Common Council - Regular Meeting

All right, it's 7.15, and to start off, we're going to have public session, but prior to public session, as I like to do, I'd like to honor and highlight something that's important in our city. I know we have a few guests here. I'm going to ask them to come up and join me in the center. This proclamation that I will be reading is for Pride Month. Okay. I have to apologize that Pride Month actually started on the 1st, obviously. But first of all, we didn't have a common council meeting last week for us to do this. So we're doing it today. So I hope you don't mind. I agree. Better late than never. All right. So Honorary Pride Month, Monday, June 8th, 2026. Whereas the city was committed to fostering a community that values dignity, respect, equality, and inclusion for all residents, visitors, and members of our community. And whereas Pride Month is observed each June to recognize the contributions, the achievements, and the enduring resilience of lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other LGBTQ. state, and nation. Whereas Pride Month serves as an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing pursuit of equal rights and opportunities, while celebrating the diversity that strengthens our society and enriches the fabric of our community. I love that part. It enriches the fabric of our community. And whereas the city of the Spiegel recognizes that every person, I'm going to repeat that, every person deserves to live free from discrimination, harassment, prejudice, and to be treated with fairness, compassion, and respect. And whereas contributions of the LGBTQ plus individuals can be found throughout all aspects of civic life, including public service, education, healthcare, business, the arts, and countless other fields that help our community thrive. And whereas, by embracing diversity and promoting understanding, we help create a welcoming environment where all individuals feel valued, supported, and empowered to participate fully in community life. And whereas, Pride Month provides an opportunity for residents to celebrate the progress that has been made toward greater equality while reaffirming our shared commitment to building a community where everyone has afforded the opportunity to live authentically and safely. Now, therefore, I, Robert A. Corradino, Mayor of the City of Oswego, do hereby proclaim June 2026 as Pride Month in the City of Oswego and encourage all residents to recognize and celebrate the diversity of our community, to promote mutual respect and understanding, and to continue working together toward a more inclusive and welcoming future for all. In witness thereof,

everybody for coming today. It's really nice to be recognized, especially during this month. I don't know if you know about the LGBT rights movement, but it started a long time ago and it's still here. And just to be recognized is really, really great. So thank you, Mayor. It means a lot to us.

Happy to do it. Anybody else? How about a little photograph, and we'll put this on our Facebook page. So get over there, and we'll kind of do this. Pretend you're holding it. Okay, let's continue with the public session part. I have two people signed up, and after those two people speak, I will ask if there's anybody else in the room that would like to speak. The first name written here is Julie Dean. I just like to read the rules for everybody so everybody knows what we expect. Simple, no profanity, no name calling, no personal attacks, and please try to keep it to five minutes.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you. good evening everyone my name is julie dean i live at 117 east 7th street here in oswego with my husband jeff and i'm here tonight representing the oswego dragon boat club here with a couple of our members we are here because of a new docking fee schedule for the dragon boat and i just want to take a minute last week i presented some history of the club so anyone who wasn't here then that would like to hear that i'm happy to talk to you afterward We have a Facebook page that tells the nights that we boat, usually two to three nights a week and on Sunday mornings. And anyone who is interested in our community to enjoy our lakefront on the water can come down and give it a try a couple of times for free. $75 if you want to join for the rest of the season through October when we can't paddle anymore. And we have really a lot of fun and it's a great way to enjoy this beautiful water resource we have near us. So anyway, thank you. I hope everybody looks into the Oswego Dragon Boat Club. And if you have any questions later, I'll be happy to answer them. Thank you.

Thank you. I do want to share a little story about the dragon boats. I just got back from a short trip to Italy, and I was sitting along a canal that was built and designed by Leonardo da Vinci like 500 years ago, and what came by on the canal was a dragon boat. So even in Milan, Italy, there are dragon boats. So certainly it's a great activity and I commend you for doing that and keeping it going here in Oswego. Another fine reason why we should live here, right?

Thank you, yes.

All right, number two on the list is Carol Thompson.

Thank you, Mayor. Good evening, everyone. Again, in full disclosure, Counselor Thompson is my son. He has no idea that I was coming tonight. He thinks I'm home watching the Yankees. Who, by the way, are ahead if anybody's interested, two to nothing. So I want to begin by thanking Police Chief Phil Cady and Council President John Fitzgibbons for addressing and correcting a dangerous intersection in the Fifth Ward so promptly. Their responsiveness is appreciated and it serves as a good example of local government working effectively for the public it's made an enormous difference and um it's people are stopping now which is really wonderful so it's not at the hazard it was a few people still i noticed run it but it's made a huge difference so i really really appreciate it I recognize that six members of this council have been serving for only five months. And with that in mind, I would like to share several concerns I have observed during that time. Oswego operates as a common council. The word common is important because it reflects your obligation to serve the entire community and the public interests above personal interests, political interests, and special interests. I left the last council meeting deeply concerned by the discussion surrounding suicide and mental health. Publicly identifying individuals believed to have died in our waters was inappropriate, particularly when one person was reportedly named in error. Before any individual is publicly identified in such circumstances, there should be complete confidence that the information is accurate and verified. Mental health and suicide prevention are important issues that deserve thoughtful discussion. However, using the names of deceased individuals to reinforce a point that had clearly been made was unnecessary. It risked causing additional pain to families, created potential liability for the city, and permanently placed those statements into the public record. I did contact the mayor about removing those names from the video, but because it's a live video, it really couldn't be done. But I really appreciate the effort. There are responsible ways to discuss mental health, suicide prevention, and public safety without publicly identifying individuals whose deaths may not have been associated with mental health or whose families may still be grieving. Public officials should approach conversations with compassion, professionalism, and sound judgment. I have also emailed this council collectively on several occasions with questions and concerns and have often received little or no response. While elected officials are not legally required to respond to every email, residents deserve the courtesy of knowing their concerns have been heard. Public service requires engagement with all residents, not just those who agree or support your position. When the mayor was on the council, he always got back to me within 24 hours, and if he didn't, I assumed he was on vacation, kidnapped, playing softball, or buried under a softball field, because he always returned every call and email, and he still does. I also would like to publicly thank Councilor Plunkett, who has generously given his time to answer questions and discuss concerns with me, and Council President Fitzgibbons, who has done the same. And Councilor Plunkett has given me over three hours. And he is a wealth of knowledge. And this council, the new members, should really capitalize on his knowledge. Because he can tell you things that I didn't even know. And I had reported on this council for a lot of years. As I watch the council meetings and committee discussions, it appears that a significant amount of attention has been devoted to signs, hydrant painting projects, and similar initiatives. While community beautification and mental health awareness efforts have value, I hope this council will also dedicate substantial time and discussion to the major financial and infrastructure issues facing our city. Residents deserve to hear meaningful discussion about the proposed sewer rate increase, the costs associated with constructing and operating a new police station, long-term infrastructure needs, economic development, and next year's budget. These decisions will directly affect taxpayers and shape the future of Oswego for years to come. We deserve transparency, accountability, and thoughtful discussion about the challenges facing our city. And I just want to say that I appreciate what everybody here is doing. I know there's a lot of new people here, and I will repeat, you've got a mayor and a council person who have been here for a very long time, ten plus years and seven years. And you should really take advantage of their wealth of knowledge, and I thank you.

Okay, that was the last person that was signed up. Is there anybody else who has not signed up that would like to speak? We still have a couple more minutes of public session. Two minutes to be exact. Okay, if that's the case, I will close public session and we will start the meeting in two minutes at 7.30 promptly. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Please call the roll. In honor of the mayor. Here. Councilor Kennedy. Here. Councilor Ashland. Here. Councilor Longsack.

Here.

Councilor Fitzgibbons. Here. Councilor Meyer. Here. Councilor Plunkett. Here. Councilor Thompson. Here. All present.

Thank you. I have a couple items under the mayor's report. Number one, I'd like to mention that this past Saturday on May 30th, the Oswego Fire Department celebrated their 150th anniversary with a gala. And I'd like to congratulate, I'm glad that Chief Conzone is in the room. I want to congratulate the men and women of the department, past and present, on this historic milestone. Thank you very much for your service and please pass that along. That's quite an accomplishment. Matter of fact, I believe that's a round of applause. Item number two on my report is this past weekend, we saw the return of the American Patriot cruise ship, which originally departed from Oswego on May 23rd, on its maiden voyage. Unfortunately, it was raining that day, and it was a crappy day, and we didn't really have much of an opportunity to celebrate that day. But in any event, they did leave in the return trip, they came back this past weekend. I'd just like to point out that the actual presence of a cruise ship, it really confirms all the hard work that has been done over the past 10, 11 years. Seven or eight years ago, that cruise line would have never, ever considered Oswego if they came back then and looked at that old coal trestle. I think some of us are old enough to remember what that dock looked like. It was really, almost looked like being on the moon. It was uneven surfaces, it was a lot of coal. There was one building out there, but it really wasn't very inviting. And when we met with the representative from the cruise line back in September, I know the city attorney was there and I had several members of my staff there. We asked the cruise line director, I said, do you really want to come to Oswego? And is this the spot you want to come to? Maybe you want to go to the Port Authority where they're more we're not attuned to accepting large shifts. And he said, no, he says, this is exactly what our company is looking for. A beautiful setting, a beautiful park, because our customers, our clients are in that age group of 55 to 95 that they appreciate coming to a city with a beautiful setting like the Cahill Pier. So again, I'd like to point out that everything that we've done so far is paying dividends and that's really proof positive as you can see. And the other thing I'd like to point out about that is that pier was renovated and constructed because of the 2017 and 2019 flooding. I was on the council back then and We at first thought that it was the worst thing that could have happened to us. The marina was flooded. We couldn't open for a year, and maybe two years it was. And as it turns out, the council and the mayor at the time got together. We submitted grant opportunities through FEMA. That's a federal program for emergency disaster. Then the state had a program called Ready, and we received millions of dollars. to raise the marina three feet. If you go down there, you can see exactly where the blue line is, where we raised the marina. As Governor Cuomo said at the time, he says, let's not just build it back. Let's build it back better. So raising it three feet should take into account any flooding that we get in the future. So we're certainly in a better position there. And then as far as the pier itself, once our contractor got in there and started working on the pier to put in the sheet pilings along the edge, it was determined that it wouldn't have been too long before that pier would have started to collapse. So again, what started out to look like it was a bad thing turned out to be a pretty good thing. The millions of dollars that we used to repurpose the Cahill Pier is now giving us a beautiful park and a beautiful setting for sunsets or a stroll, and also attracting attractions, visitors from other places like a cruise ship. So I just wanted to share that, that the decisions that this council and Mayor makes has ramifications not just today, not just tomorrow, but down the road as well. So we should all keep that in mind. Item number three, as you just heard, June is Pride Month, a time we recognize and celebrate our LGBTQ plus neighbors, friends, family members, and residents who make our community stronger. I just wanted to remind everybody that tomorrow it will be my honor to raise help raise the pride flag at Civic Plaza at 530. So if you're available, please come down to Civic Plaza right behind me and we'll raise that flag for a short ceremony. Item number four on my list, the West First Street project is beginning to wrap up. And we received a few calls today in the office, and I thought today would be a good opportunity to give everybody a brief update on that. Number one, it's taken a lot longer than we thought it would, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, which I'm happy to report. The things that they're going to be doing this week, they're going to be addressing structures that are set too high or too low. Those are the manholes that are too low or too high. They're going to be fixing those. The repairing areas due to ponding. One of the good things about the delay in all this construction, once they put the blacktop down, they found there were some areas where rain was pooling. So they're going to fix those areas so we don't have any issues with water pooling in those areas. They're going to clean out the storm sewers that had been clogged because of the construction. They're also going to be watering and reseeding areas with grass seed, which this is a perfect time to be doing that with the rain that's forecasted. And the last thing this week on the schedule is cleaning the lay down area and beginning demobilization at the old Shapiro lot. They had piles of dirt and gravel and some of that's already been taken down, so that'll be going away very soon. And next week, keep your fingers crossed, weather permitting, will be the last week they'll be here. And the work that's scheduled for that is they're going to be installing permanent lane striping. I know there's several of us in this room are going to be very happy when they put that striping down. It's been confusing for quite a while for people to kind of understand the new turning lanes and the new traffic lanes. And I might as well mention that the permanent striping wasn't done for two reasons. Number one, in December when they were actually done with that part of the job, they couldn't put down, it's not a paint, it's called an epoxy. An epoxy has to be applied at a certain temperature, and in December it was too cold. So what they used was a temporary paint, which was not the correct paint, but it was better than nothing. And as you can see, it's faded and really hasn't done the job. But again, once that epoxy's put down, you might need sunglasses once you're looking at those lines. It'll be so bright. That's my hope. The next item on the list for next week is adjusting the signage for the revised driving plan. Again, we have some new turning lanes and some new directions, so they have to move the signing that's hung up next to the traffic lights. And the third item, this might be an educational item that I wanted to share with everybody, because I thought it was interesting. They're going to be installing the preemption system. And I'm not sure if everybody knows what a preemption system is, so I'm going to give you a brief explanation. This is the technology that allows an emergency vehicle, like a fire truck, to take control of a traffic signal to prevent an intersection collision and improve response time. So when a fire truck is heading west on Utica Street, it'll be able to control that light and make sure it's green so they can go straight through and not worry about it being red and having traffic or cars hit them. So that's the preemption system. So I thought that was an interesting fact on that. All right, that takes care of West First Street. Item number five on my list, I'm happy to report that the AFSCME agreement that covers our city wastewater treatment workers that we negotiated with the union is finally going to be approved tonight. Well, I assume it will be. It's the second item on the list. I want to take a moment to personally thank our personnel director, Daniel Dowd, who's here, and Matt Ryan for assisting me during the negotiations. We spent many months talking about that and discussing it with the union reps. And I think we put together a very fair package for our employees who work very hard. There are 12 members of that union who work at the east and west side wastewater treatment plant. And we're certainly happy that we're able to pay them a decent wage and give them the benefits that they deserve. The last item on my list is also something that's going to be voted on tonight. The fourth item on the list, or second item on the list, is a fee schedule for the Fort Gallagher pool. Actually, it's the Fort pool at Gallagher. And I'd like to recognize, take a moment to recognize, the Shinneman Foundation is going to be donating a $10,000 grant to help off operational costs at our city pool so residents may use it for free. This really shines a light on what I think is great about our community. There's many organizations, like the Shinneman, And then we have the ORA and other organizations who really help make our community a great place to be and to live and to visit. I talked earlier about it strengthens the fabric of our community. And I think this is a good example of that, that Swego's a great place to live and we have organizations that help make it that way. So that's the last item on my list for the mayor's report. We're going to go right into the meeting. Please call resolution 163.

Approve new fee schedule for Fort Gallagher Pool.

Councillor Thompson, Councillor Kennedy. Any comments? Councillor Thompson.

Over the past month, I had the pleasure of working with Councillor Fitzgibbons and Councillor Lawsonsack and city pool staff to share insights, ideas on how we could address any concerns that they had at the pool. And I'm very pleased at the direction that this is going in. I think hopefully after tonight, it'll get to the finish line. We're looking at an additional CSO to be staffed at the pool, as well as a wristband system, which will help facilitate a check-in system to make sure everyone's checking in, following the pool rules as well. I'd also like to thank the Shinneman Foundation for the $10,000 grant. I think that's great and that's going to cover all the costs that we need to facilitate this. This resolution as written right now will set the residential fee to $0 and the non-resident fee to $2 for admission. Thank you.

Okay, anybody else? Councilor Fitzgibbons.

Again, I'd like to echo Councilor Thompson's comments about the thoughtful committee that responded to the table resolution that came forward. It was an example of how we were able to work through and come to what I believe we will have to consider a thoughtful alternative that will address the desires of the council to make this asset accessible to the community, broadly accessible to the community. I think that we also had an opportunity to listen to the concerns of the staff and the long term management there. And what we want to do is we have a group of young lifeguards that we ask to do a job and we want to be clear that they are able to do their job and they do their job very well. So their concerns, we wanted to make sure that we listened to them. And also to reinforce, I think what will be my feeling from this council is we'll support administration's pursuit of accountable behavior at the pool with guidelines that are spelled out. And I would want the administration to know that we support that accountable behavior to make sure that these employees have and these young people are able to perform their life saving resources and skills in an environment that's safe and respected. So that being said, and again to echo the Shineman Foundation who came forward and craft a solution for increased costs that this would represent. And the city, our movement is going to diminish slightly a revenue potential to the city, but also the solution needed additional resources. So it was a compromise for the city to consider the reduction of revenue but also it was a recognition of cinnamon to come forward and help subsidize the additional cost so again a thoughtful process and hopefully i would hope everyone would on the council would consider this as as a as a win for the community and a win for the children for the summer

right anybody else all right see oh council kennedy um i just want to preface this by saying that i am 100 for this the only i guess question that i would have and i know it's not question and answer period but when we check for ids of where people are residents and non-residents Basically like IDs for example if somebody lives in scribe offers per se the ID is still gonna say as we go So how do we know like, you know, that's I guess that's my only really concern about the residents and non-residents But you know that I am 100% for this I think this is great for the kids and I definitely will support it But that was only I guess question that I had residents and non-residents. How do we? distinguish that from like from going forward, especially if it's a driver's license and it's every scribe on Monetto, I'll say like a swiggle. They don't necessarily say scribe or Monetto. But yeah, so I just wanted to mention that.

All right, anybody else have any comments? Seeing none, can anyone call the roll?

Actually, just a point of procedure. This is an amendment to the original tabled resolution. It's heavily amended, so I would propose or the minutes should reflect that we're voting on resolution 163 as amended. As amended.

All right, please call the roll. As amended.

Councilor Meyer? Yes. Councilor Plunkett? Yes. Councilor Thompson? Yes. Councilor Kennedy? Yes. Councilor Ashland? Yes. Councilor Lawton-Sack? Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbon? Yes. Resolution passes 7-0. Call Resolution 164. Authorize Mayor to enter into a three year agreement with New York Council 66 and AFSCME Local 1785 effective January 1st, 2026.

Councilor Plunkett, Councilor Lausek. This is, as I said earlier in my comments, a three year agreement and I was happy that we were able to get this taken care of. We started the negotiations a little later than we have in other agreements, but we got this done and the members of the union will have retro pay effective January of this year. they will be paid starting then. So hopefully this will pass. Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer? Yes. Councilor Plunkett? Yes. Councilor Thompson? Yes. Councilor Kennedy? Yes. Councilor Ashland? Yes. Councilor Lautensack? Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons? Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

All right, those are the last two items under old business that were tabled. Now we get into the new items. Please call resolution 185.

Approve minutes common council meeting held May 26, 2026.

Councilor Ashland, Councilor Meyer. Comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer. Yes. Councilor Plunkett. Yes. Councilor Thompson. Yes. Councilor Kennedy. Yes. Councilor Ashland. Yes. Councilor Lautensack.

Yes.

Councilor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

Call resolution 186.

Appoint Commissioner of Deeds.

Councillor Plunkett, Councillor Kennedy. Comments? Please call the roll.

Councillor Meyer. Yes. Councillor Plunkett. Yes. Councillor Thompson. Yes. Councillor Kennedy. Yes. Councillor Ashland. Yes. Councillor Lautensack.

Yes.

Councillor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0. Call Resolution 187. Approve use of public space as we go Renaissance Association in order to place signage for their annual block challenge grants.

Councilor Loutensack, Councilor Kennedy. Comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer. Yes. Councilor Plunkett. Yes. Councilor Thompson. Yes. Councilor Kennedy. Yes. Councilor Ashland. Yes. Councilor Loutensack. Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0. Call resolution 188. Approve use of public space, Suzanne Maniccia, in order to host chair yoga classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the McCrobey building.

Councilor Kennedy, Councilor Meyer, comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer? Yes. Councilor Plunkett? Yes. Councilor Thompson? Yes. Councilor Kennedy? Yes. Councilor Ashland? Yes. Councilor Lawson? Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons? Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

Call Resolution 189.

Approve use of public space, Fort Ontario, in order to host the Fort Ontario Revolutionary War Battle on Saturday, June 13th, 2026 in Washington Square Park.

Councilor Ashland, Councilor Meyer. Comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer. Yes. Councilor Plunkett. Yes. Councilor Thompson. Yes. Councilor Kennedy. Yes. Councilor Ashland. Yes. Councilor Lawton-Sachs. Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0. Call Resolution 190. Approve use of public space of the hole in order to host a corn hole tournament fundraiser on Saturday, June 27th, 2026 in Washington Square Park.

Councilor Thompson, Councilor Lovensack, comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer? Yes. Councilor Plunkett? Yes. Councilor Thompson? Yes. Councilor Kennedy? Yes. Councilor Ashland? Yes. Councilor Lovensack? Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons? Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

Call Resolution 191.

Approve use of public space, Canale's Italian Restaurant, in order to host Canale's anniversary party to be held on Sunday, July 5th, along Herrick Street.

Councilor Meyer, Councilor Kennedy, comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer. Yes. Councilor Plunkett. Yes. Councilor Thompson. Yes. Councilor Kennedy. Yes. Councilor Ashland. Yes. Councilor Lautensack. Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

Call resolution 192.

Approve use of public space Michelle Merritt in order to host St. Mary's Bazaar to be held Saturday, July 28th and Sunday, July 19th, 2026.

Councilor Thompson, Councilor Plunkett. Comments? Point of order.

Yes. The clerk said 28th, not 18th. July 18th. Just want to make sure that's reflected on the record.

Okay, July 18th. Sunday, July 19th. All right, so noted. All right, please call the roll.

Councillor Meyer. Yes. Councillor Plunkett. Yes. Councillor Thompson. Yes. Councillor Kennedy. Yes. Councillor Ashland. Yes. Councillor Lawton. Yes. Councillor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0. Call Resolution 193. Approve use of public space John Bletch in order to host Drum Fest on Saturday, July 25th, 2026 at Veterans Stage.

Councilor Ashland, Councilor Thompson. Comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer. Yes. Councilor Plunkett. Yes. Councilor Thompson. Yes. Councilor Kennedy. Yes. Councilor Ashland. Yes. Councilor Logsack. Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

Please call Resolution 194.

Approve use of public space Janet Anderson in order to host the Swiggo Porch Fest on Sunday, September 20th, 2026.

Councilor Kennedy, Councilor Plunkett. Comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer? Yes. Councilor Plunkett? Yes. Councilor Thompson? Yes. Councilor Kennedy? Yes. Councilor Ashland? Yes. Councilor Lawton-Sack? Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons? Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

Call resolution 195.

Authorize fee waiver request sunset concert series.

Councillor Kennedy, Councillor Lowndesack. Any comments? Please call the roll.

Councillor Meyer. Yes. Councillor Plunkett. Yes. Councillor Thompson. Yes. Councillor Kennedy. Yes. Councillor Ashland. Yes. Councillor Lowndesack. Yes. Councillor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0. Call resolution 196. Approve new fee schedule for dragon boat docking fee.

Councilor Meyer, Councilor Ashland, comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer? Yes. Councilor Plunkett? Yes. Councilor Thompson? Yes. Councilor Kennedy? Yes. Councilor Ashland? Yes. Councilor Lawton-Sachs? Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons? Abstain. Resolution passes 6-0-1. Call resolution 197. Accept donation of a ginkgo biloba tree and memorial marker from Ryan Raflowski to be placed at Lakeside Park.

Councilor Ashland, Councilor Lautensack. Comments? Please call the roll. Councilor Meyer.

Yes. Councilor Plunkett. Yes. Councilor Thompson. Yes. Councilor Kennedy. Yes. Councilor Ashland. Yes. Councilor Lautensack. Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0. On resolution 188. Authorize city chamberlain to complete a budget amendment to the city clerk's personal services account in the amount of $9,585 in order to hire a records intern.

It's easy for you to say. Councillor Plunkett, Councillor Thompson. Any comments? Please call the roll. Councillor Meyer.

Yes. Councillor Plunkett. Yes. Councillor Thompson. Yes. Councillor Kennedy. Yes. Councillor Ashland. Yes. Councillor Lotzak. Yes. Councillor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passes 7-0.

Call Resolution 199.

Authorize Mayor and Community Development Office to sign all contracts associated with the City of Oswego Local Waterfront Revitalization Program update.

Before I ask for a motion, I'd like to just point out that this project is really, really important. I've been here over ten years and a lot of the projects that we've received grant funding for were based on work that was done before that. applications for grants, whether it's federal or state or any other grants, you have to have some type of documentation. You have to have maybe a project analysis or engineering studies. So the previous waterfront revitalization program was done in the 1980s. So we're having difficulties when we apply for funding under the programs for this when they say, well, Really, it's too old, so we really need to revamp that because we are a waterfront community. We have a great lake, we have a river, we have properties that are adjacent to that. It's critical to have an updated waterfront revitalization program. So I hope that this does pass. The project cost is $120,000. I know you've discussed this in committee last week. The city's share is 18,000. The grant is for 102,000. And as I said, this is vitally critical for us to proceed with this if we're ever going to get additional grant funding for projects that are adjacent to our waterfront. And can I ask for a motion at this point? Councilor Thompson, Councilor Laudsack, any comments? Yeah. Councilor Fitzgibbons.

My research of this was the last plan was 1987 signed by Mayor Cahill. And it then failed two other times to be updated by the council's failure to pass a revitalization plan that gets filed with the state. So the one thing I would encourage, and this is a long term process that will have a lot of public input. But I would encourage, as this process moves forward, that it very much embraces the legislative input that we all can share in the community's vision so Can, with the consensus, move this forward with a new plan? So I'd ask the administration and the consultants that work on this, which are very much in favor of us moving forward with this, that they be sure to include not only the community, but make sure incrementally we, as a council, understand the process and with great support move it forward. So yes, I'm very supportive of it.

Any other comments? Please call the roll.

Councilor Meyer? Yes. Councilor Plunkett? Yes. Councilor Thompson? Yes. Councilor Kennedy? Yes. Councilor Ashland? Yes. Councilor Lawton-Sack? Yes. Councilor Fitzgibbons? Yes.

Is there any other things that we want to talk about? Councilor Kennedy?

Yes. Yeah, so earlier in the meeting we had a public session and I wanted to bring some issues that I had with the public comments. So politicians normally, and I'm not a politician, I'm more of a public servant regardless, bring up people's names that have passed for a number of reasons. And they mention in their opening remarks or whatever when they're on the floor. Some laws are actually named after the people that have either passed because of violence or mental health, whatever. there's you know some laws that are currently in in the legislative body in new york state of the one that i had thought of timothy's law which basically gives health insurance companies more equitable resources to cover people that have mental health issues there's also another one Brandon Act and it's military professionals to get mental health services as well. So there are people that have been named for certain laws and acts that have come into government. And also when I mentioned the people that have passed in our uh in our waterways uh i did incorrectly mention um mr barber's name uh because in the article that i read it was at the time uh noted that it was because of suicide i realized that i was incorrect in saying that so i do apologize to his family and friends for for lumping him into that um that segment of the population. However, it's still a tragedy and still his name should still be remembered as a tragedy that happened in our waterways. And regardless of how or the reason rationale that why he died, he still died. And I thought it was appropriate to still mention any people that have died and to bring So my whole purpose as being the chair of the Human Services Committee is to bring sometimes things that aren't pretty, if you will, to our community as large. Homelessness in March when we had our first meeting, the Human Services Committee hadn't met in 17 years, which is atrocious to me that the city had let that committee gone by the wayside for 17 years. But homelessness is not a pretty issue. Mental health is not a pretty issue. And so my goal is to bring forward these real things that happen in our real city. and just to make sure that these things don't happen or happen with less of a frequency. And so, yes, I have made mistakes in my short tenure as a city councilor, and I own those mistakes, and I do apologize for them, but I am still learning, I'm still growing, and I would hope that the city would recognize that. and realize that I'm trying to be the best kind of representative for our city, especially the first board going forward as chair of human services and as a member of this common council. Thank you.

All right, thank you. Anybody else? Seeing none, can I have a motion to adjourn? Councilor Ashland, Councilor Meyer. Please call the roll.

Councillor Meyer. Yes. Councillor Plunkett. Yes. Councillor Thompson. Yes. Councillor Kennedy. Yes. Councillor Ashland. Yes. Councillor Lawson. Yes. Councillor Fitzgibbons. Yes. Resolution passed 7-0.

Thank you, everyone. Meeting's over.