Saratoga Springs council previews public hearings, police settlement session and updates on fire-station invoices

Mayor Stafford opened the meeting by previewing items the Saratoga Springs City Council will consider at upcoming sessions, including two public hearings scheduled for the next evening: a proposed amendment to the city's 2025 capital budget to add $25,000 to Project 1193 for the Vernon Ice Rink and a proposed ordinance to amend Chapter 201 of the city code on street naming and numbering.

The announcements also included a scheduled executive session for the council to discuss ongoing litigation and negotiations with the Saratoga Springs police lieutenants PBA and an Article 7 termination or settlement. "We will be discussing an Article 7, determination," Mayor Stafford said, noting the executive session was set to allow Commissioner Seungby to participate.

Why it matters: The agenda items touch on public facilities, labor negotiations and potential settlements, and several contract and grant decisions that affect city services for seniors, public safety operations and capital maintenance.

The ice rink item: John, a city staff member, told the council the $25,000 request is intended to replace the rink's sound system. "This is to upgrade our sound system in Vernon Ice Rink," John said, adding the funds were designated from the city's 2022 surplus through the capital program. Mayor Stafford said the council will hold a public hearing and then vote on the amendment.

Seniors' nutrition contract and funding rules: The mayor said the council will consider authorizing the mayor to sign an agreement with the Saratoga County Department of Aging and Youth Services. Under the proposed agreement the county, through a subcontract with Mazon Hospitality, would provide a dining program and or home-delivered meals for city seniors from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025. The mayor said those services would be provided under the rules and regulations of Title III of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended.

Civilian Review Board training and appointments: The mayor announced several appointments across city boards and commissions, including reappointments and new appointees to the Arts Commission and a set of planning-board appointments (Alex White as a full member, Jen Johnson as an alternate, Mark Pingel as chair and Joe Ferrante as vice chair). The mayor also said he will ask the council to approve a $6,143 contract for a 40-hour mediation certification course from the National Association of Certified Mediators for Civilian Review Board members.

IT and records items: Finance staff listed several information-technology items on the agenda, including an intergovernmental agreement to receive CrowdStrike endpoint-protection services donated through the New York State Office of Information Technology Services and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and an addendum (Addendum 3) with Tyler Technologies for cloud hosting. The finance report also said the council will be asked to authorize participatory-budgeting agreements for groups approved in December ' including SoBro Conservancy, Saratoga Children's Literacy League, Franklin Community Center and the Children's Museum at Saratoga ' so those organizations can receive their funding.

Grants and special events: City accounts staff said the council will consider waiving the special-event application fee for TreeToga 2025 and will consider applying for a New York State Archives local government records management improvement grant; applications can seek up to $75,000 to support analog-to-digital conversion and other records management work.

Public works and street names: The Department of Public Works will present the ordinance listed for public hearing that would add a list of street names under Chapter 201, including Fowler, Willow, Todd, Race, Wagon, Wilcourt and Morrissey. The department will also present a donation of trees from Sustainable Saratoga and asked the council to set a public hearing for March 18 on proposed water and sewer rates.

Public safety contracts and Fire Station 3 finances: Chief Dyer addressed the council about remaining invoices tied to the Fire Station 3 construction. "There is roughly $54,000 that's gonna have to come out of the PO for the line that's remaining that's gonna come to the table to be approved to pay," Chief Dyer said. He told the council the contractor was late delivering paperwork and that, when the remaining invoices and final purchases are accounted for, "we will have 90,000 and change remaining in the PO for that project, which basically states that the overall construction of the project is done and we're under budget by $90,000 and change." The chief said the leftover funds will be used for FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment) items such as a gear washer/extractor and a gear dryer and to begin purchasing fitness equipment.

Other public-safety items listed for future consideration included contracts for maintenance of fire vehicles with Firematic Supply Company; an ammunition contract with Eagle Point for police department use; a medical-director contract with Dr. Jason Bernad; alarm-system monitoring with Mahoney Notify Plus for Stations 1 and 3; an educational agreement with Momentive Performance Materials for a shadow program with the fire department (no cost to the city); and authorization to apply for a state multimodal grant as reviewed by the city counsel.

Smaller invoice items mentioned: The council was told it would be asked to pay a $253 invoice to BPI Mechanical Services for plumbing work in the police department to address a sewer smell and to pay an invoice to MultiMed Billing Services for January 2025 while the new contract was not yet in place.

Parking change on Lafayette Street: The Department of Public Safety said it will set a public hearing to amend Chapter 225, section 2205-94 of the city code (vehicle and traffic schedule 29) to change alternate side-of-street parking on Lafayette Street from a November'April seasonal restriction to year-round enforcement. The department noted Lafayette Street is one of the city's narrowest (about 25 feet wide) and that residents and staff have raised concerns about congestion on that block for many years.

What the meeting did not decide: The council did not take final votes on the items announced; the mayor and department heads repeatedly said they would hold public hearings and then seek votes on the listed items on the stated future dates. No recorded final actions or roll-call votes on those items were recorded during the meeting.

The council adjourned without additional public comment.