Syracuse City Council Work Session and Special Business Meeting - September 23, 2025
Syracuse City Council Work Session and Special Business Meeting - September 23, 2025
The Syracuse City Council held a work session followed by a special business meeting on September 23, 2025. The work session covered discussions on property maintenance regulations, fiscal year 2025 budget status, a proposed budget amendment for fiscal year 2026, cemetery plot availability, a legal defender agreement, community volunteerism, and council announcements/decorum. The meeting concluded with a motion to enter closed session.
Consent Calendar
- None noted.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public were present for public comment at the beginning of the meeting.
Discussion Items
- Proposed Amendment to Property Maintenance Regulations (Section 6.10): Council discussed refining language to reduce regulatory overreach. Members agreed to remove overly specific requirements (e.g., fertilizing, deadheading) and focus on a broader “compliant landscape to our zoning laws” standard. A proposal to allow property owners to present a plan and schedule for addressing maintenance issues before fines are applied was supported. The council favored a maximum fine of $2,000 (Option 2) to streamline enforcement without requiring council approval for each fine over $500.
- Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Status: Steve reported that the city ended FY 2025 with a deficit of approximately $350,000, improved from a budgeted $1 million deficit. The general fund reserve (rainy day fund) dropped from 37.2% ($10 million) to an estimated 30.7% ($8.5 million), largely due to a drawdown for Class C roads. The reserve remains above the policy minimum of 16.7%. Revenue met projections, with savings from unfilled fire department positions and departmental underspending. Sales tax grew 6.6%, slightly above the budgeted 6.5–7%.
- Proposed Budget Amendment for Fiscal Year 2026: The majority of amendments are carryover capital projects. New items include realignment for the 3000 West waterline project. The council discussed potential savings from land purchases (e.g., BMX park, reservoir) due to a negotiated free land provision for parks and roads. The general fund deficit impact is minimal (approximately $442,000 net change). Staff confirmed that the budget amendment does not significantly alter the projected deficit.
- Cemetery Plot Availability: Preston reported that only two plots remain available. The city plans to reclaim approximately 80 abandoned plots through a state-mandated notice process starting November 2025. Until an expansion (planned for 2027, contingent on funding) is completed, the council supports selling only to residents with an immediate need (recent death). The council agreed to move forward with an ordinance change to this effect.
- Legal Defender Agreement for Justice Court: Colin presented a proposed contract with Murphy & Murphy law firm for public defender services, covering three fiscal years starting July 1, 2025. Council members expressed approval, noting the contract formalizes an arrangement that had existed without a written agreement. The item will be placed on the consent agenda.
- Community Volunteerism: Council discussed increasing public involvement in volunteer projects. Ideas included planning a large, annual community service day (e.g., tied to September 11), improving promotion of existing volunteer opportunities, and ensuring projects are feasible and well-resourced (staff time, budget). Staff highlighted challenges such as tree mortality at Rock Creek Park and low turnout for past events.
- Council Announcements and Decorum Policy: Council debated the purpose and limits of the “Mayor/Council Announcements” agenda item. Members expressed concerns about restrictions on discussion. Colin reviewed existing city code, policies, and Roberts Rules, noting conflicts (e.g., majority vs. two-thirds vote for expulsion). The council agreed that announcements should relate to city business or committee reports, and that personal rants are not permitted. After discussion, members concluded the current process is not broken but will refine language to clarify that announcements can include matters that have been, are, or will be before the body. No formal policy change was adopted.
Key Outcomes
- Property Maintenance: Staff will revise the ordinance language and bring it back for a vote at the next voting meeting.
- Cemetery Plots: An ordinance change limiting sales to residents with immediate need will be placed on the consent agenda.
- Legal Defender Contract: The agreement will go on the consent agenda.
- Council Decorum: No formal changes were enacted; the council agreed to clarify the language on announcements in future meetings.
- Meeting Adjourned: The work session was adjourned, and a special business meeting was called to enter closed session for a legal matter. A motion to go into closed session was made, seconded, and approved unanimously.
Meeting Transcript
45 round or nine millimeter round or something. I think that's one of those just asking notify me that you would be here. So it's not effective. And that's what's the way things got three minutes. I guess we sitting in for Mr. Savage will be Mr. Steele. I should text Leonella and be like, come look at my grass right now. You're gonna be so proud of me this one time. It looks fantastic. I'll tell my roommate yesterday. I was like, our grass is so green. He's like, that's what happens. We can water it once. No. Well, I literally water it once a year. Sometimes now or afterwards. No, I don't see the point in wasting it on that grass. Unless Lionel's happy on that because that's all that gaps. Keep it short. She gives me the evil don't look glance eye when she drives by this too long, and I go right to it. We haven't understand it. I appreciate your fall colors. These are leaks. Yeah, I'm just out of the car. Yeah, we're talking about so much. I think this is a big thing. It was between the other two parties. They need to put up and make it because of the first thing. Oh depending on the target kids. All right, recess duty and all that. We were just blessing if you're lessing it. That they were yes, we're gonna know that we can next slide. If you'd like it'll take it with me and get the both of us quite you could leave it in Italy. Please mail this back to Syracuse City. That's funny. Yeah. Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, it is six o'clock, and I would call this work session for the CRQ City Council to order. Uh first item on our agenda is public comment. Do we have anybody here for public comment tonight? That I will dispense with reading or going through why we have public comment and move on to planning item number one, which is continued discussion. Uh proposed amendment to Syracuse Municipal Code Section 6.10 relating to property maintenance regulations. Continued from September 9th, 2025 city council meeting. Um this uh really is your item, folks. So I'm not gonna say anything more than where do you want to take it? Because you wanted more discussion. Well, I wanted to see where we could eliminate potential overreach and get down to kind of really what we're asking for or what we're looking for. The parts that I still have uh and I'm just reading what we had from last week, but maintenance, so it states that maintenance includes replacing dead or dying vegetation with the same or equal plant as originally installed. Um I think we need to rework that to give some options to similar, maybe not the exact same thing.
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