City Council - Regular Meeting

Hello, everyone. Thank you so much for coming. We usually start our meeting at 6 o'clock. One of our council members had a medical emergency, so we're just waiting. So we have to have four people to start and to vote. So if you guys can just give us a few minutes. Thank you. Sorry about the inconvenience. I see my tables aren't closed.

Thank you guys so much for your patience. I'd like to call the city council meeting to order. The day is Wednesday, September 30th. The time is 626. Can we please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance?

Thank you so much. We will now begin by approving the minutes for the business meeting on 9-16. Do I have a motion?

I make the motion to approve the minutes.

Do I have a second? Second. Motion and second, all in favor? Any opposed? Thank you so much. We do not have any appointments this evening. Are there any reports from any committees?

I wasn't at it, but there was a committee meeting on Monday.

Yeah, I'll talk about that first, but if anybody else had it, I would like people to go first, I'll talk last, go ahead. Do you have anything? Okay, yeah, no, that's fine. There's an upcoming traffic board meeting, but not this week. It's in two weeks. Okay, next week. That's fine. On Monday, we had a committee meeting, DPW, regarding apprenticeship for children in the trade. Thank you. It was very informative. We're still seeking out information, and we plan to pass that soon. So that was what our... Committee meeting was about does anybody else have any committee Be able to see was canceled

Just that if you have a traffic issue, please submit it now because it will, in order to get it on the agenda, they usually want more than a week notice. If you go to Binghamton Traffic Board, if you Google that, There's forms online. I always suggest that you forward them to me. When you do the form through the website, it goes to the traffic chairperson and I believe the secretary, but council doesn't get clued in that you made a request until it's on the agenda. So I don't know how to follow up if you're not on the agenda and wanted to be. So please include me. Sorry, I don't feel very well

Sorry about that. We do not have any appointments to set this evening. Oh, we did that. Okay. We have one public hearing to set tonight. The city of Binghamton will hold a public hearing regarding the city of Binghamton 2027 proposed budget. This public hearing will take place at 6 p.m. on October 21st, 2026. Regular city council business meeting in city chambers, 38 Holly Street, Binghamton, New York. Residents wishing to participate in public hearings may do also electronically by emailing their comments prior to 1 p.m. on the day of the meeting to clerk at cityofbinghamton.gov or in person

Can you hear me now? Yeah, say it again.

Would you be willing to leave your number with us? Would you be willing to leave your phone number with us?

Thank you so much. If anybody else wants to come down and speak for public comment, please. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Shams Harper and I am a member of IBEW Local 325 in Binghamton, that's the electricians union. And I'm not representing them, I'm just a member speaking from my own personal experience and my own opinion. would like to just make two brief comments one on the proposal to require the city contracts to have a apprenticeship training program requirement I think that that's that's a really good thing for the city to require that so for example Going through the union apprenticeship, the whole time I was given really good health care to the point where I was able to have a child wi

the people who work for the city are gonna benefit and the city will benefit and the taxpayers will benefit so it's a no-brainer thank you sorry thank you does anybody else want to come down and speak for five minutes of public comment clerk do you have any emails Okay, thank you. Well, thank you everybody else. Thank you for coming down to speak for public comment. We will now move on to first rate legislation.

I'd like to motion to move introductory resolution R2668 to the top of the agenda since I think a lot of folks here are probably interested in that.

A motion and a second. Any discussion regarding moving R26-68 to the beginning of the agenda?

Thank you so much. So now we will start with introductory resolution R26-68 that's in employees. All right, that's me. Council member Medvedsky, can you?

I'll make the motion for introductory resolution R26-68, a resolution of support for workers and CSEA Local 1000 at the Binghamton Housing Authority.

I have a motion, do I have a second? Second. Motion and a second. Any discussion regarding this?

I guess I can just read the resolution. A resolution in support of Binghamton Housing Authority workers seeking union representation Whereas the Council of the City of Binghamton recognizes the fundamental right of workers to organize and collectively bargain and recognizes that strong labor unions play an important role in protecting workers rights promoting fair wages and benefits improving workplace safety and ensuring that workers have a meaningful voice in the terms and conditions of their employment and whereas employees of the Binghamton Housing Authority provide essential services to r

I think we had a lot of discussion on this on Monday, but just to reiterate, I'm happy to support the unionization efforts of workers and collective organizing. And this has been the closest I've been to a union forming, a labor union forming, so I'm really grateful for having the opportunity to just support your efforts. And I look forward to continuing to support the efforts of CSEA Local 1000 and the BHA Housing Authority workers.

I guess I'll go. I just want to echo the same thing that Council Member Hotchkiss said. Like I said on Monday, it does take a lot of courage to come and do this, so I want to say thank you all again for coming to do this and set this up. I know it probably wasn't the easiest process, very scary, but thank you all for coming to do this, and like Council Member Hotchkiss said, we support you 100% in this. and I'm very excited that this is happening. So thank you guys. Do you have anything?

No, I made my comments on Monday, and I think things have been covered. Clark, can you please call the roll? Support and solidarity, yes.

And best of luck to you all. Thank you. Next on the agenda, we have Introductory Ordinance 026-64, considered in finance with Council Member Cavanaugh.

Y'all can feel free to stick around for all the exciting finance transfers we're about to make.

I'd like a motion to consider 02664, an ordinance to amend the 2026 capital fund budget for equipment upgrades at the Collier Street service lot.

Motion and a second. Discussion regarding this?

This is the new arm and card reading system for the Collier Street lot. I think There's a number of moving pieces with the parking evolving in downtown Binghamton. I think regardless of that and regardless of, irregardless, whichever is right, of all of those other pieces, that getting the Collier Street lot to have the option to be fully automated is in the best interest of the city. It allows us more flexibility for collections and stuff, and it does not... necessarily mean any reduction in parking personnel or options to have folks there during events and stuff when more assistance might be

Can you talk us through pieces of evidence that it won't immediately lead to workforce reduction? Won't, you're saying it won't, that people will be shifted. Convince me, because otherwise I think I'm gonna motion to hold over, because I don't wanna, I'm not sure how I'm gonna vote on it, and I don't wanna be a deciding factor with the short number of people that we have today.

Okay, you have a motion to hold over? Okay, motion to hold over, second.

Motion to second. Okay, thank you so much. So now, next on the agenda, we'll move on to Introductory Ordinance 026-65, considered in finance again, with Councilmember Cavanaugh.

All right, I'd like to motion to approve 026-65, an ordinance to amend the 2026 general fund budget for the additional retirement costs.

Motion and a second, discussion regarding this?

Right, this is the police fire adjustment for the, I believe, single firefighter that we've had to do before as they've elected to opt into this system. Again, cross our fingers, this is the last time we have to go through this rigmarole, but I think there's maybe one or two more possibilities.

Council President Pro Tem Middleton, thank you. That is 4-0. Thank you so much. Again, next up on the agenda, Introductory Ordinance 026-66, again, in finance with Council Member Cavanaugh.

Sure. Sure. i'd like to motion to pass oh 2666 in order to win the 2026 capital fund budget to close unused grant and serial bond lines second motion and a second discussion regarding this This is mostly cleanup of, as you can see from the ordinance, small amounts left in assorted bond lines that remain unused and don't need to be there, and we can close them out and simplify bookkeeping a very little bit, but a little bit.

Okay, any other discussion regarding that?

Thank you so much. Next on the agenda, we have introductory ordinance 026-69, considered in finance again with Councilmember Cavanaugh.

Okay, like to motion to approve. Oh, 2669 ordinance to win the BC BJ's, whatever joint to treatment plant 2026 budget to increase electricity and water and decrease the contingency line.

Motion and a second. Discussion regarding 026-69?

So this body has had to have many discussions over the last year over the increase in utility usage. Usually that's electric and gas. Here we also have no gas increase, but electricity increase overages at the sewage treatment plant. They have gone to a contract with Constellation Energy, which should stabilize costs and, in fact, hopefully bring down those expenses over the next year. But we're faced with the bills for the remainder of this year, and those were detailed by the business manager on Monday as far as what's due in October and then forecasting for the rest of the year. This might

Thank you so much. Next on the agenda, we have Introductory Ordinance 026-70, considered in planning with Council Member Hotchkiss.

Make a motion to adopt introductory ordinance. Oh 26-70. This is an ordinance authorizing a credit bid for 11 stone Street second motion in a second discussion regarding Oh 26-70 The city acquired this property through a very long code. We haven't acquired it. OK. Never mind. We didn't acquire it, but we are.

Attempted to acquire it and this came out of a long legal process related to code issues that amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars and trying to send this to auction to recover some of the

All right, so there was a Supreme Court case. There were issues with things like lack of heat, lack of water, and lack of smoke detectors. The Supreme Court found in favor of the city civil penalties of over 600,000. Basically, so there's gonna there's a sheriff sale that's been triggered by the judgment of the property The property is not worth six hundred thousand We're basically Since we're owed that huge judgment The way I understand it is that this credit bid that we're authorizing is takes whatever we offer off of that $600,000 judgment. So we kind of have this large amount of money that

So if you're watching this and you have ideas, just reach out.

In future, I just think I would prefer to see a number in here rather than a... just full market value of the property if we do anything like this again. That's all.

Understandable. Clerk, can you please call the roll?

Can I just also note that it's in a really great walkable neighborhood. It is walkable to the Ys. It's in the MacArthur School District area. It is walkable to downtown. It is walkable to the hospital. It is a very great location.

Thank you, Council Member Morawiecki. Our last item on the agenda is Introductory Ordinance 026-72, considered in Public Works and Parks with Council Member Hotchkiss.

Make a motion to adopt Introductory Ordinance 026-72. This is a resolution to accept $50,000 grant from New York State EFC for sewer improvements.

Second. Motion and a second. Discussion regarding this?

Pretty straightforward. The EFC is giving us grant money so that we can continue to study some of our sewer infrastructure and plan for improvements, specifically with overflow in mind.

Aye. Thank you, it is 4-0. Thank you so much. Now we are on to communication from council. Tonight we will start with Council Member Matavetsky.

I want to thank BA systems and the other organizations that assisted in fixing up the flight room at the Discovery Center That ribbon-cutting happened this morning It is a very nice new upgraded flight room. There's a new wrap on the kind of a smaller airplane and there's new seating for like a a vibe of being in an actual passenger airplane now. So the room has been redone and modernized. There's a cool light bright wall, jumbo light bright pieces. So that's very cool. We had, since the last meeting, we had Blues on the Bridge, And our comptroller's office was there doing unclaimed funds, and

Thank you, Council President Pro Tem. I wanted to briefly try to do my best job to acknowledge some of the comments and public comment related to unsheltered homelessness. Council Member Rathmel is not here, but she would be the best to inform you. And I think she has informed some of the folks that were speaking, but in knowing her, this is like the most optimistic I've seen her in making really constructive strides towards ending unsheltered homelessness. She's been working tirelessly to get this plan together. We have all the organizations and funding lining up, and the objective and goal t

Thank you. Council Member Cavanaugh. Okay, so I guess I'm up. I think this is the first time since I've been in council that I don't have anything tonight. I just want to thank everyone, actually I do. I want to thank everyone for coming out, speaking during public comment. Just know that we are always listening and always thinking of ideas to make the quality of life better in the city of Binghamton. And thank you so much for your patience tonight. Did you have something else? And if I don't, if nobody else has anything, I will make a motion to adjourn the meeting.