So long (for now) irresponsible bidders!
This is a summary of public comment and legislation voted on at the 7/10/24 Binghamton City Council Business Meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Residents wishing to submit public comment may do so electronically by emailing their comments prior to 1:00PM on the day of the meeting to clerk@cityofbinghamton.gov or in-person during the meeting.
- Frank Stento, Director Of Business Development at IUPAT District Council 4 (Local 178) spoke in favor of the Responsible Bidder legislation, saying it would protect workers.
- Brandon Montanye from the NY Foundation for Fair Contracting said the Responsible Bidder legislation is common sense and would prevent cost overruns and worker injuries.
- Tarik Abdelazim spoke in favor of the Responsible Bidder legislation and also about the bill (voted on later in the meeting) dealing with money from vacant positions in the city. He suggested the City Council look into the fringe benefits attached to those positions as a way to possibly free up money for orgs like the Southern Door Community Land Trust. He said many other government and nonprofit entities have contributed to the SDCLT but the city is still stonewalling them while wasting opportunities on developers like Mark Yonaty, whose application to the state for “Restore NY” funding (which the mayor and City Council voted to back) was never actually submitted.
- Josias Bartram, Director of the Broome County Public Library, talked about the services the library offers to unhoused people and said they would never turn someone away just because they’re unhoused.
- Marianne, a crossing guard at the corner of S. Washington and Vestal Ave, spoke about how dangerous the intersection is. She also showed Councilmembers a photo of a curb near the intersection that’s inaccessible to people with disabilities.
Emailed Comments:
- Al Paniccia, lawyer for Metrocenter owner Justin Marchuska, wrote to reiterate his client’s concerns that the proposed law protecting rights of unhoused people is too ambiguous.
- Mary Ann Callahan, head of the First Ward Neighborhood Watch and former spin doctor for the invasion of Afghanistan, parroted Mayor Kraham’s talking point that the proposed legislation to protect unhoused people “does not solve the problem” and may turn First Ward Park into a homeless encampment.
- Matthew wrote in to complain about the track at Roosevelt Elementary being locked and inaccessible to the public.
- Mark Yonaty spoke about his sympathy and compassion for people experiencing homelessness, however he doesn’t think unhoused people should be allowed to camp in “parks, sidewalks, school grounds, and public or private properties.” He spoke about the investments residents make in the city and said the city government is responsible for protecting those investments. He spoke about his fear that residents protecting themselves from unhoused people may lead to violence. A better solution, he said, would be for the city to create a large shelter with cots and a soup kitchen.
- My Take: I hope the rumors are true and Yonaty runs for mayor. He’s such a perfect encapsulation of everything that’s wrong with Binghamton. He and the rest of the Downtown Business Cabal “invest in the city” by opening terrible businesses that can only exist because of tax breaks from their friends in the mayor’s office. Then he complains about litter and unhoused people on Facebook all day while dreaming up a big imaginary shelter that can hold them all. He would of course then be leading the fight against his own imaginary shelter if it was built anywhere near his condo and/or his taxes had to go up to pay for it.
- My Take: I hope the rumors are true and Yonaty runs for mayor. He’s such a perfect encapsulation of everything that’s wrong with Binghamton. He and the rest of the Downtown Business Cabal “invest in the city” by opening terrible businesses that can only exist because of tax breaks from their friends in the mayor’s office. Then he complains about litter and unhoused people on Facebook all day while dreaming up a big imaginary shelter that can hold them all. He would of course then be leading the fight against his own imaginary shelter if it was built anywhere near his condo and/or his taxes had to go up to pay for it.
SECOND READING LEGISLATION
Local Law LL24-03: A Local Law establishing Responsible Bidder Requirements. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: The city has traditionally accepted the lowest bid on construction projects with few (if any) other considerations. This legislation would requires bidders to fill out a questionnaire, with the Board of Contract and Supply making a final judgment on a contractor’s “irresponsibility” based on:
- My Take: Councilmember Dundon, an organizer with the New York State Laborers Organizing Fund (NYSLOF), submitted this legislation and was rightfully cheered for its passage. I think it’s instructive to compare the unanimous public support for this law and the furor surrounding recent legislation related to policing and unhoused status. The mayor would never propose a law like this because it inhibits the “free market” and punishes capitalists for acting like capitalists and squeezing the lifeblood out of workers and taxpayers. He also won’t publicly criticize it because it’s so obviously beneficial to people who might vote for him: comfortably middle-class workers who hate their bosses but also hate minorities and immigrants enough to vote Republican against their own interests. The speech this week made by a Teamster president at the RNC calling Trump a “tough S.O.B.” effectively illustrates how class allegiances are blurred in this country. Later in this same meeting, Dundon voted against recommending punishment for the brutality of BPD officer Brad Kaczynski and voted in favor of state funding for mass surveillance. Last Business Meeting he voted to fund surveillance cameras in low income neighborhoods. Imagine if he wielded the power of working class solidarity to champion the rights of ALL working people, not just the ones with union jobs.
Introductory Ordinance O24-35: An Ordinance authorizing sale of 41 Clinton to Trout Brook Housing Development Fund Corporation. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: This was added as part of the O24-52 ordinance rezoning parts of Clinton and Mygatt Streets. Since it transfers property from the city to a private developer, the ordinance requires ¾ of the City Council to approve it.
Introductory Ordinance O24-47: An Ordinance to amend the 2024 General Fund budget to account for vacancies. Passed 5-2.
- Summary: The former Comptroller said this money was intentionally over-budgeted, so these vacancies won’t actually open up any money in the budget. Shager accomplished this by adding a negative “Salary Adjustment” line item to the budget anticipating the number of vacant positions. Councilmembers spoke about the fringe benefits attached to these positions and considered whether that money could be freed up to spend on projects.
Introductory Resolution R24-45: A Resolution demanding the Mayor enact the Attorney General’s recommendations regarding January 2023 incident. Rejected 4-3 (Porter, Middleton, Hotchkiss dissenting).
- Summary: This resolution would be a non-binding demand that the Mayor discipline BPD officer Brad Kaczynski for putting his knee on the neck of a handcuffed person, which is against the law in NY State. The mayor was given 90 days to respond to the AG’s report, which would put the deadline in the middle of August. Nay voters pointed to this deadline and pending criminal charges against the victim as a reason to vote against the resolution. Councilmember Porter pointed out that the Mayor already made public statements against the AG’s report and that the City Council’s demands would have no effect on pending cases.
- My Take: The AG’s recommendations are incredibly tame and the City Council’s failure to support them is ridiculous. Councilmember Mativetsky put on a grand dramatic pantomime of doubt and regret when casting the deciding vote but – along with Dundon and Cavanaugh – she has voted for the cops at every opportunity. Maybe it would help if she thought of this resolution as “Quality Assurance for BPD to Increase Their Prosocial Behaviors.”
Introductory Resolution R24-47: A Resolution authorizing agreement with WPD. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Contracting for a new Master Plan at Columbus Park that will cost $18k. Initiated by Astor D. Rice Foundation. Continuing work from Rich David’s failed attempt at building a Youth Center there.
FIRST READING LEGISLATION
Introductory Ordinance O24-54: An Ordinance to amend BJCSB budget to fund one Operator. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Replacing a retiring employee.
Introductory Ordinance O24-55: An Ordinance to amend BJCSB budget to accept Comp
Alliance Award. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Accepting award money to provide safety training to employees.
Introductory Ordinance O24-56: An Ordinance to allow CCE Chair to appoint city residents to committees. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Permission to establish working groups of non-voting community members (mostly BU students) who can provide information to the Commission on specific environmental issues.
Introductory Ordinance O24-57: An Ordinance to amend 2024 Parks budget for Acting Parks Commissioner. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Moves some money around to payout the departing Commissioner of Parks and pay the acting parks director the Commissioner salary.
Introductory Ordinance O24-58: An Ordinance to amend 2024 Police budget for Senior Clerk. Passed 6-1.
- Summary: According to Deputy Mayor Megan Heiman, this is just a title change, with no increase in salary.
Introductory Resolution R24-54: A Resolution to authorize Supplemental Agreement No. 4 with Barton and Loguidice for DECO. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Construction work related to the Water Street parking garage.
Introductory Resolution R24-55: A Resolution to authorize agreement with Barton and Loguidice for Ball Avenue Outfall. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Addressing flooding around the North Side.
Introductory Resolution R24-56: A Resolution to authorize agreement with HUNT for Tompkins Street Pump Station. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Addressing flooding around the baseball stadium.
Introductory Resolution R24-57: A Resolution to authorize agreement with EDR for Terminal Pumping System. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Installing new grinders to deal with increase in “flushable” wipes in the system.
Introductory Resolution R24-58: A Resolution to authorize agreement with BOCES for Fire Prevention. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: Renewing a four year, $30k/year contract.
Introductory Resolution R24-59: A Resolution authorizing NYS Law Enforcement Technology grant. Passed 5-2 (Porter, Hotchkiss Dissenting).
- Summary: $468k going to BPD out of the $127 Million in surveillance money coming down from the state as part of Governor Hochul’s 2024 budget. Capt. Bidwell said this would mostly pay for updating the city’s “Mobile Command Vehicle,” which he admitted is mostly used as something for kids to play with at community events like Touch a Truck. He said in an average year the vehicle is deployed about 50 times, mostly during SWAT raids. I’ve also seen it deployed at protests.
Introductory Resolution R24-60: A Resolution authorizing NYS GIVE grant. Passed 6-1 (Hotchkiss Dissenting).
- Summary: GIVE stands for Gun Involved Violence Elimination. This is $370k coming from the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Introductory Resolution R24-61: A Resolution authorizing contract to purchase St. Mary’s Recreation Center. Passed 7-0.
- Summary: The City Council already approved funding for this purchase. This legislation is to approve the actual purchase of the church.
Thanks for reading! See you all Monday at 6:00 for the next City Council Work Session.