and uh hope to get this introduced and uh voted upon.

Yeah.

Oh council, um, what is the maximum for uh oh gosh, and this is what I get for not printing out my letter.

Um I think the maximum is 54,999.99 cents, but I can double check and get back to it.

Uh 54 and 999.

Okay.

Yeah, but you have if you have the letter in front of you.

Okay, um, 5839.

I apologize.

So essentially this uh just ups the percentage of taxable um assessed value that would be eligible for the exemption up to 65 percent for those making under the the minimum threshold any questions.

Thanks, Brian.

All right, 29 is uh what is this one?

Oh, Jake.

Good afternoon, council.

Jake Dishhaw, deputy commissioner of code enforcement and zoning.

Item number 29 is a renewal for a contract to do third-party plan review for building permit uh reviews, so development can start construction.

So uh as a quick summary, we recently a year ago we approved six firms to do plan review on the city's behalf.

This is an extension of the permit office doing uh building code reviews um so we can get permits issued faster.

It's going really well.

Um we're just looking to renew with these six firms.

Have we ever have have we been able to maybe collect a data to see from from the time when we didn't authorize the third party to the time that we have authorized them and and how much time in terms of how quickly the the permits have been approved?

Have we we look at that to see to really make it the benefit the benefit of this?

Yeah, um, we can send you information on that, but I can give a quick statement that kind of puts it in real perspective.

Prior to having third-party plan review, we would have dozens and dozens of projects waiting to just get plan reviewers' eyes on it.

They're just sitting in a in line in queue.

Now with these six firms, as soon as an application comes in, we we put it out within a day to start reviewing.

We've my entire career here that's never happened.

Okay.

So I I guess for what I'm trying to go at is so say in before we approve this at this time of the year before we prove approve the third party.

How many um permits have gone through relative to this time of the year?

The last time before we had approved.

Oh, I gotcha.

Um I'd have to run the numbers, but I mean it's gotta be significantly more because this is like adding six full-time employees to my office doing plan review.

Like without them, the volume of reviews just isn't happening over the course of the week that our employees are working.

Um I would love to see the volume.

Yeah, we can send you that.

You know, just I mean, I mean, Jake, this is this is good.

This is good.

Any anything we can do to alleviate a stress of being overloaded, it's it's good, right?

Sure.

But at the same time as people who authorized it, we would like to see the real-time data as to how this has transformed over the time.

Certainly.

Yeah.

Okay.

So let me let me make a comment and because this is a process that I myself went through just recently, which it you know, it flowed okay.

But there was one thing um that we we struggled a little bit with from the approval of the code of the commission, uh, to share that the information of part of the project.

Since these people are not here, they just don't know our our our area or or what the commission uh the zoning commission, you know, uh agreed to approved.

Um so for instance, in in my particular experience, um, there were some site improvements that had nothing to do with the project that the commission gave them a certain amount of time to get it done, but that that was not part of the are you referring to delaying you know what?

I'm sorry?

Are you you mean the planning commission?

Yes.

So this is strictly for New York State uniform building code review only.

It's it's uniform in the entire city of New York, except for New York City and large municipalities along.

It has nothing to do with zoning reviews.

This is just for construction plan review.

So building code review before you get a building permit to start, you know, raising a uh a building and framing and foundation and all that.

But the process starts with the with uh with the review, right?

Well, yeah, certain projects definitely.

Right physically.

Um so there's that process, but this these firms do not they're they're doing building code review on construction plans, making sure they're compliant with the New York State uniform code.

Okay, so it's different.

It's different, yes.

Okay.

Um happy to sit down you know, outside of uh this meeting and review any of this, but uh I mean I've I've spent my career working on getting to this point.

It's not been better in my time, and we can provide data.

Well, I think it's great.

I'm not gonna I'm not yeah, it's I think it's it's a good thing to do.

I was just you know Yeah, understood.

And happy to discuss the zoning process.

Just making sure that the process flow even is.

So Jake, big picture.

Um I know one of the points of contention during the last budget cycle was the reduction of offering this amount um from I believe 600 down to 300,000.

Um you're coming with kind of the second half of that allocation more than halfway through the year.

Um what I guess what was the flow.

How do people get into the queue to use the the third-party review?

And if knowing that we're coming into budget season very shortly, if there were more money in this pool, could you push more people into that third-party process?

Um yes and yes.

So how they get into the queue is we are assigning these firms reviews no different than how I would assign a full-time plan reviewer sitting on the seventh floor of one park place.

So we have project management and our director and assistant director of the permit office uh with project management uh staff, they oversee kind of the flow of everything and what projects are in each reviewer's plate.

So they just keep assigning them based on you know capacity, uh, based on turnaround times, like based on you know availability as well.

Um and they try to get these uh assigned to companies and or full personnel so we can get to them as quickly as we can we can.

More money means putting out more projects, which means these third-party firms can commit more staff to do it if they're gonna make more money off it.

We've been told that if if you spent more money on this, we would provide more staff to do it on the city's behalf.

Um yes, and I think we'd be looking at you know close to three quarters of a million dollars, if not more.

Um, as that's what I would ask for.

Yeah.

Um, you know, kind of as we think about the next month, two months.

Um I know that there were numbers getting kicked around last cycle around if we put this much in, we can get this much back out.

Um I'd encourage you to think about that return on investment and how much money we can generate with additional allocations to third party review.

Yeah, understood.

Um, and I think you know, indirect there's positives too, because it's not just um time is money in the development world, and I'm sure many of you or most of you, or even all of you have heard from developers saying they're losing uh you know money off interest waiting and time.

Contractors are in town, can't start, you know, shovels aren't in the ground.

Like this helps all of that too.

Um so I want I don't want that to be forgotten in the whole conversation about this.

Um it helps everything to um uh about the development.

Yep.

Um quick note, and we can talk offline, Clerk.

The short title and the the amount doesn't seem to match the latter submitted, so we can can we take a look at that.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um if you can just give I'm because I'm confused by uh I'll I'll try to do my best.

Oh, it's going from Camon to me, so I'll let her talk about it.

Okay.

All right.

Good afternoon, counselors.

Come on Jordan, director of housing and neighborhood planning.

So this is a request to have uh deputy commissioner de Shaw named as uh environmental review certifying officer.

So for every project that we put federal funds into, we need to complete an environmental review.

We were informed by HUD a few weeks ago that the person preparing the review cannot be the person that signs off.

So we would have NBD staff like myself, um people in zoning who would complete the review, and then Jake would just sign off as the officer.

So on uh CPC is mirror that person, does Mira do that?

In zoning?

So I'm conducting the environmental reviews currently.

I'm sorry.

So the the office of the administration does the uh uh seeker reviews.

Uh Mayor um is just the land use attorney from corp council that's uh staffing um the zoning office and our boards.

Um, but the staff do the reviews and ultimately um as zoning administrator, it falls under my purview.

So we're I think what Camon's saying is this would just shift um in align with that.

Staff to you.

It would shift from her to me.

Oh, from you to her, okay.

Yes.

So this is you're the writer.

So I'm the currently I am the preparer, so I'm doing the review, and I'm signing off on them.

Okay.

We can I can't do both.

So Jake will sign off and I will do the reviews.

Okay.

And NEPA is separate from Seeker.

There's two separate environmental review processes.

Okay.

Sure.

Uh can you give me an update on uh 635637 East Well, North McBride Street?

Yeah, so from my understanding, I believe the law department was working to send out the final 30-day and surplus notice to foreclose.

I can take a look and follow up.

Please go, all right.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

And I know you had another court street address that you were curious about.

Yeah, 532 as well.

So it'll go before the land bank for a resolution.

After that, we can bring it before council.

Okay, thank you.

Any questions?

Thank you.

Councils.

Yes.

Counselor Monte.

I have items 31 and 32.

Uh, we're going to continue to hold 31.

Oh.

Yeah, I have a meeting um on Friday, Matt.

Okay.

So yeah, if there's anything I can do to help clarify and move this forward to start up this morning.

So we're gonna talk Friday and then we might be ready money.

We'll see.

Okay, cool.

Just want to emphasize that this is um not only in keeping, you know, consistent with all of our shelter red requests, but I think uh about at the ceiling of what we do request.

So um happy to do whatever I can to move it forward.

Okay, we'll we'll know Monday.

Maybe Friday after we meet.

Thanks.

Thanks.

Council Miller.

And 32 we're gonna hold as well.

Thank you, ma'am.

I also have item 33.

Good afternoon, counselors Michael Lehman, deputy commissioner with the assessment departments.

Uh just want to preface this by saying we aren't asking for any additional money.

This uh is asking to amend an ordinance that had authorized funds to be paid to Hubert Brewer for the purchase and installation of audiovisual equipment.

We're just looking to increase that amount, and this is that increase is based on bonds that were authorized last summer.

So really just moving numbers from one column to another.

No additional funding is being requested today.

But is it is that that at the end of it is going to combine 26 and 33 together eventually?

That's the yeah.

Can you say that again, please?

Um item 26 and 33 eventually are going to be combined, right?

No.

Is that the idea?

No.

Um they do in separate things, two different accounts.

I'm only speaking for the Department of Assessments funds.

Never mind.

Rita, I have one more thing.

Go ahead.

Yes, Counselor.

Ums that were originally bonded and appropriated for furniture to the installation and delivery of audio visual equipment.

I understand that.

What are we doing for the furniture?

So last year we asked for a total of two million dollars for furniture fixtures and equipment.

This 497 falls under that two million dollars.

We just hadn't when we asked um in December, I believe it was for um funding for Huber Brewer for appliances and audiovisual equipment.

We only had authorized the amount for the appliances.

And this audio visual equipment is utilized for this will be over at uh 1153 West Fiat, the new public safety headquarters.

Um it'll be uh interactive and non-interactive uh televisions primarily bill.

I'm sorry.

Thank you.

So uh so the AV that we're operating on at 511 is archaic.

It it doesn't exist.

We have cameras on top of our TVs that fall off when we're doing teams, that sort of thing.

So this really the AV package outfits our conference rooms with smart boards so that we would have interactive capabilities in our conference rooms.

There are two EOCs, emergency operations centers, one on the uh the sixth floor for the fire department, and another one on the fifth floor for the police department.

Multi-screen, multi-capabilities in terms of what we display on those screens.

It really brings us into modern day uh equipment that we didn't have before.

So I know it's a lot of money, but it is really just it's not like we're stepping from something that was good into this.

We just don't have anything like that, and we're going into you know this these products, so that's why the that money is there for that.

Do we purchase off of a state contract or how do we get these?

Um so we put the A V bid out, right?

Um, and no one applied back.

One one sorry, one person applied back, but only on the partial of it, couldn't even fulfill it all.

So we worked with city government and were able to um get a waiver because we did the RFP.

No one applied, so we went to HB, they fulfilled it.

So no one no one came back on the RFP.

Just as a side note, I think it's really wonderful to see the police and fire department working together on specifically equipment needs, and it would be wonderful to see more overlap on other non civil service positions and things of that nature in terms of your budget overlaps.

Yeah, I know you talked about the mental health uh Chief Mons, Chief Rustin and I have been talking about converging that mental health work together, talking about IT, um converging IT functions together.

So we are in merely earnest discussion about saving the city money by combining um resources.

Love to hear more of that.

Yeah, for sure.

Chief, that's that's because that's what I was trying to refer to earlier with with Chief Mann being here with um, not to interrupt you.

Right.

But I I I feel I feel like yes, police and fire are a different uh different profession.

The psychological and the emotional exposure to some to some degree mirror, you know.

And if you are able to find a way to kind of utilize a same vendor, it makes makes a lot of sense.

Yep, we don't disagree.

Just those two particular programs that DC Tom is talking about and what the chief presented before were a little different.

But there are absolute avenues, and we talked about you know the IT, mental health, um, those sort of things for sure.

Commissioner OJ, can you come back up?

Because Councillor Williams has a question on 31.

Nope.

Thank you, Counselor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Commissioner.

So, Commissioner, my concern with this item has always been that our numbers are not matching.

Um we had our committee meeting, we heard that the current payment is approximately $300,000 going to be up to $800,000.

The agenda item has it listed for $215,000.

Um we asked for additional detail, and you know, the number that they put out is $280,000, which again does not match the 215.

Um, I'm I'm wondering about the discrepancy between the 215 and the 280 and how we ever make it to 800.

Well, not to be pedantic, but we didn't.

Um our request is simply for a shelter rent agreement that authorizes the 216 uh 150.

Um based on the developer's calculations.

Um if we were to calculate 10% of gross rent less utilities, if rents continue to increase at some time during the deal.

This could be worth that um the 816 and change annually.

Um but that that is pointedly not what the administration, what assessment is asking for right now.

If we were to get there, splendid.

Um but right now we're we're simply asking for a straightforward 550 a unit shelter rent or 10% of gross rent less utilities, whichever is greater.

Um, and again, if that were to exceed the floor that we've asked for, that would be terrific.

But right now, um wait, we only anticipate what's in the request for legislation.

I I think I I you know there are a few cooks in the kitchen on this one.

Um really appreciate the cooperation from the development partners.

Um, but but the inclusion of some of these figures, I think um, I hope it hasn't unreasonably reset expectations on the part of the council.

Um because, you know, the the the virtues of this deal, I think are contained in in our request for legislation.

Um and I don't want to get distracted by other figures.

How do we realize the gains if you know this future state that you talk about comes to fruition where you know how and when are we able to continue to gain additional funds from the shelter rental?

In in in the course of the instant deal, you mean uh to two to this end of uh $800,000 protected predicted by the developer.

If rents continue to go up, um if audited financial reports from the developer come into the Department of Finance every year, if finance is appropriately staffed and administers this property, if they bill, um and if the developer pays, yeah, it it could it could possibly touch that.

It doesn't seem like we're ever getting there.

It it it could.

I apologize.

I don't I don't mean to be too too um pointed with with my conditionals here.

Um but but I you know I don't I don't like to I don't like to lean on that when I make these asks of council because we've established this um this unit fee to take some of the burden off finance and and to sort of mitigate against the um unpredictability that comes from relying on the audited financial statements of a developer.

That's a heck of a lot of work for the department.

Um checking that work can be a little unreliable.

If if we request a 500 a unit, 525 unit, 550 a unit floor, that's a certain amount that we're getting every year.

It it's not a terrible administrative burden.

It's very predictable for underwriters for the developer for everybody on the developer side.

Um and it's worked really well for us since before I've been here.

I hope that's not aiming too low, but but you know, uh again I I think finance would probably agree with me that it's it's worked awfully well for us of late.

May I I want to make a comment.

Oh uh with these uh tax exemptions programs.

It's like we're giving them a carrot to please build here, and we'll promise you it will there will not be any crime or any problems.

And and I think it's unfortunate to bring people to do a project, it's always tax exemption, but the taxpayers should still have to get the bill.

It's like we're giving them a carat.

Yeah, and I know I know my belief isn't necessarily shared on this one.

I I really like these shelter rent um exemptions because we do get something.

There's an annual liability for the developer and the and the community, you know, the the corporation of the city of Syracuse right down to the community to get something it needs housing.

Um this call 300 tax rolls.

It it yeah, it it'll be a roll section one property.

They'd be paying 550 dollars per year per unit annually in addition to charges and fees.

Um and we're getting 393 either new or wholly renovated units of housing um in in a neighborhood and in a city that needs it.

And every unit we add has a ripple effect on the rest of the 393.

Um whole wholesale replacement of everything that's there, whether on the western portion of the complex, gut reno, and on the two new buildings to replace the eastern portion of the complex, new build at the two corners of the Westmoreland and um and East Fayette intersection.

So uh in a in an era where HUD has starved housing authorities, there is there is no public money for building new units.

This this is the best thing we've come up with, and assessment really happens to like it.

Perfect, maybe not, but it's it's how we're getting new units.

And I don't see anybody else coming up with 393 new units of affordable housing.

Absolutely.

So I think we end up with our back to the wall and we end up taking what we can get, which it feels like that a lot, but I I understand what you're saying that still doesn't feel great all the time.

I think it probably feels like that in every every aspect of government, but here I don't know.

I I I think the the net gain well outweighs the negatives.

It's done right.

If it's done right.

And again, one one guy's opinion.

Yeah.

Thanks.

Anybody else?

Thanks, Matt.

Okay.

Anybody else?

Are we done?

Thank you.

All right, so we adjourned this meeting.

Motion to adjourn.

Second.

Second.

Thank you.