Binghamton council debates animal tethering law, streetscape supplement, housing grants and fleet repairs; one expedited vote approved

Binghamton City Council members on Wednesday discussed a tethering ordinance for dogs, a supplemental design agreement on the Downtown Deco Streetscape project, a $36,747 request to cover police vehicle repairs, and multiple housing funding items tied to HOME-ARP and New York State’s Move-In New York program. Council approved one expedited administrative action for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) agreements; other items were sent to committee or deferred for additional review.

Councilmember Hadassah Madavetsky introduced RL25-164, an ordinance to amend local charter provisions related to animal care and extreme weather conditions after she said she had received resident complaints and had met with the Broome County Humane Society. Madavetsky read a citizen letter from Mary Anne Dorner describing concerns about animals tethered for long periods and urging the council to “look deep into your hearts and to help the voiceless.” Madavetsky said a packet included a Syracuse municipal model for tethering rules and that local staff — including the dog warden and Broome County legislative staff — were reviewing how a local law would interact with state law. The council agreed to send RL25-164 to committee for more work and community input rather than take action at the meeting.

The council also heard from Chief Engineer Ron Lake and the public-works committee chair about RL25-157, a supplemental agreement (No. 6) to the Deco Streetscape Improvements contract. Lake described design changes that followed a late request from a downtown property owner for a new driveway and relocated dumpster access. That change required reissuing numerous design sheets and resulted in additions that Lake said include a new driveway design, replacement/upgrade of the Water Street–Henry Street signal to match recently installed mast-arm signals downtown, replacement of deteriorated electrical components and controllers on Washington Street, and renewal of the project management software used to track the work. Council members noted the change affected many drawings and that outreach had been ongoing with affected property owners; Lake said the design additions include roughly $20,000 of additional expenses plus a modest contingency in the packet materials. No final vote on the supplemental agreement was recorded at the meeting; the item remained under committee consideration.

On finance matters, a police-department representative presented RL25-158, a request to transfer additional funds to repair or replace department vehicles that have been damaged in collisions or suffered engine/transmission failures. The staff member said a recent memorandum (provided the same day) itemized repairs and replacements and that the new request totals approximately $36,747 for several in‑service vehicles. Council members asked for a full tally of vehicle repair costs over the last year and for clarification about which repairs were collision-related and which were mechanical failures. A specific example discussed: a 2013 traffic-division SUV for which staff said a replacement engine (the vehicle carries specialized equipment) was more cost-effective than buying a new marked vehicle. Several collision investigations remain under internal review and were described as pending; the council did not take a final vote on the transfer at the meeting and allowed more time for members to review the memorandum.

Planning and economic-development staff briefed the council on RL25-160 (an authorizing resolution related to New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Move-In New York manufactured-home pilot) and two linked HOME-ARP items: RL25-161 (a technical amendment to the 2022 HOME-ARP budget to accept a small additional HUD allocation and to simplify budget categories) and RL25-162 (authorizations to enter agreements with agencies selected in a local HOME-ARP Request for Proposals). Planning staff said New York State’s HCR expects municipalities to provide a municipal affirmation that they can permit manufactured homes and signaled a preference that applicant names be named in the municipal resolution, though staff reported HCR indicated a broadly worded municipal authorization would be acceptable for program marketing. Staff explained the Move-In NY application portal opens November 15 and closes Jan. 30, and characterized the local resolution as a way to let nonprofit applicants know the city “allows” the housing type and is willing to expedite permitting rather than as an immediate transfer of property or approval of a specific project.

Council members split over whether to “expedite” (fast-track) the resolution for the Move-In NY program so staff could publicly solicit applicants before applications open. Supporters said the measure is mainly a marketing/communications step that would not replace later council review of any proposal that required city‑owned property transfers. Opponents said they wanted time to review potential applications and prefer applicants to present site-specific proposals before the council gave general authorization. A motion to expedite RL25-160 was brought to a roll call and failed.

Related HOME-ARP proposals were discussed in the meeting. Staff said Metro Interfaith is proposing a large rehabilitation at 109 Oak Street (a multi‑story building near Binghamton High School) and requested HOME-ARP funds directed to construction and stabilization; Metro Interfaith’s scope and finance plan in the packet included historic-tax-credit and other funding sources. Staff also described two other proposals, including one described in the packet as addressing an LITEC financing shortfall for an existing, near‑shovel‑ready project. Council members asked for copies of full proposals and proposed bringing applicants into a planning committee meeting for detailed questions; staff agreed to schedule applicant briefings to allow more substantive review before any contract approvals.

The council approved one expedited item: RL25-163, authorizing agreements with service agencies for the city’s CDBG and ESG awards. A motion to expedite was moved and seconded and passed on a roll-call vote, and the contracts were authorized to be executed as recommended in the materials. Staff described this item as an annual authorization to issue funding agreements to nonprofit service providers under federal allocations; the council’s expedited vote ensures timely execution of those contracts.

Other items: Councilmember Robert Kavanaugh introduced RL25-156, a proposal to amend the city charter (chapter cited in the packet) to add reporting requirements for managerial salary increases so the council can see such changes reflected in the budget; Kavanaugh said the change aims to improve transparency and that the ordinance will be considered in the rules-and-procedures committee. Comptroller Chuck Robinson also presented several routine budget housekeeping items and a parking/ramps revenue update; the council moved several planning and contract items to committee for more detailed review.

What happened next: for the tethering ordinance (RL25-164), staff and council said they will gather additional input from the dog warden, the county, and legal counsel on how any local ordinance would interact with state animal-protection law before drafting committee language. For HOME-ARP and Move-In NY, staff will provide the full proposal packets to council members, schedule committee briefings with the applicants, and continue coordination with Broome County Land Bank and New York State HCR. For the Deco Streetscape supplemental and the vehicle-repair transfers, staff will supply supporting cost details and outreach logs to committees and return with recommendations at a later meeting.

Votes at a glance - RL25-163 (authorize CDBG/ESG agreements): expedition motion passed on roll call; contracts authorized for execution as presented. - RL25-160 (Move-In New York municipal authorization — expedition motion): expedition failed on roll call; no authorization advanced at this meeting. - RL25-164 (canine tethering ordinance): referred to committee for additional review and stakeholder input (no final council vote at meeting). - Other items (Deco supplemental RL25-157; police vehicle transfers RL25-158; HOME-ARP amendments RL25-161 and agreements RL25-162; charter amendment RL25-156): discussed and sent to the appropriate committee or deferred for additional staff follow-up and review.

Council members and staff said they expect follow-up committee meetings, applicant briefings, and additional documentation to be provided to council members prior to votes on the substantive authorizations and contract awards.