OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Syracuse City Council Study Session - July 13, 2026

Public Meetings — Monday, July 13, 2026
BodySyracuse, New York
SessionPublic Meetings
DateMonday, July 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 29:21

Transcript — Verbatim
4:34

All right, it is the little glove.

4:36

We're gonna start our study session.

4:42

Public hearings.

4:44

Go over there in items.

4:56

And then moving on to the Wednesday.

5:01

Okay.

5:03

Council will easily who's thinking counselor call will Dimit you want to do that?

5:08

Sorry coming in, but maybe I guess we're um sure I am.

5:12

Um counselor called oh, this is for everybody.

5:14

Okay, this is the naming of McChesney and Homer Reton, and those are ready.

5:18

Okay.

5:20

So and then 11 and 12 are the public hearings that we will have.

5:25

No, we already had it.

5:27

I'm sorry, that we already had okay, perfect.

5:30

All righty.

5:32

All right, Councilor My Choke.

5:35

Thank you, madam President.

5:37

Um is Eric here?

5:44

Eric Okay for item 13.

5:50

Um we have been working like crazy on this one, and I think it has come to a place where it's uh it's ready.

6:04

And you want to add anything else?

6:08

No, I can um I I know we have been discussing that length, counselor.

6:12

Um, I can provide high level overview on it.

6:14

I know it was included in the materials that were presented um in the packet on Friday, but I'll defer to you.

6:23

Yes, ma'am.

6:25

I want to know where is the schedule for the permit applications?

6:30

You have a schedule for that?

6:32

We do.

6:32

So included in the information that was included in the packet, it has the revised changes, and that's primarily around the work zone traffic control.

6:43

So that is includes the schedule there, and then as we uh had talked about, there's a breakdown between the construction and development schedule and then the utilities, if it's a utility project.

6:53

So there's a breakdown of those two schedules.

6:57

Aside from the changes to the work zone traffic control piece, that that's what we're amending primarily as part of this.

7:04

Um the remaining fees that are outlined, those are all remaining the same within the right of way ordinance.

7:10

Okay, so because the vehicle staging and parking meter fees, do we have that documented as well?

7:18

Okay, sorry, counselor, can you just say that again?

7:23

So that is being so the parking meter rental is remaining exactly the same.

7:27

So that is not changing.

7:28

So the piece that's already in there, and if you're renting a parking meter that's $18 per day, that is staying and retaining as is within the right of way ordinance.

7:38

Have we charged any of those fees yet?

7:41

The changes that we're talking about though go into effect today.

7:45

So this would be for for projects going forward as of today, then we would have the ability for everything, including what we've talked about with the lane closure, uh, anything to that effect would be going into effect as of today, as it's written in the ordinance.

7:59

So who is gonna monitor this though?

8:01

Who's gonna monitor all of this?

8:03

So uh public works and the traffic transportation team within public works will primarily, and that's the way that it's being conducted now.

8:11

The way the ordinance is written, and this is not changing, but the way the ordinance is written, is multiple departments do have the ability to um conduct uh an analysis of how the right-of-way is being used and be able to refer if there are any violations.

8:25

They have the ability to monitor and enforce.

8:27

So that includes the Department of Water, because they operate and are conducting right-of-way work.

8:32

Uh it does include other departments like enforcement.

8:35

So we're beginning that conversation because we do have a lot of correct, yeah.

8:39

Coordination between departments.

8:40

Yep, so primarily it has really been DPW that is ultimately been responsible for that work.

8:45

We are looking to integrate and coordinate between other departments to assist, given the amount of work that is taking place within the right of way.

8:53

Correct, yeah, and that's been a real uh, you know, I think uh an enlightening part of this process is really just the fact we want to make sure we're working with other departments, given the fact that we do have city staff from various departments that are out on the street as these work projects are underway.

9:08

But Eric, there was a um there was a notice sent out for specifically for a position to oversee that.

9:16

Correct.

9:17

So we have so that position it is within DPW.

9:21

This is a vacant position.

9:22

We have actually identified the candidate.

9:24

This will be an internal candidate in DPW.

9:26

So that we're in the process of doing that transition now, but we will then have all our vacancies for the right-of-way inspectors will be fulfilled, and then again, part of it is looking at other ways other departments can assist us with that monitoring and enforcement.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████28%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████20%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████████████19%
Technology and Innovation██████████████████18%
Water And Wastewater Management███████7%
Personnel Matters████4%
Procurement████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Syracuse City Council Study Session - July 13, 2026

The Syracuse City Council held a study session on July 13, 2026, to review proposed amendments to the right-of-way ordinance, discuss a water infrastructure grant application, consider a pilot program for AI-assisted permitting, and address an extension for the Comstock Avenue project. Several items were called ready for the upcoming business meeting, and the council debated enforcement capacity and data privacy concerns.

Discussion Items

  • Right-of-Way Ordinance Amendments (Item 13): Councilor Michel introduced the proposed changes, primarily around work zone traffic control and fee schedules. Eric from DPW explained that parking meter rental fees remain unchanged at $18/day, and the new fee schedule would take effect immediately. The council discussed enforcement capacity, including the hiring of a new right-of-way inspector (internal candidate identified) and coordination among departments. Councilor Michel expressed concern about monitoring and enforcement capacity, noting that even with the new hire, more staff may be needed given the volume of permits. DPW acknowledged the need and committed to assessing future staffing needs.

  • Water Grant Application and Bond (Items 40-42): The council discussed a $5 million grant application with a $1.5 million match for the chlorine conversion project. To meet the July 31 deadline, the council agreed to vote on the application (Item 40) while holding the bond authorization (Items 41-42) for further committee discussion. The water department confirmed that approving the application alone does not risk the grant.

  • AI Permitting Pilot (Item 83): Councillor Strausser introduced a pilot program to use AI for plan review, funded by a HUD grant. Several councilors raised concerns about data privacy, referencing past issues with the Flock contract. Michael Collins, Deputy Commissioner of Code Enforcement, and Jake Dish explained that the technology would be procured through an RFP, and the council would have oversight. Budget Director Evan noted that RFPs now include questions about data usage. The council agreed to move forward with the application after clarifying that the pilot would be commercial-only.

  • Comstock Avenue Extension (Item 89): Councilor Michel presented a 90-day extension for the Comstock project (through September 29, 2026). Eric clarified that the new right-of-way fee schedule would apply from the date of passage, and the escalating fee structure would start at day one of the new ordinance, not backdated.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1-12: The council noted that public hearings had already been held.
  • Items 13-38: Held pending further discussion on the right-of-way ordinance.
  • Items 39-40: Item 39 approved; Item 40 (application) approved.
  • Items 41-42: Held for committee discussion.
  • Items 43-88: Called ready by respective councilors, including the finance agenda (70-81) and items 82-83 (AI pilot) after clarification.
  • Items 84-89: Item 89 approved as an extension.

Key Outcomes

  • The council approved the right-of-way ordinance amendments (Item 13) effective immediately, with new fee schedules for work zone traffic control.
  • The council approved the water grant application (Item 40) but held the bond authorization (Items 41-42) for further review.
  • The council moved forward with the AI permitting pilot application (Item 83) with the understanding that the pilot is commercial-only and data privacy will be addressed in the RFP.
  • The council approved the 90-day extension for the Comstock Avenue project (Item 89) under the new fee schedule.
  • The council entered executive session to discuss ERB matters.

Note: No vote tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Meeting Transcript

All right, it is the little glove. We're gonna start our study session. Public hearings. Go over there in items. And then moving on to the Wednesday. Okay. Council will easily who's thinking counselor call will Dimit you want to do that? Sorry coming in, but maybe I guess we're um sure I am. Um counselor called oh, this is for everybody. Okay, this is the naming of McChesney and Homer Reton, and those are ready. Okay. So and then 11 and 12 are the public hearings that we will have. No, we already had it. I'm sorry, that we already had okay, perfect. All righty. All right, Councilor My Choke. Thank you, madam President. Um is Eric here? Eric Okay for item 13. Um we have been working like crazy on this one, and I think it has come to a place where it's uh it's ready. And you want to add anything else? No, I can um I I know we have been discussing that length, counselor. Um, I can provide high level overview on it. I know it was included in the materials that were presented um in the packet on Friday, but I'll defer to you. Yes, ma'am. I want to know where is the schedule for the permit applications? You have a schedule for that? We do. So included in the information that was included in the packet, it has the revised changes, and that's primarily around the work zone traffic control. So that is includes the schedule there, and then as we uh had talked about, there's a breakdown between the construction and development schedule and then the utilities, if it's a utility project. So there's a breakdown of those two schedules. Aside from the changes to the work zone traffic control piece, that that's what we're amending primarily as part of this. Um the remaining fees that are outlined, those are all remaining the same within the right of way ordinance. Okay, so because the vehicle staging and parking meter fees, do we have that documented as well? Okay, sorry, counselor, can you just say that again? So that is being so the parking meter rental is remaining exactly the same. So that is not changing. So the piece that's already in there, and if you're renting a parking meter that's $18 per day, that is staying and retaining as is within the right of way ordinance. Have we charged any of those fees yet? The changes that we're talking about though go into effect today. So this would be for for projects going forward as of today, then we would have the ability for everything, including what we've talked about with the lane closure, uh, anything to that effect would be going into effect as of today, as it's written in the ordinance. So who is gonna monitor this though? Who's gonna monitor all of this? So uh public works and the traffic transportation team within public works will primarily, and that's the way that it's being conducted now. The way the ordinance is written, and this is not changing, but the way the ordinance is written, is multiple departments do have the ability to um conduct uh an analysis of how the right-of-way is being used and be able to refer if there are any violations. They have the ability to monitor and enforce. So that includes the Department of Water, because they operate and are conducting right-of-way work. Uh it does include other departments like enforcement. So we're beginning that conversation because we do have a lot of correct, yeah. Coordination between departments.

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