Long Beach council approves meter replacements, park rehab, and $350,000 settlement amid debate over seeing contracts

The Long Beach City Council on Wednesday approved a series of municipal contracts and funding items and voted to settle a pending lawsuit, while some members pressed for greater transparency on seeing contracts before voting.

Council members voted to authorize the city manager to enter a contract for the replacement of residential water meters, award the Sherman Brown Park rehabilitation contract to SJS Construction, and approve a two-year street lighting maintenance and repair contract with New York Trenchless, among other items. The council also accepted $59,284 from the New York State Municipal Workers’ Compensation Alliance and approved a $350,000 settlement in an action brought by plaintiff Zoey Papetti.

Councilors said the meter-replacement project will replace aging equipment — some meters are more than 25 years old — to improve accuracy, promote water conservation and recover unaccounted-for water. A member of the public, Mike Delore, thanked project staff and said city and contractor communications with residents have been clear. City staff said the contract includes a disposal/salvage credit of $1.50 per replaced residential meter (bidders’ salvage credits ranged from $1.50 to $2.00 per meter) and that the project is residential-only; staff did not provide a brass-weight or exact scrap-value figure during the meeting.

On the Sherman Brown Park project, staff told the council the rehabilitation should take about six months and that the city expects to be awarded a grant covering 50% of the cost from New York State Parks and Recreation in November. Council members asked that staff coordinate regular public updates on construction progress.

The award for radio-system maintenance used by the police and fire departments went to Multimedia Communications, which the presenter said has serviced the city’s radios for roughly 30 years. Council discussion noted that monthly maintenance costs have increased since 2021, and the presenter said the awarded bid remained approximately $2,000 a month lower than the other bidder, which had quoted about $2,415.50 per month.

Several council votes drew vocal concern from one member who repeatedly declined to support items, saying he had not seen the contracts before being asked to vote. President Finn defended the council’s practice in some cases, saying, "We have to trust the process," and noting that the city manager, corporation counsel and assistants perform due diligence. Another council member responded, "You see, I disagree with you, Mister Finn. It's because we are elected to look into these things," arguing elected officials should review contracts before authorizing them. That disagreement was the clearest point of contention during the meeting; most contested items nonetheless carried by roll-call vote.

On litigation, the council approved the $350,000 settlement of the action brought by Zoey Papetti. The vote recorded one abstention; the settlement motion passed.

Votes at a glance - Item 1 (local law amending charter): adopted (roll call). - Item 9 (residential water-meter replacement): adopted; recorded vote included one 'no' (Council member Lester) and the measure carried. - Sherman Brown Park rehabilitation (award to SJS Construction): adopted; timeline ~6 months; staff to coordinate public updates. - Item 11 (street lighting maintenance and repair, two-year contract to New York Trenchless): adopted as amended. - Item 12 (radio system maintenance to Multimedia Communications): adopted; awarded bid substantially lower than alternate ($~2,415.50/month). - Item 13 (purchase of two 6-point Loadman scale systems under Sourcewell): adopted. - Item 15 (accept $59,284 from NYS Municipal Workers’ Compensation Alliance): adopted. - Item 16 (settlement of action by Zoey Papetti for $350,000): adopted (one abstention). - Items 2–8, 10, 14 and 17: adopted on roll-call where noted.

What happens next Staff will finalize awarded contracts and begin procurement and project mobilization for the meter replacements and park rehabilitation. The hearing on proposed changes to the city code regarding emergency ambulance services was set for Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. Council members asked staff to provide contract copies and routine project updates going forward.