Saratoga Springs commissioners brace for vote to repeal section of 2023 executive-employee resolution amid heated exchanges

Saratoga Springs City Council members scheduled a vote to repeal Section E of a Feb. 21, 2023 resolution covering nonunion full-time executive employees and to consider a memorandum of agreement with CSEA Local 1000 (AFSCME, AFL-CIO). Mayor Stafford said the repeal and the union memorandum would be on the agenda for the next meeting and that the council would vote on them "tomorrow."

The matter drew sharp remarks from one commissioner, who criticized how the items were placed on the agenda, accused other officials of collusion and said the city has incurred more than $100,000 in legal bills related to what the commissioner described as a false allegation and an investigation. The commissioner said the district attorney ultimately found no substance to the allegation. The council set the repeal and associated items for formal action at the next meeting.

Why it matters: the repeal and the memorandum of agreement could change pay or administrative rules for nonunion executive staff and affects bargaining-unit relations with CSEA Local 1000. The debate also highlighted council tensions over communication, timing of negotiations and the city’s handling of a prior investigation that several speakers said led to substantial legal expenses.

Council discussion and complaints about process dominated the public portion of the agenda item. Several commissioners said they received an email late in the prior week asking for meetings and said short-notice scheduling—particularly immediately following a major weekend—was disrespectful to members with medical or other obligations. One commissioner said they had received an email dated Jan. 3, 2024 that was relevant to the matter and said they would present the related materials at the next meeting.

The council agenda listed a separate item authorizing the mayor to sign a memorandum of agreement with CSEA Local 1000 covering City Hall employees; the administration asked the council to authorize the mayor’s signature. Concerns raised by commissioners included whether there had been adequate advance discussion, how the proposed MOA affects staff who are represented by the bargaining unit, and the timing for bringing personnel-policy changes forward.

City staff and the mayor framed the items as administrative and contractual business to be decided by the council. No formal vote was recorded in the transcript; the council will take the items up at its next meeting.

The transcript also records a related remark asking that, if a policy change reduces benefits for any employee, the council should consider whether to restore or replace those benefits—an option some commissioners indicated they would raise when the vote occurs.

The council’s public record for the item cites the Feb. 21, 2023 resolution that originally created the nonunion executive-employee provisions; the current agenda language identifies Section E of that resolution as the portion proposed for repeal. The council did not describe, in the recorded discussion, the precise text of Section E; council members said final details would be presented at the vote.

Looking ahead: the council scheduled the repeal and the CSEA MOA for a vote at the next meeting and said several commissioners will present additional documents and argument at that time.