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I'd like to call to order this special
student council meeting for Sunday
October 30th at 20 um 2022.
um just before we uh have the there's
one item on the agenda and uh so this
item um was discussed in committee on
Wednesday October 26th and it passed on
the same night and special counsel
council meeting
um after three and a half hours of
deliberation and waiting
um and discussion for the actual
ordinance to reflect what was agreed to
in the operating budget unfortunately
there were some errors in the text of
the ordinance and that's the only place
there's no change in the actual numbers
and what we agreed on and the budget if
any of that it's only in the text of the
ordinance and didn't probably reflect
the budget as was passed by the council
So today we're here for to do an
amendment that only to correct the
language you all have that in front of
you
um so operating budget has passed and
the language of the ordinance are in
agreement with each other um and this is
indicated in an email that was sent by
our Corporation Council uh Mr Colden so
at this time if the clerk would please
read
item number one for final consideration
an organs amending ordinance number
22-10 which approved the proposed
operating budget for 2023 and authorized
the Appropriations therein in numeric
enumerated
this was discussing committee no Acosta
and Mr fell maybe would like to have a
roll call
so before the roll call is there any
discussions to be done between two State
your positions on anything what has gone
on and then we should have the actual
votes any discussion
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sure sure I just I just want to say that
last year just last year I campaigned a
campaigned on improving the quality of
life issues here in the city and I
believe that the cuts to the police
department will directly impact any
efforts made at that time especially if
our residents don't feel safe and secure
in their neighborhoods
and again I just want to I want to state
that we must make fiscally responsible
decisions so we can continue
any effort
to move our city into the future
and I'm you know I'm not voting yet
right no but no no you're not the
discussion is really about the amendment
could we wear
I voted as I did the other evening in a
good faith effort to acknowledge the
rigorous discussions that the council
had during its budget deliberations
however as I stated then I was unhappy
with several items in the budget
specifically the substantial funding
cuts to the Schenectady Police
Department
I'm worried that the cuts were that were
made to over time in particular will
negatively affect public safety
especially during a time when we are
battling increased crime rates
since the vote the other evening I was
very unhappy to hear council president
Porterfield tell Channel 6 that police
don't stop crime they simply handle it
after it's done I disagree completely
with that statement and I understand how
civilian positions like the information
processing specialist that was also left
unfunded can help prevent crime before
it happens by providing crucial data for
investigations and I hope this isn't the
beginning of a trend by the council's
majority to defund the police
we are really fortunate in Schenectady
to have a police department that is
considered one of the best in the state
smart and compassionate leader Like
Chief Clifford and men and women in the
department who care so much about the
safety of residents in all of our
neighborhoods
but we're not voting right now
Ms Williams I find it extremely alarming
some of the comments that are made here
tonight out of which was just made by
Miss Patrick regarding defund the police
just for clarification by the community
and all those listening and watching the
I.T position is still going to be
staffed be specifically chose a majority
that this position would not be staffed
by the police department however we've
taken into considerations to make sure
that their it needs are continuing to be
met in addition to the overtime budget
if you would happen to reference their a
lot of budget item for last year we did
Implement a increase
so we have made correctly can actually
speak just for myself I think taking
into consideration some of the cost
effective savings that are coming
looking at the number of police officers
that are being hired the slight increase
in the overtime budget I am confident
that the police will be able to make due
and also leading off of the Investments
that the police department are making
into the community it is not far for us
to think that by the time that our axon
program comes into play
we will allow ourselves to be able to
recognize some savings specifically in
the overtime budget
but for myself I'm confident that the
entire budget items that were spoken of
are something that the community can get
behind and I look forward to seeing
those improvements
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so I guess I just I told them like this
is fun yeah so I just you know want to
adjust the fact because you know sign up
for some of the comments that were made
here today so far as well you know I
think that it's a very uh slippery slope
and I think that you know even using um
you know
statements like defund the police on can
be disingenuous and misleading
um the reduction was to the police
overtime budget
not just the overtime budget
and
the chief himself was here not too long
ago talking about
positions being added
should reduce overtime we have
adequately funded
um them to
fill uh new positions I believe it's 10
officers but you know somewhere around
there so
naturally increasing officers
should decrease over time and I
think that when you frame things a way
we have to be really intentional in our
language because
it could be a bit of a dog whistle and
people can respond to things
if they're not clear in the words that
you use
so that narrative around you from the
police is this is the furthest thing
um
from the truth and it just doesn't
represent accurately any of the
decisions that we've made as a council
so I just want to be clear about that
and I think that maybe you might want to
clarify what you say what you're saying
unless that's what you need
procedurally when you end the discussion
debate you move the previous questions
happy emotionally removed the previous
question okay
um can I answer clarification from you absolutely so
we're just here to a man language
correct so it's an ordinance to have
been what was previously the best right
correct okay
right any further discussion
right if the clerk please call the world
you have to make a motion for us okay a
motion to
uh yeah
make a motion to oh I can't make
permission right I'll let you pay the
motion to uh
move this to the agenda
advice too
oh man yeah no it's a Italian first okay
there's is there anything
emotions were in the debate so
all in favor
aye
um
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uh okay this is a roll call to
um amend the ordinance number 2022 which
approves the proposed operating budget
since 2023 and they're in authorizing
Appropriations they're in enumerated
okay Mr Williams yes
Mr Farley yes
of this country so Mr Golden I can't
vote no then
yeah I can't tell you how to vote well
no but I mean this is emotion this is
long and about no for the for the
reasons that I stated earlier ended up
having the opportunity to vote again I'm
going to vote no
Mr Winterberry
thank you
uh
I'm glad that we were able to pick up
this uh
a few of the narrative that was
incorrect yes I can speak before I do it
okay
I'm glad that we're able to pick up some
of these uh the narrative that was
incorrectly stated originally
um excuse me and Mr um called and said
we had to talk during the debate
is that correct
typically that's what would happen
during a discussion about explaining my
vote
I'm making money
huh
so no I'm just stating the obvious
reason why here and I want to thank Mr
Golden for working with us to change the
documents to whatever was passed less
mentally
and we're here to focus on the amended
version I just want to clarify something
for me and we'll talk about
when the police chief was here let's
stay with us this year talking about
adding new
officers and the journals of cost
savings some of the things I've
mentioned my police chief was adding new
officers will help a new technology will
help reduce over time so I think that's
one of the consideration was we took I
took we took into looking at reducing
all the time but we're not cutting it
below what was approved last this year
so there's a there's an increase on that
amount from this year into next year so
I'm not sure where we're you know we're
talking about Narrative of cutting and
defunding police and things like that we
just need to be careful what we're doing
with that said I'm voting yes
Mrs
no Mr palomini
um first I'd like to correct some
incorrect information that's been going
around specifically that there are 15
openings in the police department and
that will lead to a savings of a million
and a half dollars in salaries that's
completely untrue there are 13 openings
nine of which will be filled on January
1 and the other field likely by July 1st
the salary savings for those four
officers was built into the overtime
budget request for 1.8 million dollars
which is 300 to 400 000 less than what's
typically spent
even if we're talking about this year
when asked Commissioners Ferrari stated
we he's projecting a nearly two million
dollar loss
my comments the other night still stand
this budget's not sustainable and let me
make it clear to homeowners this budget
will lead to a substantial tax and fee
increase sooner rather than later
making matters worse this budget has cut
Police Services more than two hundred
fifty thousand fifty six thousand in
overtime requests and taking an officer
off the street by not funding a I.T
position in the police department yes
that I.T position is funded in I.T as a
separate piece of employment but that
does not help the police department the
data tells us that the crime is up 30
percent violent crime is up 13 and we've
had the most homicides in the city this
year than we've had in the last seven
crime is out of control every
neighborhood's getting hit
who suffer the most from these Cuts
however history and research tells us
the most marginalized or the one's most
impacted these are the same people our
colleagues tell us are most concerned
with but I guess that's just lip circs
other than throwing ARCA money around
money that could have been spent
significantly to help the budget even
further and ensure additional costs
going forward on water sewer and capital
projects could be reduced or eliminated
additionally we've been told that the
money for outside legal services for the
cprb is requested this is not true
talking to the leadership of the CB cprb
we find that it was discussed by the
board but was not approved by the board
so our colleagues who said they didn't
want to fund the police even ran
campaign ads saying the team won't
defund the police despite comments made
publicly that are contrary to that
statement and called many of us on the
Council of others names because we
correctly stated what they wanted to do
which is to fund the police have not
done exactly that to fund the police
I'm being intentional here in my
comments once again they have proven to
be untruthful
adding to that we saw just the other day
a complete lack of understanding of what
the police do on the council chair
stated the police don't prevent crime
seriously
we have heard terms thrown around like
this was a compromised budget let's be
clear there was no compromise the only
reason the budget was changed from the
proposed budget that our colleagues put
forward was the numbers just didn't work
there's no way they could have worked
and this is what you get when activists
are put in positions that meet people to
govern I vote no
it's important oh yes
passes four to three
insane emotions
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all in favor
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leave her alone
oh yeah
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