Um understanding and knowledge to know what is best for the community for the city.

And please bless us that we can be guided and instructed by them.

We are grateful for the opportunities we have for the many blessings our city has received.

We ask that you continue to bless us with moisture.

We can be able to have enough to fill our reservoirs and water our fields.

We are truly grateful for the opportunities we have as we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

I pledge of the flat of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation under God.

Indivisible.

Our motion to adopt the agenda.

So moved.

Second.

All in favor.

Aye.

Any opposed.

Okay.

First item on our agenda tonight.

We would like to recognize.

I think we're moving downstairs.

Are we moving downstairs?

We are.

Sorry.

Just left without us.

We'd like to recognize the other Caroline Briggs, who are our grand marshals this year for our heritage parade.

We do offer a little memento there so they can remember that they were honored with that.

So you take that.

But I also want to recognize them.

The highest honor that the city can give is the key to the city.

And I want to also present this to you because what do you've done for this community in working with the uh church to get a temple here is probably the most significant change this community will see ever.

And uh we honor that.

We're grateful to you.

We're grateful for all we can do for the city anyway, just being wonderful citizens.

So I wanted to present that to you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

That's a real honor.

Thank you.

And now I got a good idea.

But we can let folks know how much we appreciate you.

Squishing in.

Yeah, I like the okay.

Moving on.

The next item in our agenda is for uh public comment.

If this is an opportunity for anybody to bring forward some information if they'd like to share with the council or like something to be on a future agenda, we can bring that item forward.

Um, if it is not on our current agenda, we can't respond to any questions.

Is there anybody that has a public comment?

Seeing none, I will close public comment.

Our next item is to approve minutes.

We have the minutes from the August 12th City Council regular meeting, the August 26th work session, and the August 26th special meeting.

Do I have any changes from anyone or can I get a motion to approve those?

So moved.

Second.

Moved and seconded.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed.

Motion passes unanimous.

The next are our consent items.

These are items that we've talked about in a work session and come to a complete consensus on.

Again, uh council member could bring take any of these off the consent agenda if they wanted further discussion.

Tonight's items for consent are the proposed ordinance 25-35, amending the Syracuse City zoning map for a property located at approximately 2402 west, 2700 south, from A1 to R2.

Uh, the proposed resolution R25-37 amending the Syracuse personnel policies and procedures pertaining to the observance of Juneteenth holiday, uh, which would be to move it in compliance with the state's version of that holiday.

And item C is proposed resolution R25-38, adjusting the annual schedule for the Syracuse City Heritage Day celebration, uh, so that we would not be in conflict with the air show that the uh the base puts on every other year.

Those are our items of consent.

Is there any amendments that anyone has?

Otherwise, I will take a motion.

I move that we approve proposed ordinance 25-35, proposed resolution R25-37 and proposed resolution R25-38.

Second.

Moved and seconded.

All in favor.

Any opposed?

That passes unanimously.

Item number six is proposed ordinance 25-36, amending the Syracuse City Municipal Code Section 6.10 relating to property maintenance regulations.

Uh Steve, who's presenting this one tonight?

Noah.

Okay.

Noah, is there anything that has changed since our work session where this was discussed?

We did make some alterations to the proposal text based off of our conversation to put in some keywords like uh let's see, uh normal wear and tear.

Um we did adjust some of the fine stuff.

I worked with Colin to get get that as we discussed last time.

So that hopefully what is in the packet reflects what we discussed last time.

Council, were there any concerns you'd like to bring up for discussion?

So I had a I I still have a bit of a concern with the language of the code.

And I emailed out earlier today some, you know, kind of just some ideas of proposed language, but um my main concern is that we seem to be taking going from one extreme to the other.

So we've gone from having you know the authority to regulate weeds that are over six inches tall and dead trees all the way down to making sure that their paint isn't doesn't have any deferred maintenance.

Um, and so I tried to take an approach where we would maybe consider something where we're you know uh not necessarily um making it so that they have to comply with the um the original site plan to write down to the letter of the law, but substantially slim similar condition, and then focusing more on um I guess hazardous condition or public safety as a as a method of enforcement.

And so I emailed the council um some language.

Uh again, this it this would have to be work.

This was just an idea to to get people thinking of maybe taking a a little bit more of a middle ground approach to to commercial code enforcement.

So um I don't know if anybody had a chance to look at that or has it has any thoughts if if we'd be willing to consider maybe softening some of that language in that code.

I didn't see the emails uh prior to the meeting.

Um I think the big thing here is I don't want to limit this just to safety concerns.

I think we are trying to uh help people understand that um when businesses don't maintain their properties, it does have an effect on adjacent properties, especially in a commercial environment.

If I'm if I'm gonna own a business and the the business next door starts, you know, just stops maintaining everything.

I do think that affects the the property adjacent properties.

So I per I mean I'm if there's some specific things you want to soften in this, I don't think asking a business to maintain their uh site plan that was approved is overly onerous on a business that came in with a specific promise of this is what I'm going to do, and then they fail to keep that.

Yeah, I mean, it uh I mean the the code goes beyond just enforcing the site plan.

It gets down to specifics of fertilizing lawn, clipping dead heads, um, re replacing dead shrubs with exactly the same type of thing.

In my opinion, this just is just an overreach of government enforcement.

And I and again, I think there's room for softening, which is why I emailed out uh a pretty link lengthy idea.

I'm happy to read it aloud if if you'd like to, but I don't think we generally allow things the day of well, we could table it.

It could I mean it's it's part I'm gonna agree.

I'm gonna agree with Paul to a point on this, actually.

I feel like I wouldn't expect higher standards from businesses that I would expect from residents.

Okay, because I think people are people, and as long as you're maintaining it, like I'm not fertilizing my damn yard.

You're crazy if you think that's happening.

But and I wouldn't expect a business to do it either.

Sure.

I'm okay if we want I I do think Paul brings out some good points in here that mowing, watering tree.

I I'm okay if we take out treating fertilizing.

Um, but I don't think it's too much to ask people to uh like some of the other items are are mowing, watering.

I yeah, that's if we want to remove some of these items, I'm good with that.

But by and large, I think I'm in favor of keeping all these things.

I I do want people to maintain their wood and rock mulch and the weed bear barriers, their pavers, their walls, their sidewalks, their railings.

I mean, a lot of these are technically covered by other codes, but yeah, what we're doing is we're saying, come on, people, have a little pride in your establishment.

And I don't think it's too much to ask, but I agree.

We we don't need to go out and be like, Did you fertilize this spring?

Did you because I mean the part part of the issue is it's so overreaching that we will never be able to enforce it at that level.

And if we can't enforce something, what is the point of doing it?

In my opinion, I think we need to spend a little bit more time on this.

I mean, I don't see the rush in going from six inch weeds and dead trees to the under other end of the spectrum.

I mean, I I would be open to table it and and further discussion.

Um, so that we can come to uh uh a reasonable code that we can actually enforce.

I'm I'm okay.

Yeah, I'm okay with that table with that.

Yeah, because I agree there.

There's some things in here that I agree that are probably a little overreaching, but that the general idea of this is still something I'm very much in support of.

But I I agree with you.

I we don't need to ask people if they fertilize in the spring.

So, Paul, is that a motion?

So I would like to make a motion that we table this and move it to back to a work session discussion.

I'll second that.

Motion made and seconded.

All in favor.

I any opposed.

Okay, this will put go back on our work session later this month where we will talk about the more specifics in the verbiage and see if we can come to a resolution.

At this point, uh, that is the business that we had for this evening.

So we have one more point of public uh comment.

If anybody would like to bring something up, uh, this would be your chance.

Is there any same rules apply as the previous public comment?

Seeing none, I will close public comment and we will go into council announcements.

We'll start Jen.

Do you have anything to uh announce?

Um, so the public safety jamboree is on October 2nd at station 32, right next to Jensen Park, and it is absolutely one of my favorite events of the year.

Um, I'm gonna take a couple minutes here, fellas.

So over the last three and a half years, I have put a lot of myself into this job in the city.

And I've done a lot of hands-on things, which is why I was kind of bummed that I didn't make it to cops and dogs in July.

But I heard it turned out great and it was wonderful because I was on a trip.

And while I was on my trip, I had one request from about everybody that they just leave me alone, that I don't get any emails, nothing like that from anybody, and I just could be left alone.

And everybody was great about it, except I think I accidentally got added to um the planning commission's email somehow.

But everybody was great about it, except for one morning.

I woke up surprised to have not one, not even nine, but 13 people forwarding me an article that was done by ABC4 about the blessing box and Miss Brooklyn Piper.

Now, in that uh article, the mayor offered um a couple of quotes, and I would like to read a uh little clip it from that article.

After she suggested it to the Sarah to Syracuse City, Mayor Dave Maughn and other city council members began working on it.

And then that article goes on to quote basically everything I said from the March 14th, 2023 meeting.

You can just scroll to like 30 seconds before the hour mark, and you'll be able to see that.

Mr.

Mayor, your name is in my spot.

What did you do on that blessing box that had anything to do with anything to nope?

I'm not asking for a rebuttal.

It's figure it's if when it's your turn to talk, you can re-button.

But when you do, I'm gonna have three questions for you.

One, how old are you?

Two, what title do you hold?

And three, do you really think it was appropriate for you as a man to take credit for something a woman did, even though she didn't want the okay?

I'm gonna declare.

No, I'm not clean.

I'm not done.

Doesn't matter.

I'm not gonna rewrite the article.

So you can hear the people that actually deserve the credit.

You're out of order at this point.

After she should suggested it to Syracuse City, I'm gonna declare that this is out of order.

Jennifer, once constructed, you're done.

The blessing box was turned over to Mr.

Mike Matthew.

I'm gonna declare the speeding in recess.

Where he and his team applying final touches done and allowed a blessing box and installed a PD.

So Mr.

Mayor, you continue to do this.

Take credit for things that you didn't have anything to do with it.

And it's fine with the recording stops.

Totally fine.

People are here.

It's inappropriate.

It's inappropriate for you to do that.

Just because I don't want credit for something, does not give you any way, rhyme, or reason to attach your name to any good deed that I do in this city.

That's all I got.

Thank you.

Yeah, I think that's highly inappropriate.

What you do is highly inappropriate.

You blame Mary Kate for all the closed meetings.

Excuse me.

Let's get back on the record and conclude the meeting.

Let's move on.

Okay.

We will resume this meeting.

Do you have anything to share?

I will say that um I'm super excited because we're now in the uh the first month of October.

The Halloween season.

Uh next week is the second month.

Uh super excited for the haunted house competition and pumpkin days and just all of the things that go along with Halloween.

It is always exciting.

And uh big kudos to our all of our departments for all the stuff they do for this.

The banners will be going up.

Um I also want to uh give a I I had a citizen call me this morning uh making a request for uh to look at the irrigation for this year where it's been really dry.

Uh, I know that there's a lot of things that are gonna uh need some additional work.

So as temperatures temperature permitting, we'd like to we've had a request to try and extend the season, so we should look at that and see what we're able to do with it do there.

So uh we can talk about that more.

Um, other than that, um big kudos to uh everyone who's been uh working to keep the city running.

Thank you to all of our staff, and that's it for me today.

Whoa.

Um I don't have any specific announcement announcements, but I will echo Jordan's excitement for the upcoming Halloween festivities.

So it should be fun.

Right.

Nothing from me.

Thanks.

Um, I have nothing to report.

I will say that I am not ashamed of the fact that when people call me and ask me to respond, I do not want to do that.

You're out of order again.

This is not you want the time to this is not your time.

This is what you always do.

Okay, cut us off.

Second.

I need to go into a closed session.

We do need to go into a closed session meeting.

Well, we can, but we will go into a close or we will take a motion to go into closed session.

We have an item of a real estate proposal.

We don't discuss terms of a real estate offer in public because that would undermine the city's ability to be successful in a transaction.

So I do have that item.

Is there anyone who don't make that motion?

I move that we move that we go into closed meeting to discuss that transaction.

Second, okay, all in favor?

I declare us in recess for 10 minutes.

We'll meet at 6:30 in the conference room.

All right, just make any credit.

I don't think so.

I know it's more age.