City of Newburgh Council Work Session, 6:00 p.m. May 6, 2010

AGENDA:

City Council:

1. NCDA/City Council

a. Long Term Options

2. Presentation:

a. Fire Department based EMS services, Fire Department based code enforcement, MOU authorizing Fire Department’s due diligence regarding feasibility (see memo with draft resolution and mou): Chief Michael Vatter

b. Proposed amendments to City Code (see memo): Chief Michael Vatter

• Creation of a fire lane on Front Street from First Street to South Street and request for additional parking spaces on Water Street

• Update the City Fire Code to coincide with the regular updates of the National Electrical Code

c. Financial Updates:

• Sanitation Enterprise Fund proposal (see memo from Dwight): Dwight Hadley, CPA

• Moody’s Rating Report and financial updates: Dwight Hadley, CPA

• (Res. 103) Deficit Financing/Home Rule Request: Dwight Hadley, CPA

• Capital Projects Budgets: Craig Marti and Christine Mitchell

3. Planning and Development/Real Estate

a. Consolidated Iron:

• Site management plan: Craig Marti

• Waterfront alienation: Bernis Nelson

b. First Street Reconstruction – proposal from Stantec Services for completion of First Street Improvement Project (see memo from Craig): Craig Marti

c. Provan Site – recommendation of award of a bid for the building demolition (see memo from Ian and Craig): Ian MacDougall and Craig Marti

d. Ann Street Parking Lot – request for a license agreement

e. 135 Wisner Avenue – request for an extension of time to close

f. (Ord. 5) Creating a section of the Code entitled “Sidewalk Cafés”: Bernis Nelson, Courtney Kain and Chief Vatter

4. Discussion items:

a. Parking, Traffic and Transportation Advisory Committee

b. (Ord. 6) Downing Park fee schedule

c. (Res. 100) Scheduling a public hearing to receive comment on a proposed local law amending the procedure for the collection of water rents

d. (Res. 101) Scheduling a public hearing to receive comment on a proposed local law amending the tax roll valuation date from January to July and changing the hearing date for grievances from the third Tuesday in May to the fourth Tuesday in May (see also memo from Steve Ruelke)

e. (Res. 102) Quarterly warrant for the collection of sanitation fees

f. Liberty/Waterfront Shuttle

g. City Council standard work day and reporting

h. Summer Council Meeting schedule (see calendar)


5. Executive Session:

a. Pending litigation

b. Matters Pertaining to the employment of a particular person

Full audio recording of the meeting below, or download:

Two important events, one tomorrow and one next week (over two days)–and you’re invited.

Newburgh Community Development Agency returns to action (after long hiatus):
When:
Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 6:00 PM
Where: Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 83 Broadway
On the agenda: Three items.  1. NCDA Mortgage Loans; 2. NCDA Property (foot of former South Street – $3150 Quadricentennial Grant from Hudson River Foundation); 3. NCDA Long-Term Plans
What’s at stake: At a recent city council meeting, a resident complained that she could not get a document proving her loan granted by the NCDA years ago was satisfied (paid off)  from the City.  Without this document, the resident could not take out a needed loan.  This resident’s plight is due to the NCDA board not meeting for years and there being no one else authorized to take action.  (Although, curiously, a satisfaction document was signed by former Economic Development Director Lourdes Zapata as recently as March 2009; shortly thereafter, she and former Corporation Counsel Geoffrey Chanin sought the city council’s approval to authorize Zapata to act for the NCDA.  The council refused.  Additional NCDA loan satisfaction documents were signed by Zapata’s predecessor Robert McKenna, but then filed with the county years later.)  Recently, Corporation Counsel Bernis Nelson had proposed transferring all assets and liabilities of the NCDA to the City.  That action was not taken by the council (who currently are the NCDA board as well.) Losing the NCDA would also mean losing its ability to issue debt.
Question: Will the NCDA/City Council take any actions at the meeting?  The public notice states “the purpose of the meeting is to discuss” the agenda items (emphasis mine.)
More info: End may be nigh for NCDA

And next week…

Who: Pace University Land Use Law Center & Center for Community Progress
What: Strategy Sessions about City of Newburgh Vacant/Abandoned Buildings
When: Two Public Meetings: Wednesday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. - Education Session & Overview of Best Practices
and Thursday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m. - Community Strategy Session
Where: City of Newburgh Activity Center, 401 Washington Street
For more info: call the City of Newburgh at (845) 569-9400
Funder: made possible by grant from the Ford Foundation
Official description:
As in many communities across the country, vacant and abandoned buildings in the City of Newburgh continue to drain the energy and vitality of neighborhoods. Eyesores as well as  magnets for crime, these buildings degrade  the overall quality of life for people in the  surrounding blocks, while dragging down surrounding property values and negatively impacting rehabilitation efforts.

What are the best ways to address this pervasive problem? To learn more about how other communities deal with blighted buildings, and to participate in a community strategy session, all are invited to attend presentations.

Wednesday’s presentation is “Vacant & Abandoned Properties: Effective Public Policy Approaches.”  It will inform local leaders, partners, stakeholders, and the public of the land bank model, land management strategies, system reforms, and financial models to make it all work.

Invitation-only workshops / focus groups will be held on Thursday during the day. These workshops will facilitate discussions on present practices, challenges, and opportunities related to tax-foreclosed and other vacant and underutilized properties.

Thursday evening’s public community strategy session will include recommendations for next steps, system reforms, identifying possible funding sources, board composition, staffing needs of proposed programs, and more.

City Press Officer Ann Kuzmik clarified that “developers, local merchants/realtors, department heads, institutional stakeholders, non-profits, community/neighborhood group leaders, and advisory board reps will be attending the (invitation only) day sessions.”

Video excerpts from the city council work session Thursday, March 4, 2010.

The work session began with a grave report on the city’s financial status, given by Dwight Hadley, CPA, and assisted by Christine Mitchell, CPA, the city’s new comptroller:

Next came a presentation by Dr. Jerome Blue on the status of the Liberty Street School project:

The third presentation was regarding the Community Resource Officers, or CROs. Representing the Newburgh Enlarged City School District were Ralph Pizzo and Mike Pacella. The school district has offered to pay the city for two new police officers in exchange for staffing Newburgh Free Academy and North Junior High School with a CRO each. Also assisting with the discussion were two former CROs, who spoke of the benefits of the positions, and FBI agent Maryann Goldman, who spoke about the seriousness of Newburgh’s gang problems (as reported in the cover story of the Times Herald-Record) and urged the council to fund the positions.

Full video of the entire CROs discussion here:

Finally, from later in the work session, discussion on the Home Improvement Loan Program.

[video deleted]

This program is administered by Demetrius Faulk. Courtney Kain, Acting Director of the Planning Department, explained the program with Demetrius. It was during discussion of this program that (at 6:15 on the video) Councilwoman Marge Bell notes that the records show her as the recipient of a $13,500 loan. Bell says she did receive some funding, but she says she did not receive $13,500.

The loan originator is listed as the Newburgh Community Development Agency (NCDA), which corporation counsel Bernis Nelson recommended dissolving earlier in the work session.