Binghamton City Council approves $20.64 million bond, rejects DPW maintenance amendment and holds Siemens energy contract for further review

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Binghamton City Council on Wednesday approved an ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds not to exceed $20,636,000 for multiple capital projects, rejected an amendment to the 2024 Department of Public Works (DPW) budget related to shared maintenance at Government Plaza and took no final action on a proposed agreement with Siemens, instead moving to hold the contract for two weeks for additional review.

The bond ordinance, O-25-14, passed in a 6-1 vote after councilors first voted that the projects listed in the ordinance are Type II actions under SEQRA and require no further environmental review. The list of projects includes engineering and feasibility studies, repairs to municipal facilities (including a parking garage and roofs), flood wall repairs, street and utility work, and the purchase of heavy equipment such as fire trucks and snow plows.

Council members voiced support for specific items included in the bond authorization, including repaving the Ross Park Zoo parking lot. “That parking lot is really in disrepair,” said one councilor during debate, adding that its condition affects the zoo’s operations and fundraising efforts. Council member Hotchkiss was the lone dissenting vote on the bond.

The council voted down introductory ordinance O-25-07, an amendment to the 2024 DPW budget to cover a roughly $14,000 shared-maintenance charge related to Government Plaza. During discussion, councilors raised concerns about coordination among the city, county and state on maintenance responsibilities and urged reinstatement of regular intergovernmental meetings before approving the allocation. The roll call on O-25-07 produced five nays, one aye and one abstention, and the measure failed.

Separately, the council discussed O-25-17, an ordinance to authorize an agreement with Siemens Industries related to benchmarking energy use in city buildings. Conservation Commission Chair Julian Shepherd and a Siemens representative spoke during public comment. Shepherd said benchmarking ‘‘is important for the climate change plan’’ and recommended the city designate a city employee to manage the program; he suggested postponing approval until the city’s internal management role is clarified.

Tommy Garrett, a Siemens employee, told the council, “It’s your project. It’s not ours. We work for you,” and offered to provide regular updates and to attend work sessions to answer questions. Council member Kavanaugh moved to hold the Siemens agreement for two weeks to allow time for additional questions and follow-up; a second was entered, but the transcript does not record a final vote on that holdover during the portion of the meeting provided.

The meeting also opened and closed a public hearing on RL-25-21, an ordinance amending Chapter 410 of the zoning code to clarify and correct text; no members of the public spoke during that hearing and the council closed it by motion.

The council meeting included multiple references to existing agreements and processes. Council members said shared-maintenance agreements for Government Plaza date to the 1960s and noted that the city is one of three parties to those maintenance arrangements (city, county and state). Siemens staff and others referenced potential outside funding sources for electric vehicle chargers and energy projects, including NYSERDA, but also said future funding availability was not guaranteed.

The council did not finalize the Siemens contract during the recorded portion of the meeting and directed further review; it adopted the bond authorization and declined the DPW budget amendment.