Council expedites 2.91% CPI pay increase and budget adjustments for Binghamton–Johnson City sewage plant

The Binghamton City Council on Monday moved to expedite consideration of two budget items affecting the Binghamton–Johnson City joint sewage treatment plant, approving both procedural motions after brief presentations and questions from council members.

Billy Goodson, identified in the meeting as the presenter for RL25-01, told the council that the ordinance would authorize a 2.91% consumer price index adjustment to active hourly personnel rates for the plant in the 2025 budget year. "Back in November, we made an adjustment to the hourly rates, based on the CPI increase. We got approval in December from city council, and, I had to wait for that approval before I could come back to make the adjustment for 2025," Goodson said.

The council was told the RL25-01 proposal does not change the number of positions or the total personnel services budget for 2025. Council members asked whether the CPI increase is automatic under the plant's contract; Goodson said renegotiations are expected to begin in 2025 for any changes taking effect in 2026.

The council voted to expedite RL25-01 on a roll-call vote recorded as five ayes with two members absent (Kavanaugh and Madovetsky). The clerk's count was reported as "5-0." The motion to expedite was procedural; no final ordinance text vote was recorded in the transcript.

Council members then considered RL25-02, a budget transfer to increase the chemicals line item and reduce the electricity line item. Elliot, identified in the meeting as a plant staff presenter, said the plant experienced unexpectedly high solids inflow in October and November. "For the month of October November, we took in 170 tons more, solids that we had to centrifuge and with that, it increased our polymer consumption," Elliot said. He and staff attributed the additional solids in part to heavier-than-normal rainfall during those months.

Elliot told councilmembers the plant typically purchases about $100,000 of polymer per month and that recent months have averaged about $150,000 to $160,000 in chemical costs; December expenditures rose to roughly $210,000. He said staff waited for the final December electricity bill before proposing an $85,000 decrease to the electricity line, and credited improved gas quality from increased solids sent to digesters and more consistent operation of three microturbines for lower electricity needs.

Council members asked follow-up questions about whether the December chemical spike represented a recurring problem and whether the electricity reduction could leave the plant underfunded; staff said they do not forecast the same polymer consumption continuing and that the electricity figure was based on final billing.

The council voted to expedite RL25-02 on a roll-call vote recorded as six ayes, one member absent. The clerk said "It is 6 ayes." Like RL25-01, the transcript records only the expedited consideration motion; no final adoption vote appears in the provided excerpt.

Next steps recorded in the session: staff indicated contract renegotiations for plant labor are expected to begin in 2025 in advance of 2026 changes; no formal directives beyond the expedited scheduling motions were recorded in the transcript.

Funding and operational details cited in the discussion will be reflected in the city budget amendments if and when the ordinances return for final action.