2026-10-08 - Finance Committee

39:24Good evening. Welcome everybody to the

39:27meeting this evening of the finance

39:29committee board of alers. I will begin

39:33[clears throat] I'll begin by siphoning

39:34the cough and then by reading the

39:36published notice.

39:38Board of Alders Notice New Haven.

39:41[clears throat] The finance committee of

39:42the New Haven Board of Holders will hold

39:44a public hearing on Thursday, October 8,

39:472026 at 6 o'clock p.m. in the operatic

39:51chambers 165 Church Street, New Haven to

39:54act upon the following

39:58O R 20260028

40:02ordinance amendment of the New Haven

40:04Board of Alers to the City

40:05[clears throat] of New Haven's Code of

40:07Ordinances amending sections 2-451,

40:102-482,

40:122-483,

40:14and 2-488

40:16of the city's purchasing and procurement

40:18ordinances.

40:20O R 20260032

40:25[clears throat] ordinance amendment of

40:26the New Haven Board of Voters to section

40:2917-201

40:31of the court of ordinances updating the

40:34fee schedule for the Ralph Walker Ice

40:36Rink at Lakefield for fiscal year 2026

40:402027.

40:43Excuse me.

40:49LM 2026 0049

40:53[snorts] order of the New Haven Board of

40:54Alers approving amendment number two to

40:56the outside legal service agreement with

40:59the law firm of Karsten and Tolberg LLC

41:02to increase the total agreement amount

41:05by 77,2402

41:12for fiscal year 2025 2026. 6 [snorts]

41:17O R 20260037 [clears throat]

41:21ordinance amendment of the New Haven

41:23Board of Alers to appropriating

41:25ordinance number one reclassifying one

41:28police mechanic to lead mechanic within

41:31the police department [clears throat]

41:32and reclassifying benefits administrator

41:35to benefits operations manager within

41:38the chief administrative office division

41:40of human resources.

41:43O R 2026 0038

41:48[clears throat] ordinance amendment of

41:49the New Haven Board of Alders to

41:51appropriate ordinance number one

41:53reclassifying position 300 executive

41:56administrative assistant to

41:58administration and finance

41:59[clears throat] manager

42:02and for committee action only LM

42:05[snorts]

42:052026 0318

42:08order of the New Haven Board of Alers

42:10authorizing the mayor to enter into a

42:12multi-year agreement ment with Passport

42:15Labs Incorporated for parking

42:17enforcement software and equipment with

42:19an option to renew.

42:22These items are filed and may be

42:23inspected in the Office of Legislative

42:25Services,

42:27165 Church Street, second floor, New

42:29Haven.

42:31Per order, the Honorable Admiral Chair

42:34attest to Michael Smart, city clerk.

42:37If you need a disability related

42:39accommodation, please call three

42:40business days in advance at 203-9467651

42:45voice or 2039468582

42:50TTY. [snorts] Public comment may also be

42:54submitted via email to [clears throat]

42:56public testimony

42:58havenct.gov

43:00before 2:00 p.m. on the day of the

43:03meeting.

43:05We'll now proceed with introductions

43:06from colleagues to my starting to my

43:09right.

43:09>> Alder Janette Morrison, W 22. Good

43:13>> evening, Mr. Chair. Richard Furllo, Ward

43:1527.

43:16>> Good evening, Mr. [clears throat] Chair.

43:18Alder Evelyn Rodriguez, W 4.

43:21>> Good evening, Mr. Chair. Uh, South

43:23Punzo, Ward 17.

43:26Adam Marshan, W 25.

43:29[clears throat] Brian Wicket, W 29,

43:31Beaver Hills. Good evening, Mr. Chair.

43:34Thank you everyone.

43:36Um,

43:40so as you heard us heard me read, this

43:43is a busy agenda. There are five items

43:46that will be heard this evening. And

43:49then there's a sixth item that will be

43:53deliberated upon this evening.

43:57And that's quite a bit of information to

43:59get through this evening. So we're going

44:01to proceed with dispatch.

44:03Um, before we begin,

44:07um, before we begin,

44:11what am I saying? A few rules of the

44:13road. I got distracted by a piece of

44:14paper. My apologies. Um,

44:18we all have cell phones nowadays, and

44:20some of those cell phones have really

44:21amazing ringtones. Some of them are

44:23quite loud. We don't want to hear any of

44:25them. Please put your devices on mute,

44:30silent mode. Uh if you need to take a

44:32phone call, please do but do it out in

44:34the hallway in my own chambers. If you

44:36need to speak to someone who's here in

44:37these chambers, that's wonderful. Take

44:39that conversation outside so that the uh

44:42proceedings may continue uninterrupted.

44:45Uh when members of the staff or members

44:47of the public come forward to give

44:49presentations or make testimony, offer

44:51testimony, they will come forward, they

44:54will give their names and addresses for

44:56the record and then they will uh say

44:58what they have to say.

45:02Thank you for your cooperation. And

45:04let's begin with the first item, which

45:06is a proposed amendment to the city's

45:08purchasing ordinance.

45:22Good [clears throat] evening. Good

45:23evening.

45:26I see a deck that you've brought.

45:30So, why don't you give us your names and

45:32addresses and then you pass up?

45:38>> Thank you.

45:50Good evening everyone. Michael Harmony,

45:53city controller, 45 Jefferson Road,

45:56Breford Connect.

45:58Good evening. Sean Garris, deputy

46:00[snorts] purch.

46:06>> All right. Uh, [clears throat] everyone

46:08have a copy. So, we will primarily be

46:10going off of the PowerPoint. Um, in a

46:14conversation earlier, um, we did realize

46:18that the redline version, um,

46:22you didn't have a redline version of the

46:24actual proposed ordinance. So, we just

46:27wanted to provide a copy of that as

46:29well. But the PowerPoint will cover all

46:31the major um changes within this

46:34ordinance. So, I understand if you have

46:36any questions on the red line version um

46:40later on through the chair, we would be

46:43happy to [clears throat] answer those

46:44questions. Um

46:47so, thank you for hearing us. Um again

46:50as chair Marshon mentioned

46:53we are looking to

46:57um propose some changes to the

46:59procurement ordinance um which we'll

47:01outline in this presentation. The last

47:03change which this board graciously

47:05approved and the full board approved was

47:08actually October of 2023

47:10and prior to that it had been over 10

47:13years before it was changed in 2023 for

47:16the procurement ordinance. So, um, this

47:20just outlines some additional changes

47:22that we're going to be asking for

47:24related to language and the actual

47:27threshold that the state actually

47:29amended in the last budget cycle. Um,

47:34for [snorts]

47:35um competitive bidding and things like

47:37that. So going to the first page

47:42is the language that we would be or the

47:45threshold that we would be looking to

47:48amend um in this current ordinance. So

47:51back in 2023 the state increased their

47:55procurement threshold to $25,000 which

47:58is what we submitted at that time um

48:03within the procurement ordinance in this

48:06last budget cycle. um were in the

48:08governor's approved budget from July 1st

48:11of 2025 effective October 1st of 2025.

48:15The state actually amended their

48:18threshold from $25,000 to $35,000.

48:22Um what we actually submitted in the

48:26ordinance was um language that says as

48:30amended um with the state statute. So

48:34again, if the state statute was amended,

48:37you know, in another four years, then

48:38our threshold would also change. We

48:41would obviously communicate that change

48:43to the board um if needed. But again, we

48:46do that with a lot of things that we

48:48already have within the city like um

48:51certain fee schedules that we have. When

48:53the state statute changes, our fees

48:55automatically change. We piggy back off

48:58of state contracts and things like that.

49:01So again, this procurement ordinance um

49:04would be um similar to how those things

49:08work as well um that we already have

49:11within the city. Um the state actually

49:14looks at their procurement side from

49:17time to time as you can see with um this

49:20proposal and they assess um procurement

49:23standards that you know cities and towns

49:26can follow within the state of

49:27Connecticut. So again, that's the first

49:30change that we're asking for. Um, and

49:33just to give some comparisons, we did

49:35look at [clears throat] other city what

49:36other cities and towns do as well. So

49:39Bridgeport and Hartford, which are our

49:41comparisons, they follow the state

49:43statute. Um, you know, they have $25,000

49:47set in their threshold. Um, when we

49:50looked at their procurement ordinance,

49:52they haven't amended that yet, but

49:53again, we know they follow the state

49:55statute. Stanford, which is one of the

49:58other comparables we use, they have the

50:01$25,000 threshold and their language

50:03also says as amended as well. And I know

50:06like one of the counterparts um the city

50:09I just previously worked for in West

50:11Haven has the same language within um

50:14their ordinance as well. They follow uh

50:17the state statute. So, a lot of cities

50:19and towns are starting to navigate

50:21towards, you know, where the state sets

50:23procurement um standards and thresholds

50:27um for competitive bidding. So,

50:32>> that's the first change that we're

50:34looking for. Um Mr. Gorman, before you

50:37continue, you might just remind the

50:39committee

50:41>> what process is triggered once an item

50:45to be purchased is going to be more than

50:46$35,000. Absolutely. So within the

50:50procurement ordinance, we have various

50:52sections um within procurement. So when

50:54a city department or the board of

50:56education is going to procure a service

51:01um

51:02whether it's on call electrical services

51:06or painting services or whatever the

51:08case is when the anticipated cost is

51:11going to be of $25,000 or more that

51:15triggers our procurement department to

51:18do either a competitive bid where we

51:20select the lowest vendor pricing

51:24or in some cases depending on the type

51:26of service we do a request for proposal

51:28where there's a criteria where the

51:30vendor is selected. Um

51:34so that so the $25,000 threshold is what

51:38triggers if we have to do a procurement

51:42process. Now we also have what we call

51:44exempt professionals where

51:47we go off list or um cooperative bidding

51:51or things like that. um where you

51:54require a license like a lawyer or

51:56architect. That's a specialized service

51:58that we um have in place. So that has

52:03its own threshold. Um again, as I just

52:06mentioned, I think I put it in the same

52:08sentence, but we have cooperative

52:10bidding where like we piggyback off a

52:12state contracts or approved consortiums

52:16that doesn't require that $25,000

52:18threshold. that's set at 150,000 per the

52:22procurement ordinance. Um, but in

52:26various cases where it's not a sole

52:28source or piggybacking off of another

52:31cooperative consortium, if the service

52:33is going to be $25,000, there needs to

52:36be a public process that is um

52:40established.

52:42Um, so again with this change, it would

52:44just take the public process would have

52:47to be $35,000 or more based on what the

52:51state guidelines are for minimum bidding

52:54threshold.

52:55Thank you for that. Absolutely.

53:03So on the next slide, there are two

53:06areas that we're looking to clarify. Um,

53:09one of them is professional services

53:11related to the board of education. Right

53:14now it's not really codified in the

53:17ordinance. Um, but right now the

53:19practice is that the board of education

53:21president because they have their own

53:24process related to contract signings

53:27over there. So the board of education to

53:30an extent follows the city procurement

53:33process. But when it comes to executing

53:37that actual agreement, the board of

53:39education president signs those

53:42agreements on their side. So, you know,

53:45that's been the practice with the board

53:48of education because we know they're an

53:50entity of the city and the state related

53:53to certain statutes. So, what we're

53:55really doing is just um embedding that

53:59process that already exists within the

54:01city ordinance that the board of

54:03education president is signing those um

54:06contracts for professional services.

54:11The other change related to this is

54:13annual IT renewals. So this was

54:16something that we were going through

54:18with um the finance attorney and

54:22corporation council and felt that there

54:24should be something that just mentions

54:26mason support within the city code of

54:31ordinance. So one thing I want to make

54:33clear is this is not the purchase of

54:35software. Right? So normally when the

54:38city purchases new software especially

54:40on a multi-year basis that comes before

54:43the board uh before the finance

54:45committee or the appropriate committee

54:47and the full board. Um normally when you

54:51purchase software there's what was

54:53called maintenance and support with

54:55that. So year over year you have to pay

54:58to keep that software after that initial

55:01period purchase period ends. Um,

55:05sometimes that maintenance and support

55:08cost exceeds our threshold, but we have

55:11to pay for it, right? A good example is

55:13the city's financial uh, ERP system,

55:16right? We've had that since 1998.

55:19Year-over-year, we pay a maintenance and

55:22support cost and sometimes upgrades come

55:25with that, things like that.

55:27And unless we're looking to change out

55:30that system, which would be a very heavy

55:32undertaking in, you know, project

55:34planning, we have to pay that

55:36maintenance and support cost.

55:39>> Um, you know, our Microsoft licenses, we

55:42all use Microsoft email, you know,

55:45Office Suite, things like that.

55:46Year-over-year, we pay a maintenance and

55:49support cost for that. Now, that is also

55:52included in the budget, right? So, in

55:55our IT in the finance IT department,

55:58there's a whole line item, you know,

56:00that's over $5 million that's estimated

56:03each year um that covers these costs. Um

56:09but again the conversation we had with

56:13corporation council is on the

56:15procurement side of some of these exceed

56:17150,000 which is the base baseline um

56:23exemption cost in the ordinance. Right?

56:26So what we're looking here is to just

56:28codify in the ordinance that these

56:31renewals are um exempt from that

56:36procurement process because it's already

56:38software that we have purchased.

56:41It's not new software and it's just an

56:45annual maintenance that we have to pay

56:47in order to keep that software. A lot of

56:49times, you know, you're on a

56:51year-over-year

56:53um maintenance agreement with these

56:55companies until you cancel it. So,

56:58again, some of these exceed, you know,

57:01that threshold and talking to

57:02corporation council, they thought it

57:04would be a good idea if we included that

57:06in the procurement ordinance itself to

57:08cover these annual maintenance and

57:10support costs. Now, I also want to make

57:12one thing clear. If we go to a vendor

57:16and say, "Well, can you fix our

57:18maintenance and support costs for the

57:20next five years?"

57:22We would still have to come to the board

57:24because that would be a multi-year

57:27agreement, you know. Um,

57:31and we know that has to be approved by

57:33the board. This is really for a

57:35year-over-year cost that you see that's

57:37embedded in the city budget.

57:40So that's what the the intent of this

57:44language added in the procurement

57:47ordinance.

57:50Um the next slide deals with emergency

57:53awards and citybased businesses.

57:58So within the 2023 ordinance, we did

58:01adopt emergency language. Um

58:05but there have been times where um we

58:09needed an emergency work done and this

58:12is primarily during like storms. If we

58:15all remember storm Sandy, Storm Isaiah,

58:18those type of storms, our current

58:21process is before we vet vendors and

58:23have them do the work, we see if they

58:26owe tax obligations

58:28to ensure that their taxes are paid. We

58:31have actually held up contracts related

58:33to this process that we do.

58:35>> Um, but what we want to do is say if

58:38there's emergency work that is deemed an

58:41actual emergency like during those

58:43storms, not someone saying, "Hey, we

58:46need this done because so and so called,

58:49but this has to be an actual emergency."

58:52We can have that vendor do the work. Um,

58:57now to be quite honest, we're going to

58:59get the taxes one way or another because

59:01even if we have them do the work, we

59:04actually [snorts] have our city tax

59:05office check our vendors every week that

59:08we're paying to see who owes vendors and

59:10we actually hold their check

59:13um until they make arrangements with our

59:15tax office. So even if we authorize

59:18emergency work, when we go to make the

59:20payment, if they still had to pay their

59:22taxes, that check would still be flagged

59:24anyways.

59:26So I am actually going to turn it over

59:28to Mr. Garris to talk about city based

59:30businesses.

59:32Hello.

59:32>> Um the [clears throat]

59:34item before you see based business is

59:36basically really to kind of clarify that

59:38language. Um it's very ambiguous when we

59:41state that the uh [clears throat] one of

59:43the proofs of

59:46Zbased business is simply just a lease

59:48agreement. We want to add the

59:52terminology

59:53at Valorium to it which is um for some

59:56of you may know is according to the

59:58value and basically it broadens that not

1:00:02just the lease but actual taxable

1:00:04property such as a copier or automobile

1:00:07that's related to that business. Um so

1:00:10that's what basically that speaks to

1:00:14and in that uh we asked for them to

1:00:16upload in terms of a [clears throat]

1:00:17formal solicitation as Michael spoke to

1:00:20for currently um procurement over

1:00:23$25,000 they would need to upload a tax

1:00:26bill um and or a lease agreement but the

1:00:28lease agreement as you may be aware

1:00:30could just be a physical location and

1:00:33not really paying the actual taxes to

1:00:35the city Um

1:00:38the next item is electronic bonds and

1:00:40and financial oversight.

1:00:43[clears throat] Um as you know

1:00:44technology has evolved. Um traditionally

1:00:47um procurement department receives paper

1:00:50bonds and we have to validate those

1:00:52bonds. Um this with the technology now

1:00:55is e procurement documents where there's

1:00:58a third party involved that would

1:01:01basically do the paperwork piece of it

1:01:03but it validates so we don't have to

1:01:05follow up and makes an ease of use for

1:01:08the department but also um ensures that

1:01:13there's no fraudulent action with the

1:01:15[laughter] paper copies. Um, in in

1:01:17[clears throat] practice, you could

1:01:18actually um take a silver dollar and

1:01:22scroll over where it says that that

1:01:24voting um you press like for a nori that

1:01:27has been um been demonstrated that

1:01:30happened. So, we're looking to kind of

1:01:32alleviate alleviate that potential um

1:01:35happening with the city if we had a call

1:01:37on the bond.

1:01:39as mentioned it um

1:01:42we would still accept paper bonds but we

1:01:45really would stream towards um accepting

1:01:47the electronic bid bond. The other

1:01:49portion is coming through alignment of

1:01:51currently in the ordinance. If there's

1:01:54$50,000 required um for uh construction

1:01:58construction work where or brick and

1:02:00mortar work at 50,000 would like to come

1:02:02in compliance with the state and which

1:02:04we're actually practicing is $100,000

1:02:08for the bid bond requirement. Before you

1:02:10move on, yes. Just just to make sure

1:02:13that we understand [clears throat] under

1:02:14what circumstances, give some examples

1:02:16when the city might be receiving bonds

1:02:20in connection with a contract.

1:02:22>> Okay. Typically, um any form of

1:02:24solicitation where there's brick and

1:02:25mortar, that would be a construction

1:02:27property like roof repairs, um

1:02:29renovations,

1:02:31um possibly even um say fire truck

1:02:33purchases. uh we would request a bond

1:02:36and that bond ensures that on for the

1:02:38bid bond it ensures that what they

1:02:41quoted at price we would receive if they

1:02:44fault on that we can [clears throat]

1:02:46utilize that bond to bring on another

1:02:48vendor and cover that loss. um when a

1:02:52bidder is um awarded an agreement, we

1:02:56move to a performance bond and that is

1:02:58100% labor and materials um for the work

1:03:01that that contractor is um been awarded.

1:03:04So if it's a a million-doll project,

1:03:06they get a performance bond in that

1:03:08percentage that covers that project in

1:03:10the event that [clears throat] they

1:03:11default on the activity.

1:03:14Thank you for that explanation.

1:03:17That concludes the slide deck

1:03:19presentation. Are there Any other

1:03:20questions to present for you?

1:03:24>> I think there shall be. Uh, thank you.

1:03:26Anything else that you'd like to add

1:03:27before we have questions from committee?

1:03:29>> Uh, no. I think um we're uh I'll set

1:03:32with the presentation. We'll entertain

1:03:34any questions. [clears throat]

1:03:37>> Uh just calling our colleagues attention

1:03:39to of course we've all been following

1:03:40along with the presentation, but there's

1:03:42also the red light copy of the ordinance

1:03:44amendment uh that the staff provided

1:03:46this was not in our packet. Um, but we

1:03:50have it now. So, the [clears throat]

1:03:52queue is now open for questions from the

1:03:53committee. Just Yeah, I just want to

1:03:55point out Yeah. I'm sorry. Point out in

1:03:58the document that has the highlights or

1:04:02errors, the [clears throat] red in the

1:04:04pages going from one through eight.

1:04:06Those are grammatical article

1:04:08corrections. The blue action changes the

1:04:12color.

1:04:15And I appreciate that your explanation

1:04:17of the different colors colors on the

1:04:20paper. That's that's the useful

1:04:22clarification. Thank you for that.

1:04:25[clears throat] So uh with that we have

1:04:28the queue is open and looking for

1:04:30colleagues who wish to ask questions.

1:04:33>> Thank [clears throat] you Mr. Chair.

1:04:33Thank you for your presentation. You

1:04:36might hear me

1:04:40testing one too.

1:04:41>> Mhm.

1:04:41>> Okay. Great. Um, [snorts] I'll just ask

1:04:44two questions for now and then

1:04:46[clears throat] listen more for other

1:04:48colleagues questions because I I do have

1:04:52uh several and maybe they'll be answered

1:04:54through other colleagues. Um, so just

1:04:57let me start backwards and go forward.

1:04:59Um, the electronic bond and financial

1:05:02oversight

1:05:04really what you're doing is just

1:05:05hopefully what you're doing is just

1:05:08changing how the bonds are submitted. It

1:05:10doesn't change any protection. Correct.

1:05:13[clears throat]

1:05:13Okay, that's that's easy enough to

1:05:16understand. Um, [clears throat] and then

1:05:18for the other one,

1:05:20uh,

1:05:22that first one was a lot.

1:05:25Whenever I hear procurement, I'm like,

1:05:28and so, uh, from 25

1:05:32to 35,000.

1:05:35So,

1:05:37uh, what I'm wondering is

1:05:40is this just for,

1:05:44uh,

1:05:48for for bids. This, so just trying to I

1:05:52I know how this works, so just a matter

1:05:54of just putting it into the right words.

1:05:57Uh, so this only this does not affect

1:06:01the the quote process.

1:06:03it's only going to affect the the

1:06:06bidding process. Am I using the right

1:06:08words?

1:06:09>> So, internally um we currently have um

1:06:14formal bids are anything over $25,000.

1:06:18Now, current on the policy anything from

1:06:200 to 5,000 5,0001

1:06:24is no um quotes. Anything between 5,000

1:06:29and [clears throat]

1:06:3025,000 requires three quotes.

1:06:33by the department. Um they will submit

1:06:36those quotes in the requisition. If they

1:06:39don't have the quote or say the

1:06:40insurance for that quote from that

1:06:42particular vendor they wish to do

1:06:44business purchasing will kick it back or

1:06:47reject the the requisition request. Um

1:06:50so that's how that's really the

1:06:52gatekeepers that um services if they

1:06:56cannot um do in terms of a quote they

1:06:59have to get documentation why they can't

1:07:02achieve the three quotes they can only

1:07:04get two quotes um they have to document

1:07:06that in the requisition and they attach

1:07:09that information to the back of the

1:07:10requisition. So, as far as the dollar

1:07:12amount um goes with the quotes, 5,000 to

1:07:17whatever the max set by the ordinance is

1:07:21what departments can get for quote

1:07:25quotations. So, yes, if you were to

1:07:27change this based on state statute,

1:07:30right now it's 5,000 to 25,000. It would

1:07:34change from 5,000 to 35,000

1:07:36[clears throat] would be three quotes.

1:07:39Okay, I understand that. Um,

1:07:43just a half question. I said two, but I

1:07:45just have a half question. So, the other

1:07:47question is you said something in the

1:07:49beginning. I can't find it, [laughter]

1:07:52but that it would if the state would

1:07:54increase

1:07:56the their amount that it would

1:07:59automatically increase and that was

1:08:01written somewhere in this amendment.

1:08:04>> So, currently, yes, correct. you can

1:08:07show me where that is so we can cross

1:08:08that out.

1:08:13[snorts]

1:08:13>> So again, as I mentioned, it's um

1:08:20[clears throat]

1:08:24section 2-42

1:08:26subsection

1:08:27B.

1:08:29>> So it's in 2-42.

1:08:32Correct. Um

1:08:34actually that first blue piece in a

1:08:40um which again is similar to what we

1:08:43have with certain fee schedules and

1:08:45other things that we utilize with the

1:08:48state. So what this language says is

1:08:50that as amended from time to time by the

1:08:53state because the state through their

1:08:56budget process sets a lot of these

1:08:58thresholds that munic municipalities

1:09:00follow.

1:09:02And I [clears throat] apologize Mr.

1:09:03Chair even with my glasses on I cannot

1:09:06see that. So I'll just kind of make a

1:09:09note of where that is um further in our

1:09:11discussion.

1:09:13>> Uh okay. Um thank you for your answers.

1:09:17Thank you Mr. Sure. That's why I have

1:09:18now just for the

1:09:21benefit of colleagues, uh, page 558,

1:09:24section 2-42,

1:09:27subsection A, the verbiage says

1:09:30um, not greater than the maximum amount

1:09:33for which a municipality may dispense

1:09:35with sealed bidding pursuant to

1:09:37Connecticut General Statutes 7-148V

1:09:41subsection 8 as amended from time to

1:09:43time.

1:09:44>> So, the verbiage there doesn't give a

1:09:46dollar figure. It just pegs it to the

1:09:48CGS community general statutes and then

1:09:51it appears again in subsection B some

1:09:54subsection [clears throat] one not

1:09:56greater than the maximum amount for

1:09:57which a municipality may dispense etc.

1:10:00So you this amendment would remove the

1:10:02dollar figure altogether and simply

1:10:04refer to the state statute governing it.

1:10:08So if the statute changes

1:10:10>> this

1:10:13may I just ask one other question?

1:10:14>> Yes sir.

1:10:14>> Um thank you Mr. Chair. just would you

1:10:16just reiterate why that would be

1:10:18important for us to continue with the

1:10:21amount that the state has?

1:10:23>> I mean the state sets a lot of the

1:10:25thresholds that municipality cities and

1:10:27towns follow. I mean you know we were

1:10:30grateful back in 2023 when we increased

1:10:32it from 10,000 to 25,000 because that

1:10:36was you know 10,000 at that time was um

1:10:40was a small threshold.

1:10:42>> I remember that.

1:10:43>> Yes. Um so again we looked at it as far

1:10:47as like I mentioned earlier we follow a

1:10:50lot of the things that the state statute

1:10:52has done and again some of our

1:10:54procurement is already based on state

1:10:57statute. Um so we were asking the board

1:11:02um in this committee if you know

1:11:04basically the ask to just follow state

1:11:06statute when it comes to minimum

1:11:08procurement. Um, again, the state, I'm

1:11:11sure, looks at this from a holistic

1:11:13standpoint because they know cities and

1:11:15towns follow this threshold. Um,

1:11:19[clears throat] so we're just trying to

1:11:21piggy back off of what the state does.

1:11:24>> Um,

1:11:25>> but it's not so cumbersome to come and

1:11:27talk to us and say, "Hey, here's the

1:11:29state amount. Let's bump it up to that."

1:11:32>> No, it's not. It's not

1:11:33>> because you like coming here.

1:11:35>> I have no never had any issue come. We

1:11:39love talking online and offline, right?

1:11:41>> Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you, Mr.

1:11:43Chair. Thank you [clears throat] all for

1:11:45questions from colleagues. Q's questions

1:11:48on this item.

1:11:51>> Thank you for your presentation. Um,

1:11:54us considering the section change,

1:11:57excuse me.

1:11:58>> Is it going to speed up the process? Is

1:12:00it going to create more of a

1:12:04>> concrete way to pass? I mean what's the

1:12:07actual reason for for us considering

1:12:10these changes? [clears throat]

1:12:12>> I think in when you look at a

1:12:13municipality in a budget our size we try

1:12:16to streamline procurement as much as

1:12:19possible. And I think sometimes in

1:12:21certain services we could find that

1:12:23these dollar thresholds even as simple

1:12:26as going from 25,000 to 35,000 could

1:12:29speed up a service that we need because

1:12:33obviously you know we have you know a

1:12:36list of city vendors that we call. It's

1:12:38easier to get a quote, let's say, you

1:12:41know, for $27,000, right? In the current

1:12:44process, we would have to go out to bid

1:12:46for that, right? And our bidding

1:12:48threshold is a minimum of 10 days and

1:12:52then we have to go through the review

1:12:54process and then, you know, we have to

1:12:56go through the contract process and we

1:12:58have to do so. Yes, every time we

1:13:01increase the threshold, yeah, we could

1:13:03speed up the process on certain services

1:13:06because it's obviously easier to go get

1:13:08three quotes in my example for $27,000

1:13:12as opposed to going through the whole

1:13:14competitive bidding process. We're still

1:13:16doing a process. So, it's not like we're

1:13:18just choosing one vendor, you know, we

1:13:21still have to follow our internal

1:13:23processes. So yes, in in theory, in some

1:13:27services, increasing the threshold could

1:13:29absolutely speed up a process and you

1:13:32know, depending on the type of service,

1:13:34we still have to follow the competitive

1:13:36bidding process.

1:13:37>> Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:13:39>> Thank you.

1:13:41Are there questions from colleagues on

1:13:42this item?

1:13:45Questions from colleagues?

1:13:47I'm just going to ask a couple. Um I

1:13:50would just draw colleagues attention to

1:13:53the language on page [clears throat] 30

1:13:55of8 at the bottom of the page. This the

1:13:58language in regards to

1:14:01not uh disqualifying the provider of a

1:14:04service during emergency condition

1:14:06because the person that business has

1:14:08outstanding

1:14:10u debts with the city.

1:14:13And the definition is

1:14:18if delaying the work [clears throat]

1:14:20would threaten public health or safety,

1:14:22disrupt an essential public service,

1:14:25cause substantial damage to public

1:14:27property, or otherwise materially impair

1:14:30the city's response to the emergency. So

1:14:33th those are the that's the key verbiage

1:14:36in defining what that emergency means in

1:14:38this section. So could you say a little

1:14:40bit more about who came up with that

1:14:41language? was the corporation council

1:14:43who came up with it.

1:14:44>> Yeah. So, our purchasing agent really

1:14:46worked with a couple of different city

1:14:48departments to come up with that um

1:14:50language and um I believe was Captain

1:14:55>> Yes.

1:14:55>> Yes. So she did work with um one of the

1:14:58corporation council city attorneys um

1:15:01attorney Lamar and [clears throat]

1:15:04we basically wanted to write the

1:15:06language to ensure that honestly this

1:15:10clause someone couldn't interpret it

1:15:13other than public health public safety

1:15:16right as I said earlier we don't want

1:15:18anybody coming to us and saying

1:15:21this is an emergency but it's really not

1:15:23an emergency right and invoking that

1:15:26clause. So, we wanted to make sure that

1:15:28the city is utilizing that clause. It is

1:15:30truly for a public health, public safety

1:15:33type of um type of issue. And again, in

1:15:372023, we also added that emergency

1:15:40committee clause as well, which is made

1:15:42up of different departments to kind of

1:15:45um assess these situations as well. So

1:15:50again we look at an emergency as a

1:15:52public health or public safety

1:15:55>> um definition.

1:15:57Now earlier in that sense in that

1:15:59paragraph says when an emergency has

1:16:02been declared

1:16:04>> or an emergency procurement has been

1:16:06authorized in accordance with applicable

1:16:08law.

1:16:10So under the ordinance an emergency has

1:16:12been declared.

1:16:14>> What does that mean?

1:16:16The mayor declares an emergency. So

1:16:18again during going back to like 2011

1:16:212012 you know um we declared like those

1:16:26storm or or those storms were like

1:16:28emergency type of situations. So I think

1:16:32in those instances that would be you

1:16:36know we would have to look at the did

1:16:39the mayor declare something was it a

1:16:41public health or public safety did the

1:16:43governor do it you know what what

1:16:45happened you know in New Haven for this

1:16:48to be an emergency situation I mean I

1:16:51understand it conceptually I'm just

1:16:53thinking because I don't have in front

1:16:54of me like the section of our general

1:16:56code ordinances that

1:16:57>> empowers the mayor to declare an

1:16:59emergency but it must be defined in the

1:17:00ordinance in an because I could declare

1:17:02an emergency as Joemo living on West Elm

1:17:05Street, but that's not going to do it.

1:17:07>> Must define

1:17:08>> through you, Mr. Chair. I believe that

1:17:10emergency section that we established in

1:17:132023 may define that. I just don't have

1:17:15it in front of me. So, I could get

1:17:17>> that's a good question because because

1:17:19that section is not referred to here.

1:17:22That might be a sensible thing to do

1:17:25>> because I mean I don't I don't think

1:17:28that

1:17:30the purchasing director is going to

1:17:33declare an emergency herself and then

1:17:35make something happen.

1:17:37I'm pretty sure everyone understands

1:17:38that the mayor is going to declare it

1:17:41maybe, but it would just be uh good to

1:17:44to know exactly how that's

1:17:47>> and it's in the ordinance some

1:17:50perhaps a [clears throat] reference

1:17:51might be useful there. Okay. Um [snorts]

1:17:55so higher up on that page, page three of

1:17:57eight,

1:17:59uh that blue section that says

1:18:02who can effectuate

1:18:05uh these agreements

1:18:09[clears throat] and it mentions the

1:18:10president of the board of alers on

1:18:11behalf of board of elders or by the

1:18:12president of education on behalf of the

1:18:14department of education. Is that what

1:18:17the public schools is called in our

1:18:18ordinance? Department of education.

1:18:21It's called a couple of different but it

1:18:24is the department of education board of

1:18:26education.

1:18:26>> Understandable.

1:18:27>> Yeah. Because in our city charter and

1:18:31code I believe they are also considered

1:18:33a department of the city. So

1:18:35>> okay. So when we see the resolutions

1:18:39coming to us, the orders approving a

1:18:42multi-year contract for example,

1:18:44sometimes one of the last effective

1:18:47clauses is to authorize the mayor to to

1:18:50enter into the agreement and to

1:18:52effectuate any other instruments

1:18:54necessary for yada yada yada.

1:18:56>> Will we for for contracts with the board

1:18:57of ed, will that say the mayor or the

1:18:59president of the board of ed or will it

1:19:01just say the president of the board of

1:19:02ed?

1:19:02>> So it it depends on the type of

1:19:04contract. In this clause, we really

1:19:06tried to extend it to professional

1:19:08services type of contracts. Um, there

1:19:11are certain contracts that the mayor

1:19:14>> has to sign on behalf of the city or

1:19:16city departments, which in times will

1:19:18include the board of education. But for

1:19:20like some of those professional services

1:19:22contracts that strictly go through the

1:19:25board of education, that's where the

1:19:27board president signs those agreements.

1:19:30Um, right now as you can see the the

1:19:34clause really just says the mayor or the

1:19:36board pre uh board of authors president

1:19:39but again in past that hasn't really

1:19:42been the case because it [snorts] goes

1:19:43strictly through the board of education.

1:19:46>> So those are also kind of like

1:19:48[laughter]

1:19:50those are things that they

1:19:54>> should just also check if board of

1:19:56education is capitalized elsewhere.

1:19:57[clears throat]

1:19:58That's a small thing. Um,

1:20:00okay. So, page four, the top paragraph

1:20:02there is just saying if there's

1:20:05[clears throat] this emergency waiver,

1:20:06we're still going to get your taxes,

1:20:08right?

1:20:09>> So, that's good.

1:20:12We already went through page five with

1:20:13the as amended from time to time. All

1:20:16right. So page six,

1:20:19second to bottom paragraph, recurring

1:20:21information technology maintenance and

1:20:22support services.

1:20:24Following the initial procurement of

1:20:26information technology software or

1:20:28hardware in accordance with the

1:20:30applicable procurement requirements,

1:20:33excuse me, the purchasing agent may

1:20:34approve the annual renewal of related

1:20:36maintenance, licensing, subscription,

1:20:38upgrade, technical support, and similar

1:20:41services. Such services may be renewed

1:20:44automatically from year to year unless

1:20:46canled by the city [snorts]

1:20:49for the duration of the contract with

1:20:51that vendor or do could this go

1:20:54[clears throat] beyond? So again, a lot

1:20:56of our maintenance and support are

1:20:58year-over-year. So again, I'll use our

1:21:00city financial ERP system we've had

1:21:03since 1998, right? So that's when the

1:21:05initial contract implementation,

1:21:07everything like that has taken place.

1:21:09[clears throat] We pay an annual

1:21:12maintenance and support cost. Again,

1:21:14it's above that $150,000

1:21:17threshold because we need our system to

1:21:20keep running, right?

1:21:22>> So again, sometimes with that

1:21:25maintenance and support may come

1:21:27upgrades or other um hosted

1:21:30environmental uh hosted services

1:21:34um related to that maintenance and

1:21:36support. So again, we were really

1:21:39working with Katherine Lamar um and to

1:21:44kind of just put language in the

1:21:46ordinance that covers us for those

1:21:47maintenance agreements because it's it's

1:21:50above a threshold, but we need those

1:21:53services, right?

1:21:54>> And the practices you're paying for

1:21:55those services now,

1:21:56>> correct? And a lot of times

1:21:57>> for systems that you finished paying for

1:21:59years ago

1:21:59>> years ago, a lot of times we're on most

1:22:01times I will say we're on a year

1:22:03overyear basis. So, a lot of these

1:22:06softwares say, you know, you have 60

1:22:08days to cancel it or whatever the case

1:22:10is in writing. So, again, these are

1:22:12really year-over-year

1:22:14maintenance and support agreements that

1:22:16we

1:22:17um have to, you know, utilize each year

1:22:20for the city services to continue to

1:22:22run.

1:22:25>> Okay,

1:22:28thank you for [clears throat] that. Uh

1:22:29page seven, this is the ad for the room.

1:22:34So previously it said for the purposes

1:22:36of this section, quote, "City based

1:22:38businesses shall mean a business with

1:22:39your principal place of business located

1:22:41within the city of New Haven." Period.

1:22:45>> What you're adding is

1:22:48by occupying real property in which to

1:22:50conduct such business, which is

1:22:52elaborating about what's already there.

1:22:54It hasn't changed yet. Maybe makes it

1:22:55more clear. or by paying adorum taxes on

1:22:59business property to the city.

1:23:01[clears throat]

1:23:02>> Right. So they and so that's where

1:23:04they're leasing the space. They don't

1:23:06own the property, but they're paying

1:23:10personal property and they're claiming

1:23:11that the lease, right? They're claiming

1:23:13to know they're just a lease. Like I I'm

1:23:15renting office space, so they had a

1:23:17long-term lease. um but they may be

1:23:19doing construction but that there's only

1:23:21building but there's no physical um

1:23:25equipment housing maven um because they

1:23:28also have an office in say Brford or

1:23:31East but so that thereby

1:23:35as it currently can be interpreted as I

1:23:38meet this the I satisfy the the

1:23:40requirements because I have a lease to

1:23:42neighbor so this is just ensuring that

1:23:45we [snorts] get our taxes Because

1:23:48occupied real property could mean they

1:23:50own or they're leasing,

1:23:51>> right?

1:23:52>> Occupy that doesn't that could cover

1:23:54both things, right?

1:23:54>> Correct. So, we're we want to make sure

1:23:56that we define what a New Haven based

1:23:58business is and that there's some form

1:24:01of taxes associated [clears throat] with

1:24:02that definition. Like Mr. Gar said, if

1:24:05it's leasing, you know, paying property

1:24:07taxes because if in section B defines

1:24:10like the benefits that you get

1:24:14>> from being a New Haven based business,

1:24:16right? when you do that competitive

1:24:18bidding, if you're within a certain

1:24:19threshold as listed in B1, two or three,

1:24:23if you even if you're not the lowest

1:24:25bid, we can consider you if you meet

1:24:27that threshold versus the lowest bid.

1:24:28So, what we don't want to do is have

1:24:30people take advantage and say, "Ah, I'm

1:24:32a New Haven based business. I have a

1:24:34lease somewhere in New Haven." Right?

1:24:37that may not meet the definition of a

1:24:39New Haven based business because they're

1:24:41trying to get the benefits of that New

1:24:44Haven based business clause. Now, the

1:24:46one thing we did for to mention

1:24:50um

1:24:52is just so you know, New Haven based

1:24:55business while we're trying to define it

1:24:57that actually excludes local preference

1:25:00for federal and state um serving grants,

1:25:05right? So serving grants you cannot

1:25:07apply in New Haven based business for um

1:25:11based on the guidelines of those grants

1:25:13um primarily federal grants because it's

1:25:15a competitive bidding

1:25:18um

1:25:21competitive bidding environment with

1:25:23those grants. But basically what we

1:25:25wanted to do was really just try to

1:25:26define what a based business was by

1:25:29adding this language.

1:25:34Um,

1:25:35finally in terms of my questions, page

1:25:37eight,

1:25:40I get the language about receiving a

1:25:42bond electronically rather than paper.

1:25:45Makes sense to me. It [snorts] looks

1:25:47like you're eliminating a minimum

1:25:48threshold for the size of the bond. So,

1:25:54it hasn't been updated, but the

1:25:56threshold is like $50,000. So if we had

1:25:58a project and and the language in the

1:26:01ordinance of at the discretion of the

1:26:03purchasing agent, but in practice, we've

1:26:05been going off our $100,000 for the last

1:26:09these [clears throat] excuse me few

1:26:12years. So we just want to be

1:26:16um in line with what we've been

1:26:18practicing also along with long estate.

1:26:22Okay. So here it says that the

1:26:24purchasing agent may require a bond for

1:26:27projects

1:26:29uh in excess of $50,000. It just gets

1:26:32rid of in excess of $50,000. So it could

1:26:34be lower,

1:26:35>> right?

1:26:37>> And that's just up to purchasing agent

1:26:38to determine what risk the city has,

1:26:41>> right? It's it's just supposed to help

1:26:42with um departments when they put items

1:26:46out [clears throat] to to bid that they

1:26:47have I have an understandable threshold

1:26:49if I have a $100,000 project or plus

1:26:52they also count that for the budgeting

1:26:54of the project because there's a cost

1:26:55associated with the bond. Yes. Okay.

1:26:58Thank you. I think I understand the

1:27:00changes that you're proposing. Any

1:27:02questions from colleagues on this item?

1:27:04Any further questions on this amendment?

1:27:07This proposed amendment to the board.

1:27:10Seeing none, we're going to move to our

1:27:11next.

1:27:12>> Thank you. Thank you.

1:27:13>> Before we do, I'll just see. Is there a

1:27:14member of the public who wishes to

1:27:16testify on this item? Is there a member

1:27:19of public? I see many city staff here.

1:27:22Is there a member of the public who

1:27:23wishes to testify on this item? And for

1:27:25a third time, anyone in the public

1:27:27wishing to testify on this item? Seeing

1:27:28none, let's move to the next item,

1:27:32which is the proposed ordinance

1:27:34amendment around the fee schedule for

1:27:37the Ralph Walker ice rink at Blake

1:27:40Field.

1:27:45>> Name and address for Rebecca, Deputy

1:27:48Chief Administrative Officer, 122 West

1:27:50Brock Avenue, New Haven.

1:27:52>> [snorts]

1:27:53>> Um, I am here today on behalf of our

1:27:55parks director, Max. Uh, his sidekick

1:27:59had a little bit of a meltdown, so he

1:28:01apologizes he had to leave early. Um,

1:28:05one-year-old did not uh appreciate uh

1:28:09the Yeah,

1:28:11>> I'm shocked that that a toddler would

1:28:13want to stay in a room like that.

1:28:15>> Apparently, purchasing was not her cup

1:28:16of tea. Um, but I have been before you

1:28:20on the fee schedule for Ralph Walker.

1:28:22several times before, so happy to pitch

1:28:24it. Um, so as you guys know, we have uh

1:28:29changed operators out at the ring. We're

1:28:31doing a one-year agreement out there. So

1:28:33you guys will [snorts] see uh when it

1:28:35becomes a multi-year agreement. Um, but

1:28:37as part of the process, uh, the advisory

1:28:40board for the ice rink, which includes

1:28:42city staff, some of your colleagues, um,

1:28:45advocates,

1:28:47um, and then the parks commission

1:28:49reviewed the fee schedule with the new

1:28:51operator and it is recommended to add

1:28:54back the off peak rates. Um, you'll

1:28:56remember they existed previously. Our

1:28:59last operator recommended removing them.

1:29:01Um, this operator is recommending adding

1:29:03back the off peak rates. So, what it

1:29:06does is the uh everything was flattened.

1:29:10Um they're going to keep those flattened

1:29:11rates for the peak hours uh which are 4

1:29:15to uh 900 p.m. And then off peak hours

1:29:18on weekdays would be the hours in the

1:29:21morning. Um and uh late late evening,

1:29:25you know, when the kids don't want to be

1:29:27on the ice. Um and then weekends would

1:29:30continue to be peak. Um so it adds back

1:29:32an off peak rate. [clears throat]

1:29:34um a resident preference rate and then a

1:29:37non-resident rate.

1:29:38>> I would call colleagues attention to

1:29:40page 42 of our packet which is where the

1:29:43grid the schedule is located and maybe

1:29:46helpful to refer to.

1:29:49>> Yes. Um so as you note the current rates

1:29:52are for apologize

1:29:55my computer is not like right now.

1:29:57[snorts]

1:29:59Um, as noted in your packet, the current

1:30:01rates are 425 for residents and 475 for

1:30:06non-residents. So, that 50 minute of ice

1:30:09time will remain for peak. And we're

1:30:11adding back the off peak rate, which

1:30:13would be 4 uh 255 for residents and 295

1:30:18for non-residents. Then again, those off

1:30:20peak hours would be 6:00 a.m. to 4:00

1:30:22p.m. [clears throat]

1:30:23Mon uh and 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. and

1:30:27only week eights, not weekends. I'm

1:30:30happy to answer any questions you might

1:30:32have.

1:30:34>> Thank you for that explanation. We

1:30:36appreciate it. Questions and colleagues

1:30:38on this item. [snorts] Questions from

1:30:41colleagues on the proposed changes to

1:30:43the fee schedule for Ral.

1:30:46Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

1:30:50Mr. Bald Rapunzel [laughter] by all

1:30:52means. Why they took him away and why

1:30:56did they put him back? Was there a

1:30:57reasoning behind that or why they why

1:30:58did they take him away the first place?

1:31:00>> Um so the the the thought when it was

1:31:04originally flattened to all peak was

1:31:07that the demand was there uh such that

1:31:09everything was really peak. Uh I think

1:31:12that's not been the experience. Um and

1:31:14also people there is a premium for ice

1:31:18time that are in those 4 to 900 pm

1:31:21hours. That's the time everybody wants,

1:31:23right? So you want to incentivize people

1:31:25to take the times that they might be

1:31:27able to take that are less desirable so

1:31:31that you know you really can balance

1:31:34your schedule more naturally.

1:31:37>> Makes sense. Thank you. Thank you, Mr.

1:31:38Chair.

1:31:39>> Thank you, Alonso. Further questions on

1:31:40this item. further questions from

1:31:43colleagues.

1:31:44I have one and if I might just back

1:31:47colleague [clears throat] on the sheet

1:31:49that's in her packet there's bolded font

1:31:53words at the bottom that say off peak 6

1:31:55a.m. to 4 p.m. and 900 p.m. to 11 p.m.

1:31:58and then peak 400 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and

1:32:01weekends. Is that officially in our

1:32:04ordinance or is that just for the sake

1:32:06of the exhibit? Uh so it would be as

1:32:10part of the fee schedule. Um so it would

1:32:14be the fee schedule is separate and

1:32:16apart from the ordinance. So it would be

1:32:18in the fee schedule.

1:32:18>> It would be in fee schedule. I'm just I

1:32:21guess my question is what discretion if

1:32:23any would the operator have to change

1:32:25peak versus off peak? uh that would

1:32:27require going back to the advisory board

1:32:30uh at the preparation [cough]

1:32:31and possibly this board because the

1:32:34schedule of the fees establishes what

1:32:37those hours are.

1:32:37>> That's what I thought. Okay. All right.

1:32:40Thank you for that. Any further

1:32:41questions from colleagues on that item?

1:32:45Seeing none, thank you very much.

1:32:47>> Thank you.

1:32:47>> Is there a member of the public who

1:32:49wishes to testify on this item, the

1:32:51Ralph Walker scheme ice rink fees guide?

1:32:55Anyone from the public looking to

1:32:57testify in this item? And for a third

1:32:59time, is there [snorts] a member of the

1:33:00public wishing to testify in this item?

1:33:02Seeing none, we'll move on to our third

1:33:04item this evening, which

1:33:07is on a different page of my packet,

1:33:12which concerns increasing the maximum

1:33:16low expenditures to Karsten and Talberg.

1:33:19This is a request from the corporation

1:33:21council.

1:33:28Hi.

1:33:29>> Good evening. Good evening. I see two of

1:33:31you coming, so

1:33:34come on.

1:33:36>> And love your names and addresses for

1:33:39the record.

1:33:40>> Um, I'm Ally Jacobs, 19 Cleveland Road

1:33:43in New Haven, and I'm corporation

1:33:45council.

1:33:46>> Ron Dizzy, 219 Rando Terrace.

1:33:49>> Thank you very much. We're all ears.

1:33:52>> Uh, good evening. chair, Mr. Chair, and

1:33:54members of the committee. Uh thank you

1:33:56for hearing this uh proposed amendment

1:33:59tonight.

1:34:01This is to enable us to pay in uh

1:34:05invoice for legal services and expenses

1:34:10related to the trial in Morant versus

1:34:14City of New Haven. Carson Talberg what

1:34:17uh represented one of the New Haven

1:34:20police officers in that trial. Um and it

1:34:23went over the amount. So we need an

1:34:27amendment to pay the invoice

1:34:30and I'm happy to take any questions.

1:34:34[snorts]

1:34:34>> Thank you very much. It's $72,000

1:34:38to authorize the additional payment or

1:34:43the overage for last fiscal year.

1:34:45>> That's right, Mr. Chair.

1:34:46>> Okay. Thank you.

1:34:48>> Anything else you'd like to add, Mr.

1:34:50>> Just to let everyone know, this 77,000

1:34:53was is included. [clears throat] Uh the

1:34:55timing of the payment sometimes,

1:34:59I'm not sure why, but sometimes vendors

1:35:01for that we do business with submit

1:35:04invoices late. I don't know why people

1:35:06don't want to get paid quickly, but

1:35:08sometimes they do that. So, they do

1:35:10submit invoices late,

1:35:12>> but due to the closing, we had to enter

1:35:15this invoice. We had to get it paid

1:35:17before the closing. Uh if if we don't do

1:35:20that, it could be a finding with our

1:35:23with our auditors.

1:35:26>> So, just just to be clear, this is

1:35:28included in the $ 8.5 million projected

1:35:32more than 8.5. We did close our This

1:35:34is.5

1:35:36million deficit

1:35:38to cover.

1:35:40>> Yes.

1:35:43>> Thank you very much, Mr. Gizzy. Um,

1:35:48okay. So, we'll hear more about that in

1:35:52when we get here in transfers.

1:35:55>> Yes.

1:35:55>> Probably in our next meeting.

1:35:57>> Yes, you will.

1:35:58>> Okay. Because there's no transfer

1:36:00requested in this particular item.

1:36:02>> No.

1:36:04All right. So now we'll have questions

1:36:05from colleagues starting with Alder.

1:36:06>> Mr. Chair, are there Thank you, Mr.

1:36:09Chair. Are there any more additional or

1:36:13anticipated

1:36:15expenses [cough and clears throat] that

1:36:16[snorts] you plan on getting or is this

1:36:18it for fiscal year 2025 202? This where?

1:36:23We don't think so. We were very very

1:36:27adamant with people. Uh this was a very

1:36:31good year. Last year was a little bit

1:36:33more difficult, but we started very

1:36:34early this year with departments

1:36:38requesting that they work with vendors

1:36:41getting invoices in timely so we can pay

1:36:45them quickly. And the other thing we did

1:36:47this year too, we did push back the

1:36:49closing a little bit about a week about

1:36:52a week or so, two weeks to make sure

1:36:55everything was accurate. So we may get

1:37:00invoices in uh but the majority of them

1:37:04are in.

1:37:10>> Do you know how much you're additional

1:37:13you're expecting?

1:37:14>> You anticipate so that it would be added

1:37:17to this 77,000.

1:37:19>> Oh no. For this for no just in general

1:37:22we may get other invoices in for this

1:37:25there will not be any more invoices.

1:37:27Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:37:29>> Thank you, Alder Rodriguez. Further

1:37:30questions from colleagues on this item.

1:37:34>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you uh for

1:37:36your presentation. I just just for

1:37:38clarification, I'm I'm the rookie on the

1:37:40team. Um the 8 something million will

1:37:43cover this

1:37:45that happened today.

1:37:46>> Yes. This this 77,000 is included in the

1:37:508.459 million deficit.

1:37:54>> So,

1:37:55>> that was announced today. Yes. Okay. But

1:37:58>> so the invoice was paid.

1:37:59>> The invoice was paid. Yes.

1:38:01>> But this is additional.

1:38:03>> No. No. This 77,000 invoice was paid

1:38:06already.

1:38:06>> Okay.

1:38:08>> This is to make sure that the formal

1:38:10authorization of the expenditure matches

1:38:12what was actually paid. Right now

1:38:14there's a gap between what the city paid

1:38:16them and what we authorized that they

1:38:18could pay them. So this is getting the

1:38:20authorization up to date with the actual

1:38:22expansion.

1:38:24>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. You're welcome.

1:38:26Further questions only.

1:38:29>> No, you did very well just now.

1:38:32[clears throat]

1:38:33>> Further questions from colleagues.

1:38:38>> Uh I have one. Uh the last of these

1:38:41requests was for How to Blue Dorf. We

1:38:43heard that in our last meeting and we

1:38:46heard at the time that that firm is no

1:38:47longer an employee of the city.

1:38:49>> Is the work of this firm also concluded

1:38:52with the city or are we continuing to

1:38:53use that going forward? No, we continue

1:38:56to contract with Carson and Talberg for

1:38:59legal services.

1:39:01>> So, we feel satisfied with the work that

1:39:03they've done for us.

1:39:04>> We do.

1:39:05>> Okay.

1:39:07All right. [clears throat]

1:39:08Thank you for that information. Further

1:39:10questions from colleagues.

1:39:13Seeing none, thank you for being here.

1:39:15>> Thank you everyone.

1:39:16>> Thank you. Is there a member of the

1:39:17public who wishes to testify on this

1:39:19item that request to authorize

1:39:22additional expenditures for Kirsten

1:39:24Talber?

1:39:26Is there a member of the public who

1:39:27wishes to testify on this item?

1:39:31And for a third time, anyone wishing to

1:39:33testify on this item, please come

1:39:35forward. Seeing none, we're moving

1:39:37forward in our agenda to a

1:39:39reclassification

1:39:41of two positions, one in the police

1:39:43department and one in human resources.

1:39:45Our

1:39:48HR director's timing is impeccable.

1:39:50Shows up just in the nick of time.

1:39:57>> Good evening. Names and addresses for

1:39:59the record.

1:40:00>> Rebecca Barbara, deputy chief

1:40:02administrative officer, 122 West Avenue.

1:40:05>> Oops. Marcela Garcia, 16 road.

1:40:11>> Mike

1:40:13Avenue. Thank you very much.

1:40:16>> Um, so you guys are used to seeing me

1:40:18coming before you to reclassify

1:40:20positions. Uh, whenever we have a

1:40:22vacancy, we take a look at that position

1:40:25to determine if it still serves the best

1:40:27needs of the city, if there's another

1:40:29title or use that makes sense. Um, so we

1:40:33have two vacancies that have occurred

1:40:34since July 1st, um, that we are here

1:40:37before you today uh, to talk about. Uh,

1:40:40the first is in the police department.

1:40:42Uh we had the retirement of a police

1:40:45mechanic. Um over the last two years,

1:40:48we've lost several of our senior uh

1:40:50mechanics in the department there, which

1:40:52has really underscored the need uh to

1:40:54have a lead mechanic. Um first among

1:40:57equals so that when the uh division head

1:41:00is out, uh there's somebody there to uh

1:41:03lead the crew, make decisions, and make

1:41:06sure that uh there's a high level of

1:41:08productivity um and supervision. Um, so

1:41:11we're upgrading one of the police

1:41:14mechanics uh to a lead police uh

1:41:17mechanic police uh which actually

1:41:19mirrors the structure that we have at

1:41:20DPW. We have two leads there because we

1:41:23run two shifts. Um, and then at the fire

1:41:25department where we have the lead

1:41:26mechanic there. Uh, it will still be

1:41:28being in the same union. Um, and the

1:41:31difference in salary will be covered by

1:41:33the lap salary uh from the vacancy. Um

1:41:36and I have Captain Fumiata here uh who

1:41:39can speak a little bit more about the

1:41:40operations um and uh the need for the

1:41:43position.

1:41:45>> Thank you. So, uh, at the, uh, at the

1:41:47police garage, uh, Will franchisees,

1:41:50who's the current superintendent, has

1:41:51done an phenomenal job moving, uh, all

1:41:53of our mechanics to the day shift. And

1:41:55while that operation, um, Chief At,

1:41:59uh, how our operation, um, the level of

1:42:02service that, um, Superintendent Fetti

1:42:05has been able to provide has been

1:42:06exceptional. Uh we'd like for the

1:42:08opportunity to um basically provide um

1:42:10some

1:42:12the current mechanics a step uh as far

1:42:15as uh growth within the the mechanic in

1:42:18the garage and then also uh when uh

1:42:21superintendent franches is no longer

1:42:23when he's away on vacation taking a day

1:42:26off um or um if there's other tasks that

1:42:28need to be done off hours where someone

1:42:30else can offer supervisory oversight of

1:42:34the mechanics and make sure that the

1:42:35projects that he has going day in and

1:42:36day are carried forth by the staff that

1:42:38are there at that time.

1:42:41>> All right. And the second vacancy is

1:42:43much more recent. Um we recently

1:42:45received a notice that our longtime

1:42:47benefits administrator uh is retiring

1:42:49after over 30 years of service. Um this

1:42:52position um has been with the city um

1:42:57and is in the union um and moved with

1:43:00the employee when benefits was moved to

1:43:02human resources. So at this time uh we

1:43:05want to uh update the position add

1:43:07additional supervisory responsibility

1:43:10and bar uh uh plan design and bargaining

1:43:14um into the responsibilities because the

1:43:16best person to help make these decisions

1:43:18is the person that has to deal with them

1:43:19daytoday and in order to do that you've

1:43:22got to be in the thick of things um as

1:43:24that is part of negotiations. It really

1:43:26needs to be outside of the union

1:43:28structure. Um so it is budget neutral.

1:43:31It is really just an update of the job

1:43:33description and the responsibilities

1:43:36um and then declassifying that um and

1:43:38putting it in executive confidential um

1:43:41so it can really do the job uh to its

1:43:43highest uh potential um when with that

1:43:46I'll turn over to Marcel for the vision.

1:43:49>> So it really is the the original title

1:43:54is very outdated. That's just not how

1:43:56benefits are done anymore.

1:43:58um benefits are really administered via

1:44:01HIS and human resource information

1:44:04systems which we didn't do before but we

1:44:06are doing now. It is very very different

1:44:09what we need in the role which is why

1:44:10we're looking for not just someone who's

1:44:13just signing people for benefits but

1:44:17ideally what we're seeing as disposition

1:44:19as is the benefits counterpart to what

1:44:22the personnel director is right so we

1:44:24have someone who's leading hiring civil

1:44:25service on that end of things but we

1:44:27don't have that role that that title

1:44:29that we need on the benefit side and we

1:44:32do administer benefits for over 4,000

1:44:35active employees and

1:44:38I don't know how many retirees.

1:44:40>> Um it's it's massive. And so now we are

1:44:44halfway through our project of

1:44:46modernizing benefits administration

1:44:49with the active employees done and now

1:44:52we're looking on the retirees but it

1:44:54does require a completely different

1:44:56skill set than before.

1:44:59[clears throat]

1:45:00>> So happy to answer any any questions you

1:45:02have.

1:45:03>> Thank you for your presentations. We

1:45:05appreciate the information. Now we'll

1:45:07have questions from committee members.

1:45:09The queue is open for questions from

1:45:11committee members. Alder Wick,

1:45:13>> thank you. Uh thank you for your

1:45:14presentation. Um the first item, um what

1:45:19is the pay difference? That's what what

1:45:22what do that look like?

1:45:23>> I can answer that question. Um so we

1:45:26anticipate uh we haven't fully gone

1:45:28through the job title. Uh it has to be

1:45:31uh presented to the union. any

1:45:34negotiations therein. We anticipate that

1:45:36it will actually be pegged at the same

1:45:38level as the lead mechanic fire has a

1:45:40lot of the same responsibilities. Um so

1:45:43that is a $7,000 approximate $7,000

1:45:47difference from the current salary and

1:45:48again that is available in the lab

1:45:50salary

1:45:52>> and and how would that be um like

1:45:55proposed like what what would be your

1:45:58process of giving opportunity to this

1:46:02group?

1:46:04>> So that would be posted um I believe

1:46:07internally and externally so anyone can

1:46:09apply. Uh so it is governed by the rules

1:46:13of civil service. Um as part of the

1:46:16process for posting uh we review whether

1:46:19uh there is a sufficient internal

1:46:20candidate pool. Uh it may be limited

1:46:22internal or be open competitive. Um it's

1:46:25posted uh for the period required which

1:46:28is 10 days and then uh tested and the

1:46:31top three uh candidates in that test are

1:46:33offered opportunity to interview.

1:46:35>> Okay. So there's a bidding process and

1:46:37there's a $7,000 difference. It's not

1:46:39bidding. Um, it is governed by the rules

1:46:42of civil service in the charter.

1:46:45>> Okay.

1:46:47Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:46:49>> Thank you, Alder Wade. Alder Fur.

1:46:51[clears throat]

1:46:52>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for your

1:46:54presentation. Um,

1:46:56so they're both retirements.

1:46:59>> Yes.

1:46:59>> And the retirement is effective when are

1:47:01you able to say that publicly?

1:47:03>> Uh, both have already retired. Um the

1:47:06police mechanic was effective in July

1:47:08and our benefits uh position was October

1:47:12the 3rd which is tomorrow.

1:47:14>> No, last Friday.

1:47:14>> Oh, last Friday. Sorry. Saturday.

1:47:16Saturday. Sorry. It's all blended

1:47:18together. [laughter]

1:47:20>> Yeah. Um so the goal is to try to get

1:47:23these positions filled. I always wonder

1:47:25when we're changing titles and doing

1:47:28things kind of midstream

1:47:30um why we don't wait for the budget

1:47:32process.

1:47:34uh because having a vacancy uh reduces

1:47:37our productivity uh the ability to

1:47:40deliver key city services uh and puts a

1:47:44tax on existing employees.

1:47:46>> It's always good to hear that on the

1:47:47record. Um

1:47:49>> so it wouldn't make sense to just

1:47:52hire the same position and then change

1:47:54it during the budget process. It's once

1:47:57you have an employee in a position, it's

1:47:59not the right time to change the job

1:48:01roles and responsibilities, especially

1:48:03as they're governed by civil service and

1:48:04you'd have to test again for the new

1:48:07position.

1:48:08>> Well, that's true. Okay.

1:48:10>> Um, good to ask. Right. Thank you. Thank

1:48:13you, Mr. Chair.

1:48:14>> Thank you, Alder F. Further questions

1:48:15from colleagues on [clears throat] this

1:48:17item, these two reclassifications.

1:48:19Further question Rodriguez.

1:48:22>> Thank you. Before

1:48:26um as you're planning and making these

1:48:29changes on this job on this position,

1:48:33are you communicating with the union in

1:48:37regards to these changes or are you

1:48:40going to do it and then

1:48:44>> it's a dual approval process, right? So

1:48:46the board authorized the positions and

1:48:48the titles and we negotiate the job

1:48:50descriptions with the impacted unions.

1:48:53So it we kind of have to run parallel

1:48:57processes. We try not to get too far

1:48:59ahead of the board in terms of approvals

1:49:02of job descriptions etc. Um in terms of

1:49:05the uh HR position moves to executive

1:49:09confidential. So, well, it doesn't have

1:49:11to go to negotiate with the the union.

1:49:13It does have to go to before the civil

1:49:15service commission for recognition and

1:49:18approval.

1:49:19>> Thank you.

1:49:21[clears throat]

1:49:22>> Um, and is this change cost effective in

1:49:26both positions and

1:49:29um the and who is doing this work right

1:49:32now? Thank you. Uh so in the police

1:49:36garage uh they're just down a mechanic

1:49:39so it's reduced the throughput of work

1:49:42in the garage. Um in terms of human

1:49:45resources uh the vacancy is a couple

1:49:48days old and uh the department or

1:49:52division head is doing a lot of the work

1:49:55um with some of the lower tasks being

1:49:58distributed but we've seen other staff

1:50:01as well. So it'll be very short-handed

1:50:03and we hope to fill that as soon as

1:50:05possible.

1:50:06>> Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:50:07>> Thank you all. [clears throat] Further

1:50:09questions from colleagues?

1:50:11Questions from colleagues on this item?

1:50:14I guess the only one I would have is

1:50:15that um do you anticipate any uh

1:50:18grievance or difficulty with the union

1:50:20that represented the position that

1:50:22you're removing from the bargaining

1:50:23unit?

1:50:24>> I think this has been contemplated for a

1:50:26long time uh out of respect to the

1:50:28bargaining unit. We did not do it when

1:50:30there was an active employee in the

1:50:32position. Uh but now that there is a

1:50:34vacancy um with it in human resources

1:50:38uh most all other positions in that

1:50:41department are confidential

1:50:43>> for good reason.

1:50:44>> But did you have a conversation with

1:50:45them about it?

1:50:46>> Uh we do not bargain until we have

1:50:47approvals.

1:50:49>> Well, I think it would be to do that um

1:50:52to reduce [clears throat] the

1:50:53possibility of conflict development. Um,

1:50:56any further questions from colleagues on

1:50:58this two reclassifications? Seeing none,

1:51:01thank you for your presentation. Is

1:51:03there anyone from the public who wishes

1:51:05to testify on these two

1:51:07reclassifications?

1:51:08Anyone from the public wishing to

1:51:10testify on this item?

1:51:14Any further any members of the public

1:51:17wishing to testify? Seeing none, let's

1:51:19move to our last public hearing item,

1:51:22which is a reclassification of the

1:51:24position in the city planning

1:51:25department.

1:51:33>> Good evening.

1:51:35Name and address for the record.

1:51:37>> Uh, yes. My name is Laura Brown. I

1:51:39reside at 262 West Avenue.

1:51:42[clears throat]

1:51:43Um, thank you for the opportunity to be

1:51:45here before you tonight. Um, thank you,

1:51:48Mr. Chair. I, um, also have a

1:51:50reclassification of a position to, um,

1:51:53tell you about and request your approval

1:51:55of. This is for a title reclassification

1:51:58of a currently funded position.

1:52:00[clears throat]

1:52:01Um, and that position is executive

1:52:03administrative assistant. This was

1:52:05occupied by our longtime staff person,

1:52:08Carol Kasanova, for over 25 years, who

1:52:11retired in May. Um and we would like to

1:52:14reclassify the position to

1:52:15administration and finance manager. The

1:52:18approved budget for the position is

1:52:20range seven step 10 which is $92,941.

1:52:24So that was approved in this year's

1:52:26budget. Um following the announcement of

1:52:29a retirement, we started the recruitment

1:52:31process with the existing title and um

1:52:35we discovered that the allowable salary

1:52:37for the new candidate would be $61,374

1:52:42because that there is an incumbent in

1:52:44that position. We were not successful in

1:52:47finding a candidate for that position.

1:52:49And we also learned that this new

1:52:51position administration and finance

1:52:53manager actually is a better fit for the

1:52:56nature of responsibilities that this

1:52:58person will take on. Um that new

1:53:01position could be posted at range nine

1:53:03step two which is $74,128

1:53:07which is also below what we have

1:53:09budgeted uh but I believe would be a

1:53:13more competitive salary for the nature

1:53:14of the work that we're asking this

1:53:16person to do. I think most of you are

1:53:18familiar with the work that we do at

1:53:20city plan. We oversee all uh the land

1:53:23use boards and commissions, the city

1:53:25plan commission, the historic district

1:53:27commission.

1:53:28hundreds of complicated

1:53:30[snorts] administrative items every year

1:53:32that need to adhere to statutory

1:53:34requirements. Um so we um have a lot of

1:53:38requirements to meet and our

1:53:40administrative staff play an important

1:53:42role in ensuring that we do that

1:53:43ensuring that we meet all of those

1:53:45requirements as well as serving the

1:53:47public because we have open office

1:53:49hours. We take hundreds and hundreds of

1:53:51walk-ins every year um for people with

1:53:53questions. So this is an important

1:53:55position for our office and uh I think

1:53:58this reclassification will yield uh more

1:54:01competitive candidates. I believe there

1:54:03is an active civil service list for this

1:54:05position as well. So we would be able to

1:54:08fill it rather we hope we'd be able to

1:54:10fill it rather quickly.

1:54:12Thank you. That's all I have for you.

1:54:15[clears throat]

1:54:15>> Thank you for that concise presentation.

1:54:18>> Questions from colleagues about this

1:54:20proposed reclassification.

1:54:22questions from

1:54:24about this item.

1:54:27Any questions from colleagues?

1:54:30[clears throat]

1:54:34Uh, I'll just restate what you've

1:54:36already mentioned, which is you're

1:54:38proposing to post it at a higher labor

1:54:41grade, but at a lower step than the

1:54:45previous incumbent. So even though it's

1:54:47kind of a higher level position, it's at

1:54:50a substantially lower salary because

1:54:52>> Carol was in city plan forever.

1:54:55>> Yes.

1:54:55>> And it was at the top for pay.

1:54:57>> Correct. [clears throat]

1:54:58>> So higher level description but at a

1:55:01lower annual salary at least until that

1:55:04person's there 25 years.

1:55:06>> We hope that person will stay.

1:55:08>> Yes.

1:55:09>> Yep. So higher level position but lower

1:55:13budgeted salary.

1:55:16>> [clears throat]

1:55:17>> Okay, seeing no questions. Thank you so

1:55:19much for your presentation.

1:55:21>> Thank you. Delivered under request

1:55:23shortly.

1:55:24>> Thank you so much.

1:55:25>> Anyone [clears throat] from the public

1:55:27wishing to testify on this item? The

1:55:29request to reclassify that position in

1:55:31city plan department. Anyone from the

1:55:33public wishing to testify on this item?

1:55:37And for a third time, anyone from the

1:55:40public wishing to testify on this item?

1:55:42Seeing none, motion is appropriate.

1:55:45>> Mr. Chair, I make a motion to close the

1:55:46public portion of this meeting.

1:55:48>> Second.

1:55:49>> A motion has been made to close the

1:55:51public portion and seconded. Any

1:55:52discussion of the motion close the

1:55:54public portion? Seeing none, all in

1:55:56favor say I. I.

1:55:58>> All oppose say nay. [clears throat] The

1:56:00motion carries. The public portion is

1:56:01closed. Alder.

1:56:04>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh, I make a

1:56:06motion to move item number one

1:56:08favorably.

1:56:09>> Second.

1:56:11Item one's been moved and seconded this

1:56:14uh and so we'll now have discussion

1:56:15starting with all.

1:56:17>> Uh thank you Mr. Chair. Um I I think the

1:56:19changes in the procurement ordinances

1:56:21[snorts] and the purchasing will sort of

1:56:23stream [cough and clears throat]

1:56:25uh sort of cut down on the delays and I

1:56:27think uh uh they looked at it very

1:56:30closely and saw where they need to

1:56:31streamline certain areas and uh I'm in

1:56:34favor of this motion. Mr. Chair,

1:56:36>> thank you Miss Alreunzel. Further

1:56:39discussion of this item item number one

1:56:41alter.

1:56:43>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am generally in

1:56:44favor of this item. The only part that I

1:56:48am questionable about which like to have

1:56:50discussion on is the automatic part of

1:56:55the amount increasing according to how

1:56:59the state increases. Um, as you heard

1:57:02from our controller, it is not

1:57:03cumbersome for them to come before this

1:57:06committee [clears throat] or board to

1:57:08ask for the in although we are dealing

1:57:10with a extremely um competent

1:57:17uh controller finance department. It

1:57:20doesn't mean that the city always will.

1:57:23[clears throat] And my uh concern is

1:57:26that in the future

1:57:28um a different controller, a different

1:57:30budget director, a different purchasing

1:57:33agent, a different administration

1:57:37uh may have these things done and if not

1:57:40and the board not be notified.

1:57:42And so um um I would like to

1:57:47discuss the possibility of making an

1:57:49amendment to have that part removed.

1:57:52>> Okay. not seeing how colleagues would

1:57:54feel about that before making such

1:57:56amendment. Thank you Mr. Chair.

1:57:57>> Thank you Alder Flo. So the uh the items

1:58:01on the table colleagues are invited to

1:58:04speak on the item overall and also to

1:58:06address the question posed by fur on

1:58:09that particular component discussion

1:58:11further discussion from colleagues.

1:58:14>> So thank you Mr. Chair.

1:58:16>> Uh would you like me to call on you?

1:58:18>> Yes.

1:58:18>> Alder Windgate.

1:58:20>> Thank you Mr. Chair.

1:58:22Um,

1:58:24[cough and clears throat]

1:58:25on the fur, give me a little give me a

1:58:28little bit more on

1:58:31um how you will see it play out.

1:58:33>> Alder Wingate, are you making a request

1:58:34through the chair of your colleague?

1:58:36>> Absolutely.

1:58:37>> Then please address the chair.

1:58:39>> Through the chair. Alder

1:58:42Furlow. Could you give me more of what

1:58:44you're talking about and how it look?

1:58:47>> Okay. Alder Furlow. Thank you, Mr.

1:58:50chair. Um

1:58:54well, it has been the practice of this

1:58:58committee and this board to have all

1:59:00increases to procurement to to our

1:59:04overall purchasing ability contracts

1:59:08come before this board for approval

1:59:10[clears throat]

1:59:10>> and I think that we should maintain that

1:59:12policy. Um, this was a quick meeting,

1:59:15but it took one night to come and say,

1:59:17"By the way, the state raised it to

1:59:1835,000. We're asking the board to do the

1:59:20same." And I think that practice should

1:59:23continue without it happening

1:59:25automatically

1:59:26by the state's increase. Now, let's just

1:59:30say that perhaps for some crazy reason

1:59:32the state says, "You know what? We're

1:59:33going to raise to $100,000."

1:59:35Then that would automatically allow the

1:59:37city to do the same. Um, and I think

1:59:39that as the fiscal agents of the city,

1:59:41we just need to keep those kind of

1:59:42controls um, within our ability to

1:59:45manage how the city spends their money

1:59:48and the and the amount that we allow

1:59:50them to spend without coming before us.

1:59:54Thank you, Mr. Chair.

1:59:54>> Thank you. All the further further

1:59:56discussion.

1:59:57>> No, Mr. Chair, I thank you for the

2:00:01explanation.

2:00:03further [clears throat]

2:00:04uh discussion from colleagues on the

2:00:06item overall and also in regards to the

2:00:08question posed by

2:00:11Alder Rodri.

2:00:13>> In regards to the item overall,

2:00:16um the director did indicate that

2:00:21they're still going to have to go

2:00:23through three bids

2:00:27even if they extend to the 35,000.

2:00:32that I I can respect and I'm in support

2:00:36of the item for that. I'm also in

2:00:38support of my colleagueu's question

2:00:42>> and I think that is a very significant

2:00:45uh question and we should definitely

2:00:47consider it.

2:00:48>> Thank you um Mr. Chair.

2:00:53>> Thank you Rodriguez.

2:00:55Um, I think at this point there's enough

2:00:58interest that I would welcome an

2:01:00amendment and be to have focused

2:01:02discussion on that and perhaps uh I

2:01:05believe we're looking at page five of 8.

2:01:09Um, colleagues will see that uh this is

2:01:13section 2-482

2:01:15subsections AB

2:01:18AB1

2:01:20in three instances.

2:01:24Um

2:01:27the wording is

2:01:30not requiring certain processes for

2:01:33services having a value not greater than

2:01:35the maximum amount for which a

2:01:37municipality may dispense the seal

2:01:39fitting or sewing [cough]

2:01:42[clears throat] etc as amended from time

2:01:43to time. So I believe what what I'm

2:01:45asking for is an amendment to replace

2:01:47that verbiage with having a value not

2:01:50greater than $35,000.

2:01:53Some move, Mr. Chair.

2:01:55>> Okay.

2:01:56>> Is there a second?

2:01:58>> Second.

2:01:59>> Okay. So then um the amendment is in

2:02:02those three instances making the change

2:02:03that open fur just moved. Alder Fur,

2:02:06you're the maker of the amendment. Do

2:02:07you want to speak further on it?

2:02:10>> Uh thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh thank you

2:02:12for helping with that amendment and I

2:02:14urge colleagues to support it. Thank

2:02:16you.

2:02:17>> Discussion of the amendment

2:02:20only. Any any discussion of the

2:02:21amendment to replace that verbiage with

2:02:24the actual monetary figure that is being

2:02:26proposed?

2:02:28Discussion statements in support or in

2:02:32opposition also. [cough]

2:02:33>> Thank [clears throat] you, Mr. Chair.

2:02:34No, thank you. Um,

2:02:38thank you all the fur for um doing um

2:02:42putting that out there for us to see and

2:02:44making sure that we do stay as the

2:02:46checks and balances u for the city

2:02:48finances. So I'm in support of the

2:02:50amendment.

2:02:51>> Thank you, Alder Ring. Further

2:02:53discussion of this amendment only.

2:02:55Alder. Mr. Chair, I'm also in favor of

2:02:58uh the my colleagues amendment uh to

2:03:02insert those numbers in there. Thank

2:03:04you, Mr. Chair.

2:03:06>> Thank you, Alder Punzel. Further

2:03:07discussion of the amendment.

2:03:09Any further discussion of the amendment?

2:03:13Seeing none, all in favor of the

2:03:14amendment, please say I. I.

2:03:16>> All say nay. The motion carries this

2:03:20item. It should we choose to move it

2:03:22favorably? We'll uh replace that

2:03:25verbiage with the actual 35.

2:03:29Back to the item as amended. Discussion

2:03:31of the item as amended. Anybody want to

2:03:33give further discussion? Alder

2:03:34Rodriguez.

2:03:35>> Mr. Chair, I'd like a point of clarity

2:03:37as we are in discussion

2:03:40um in reference to the individuals

2:03:44that are considered for the procurement

2:03:47work.

2:03:49um in reference to the taxes

2:03:52that um in the event that there are

2:03:55emergencies

2:03:56that they will not and look at whether

2:04:00their taxes are up to date or not. Can

2:04:04you [clears throat] please um further

2:04:06for me verify this?

2:04:08>> Yes, I'd be happy to.

2:04:10>> Thank you, Mr.

2:04:10>> Alder Rodriguez. Uh right now the

2:04:13process is under an emergency

2:04:15declaration.

2:04:17um the procurement director is able to

2:04:19move more quickly to hire services that

2:04:22are important to deal with emergency,

2:04:25but you keep they can't hire uh firms or

2:04:29or companies that owe back taxes.

2:04:32>> And so what if it's the what's the one

2:04:34firm that's really good at doing the

2:04:36thing that really needs to get done

2:04:37under these emergency circumstances? You

2:04:40wouldn't want that normal standing

2:04:42provision in your ordinance to prevent

2:04:44the purchasing agent from engaging a

2:04:46firm that provides the service that's

2:04:48essential for for what's needed in those

2:04:51circumstances. Right? And so that's what

2:04:53it does. It does not however let that

2:04:57firm off the hook for paying their taxes

2:04:59and we heard from our controller that

2:05:01they can hire the the firm, have them do

2:05:04the work, but they're not going to get

2:05:06their check until they pay their back

2:05:08taxes. So the tax revenue interest the

2:05:11city has is protected, but it frees up

2:05:14the purchasing agent uh the city staff

2:05:18uh to hire that firm if that firm's work

2:05:20is deemed essential to uh providing city

2:05:23services responding to the emergency.

2:05:26>> Thank you. With the amended item, I am

2:05:29in support of the item. Thank you, Mr.

2:05:31>> Thank you, Alder Rodriguez. Further

2:05:32discussion of the item as amended. Any

2:05:35further discussion of the item as

2:05:37amended? Seeing none, all in favor of a

2:05:39favorable recommendation of the item as

2:05:41amended, please say I. I.

2:05:43>> All oppose say nay. The eyes have it. It

2:05:46will move forward favorably as amended.

2:05:49Alder Panza. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I

2:05:51move item number

2:05:54two.

2:05:56Favorably.

2:05:58>> Second.

2:05:59>> The item has been moved and seconded.

2:06:02It's a favorable recommendation uh

2:06:04regarding the fee schedule for the Ralph

2:06:06Walker ice rink discussion. Alder,

2:06:08>> thank you, Mr. Chair. Um I looking at

2:06:10the fee schedule and uh I asked a

2:06:12question why we had it in there and took

2:06:14it out, but I can understand the reason

2:06:17for putting it back in. Uh the Ralph

2:06:19Walker rink is certainly certainly a

2:06:21beautiful place. Gets a lot of use uh

2:06:24not only at the college level, high

2:06:26school level, free skating. Uh it's just

2:06:29a great place and uh I'm sure uh it'll

2:06:32be utilized uh a lot and hopefully the

2:06:34new vendor does a great job there. Thank

2:06:35you, Mr. Chair.

2:06:36>> Thank you, Alder Punzel. Further

2:06:38discussion on this item. Further

2:06:40discussion on this item. I'll just stay

2:06:43say for my two cents that I believe it's

2:06:45a prudent change to provide an incentive

2:06:49for members of the public, both

2:06:50residents and non-residents, to use the

2:06:53facility at times of the day when it

2:06:54will be less busy. I think that it's

2:06:56kind of [clears throat] like congestion

2:06:58pricing for uh certain kinds of services

2:07:00and I hopefully it'll have the intended

2:07:03effect to smooth out that utilization

2:07:05over the course of the day so it's maybe

2:07:07less uh overloaded during the busy time.

2:07:10So I'm in favor of this item. Any

2:07:12further discussion? Seeing none, all in

2:07:14favor of favorable recommendation,

2:07:16please say I. I.

2:07:18>> All oppose say nay.

2:07:20>> The eyes have it. It will move forward

2:07:21favorably. Alder Panza.

2:07:23>> Mr. Chair, I make a motion to move item

2:07:25number three.

2:07:26>> Second.

2:07:28>> Item three has been moved and seconded.

2:07:30This is the item about the Carsten and

2:07:32Talberg and increasing the authorization

2:07:34by $77,2402.

2:07:39Discussion.

2:07:40>> Mr. Chair, I uh I support this this

2:07:43item. Uh the work was done

2:07:45>> uh and uh you have to pay uh for

2:07:49services. So, uh

2:07:52I I agree.

2:07:55Okay. Very good. [snorts] So, further

2:07:57discussion on the item. Further

2:07:59discussion on the item.

2:08:02Uh I'll just note for colleagues that

2:08:04there's no transfer involved in this

2:08:07request, but it is coming because uh the

2:08:11mayor of course had a press conference

2:08:13announcing the year-end fiscal results,

2:08:17the year end results for last fiscal

2:08:18year. And we all know that uh there's an

2:08:21amendment coming a transfer amendment

2:08:23with all the money proposed to move

2:08:25around so that the numbers balance out

2:08:26in the end. So that will I suspect be

2:08:29communicated in the next board meeting

2:08:31and come to this committee. I think

2:08:32that's what will happen soon. So this

2:08:34particular

2:08:36increase will be part of that. Any

2:08:39further discussion of this item? Seeing

2:08:42none, all in favor please say I. I.

2:08:44>> All opposed please say nay.

2:08:47>> The eyes have it. It will move forward

2:08:48favorably. Altera.

2:08:50>> Mr. Chair, I make a motion to move item

2:08:52number four favorably. Second.

2:08:55>> This item has been moved and seconded

2:08:57with favorable recommendation. This is

2:08:59the reclassification of the mechanic

2:09:01position in the police department and

2:09:03the benefits operations manager.

2:09:06Discussion. Alder.

2:09:08>> Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I I I

2:09:10guess it it gives the police mechanic

2:09:13department an opportunity to retitle,

2:09:16reclassify the title to to make that

2:09:18position a little more favorable for

2:09:20what needs to be done. And also the same

2:09:23for the benefits, operations, and

2:09:24energy, human resources. Uh, give them

2:09:27an opportunity to sort of streamline the

2:09:29position so it meets the needs of that

2:09:32department in today's world. Thank you,

2:09:34Mr. Chair.

2:09:35>> Thank you, Alerunzel. Further discussion

2:09:37of this item. on.

2:09:39>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just for

2:09:40clarification, I I um just like I said,

2:09:43I'm I'm working here. So, I still learn,

2:09:47right? Um and it was my colleague asked

2:09:50a question about the union. Have they

2:09:51discussed this with the union?

2:09:53>> And I believe the response was until it

2:09:57is approved,

2:09:59that's when they can have discussion

2:10:01with the union. What did I hear that

2:10:02correctly or you know, did I miss

2:10:06something? Well, I believe you heard

2:10:08that correctly, Alder Ringate. Uh, this

2:10:10is in my question was in regards to the

2:10:12U

2:10:14the benefits operations manager because

2:10:16they're not changing its

2:10:19labor grade per se, but rather whether

2:10:22or not it's in the bargaining unit or in

2:10:24in confidential exempt role. Okay?

2:10:28>> And they're changing that.

2:10:29[clears throat]

2:10:29>> Okay? It's it's u it's it's and their

2:10:32argument has to do with confidentiality

2:10:34and benefits bargaining and all those

2:10:36kinds of things. So, you know, I was

2:10:39encouraging them to talk to the union

2:10:41about it because I know how unions

2:10:43sometimes react to having positions that

2:10:45they represent removed from the

2:10:47bargaining a little bit.

2:10:48>> Um so, I hope they take that to the

2:10:51heart.

2:10:52>> Okay. I just thank you for the

2:10:54clarification, y'all, Mr. Chair. I was

2:10:55just trying to see what [clears throat]

2:10:56that looked like.

2:10:59I don't believe they're required to, but

2:11:01it's a best practice. Is it not gate?

2:11:04>> Absolutely.

2:11:05>> Further discussion. Any further

2:11:06discussion on the wind gate on this

2:11:07item?

2:11:08>> No sir.

2:11:10>> Discussion from colleagues on this item.

2:11:12The two position classifications.

2:11:16Seeing none. All in favor of the motion,

2:11:17please say I. I. All say n.

2:11:20[clears throat] The eyes have it. It

2:11:21will move forward. Favor.

2:11:23Mr. Chair, I make a motion to move item

2:11:26number five favorably.

2:11:28Second.

2:11:29>> Item five has been moved and seconded.

2:11:31This is in regards to reclassification

2:11:33of this position by department.

2:11:36Discussion of the motion.

2:11:38>> Uh thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh also the

2:11:40administration and finance manage

2:11:42description. Uh the change in title

2:11:45reflects the work that needs to be done

2:11:46at that department. So I'm in favor of

2:11:48this uh item, Mr. Chair.

2:11:51>> Thank you. All council. Further

2:11:52discussion on this item. Any further

2:11:54discussion on this item? [snorts]

2:11:56I [clears throat] I'll just say for my

2:11:58part, I'm in favor of this motion. Uh

2:12:02that department is very very busy. I

2:12:06know a thing or two about the operations

2:12:07of the city plan department as it

2:12:10commission meetings. Um so having a

2:12:12highly qualified person in that role

2:12:15will be very helpful. Um and the re

2:12:18statuto requirements around the timing

2:12:20and notice of meetings for example are

2:12:22pretty intense and so having a very

2:12:24capable person makes a lot of sense and

2:12:26I encourage colleagues to vote support

2:12:27the motion. Any further discussion?

2:12:30Seeing none. All in favor please say I.

2:12:32>> All oppose say nay. The eyes have it. It

2:12:35will move forward favor.

2:12:49Mr. Chair, I make a motion to move item

2:12:51number six.

2:12:52>> Second.

2:12:54>> Item number six has been moved and

2:12:56second. Moved favorably.

2:12:58>> Favorably. Thank you, Alder Panza. Let

2:13:00me just say a few words about this.

2:13:01Colleagues will remember that we heard

2:13:03this item in one of our prior uh finance

2:13:06uh committee meetings. Uh we took no

2:13:09action on it at the time. uh Alder

2:13:11Furlow and others had concerns which I

2:13:13believe have been addressed but they'll

2:13:15have opportunity to speak on that. Um

2:13:17and so we listed it this evening as for

2:13:20committee action only which means that

2:13:22there's no public hearing on it. It's

2:13:24just us it's time for us to vote on it.

2:13:26Um and I think it's appropriate to vote

2:13:28on it given that the city needs to have

2:13:31a vendor to be able to issue these

2:13:33tickets so they do electronically and

2:13:34not have to ship back paper tickets. The

2:13:37current vendor is on that that agreement

2:13:40is about to expire. So I think there's a

2:13:42timeliness component here but the floor

2:13:44will be open now for colleagues to talk

2:13:46about the merits of this item. Uh I'll

2:13:49start with you allo if you want to speak

2:13:51on it and then I believe after

2:13:53>> um well you know I mean obviously this

2:13:56this new program is going to be more

2:13:58efficient uh and meet the needs of

2:14:00today's uh world and as far as uh

2:14:04traffic and parking and ticketing and

2:14:07all that stuff. uh uh one of my

2:14:09concerns, it's not really concerned, but

2:14:12you know, [clears throat]

2:14:13transferring from one system that was I

2:14:16think in existence for a while to a new

2:14:18one. Uh hopefully it's goes seamlessly

2:14:21and uh but that was only my concern. But

2:14:25I'm in favor of this item, Mr. Chair.

2:14:27>> Thank you, Alder Funzo. Further

2:14:29discussion on this item. Alder.

2:14:31[clears throat]

2:14:32>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I'd like to

2:14:35move that we amend this item to say that

2:14:39um, [snorts] this equipment will not be

2:14:42used for towing or booting before

2:14:48approval is granted.

2:14:50>> Thank you. Is there a second of this

2:14:52motion? Second.

2:14:53>> Okay. The motion to amend has been made

2:14:55and seconded. Alter, please.

2:14:57>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I um, I did have

2:14:59discussion with administration and what

2:15:01was already stated.

2:15:03about uh this being important for paper

2:15:06tickets going into a new system. But as

2:15:10we heard from the director, this does

2:15:12have the ability to also um enforce

2:15:16towing and booting.

2:15:18>> And so uh because there there may be

2:15:22something coming along at some point

2:15:24that that needs to talk about what we're

2:15:27going to do with towing and booting in

2:15:29our city.

2:15:30>> [clears throat]

2:15:30>> uh we want to be able to maintain

2:15:33control of that discussion.

2:15:35And so um the administration was

2:15:39favorable with putting [clears throat]

2:15:41this amendment on that before

2:15:44uh this is passed favorably out of

2:15:46committee that we would add this

2:15:47amendment that it would not be used for

2:15:50any towing or booting um until it comes

2:15:54before us for further review.

2:15:57I

2:15:58ask colleagues to support this

2:16:00amendment. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

2:16:02>> Thank you, Flo. May I suggest that we uh

2:16:05insert that as the second effective

2:16:07clause? uh it suggests that uh just in

2:16:10terms of if it's numeration because the

2:16:13first one says this is what the

2:16:15contract's for

2:16:17and then the second one said it's not

2:16:18for this other thing which is what

2:16:20you're saying and then the rest of the

2:16:23uh effective clauses are about

2:16:25effectuating the agreement. So would you

2:16:28find it appropriate to make this your

2:16:31inserted language number two in that

2:16:33list and then reumber the letter the the

2:16:36items after that? I think that's

2:16:38[clears throat] appropriate, Mr. Chair.

2:16:39I did not um format this properly and

2:16:42thank you for your assistance. Thank

2:16:44you.

2:16:44>> So, you'll take that as a

2:16:46>> I will take that as a friendly. Thank

2:16:47you. Uh any discussion of this amendment

2:16:50to insert a uh number two and then re

2:16:54number after that the verbiage that

2:16:56Alder Furlow uh gave to prohibit this

2:17:01software for being used for for

2:17:05any further discussion on this

2:17:07amendment.

2:17:12>> I just said I agree.

2:17:14[laughter]

2:17:16>> Captain formality here. can't speak and

2:17:18there's nothing on the record

2:17:22discussion of this amendment.

2:17:24>> Seeing none all in favor please say I.

2:17:27>> All post say nay.

2:17:29>> The amendment passes. Further discussion

2:17:32of the item as amended. Further

2:17:34discussion of the motion as amended.

2:17:37Alder.

2:17:39>> Thank you Mr. Chair. Um, I think it's

2:17:42important that our city be able to

2:17:43maintain

2:17:45uh gifting out tickets and being able to

2:17:47keep track of it and move into this new

2:17:50system

2:17:51uh for reasons that they indicated that

2:17:54they need to go to another company or

2:17:55another vendor in order to uh satisfy

2:17:59the money that's coming into our city. I

2:18:00think it's a good idea. And what should

2:18:03I say? We should have gone speed in

2:18:05this. Just don't just don't take it. I

2:18:08mean, just don't boot toe.

2:18:10Thank you

2:18:13[clears throat] for the discussion of

2:18:14the item as amended.

2:18:18Okay. So, I'm going to u

2:18:22introduce amen. And uh let me tell you

2:18:25what it is. [clears throat]

2:18:28[cough]

2:18:29It's in regards to the first effective

2:18:32number one. No, it's number two. It is

2:18:35now number three, but it's current in

2:18:38this draft. Number two, it currently

2:18:40reads, "The agreement will have a term

2:18:42of up to 5 years with an option to renew

2:18:45subject to the terms of the final

2:18:46agreement and the available appropriated

2:18:48funds." I'm going to amend that to read.

2:18:50The agreement will have a term of three

2:18:53years

2:18:55with the option for up to two one-year

2:18:59renewals

2:19:04>> or uh a total

2:19:08estimated cost of $6 million.

2:19:12Uh, let me let me say that. The

2:19:14agreement will have a term of three

2:19:17years

2:19:19at an estimated cost of $6 million with

2:19:22an option to renew

2:19:24with the additional yearly cost of

2:19:26$110,000

2:19:28subject to the terms of the final

2:19:30agreement with the availability of

2:19:31appropriated funds. Do I have That's my

2:19:33motion to amend. Second.

2:19:36>> Thank you. The reason I'm doing this is

2:19:37because it's not typically our practice

2:19:40to have

2:19:42wording that is so vague about how long

2:19:44the contract's going to be and how much

2:19:46it's going to cost. I understand that

2:19:48the staff have sought authorization

2:19:50before they've gotten very far along in

2:19:51the negotiations. That's not typically

2:19:53how we do it. Usually, we have uh

2:19:57clearer terms and dollar amounts and so

2:20:00we want that in the uh legislation that

2:20:05we're going to pass. And so that's what

2:20:07my amendment is. And it's based on the

2:20:10numbers that were provided to us in

2:20:12terms of services rendered chart school.

2:20:15If we find out from the staff before the

2:20:18second reading that the terms are

2:20:19somewhat different, we can always amend

2:20:21it before the second reading. But I I

2:20:24want an order that's a little bit

2:20:26tighter and more specific

2:20:27[clears throat] than what is before us

2:20:29now. And that's why I'm making that

2:20:30amendment. Just that's mine and I urge

2:20:33colleagues to support it. Any further

2:20:34discussion on the amendment? Any further

2:20:37discussion on the amendment? Seeing

2:20:39none, all in favor of the amendment,

2:20:41please say I. I.

2:20:43>> Any [clears throat] oppose? Nay.

2:20:46The amendment passes.

2:20:48Further discussion on the item as

2:20:50amended.

2:20:53Any further discussion of this item?

2:20:57Seeing none, all in favor of the item as

2:20:59amended, please say I.

2:21:01>> All oppose, please say nay. The item

2:21:04passes. It will be moved forward

2:21:06favorably as amended.

2:21:11Holden Panza.

2:21:13Mr. Chair, can I make a motion to

2:21:15adjourn this meeting?

2:21:16>> Second.

2:21:16>> Motion to adjourn has been made and

2:21:18seconded. Any discussion of the motion?

2:21:21Seeing none. All in favor, please say I.

2:21:24>> I. All oppose, please say nay.

2:21:28The motion carries. We are injured.

2:21:32Thank you very much.

2:21:51>> [clears throat]

2:21:55>> confuse me.

2:21:58>> Yes.

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