Syracuse City Council Regular Business Meeting - October 15, 2025

The Syracuse City Council held a regular business meeting on October 15, 2025. The council appointed a new city engineer, approved a property sale for a commercial development including potential restaurants, passed a property maintenance ordinance with amendments, and received updates from the fire and police chiefs during a councilman’s request for discussion. All votes were unanimous except for one item.

Consent Calendar

• Resolution R25-39: Appointed Jeffrey Bonner as Syracuse City Engineer. (Passed unanimously)
• Consent Agenda (Item 6): Authorized the mayor to execute the legal defender agreement for the Syracuse Justice Court; adopted Ordinance 25-37 temporarily restricting sales of new cemetery certificates; canceled the November 11 business meeting, November 25 work session, and scheduled a special combined meeting on November 18. (Passed unanimously)
• Item 7: Authorized the mayor to execute a real estate purchase contract for properties at approximately 3000 South and 2400 West (parkland). (Passed unanimously)
• Resolution R25-40: Amended the city budget for FY2025-26, including an electronic accounts payable system with an upfront cost of $5,000 and $300 monthly fee, projected to save $26,000 annually in staff time. (Passed unanimously)

Public Comments & Testimony

• Public Hearing on Property Sale (Item 10): No public comments were offered.
• Public Hearing on Budget Amendment (Item 9): No public comments were offered.
• General Public Comment (end of meeting):
  • Doug Lund (2023 Jackson Lane) expressed support for the approved hotel and restaurant development and commended the fire and police chiefs for maintaining a positive culture. He stated he had spoken to firefighters and officers who reported high morale and sufficient staffing.
  • Jasmine Martinez (2859 West 2435 South) raised concerns about reckless driving near the high school during lunch and after school, stating residents feel their reports are not being heard. She noted an officer mentioned understaffing prevents extra patrols and asked Police Chief Davis to discuss solutions.

Discussion Items

• Appointment of City Engineer: Mayor introduced Jeff Bonner, previously of West Tech Engineering, who expressed excitement to join Syracuse. The council unanimously adopted Resolution R25-39.
• Property Sale at 3000 West Antelope Drive (Item 10): The council held a public hearing and discussed Resolution R25-41, authorizing sale to Hawkins Development LLC. Councilman Craig noted the agreement is a memorandum of understanding, not a binding contract, with a $100,000 performance bond and a potential completion date of April 2029. Mayor indicated the development may include a hotel and restaurants such as Chick-fil-A, with substitutes like Red Robin, Cheesecake Factory, and Longhorn Steakhouse. The agreement allows Hawkins to withdraw if Chick-fil-A builds elsewhere in the city. Councilman Paul expressed support for sales tax revenue. Motion passed unanimously.
• Property Maintenance Regulations (Ordinance 25-36): Extensive discussion of amendments to Syracuse Municipal Code Section 6.10. Councilman Watson proposed several changes: replace “same or equal plants” with “similar plants”; allow up to 25% reduction in vegetation (excluding trees); clarify that worn-out site plan elements (wood/rock mulch) must have no exposed weed barrier or dirt; define “substantially changed” to exclude aesthetic items like paint and awnings. Councilman Craig proposed removing language requiring an agreed timeline with property owners, keeping the timeline determined by the code enforcement officer with appeal rights. After debate, the ordinance passed 4-1, with Councilman Watson (who proposed the language changes) voting against the final version.
• Council Questioning of Fire and Police Chiefs (Item 11): Requested by Councilman Craig.
  • Fire Chief Byington: Answered questions on staffing, response times, and standards. Station 31 meets national fire standards about 1/3 of the time; Station 32 does not due to split staffing. The city meets 100% of state EMS mandates. Call volume increased 58% over five years, projected to exceed 2,000 calls in 2025 (up from 1,200 in 2020). The chief stated that the council has chosen current staffing levels, which are below industry standards but adequate for state mandates. Mutual aid is used during peak events. Council members noted the need for nine additional firefighters to fully staff Station 32’s engine.
  • Police Chief Davis: Discussed staffing metrics (currently 0.78 officers per 1,000 residents, below 1.0 benchmark). No immediate need for more officers, but future growth anticipated. Average officer experience is about three years due to many new hires; retaining experienced officers is a priority. Pay competitiveness is a concern but recruitment policy is adequate. The chief noted that only three officers have lateraled in recent years, partly due to high hiring standards. He emphasized the positive culture and community relationships.
  • Councilman Craig and others discussed the gap in officer experience and the need for laterals and retention strategies.

Key Outcomes

• Appointed Jeff Bonner as City Engineer (unanimous).
• Approved sale of 3000 West Antelope Drive property to Hawkins Development LLC for a mixed-use project including a hotel and restaurants (unanimous).
• Authorized parkland purchase at 3000 South and 2400 West (unanimous).
• Adopted Ordinance 25-36 amending property maintenance regulations with amendments (4-1).
• Approved FY2025-26 budget amendment including electronic accounts payable system (unanimous).
• Council received information from fire and police chiefs; no formal vote taken, but discussion will inform future work sessions on staffing and budgets.