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HomeMy WebLinkAbout97-0522SS COMMON COUNCIL CITY HALL -BUFFALO SPECIAL SESSION Thursday, May 22, 1997 at 2:00 P.M. PRESENT : James W. Pitts President of the Council, and Council Members Brown, Coppola, Czajka, Franczyk, Gray, Helfer, Kavanaugh, Lockwood, LoTempio, Quintana, Williams and Zuchlewski - 13. ABSENT None. Mr. Charles L. Michaux, III City Clerk 1308 City Hall Buffalo, New York Dear Mr. Michaux: Pursuant to Section 30 of the Charter of the City of Buffalo, upon the written request of five Council Members, dated May 20, 1997, presented to you herewith, I hereby call a Special Meeting of the Common Council, to be held in the Council Chambers, City Hall, Buffalo, New York, on May 22, 1997 at 2:00 p.m. for the following purpose: To consider and take appropriate action on all matters concerning the City of Buffalo's budget for fiscal year 1997-98 James W. Pitts President of the Common Council 1315 City Hall Buffalo, New York Dear Sir: WE, the undersigned, members of the Common Council, hereby request that you call a Special Meeting of the Common Council, pursuant to Section 30 of the Charter of the City of Buffalo, for the following purpose: To consider and take appropriate action on all matters concerning the City of Buffalo's budget for fiscal year 1997-98 WE request that this Special Meeting be held on May 22, 1997 at TO EACH MEMBER OF THE COMMON COUNCIL: YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that, pursuant to Section 30 of the Charter of the City of Buffalo, upon the written request of five Council Members, dated May 20, 1997 the Common Council President James W. Pitts, has called a Special Meeting of the Common Council, to be held in the Council Chambers, City Hall, Buffalo, New York, on May 22, 1997 at 2:00 p.m. for the following purpose: To consider and take appropriate action on all matters concerning the City of Buffalo's budget for fiscal year 1997-98 Pursuant to Rule 2 of the Rules of Order of the Common Council of the City of Buffalo, each of the following named members of the Common Council, to wit: KEVIN HELFER DAVID A. FRANCZYK DAVID CZAJKA BONNIE KANE LOCKWOOD ALFRED T. COPPOLA BARBARA A. MILLER-WILLIAMS BARBRA KAVANAUGH ROSE MARIE LoTEMPIO BYRON BROWN BEVERLY GRAY ROBERT QUINTANA DALE ZUCHLEWSKI hereby states that he/she received notice of the time and purpose of the Special Meeting of the Common Council duly called to be held on May 22, 1997 at 2: 00 p.m. STATE OF NEW YORK ) COUNTY OF ERIE ) Ss: CITY OF BUFFALO On this day of May 1997, before me, the subscribers, personally appeared to me known to be the same persons described in and who executed the foregoing instrument, and they duly and severally acknowledged to me that they executed the same. Commissioner of Deeds, in and for the City of Buffalo, N.Y. Commission expires 12/31/98 Discharge Committee of the Whole (Res. 202 Mar 18 Urg. - Contracting Out of Water Services) (No. 84 April 1 Conduct Analysis - Priv. Water System) (No. 76 April 15 D. Rossitio - Opp. Priv. of Water System) (Com 14 April 29 Incr. Pay - City Election Inspectors) (Com 8 May 13 Monthly Overtime Report) (Com 39 May 13 City Gap Sheet - 3rd Quarter) (Res 123 May 13 Amend Ord. - Collection of User Fees) (Res 124 May 13 User Fee Late Charge Amensty) Mrs. LoTempio moved that Whereas, the above item is currently tabled in the Committee of the Whole and, Whereas, it is no longer necessary for this item to be considered by that committee, Now Therefore Be It Resolved, that this Common Council does hereby discharge the Committee from further consideration of this item, and the item is now before the Common Council for its consideration. Seconded by CARRIED Mrs. LoTempio now moved that the above items be received and filed. Seconded by ADOPTED. Discharge Committee of the Whole Mayor's Budget 1997-98 (item 1, CCP May 1, 1997) Mrs. LoTempio moved that Whereas, the above item is currently tabled in the Committee of the Whole and, Whereas, it is no longer necessary for this item- to- be considered by that committee, Now Therefore Be It Resolved, that this Common Council does hereby discharge the Committee from further consideration of this item, and the item is now before the Common Council for its consideration. Seconded by Mr. Czajka. CARRIED Mrs. LoTempio now moved that the Mayor's Budget Recommendations are hereby amended as follows: Seconded by By: Mrs. LoTempio, Ms. Kavanaugh and Mr. Coppola SUBJECT: --[: Commit Extra State Aid to Buffalo Public Schools Whereas: This Common Council recognizes that improving the quality of the Buffalo Public Schools is essential to improving the quality of life in the City and to strengthening the commitment of City residents to stay in Buffalo; and Whereas: During the 1996-1997 fiscal year, the City allocated to the Board of Education $64,234,030 out of property tax revenues as the Mayor had requested, and then provided an additional $2,000,000 to the Board out of additional State Aid received by the City; and Whereas: For the 1997-1998 fiscal year, the Mayor's Budget proposal recommends that the City allocate $66,234,030 to the Board of Education from City property tax revenues, and the Council plans to approve that amount, which was the amount contained in the Board's budget request; and Whereas: One use proposed for any additional State Aid that the City might receive in the coming fiscal year has been to allocate $1 Million to the Board of Education for use in the classroom; and Whereas: Another use proposed has been to allocate $1.5 Million for debt service on capital projects at Schools 17, 54, 56, 66, 81 and Lafayette High School; Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved: That this Common Council proposes to transfer to the Board of Education for instructional services up to $ 1,000,000 of any additional State Aid received by the City over and above the Aid anticipated in the Mayor's 1997-1998 Budget proposal; and Be It Further Resolved: That this Common Council also proposes to allocate up to $1,500,000 of any additional State Aid to debt service for capital projects, consistent with the Consolidated School/City Capital Development Plan. By: Mrs LoTempio, Mr. Franczyk and Mr. Coppola Institute a Pay-As-You-Throw Pilot Pro am Whereas: This Council is committed to finding and supporting the fairest possible ways to fund city services; and Whereas: The institution of the garbage User Fee was an attempt to spread the cost of garbage services to all those who make use of them; and Whereas: Pay As You Throw (PAYT) systems, where, for example, customers put out their garbage only in city supplied bags, are in place in almost 2,000 communities in America and have generally been effective at raising recycling rates and cutting disposal costs; and Whereas: Pay As You Throw (PAYT) bags are priced to reflect the cost of the service covered by the bags; and Whereas: PAYT would provide a powerful incentive for citizens to help reduce the city's disposal bill ($4.699 million in the 1997-98 budget) while increasing recycling revenues; and Whereas: The closing of the Fresh Kills Landfill is expected to push disposal costs up, making incentives to reduce waste and to recycle even more valuable in the future; and Whereas: PAYT must be instituted judiciously because without proper education and bag distribution programs in place, the transition to PAYT could be confusing and some citizens will see it as an incentive to dump garbage on their neighbor's properties; Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved That: This Council supports the implementation of a Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) pilot program for the City of Buffalo; and Be It Further Resolved That: This Council requests the Commissioner of Street Sanitation to develop and submit for Council approval, a PAYT pilot program to include selected commercial properties, multiple dwellings and other properties, in order to test the benefits, complexities and desirability of PAYT for Buffalo. By: Mrs. LoTempio Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved: That an additional $23,477 be deleted from Line 170, 81-3 Function (Fringes) so that the line now read $12,159, 646; and Be it Further Resolved: That $23,477 be added to 81 I- Grant in Aid Human Services - #736 - West Side Community Services By: Mr. Pitts Re:Reduce User Fee in 97-98 Budget Whereas: In its proposed amended budget for the 1997-99 fiscal year, the Common Council has, in effect, maintained the garbage user fee at its current rate; and Whereas: There had been a proposal to reduce garbage user fees across the board by five percent by shifting $700,000 to the Refuse and Recycling Enterprise Fund, similar to what the City did when it provided $500,000 in general fund revenue to the North Americare Park Enterprise Fund; and Whereas: Ultimately, it was decided not to reduce the garbage user fee rate in the proposed amended budget; and Whereas: If the City does not take action to reduce the garbage user fee, the rate of collections will only worsen and cause more problems for the fund; and Whereas: Reducing the garbage user fee would send a strong message to the community that the Council has heard them and is responsive to their concerns, and is making a sincere effort to reduce that fee; and Whereas: The Council has also established a contingency fund in the amount of $730,000 to deal with various projects and concerns; arid Whereas: The best possible use of this contingency would be to transfer it to the Refuse and Recycling Enterprise Fund so that residential rates could be reduced; Now, therefore be it resolved: That $730,000 be moved from 812 - General City Charges, line 220, Reserve for Common Council Contingency, to the Refuse and Recycling Enterprise Fund for the purpose of reducing the garbage user fee by at least five percent. ON REFERRED TO THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE THE BUDGET Pitts By: Mr. Re: Police and Firemen's Pension Board-Request for a Local Law amending an increase in the Mayor's Recommended Budget in the amount of pensions in Section 466 of Article twenty-five of the Char-ter of the City of Buffalo Whereas: The Mayor's Recommended Budget for FYI 997-98 calls for an monthly increase of $25.00 for a total of $21,300.00 to the members of the Police and Firemen's Pension; Whereas: There have been significant savings from members who have passed away in the past year in the amount of $54,547.68 and these savings could be used to increase the amount of pensions received by the 71 members of the Police and Firemen's Pension from the $25.00 per member for a total of $21,300.00 as recommended by the Mayor's Budget to $50.00 per member for a total of $42,600.00 with the City still having a surplus of $11,947.68 ; Whereas: The Pension Board at its meeting of May 22, 1997 consisting of the the Council President, the Mayor, and the Comptroller unanimously made a recommendation to increase the amount of the $50.00-, recommended pension to Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved: That the Common Council at its budget meeting of May 22, 1997 pass this request by the Pension Board amending the amount of pensions for the members of the Police and Firemen's Pension from the $25.00 increase as proposed by the Mayor in the total amount of $21,300.00 to $50.00 for a total am ount of $42,600.00 as requested by the members of the Police and Firemen's Pension Board- and Be It Finally Resolved: That this Common Council request the Law Department to prepare a Local Law amending Section Four Hundred Sixty-Six of Article Twenty Five, Subsections One Through Nine including Subsection Fourteen of the Charter of the City of Buffalo to reflect these changes as recommended by the Board of Police and Firemen's Pensions. PASSED. COMPUTATION OF SAVINGS FROM POLICE/FIRE PENSION FUND 1 members at $1120.64 per month ($13,447.68 per year) $13,447.68 5 widows at $685.00 per month ($8,220.00 per year) 41,100.00 Sub-total $ 54,547.68 Increase of $50.00 for 71 Members 42,600.00 Savings from Police/Fire Pension Fund $ 11,947.68 Mrs. LoTempio moved: That the $730,000 in 812 General City Charges, line 220, Reserve for Common Council Contingency, be deleted from the 1997-98 Budget, and that amount be removed from the property tax levy so that property taxes can be reduced further. No. Id Approval of 1997-98 Budget As Amended Mrs. LoTempio moved that the- 1997-98 Budget (Item 1, CCP May 1, 1997) be and hereby is approved as amended. Seconded by PASSED. Adjournment At 3:43 pm Mrs. LoTempio moved to Adjourn. Seconded by Mr ADOPTED.