Common Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. This is a regular session of Rome Common Council. The date is April 8th, 2026 and the time is 7 p.m. Mr. Sage, please call the role. Councelor Sprace, present. Councelor Mortise, present. Councelor Fosio, excused. Councelor Smith, here. Councelor Riley, present. Councelor Dery, excused. Councelor Spalia, present. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. 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.

The invitation will be given by the chair. Lord, help us to embrace the privilege of serving others and may our actions reflect kindness, compassion, and care. Let us remember the needs of those we represent and strive to make our decisions that uplift and empower our community. Amen. Amen.

This point of meeting is now open to the public. This is your opportunity to appear before the council and present your views concerning city affairs. If you wish to speak, please step up to the back microphone, state your name and address, and limit yourself to five minutes. In addition, please sign in on the speaker sheet back there. This will help us with our record. We are ready for our first speaker. Good evening, Bobby O'Brien. Uh, speaking on behalf of Rome Waterways and Trails, the advocacy group, President Nash, members of the council, members in the audience, I just want to say congratulations. The DRRi win is going to be such a phenomenal situation down at Bellamy Harbor Park and that surrounding area. I know that the CED here worked very very hard on completing that grant request. It is going to be wonderful. And as the chair of the waterways and trails advocacy group, I know that we'll be very willing, able, and ready to help out wherever we can. I know some of the particulars that were in the request for the grant, and I'm very excited for the future. That is going to be the place to go. Thank you.

Thank you, Bobby. Next speaker, please. Hello everyone. Blair Gentther, 106 East Sycamore Street. Uh, I just wanted to follow up on something. On February 17th, I did let the mayor's office and the clerk's office know that there was a data breach of the Central Paving employees where some of their personal data was released online. I let the mayor's office clerk's office know about that on February 17th. That afternoon, uh, the information was down. So, great job by everybody there. Soon as they found out, it was gone. Um, I got a call from the council the next day that said that they had notified the state and they also notified Central Paving, which exactly is the right thing to do and I commend them for doing that as well. The information I'm trying to gather is is whether the 36 employees that were affected were actually notified. Um I know you're under no obligation to tell me. I'm just a citizen, but I did bring it up and I I am curious if those people that were affected were were formally notified by the city. Um or if it was left up to Central Paving to do it or or somebody else did it. Um, so all I'm looking for is an an affirmation from anybody that those 36 employees were notified, that the city has informed them of their options and and what they can do from there. That's all I'm looking for. Thank you.

Thank you, Blair.

Next speaker, please. Dennis Perfetti 506 West Thomas. A couple congratulations out first to the Rome Police Department officer or officer. That was a long time ago, huh, Connie? Uh, Commissioner White, Chief James, hell of a job solving that in three days. It's what happens when you have people who care and they're trained and trained the right way because that could have turned into a disaster. Those people stick together like none other. They don't rat anybody out. So that's all boots on the grounds and ears to the ground and everything else. Congratulations to the administration. $10 million. Nice little hit for for Rome. It's going to go a long way. I see the mayor talk about amphitheater. That'd be a great idea down there. Love to see that go up. Um, and as far as the mayor and what he did at the town hall, I've been coming to these things now since 2023. You couldn't get a conversation with the last mayor, let alone have her stand up and take questions for two and a half hours. So, as much as everybody wants to beat on them and beat on the administration on Facebook for nonsense, it's glad to see that the people who really cared about this city were out here asking questions and getting the answers they deserved. Um, just got to keep it up because we got it going in the right direction. Chabani Metife's going up there. There's a lot of stuff going to hit Rome pretty soon. Think we're going

in the right direction finally. Thanks, Dennis. Next speaker, please. Anyone else? Public session is closed. The chair will entertain a motion that the reading of the minutes of the preceding session be dispensed with and that they be approved. So moved. Councelor Smith. Second. Councelor Spalia moved and seconded. Any any discussion? All those in favor say I. I.

Opposed. Motion carries. Let's see. We have no petitions, no communication. Going to jump right into report of city officials. Okay. Board of counselors and general city affairs. Councelor Mortise. President, members of the council. Thank you, President. Um, just a couple things. Uh, first of all, Mr. probably beat me to it, but definitely RPD did an amazing job on the the recent unfortunate incident in Rome. That uh hasn't happened that quick and I couldn't tell you how long. Um so RPD, thank you because that is what we need in our city. It's appreciated by us as the council, the administration, and all the city of Rome by the residents and it shows. Um so thank you very much. continue the great work. Um, next, ordinance 9863. I just want to clarify because I had put that together. Um, along with thanking Corp Couns Council and she's down there smirking because it was my mess up, my wording in my last ordinance. So, this is fixing it. And I apologize to court counsel and the commissioner DPW because I drove him and his staff crazy. So, I apologize, but after tonight, thank you all for helping me with this one. Um, because it was mixed signs with businesses on Dominic Street, but now thank yous. Um, so I hope I get support on that, please. And, um, lastly, um, as Blair who spoke tonight, thank you again for doing that for the city and not notifying them because obviously that fell through the cracks and it was needed. So, thank you very much on doing that. Um to answer your question directly,

I was told those employees were notified. However, Corp counsel has told me before when I had questioned it. We had told them, but it's not supposed to be put out there. You know, it's not it's confidential, I guess. So, rather it is or isn't true, I don't know. But to answer your question directly, you were the first phone call. They were the state and then the employees, which again, it wouldn't have happened without you and your help. So, thank you again. That's it. President, thank you, Council Mortis, Dr. Spraya.

Yes, President Nash, members of the council, members of the public. Um, I just want to make mention on the uh parks master plan. Um, there has not been any uh movement that I'm aware of since the last meeting. Uh, I'm going to contact Matt Andrews tomorrow uh to see where they're at on their end, but I can happily report that I spoke to Jim Guy the other day and they will begin working on the four pickle ball courts at Franklin Field very soon. They're going to be resurfacing and installing those. So, they'll be all brand new with the lighting. And as we know, pickle ball is very very up and coming at this particular point. Uh second thing I want to address is I just want to give some information on ordinance 9862 authorizing the bonding of $3,800,000 for our paving program. Um, we like to use acronyms in a city government and I had to look up some of these because I didn't realize what CHIPS EWR meant. So, I want to let the public know that CHIPS stands for consolidated local street and highway improvement program. POP is PAR potholes which is through New York State DOT. EWR is extreme winter recovery program and pave New York is self-explanatory. Now we're going to bond for $3,800,000. However, we hope to have this offset by grants from these organizations totaling $2,57,000. So the city will be receiving that in 2026. If you subtract that the grants from the original amount, we would actually be borrowing only1,743,000.

And we have done a street uh improvement program every year since I can't remember when, but I just wanted the public to be aware of that. Thank you.

Thank you, Compass Bria. Anyone else? I just like to uh again follow up on what Bobby O'Brien talked about the DRI grant for $10 million. It's uh it's pretty hu pretty pretty big and we're the first community in the state that's gotten two two of these. So that's even bigger. $10 million first time and 10 million the second time, I believe. Um, so I I want to congratulate the mayor and Matt Andrews and entire uh community economic development staff for a great job and um much appreciated and it'll make an impact on the city or report to committees resolutions. Resolution number 53,

resolution determining that the proposed reconstruction and resurfacing of existing city streets and roads is a type two action for purposes of the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. So move. Councelor Mortis, Councelor Riley moved and seconded. Is any discussion? All those in favor say I. I oppose. Resolution number 53 is carried. Resolution number 54 authorizing the mayor of the city of Rome to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the onidita county statewide targeted reductions in intimate partner violence strive. Move it. Councelor Spice second. Council moved and seconded. Any discussion?

All those in favor say I. I oppose. Resolution number 54 carried. Ordinances. Ordinance number 9862 authorizing the issuance of $3,800,000 bonds of the city of Rome, Onidita County, New York to pay the cost of reconstruction of various roads. Move it. Council and councelor Riley unanimous consent. Councelor Spice second and councelor Mortise. Orange number 9862 has been moved and seconded. Unanimous consent has been moved and seconded. All those in favor of unanimous consent say I. I post unanimous consent is carried. Is there any discussion? Yes. Councelor Sprrya gave us pretty good uh detail uh a few minutes ago. So um all in favor say I.

I oppose. Ordinance number 9862 is carried. Ordinance number 9863 authorizing amendment to ordinance number 9856 adopted on March 11th 2026. So move mortise second. Counc unanimous consent. Council second. And councelor Riley. Orange number 9863 has been moved and seconded. Unanimous consent is moved and seconded. All those in favor of unanimous consent say I. I oppos unanimous consent is carried. Any discussion? All those in favor say I. I. Oppose orange number 9863 is carried. Entaintain a motion to adjurnn. So move. Councelor Smith second. And councelor Mortise. All in favor say I. I.

Oppose. We are adjourned. Thank you all for coming tonight.