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[0:29] Heat. Heat. Heat.

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[3:00] » Heat. Heat. N.

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[3:10] Heat. Heat.

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[4:02] Heat. Heat.

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[6:29] >> Heat. Heat.

[6:48] Hey, hey.

[7:02] Heat. Heat.

[7:46] Hey, hey, hey.

[8:29] Heat.

[8:32] Hey, heat.

[8:37] Heat.

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[9:27] » Heat. Heat.

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[10:00] >> Hey, hey.

[10:16] Heat. Heat.

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[10:38] Heat. Heat.

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[13:13] » Everything. Heat. Heat. N. [music]

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[13:54] Heat. Heat.

[14:38] Wow. [music]

[14:43] Wow.

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[15:02] » Heat. Hey, Heat.

[15:08] Heat.

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[15:45] Heat.

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[16:11] Heat.

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[16:27] >> Heat.

[16:33] Hey, Heat. [music]

[17:04] Heat. Heat.

[17:39] Hey, [music]

[17:53] hey, hey.

[17:55] hey.

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[18:21] Heat. Heat.

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[18:57] » Hey,

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[19:05] hey, hey.

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[19:09] Heat.

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[19:59] Heat. Heat.

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[22:17] » Hey, [music]

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[23:00] >> Heat. Heat.

[24:20] I can do it.

[24:33] I can't

[24:53] Good evening. I'd like to call to order

[24:54] this Skenctity City Caucus meeting for

[24:56] Monday, May 11th.

[24:59] We have 11 items for consideration. If

[25:01] the clerk would please read item number

[25:02] one. Item number one under final

[25:04] consideration, an ordinance amending

[25:06] section 9-6 of the Skenctity city code

[25:10] to increase the membership of the

[25:11] downtown special assessment district

[25:13] board from 9 to 15 members and to amend

[25:16] such membership qualifications.

[25:18] >> Discussing committee without objection

[25:20] on consent. Item number two.

[25:21] >> Item number two for original

[25:22] consideration. A resolution calling for

[25:24] a public hearing on the proposed 2026

[25:26] 2027 annual action plan.

[25:28] >> Discussing committee without objection

[25:30] on consent. Item number three. Item

[25:32] number three for original consideration,

[25:33] a resolution calling for a public

[25:35] hearing to amend certain sections of

[25:37] chapter 161 of the Skenctity City Code,

[25:40] garbage, rubbish, rubbish, and refues

[25:43] regarding the requirements and standards

[25:45] for the collection of solid waste and

[25:47] recyclables and the setting of rates and

[25:49] penalties.

[25:50] >> Discussing committee without objection

[25:51] on consent. Item number four.

[25:53] >> Item number four for original

[25:54] consideration. A resolution calling for

[25:56] a public hearing to amend section 186-25

[25:59] Central Park tennis court fee and

[26:01] reservation system.

[26:03] >> Discuss in committee without objection

[26:04] on consent. Item number five.

[26:06] >> Item number five for original

[26:07] consideration. A resolution accepting

[26:09] the 2026 2027 US Department of Housing

[26:12] and Urban Development allocations.

[26:15] >> Discussing committee without objection

[26:16] non-consent. Item number six.

[26:18] >> Item number six. under original

[26:19] consideration a resolution authorizing

[26:21] the mayor to enter into an agreement

[26:23] with the USA for the installation and

[26:26] operation of the smart access lock set

[26:29] system in coordination with serve tennis

[26:31] management program

[26:32] >> discussing committee without objection

[26:34] non-consent item number seven

[26:35] >> item number seven for original

[26:37] consideration a resolution com

[26:39] confirming the reappoint of Harleen

[26:41] Andrews and the primary as a primary

[26:44] representative of the skenctity

[26:46] municipal housing authority to the

[26:48] civilian Police Review Board

[26:49] >> discussing committee without objection

[26:51] on consent. Item number eight.

[26:53] >> Item number eight for original

[26:54] consideration. A resolution confirming

[26:56] the reappoint of Megan Hayes as the

[26:59] primary representative of the League of

[27:01] Women Voters of Skenctity County to the

[27:03] Civilian Police Review Board.

[27:05] >> Discussing committee without objection

[27:07] on consent. Item number nine.

[27:08] >> Item number nine for original

[27:10] consideration. in a resolution

[27:11] rescending resolution 2025 173 sale to

[27:15] vacant lot 1856 Foster Avenue.

[27:18] >> Discussing committee without objection

[27:20] non-consent. Item number 10.

[27:22] >> Item number 10 for original

[27:23] consideration. Resolution recognizing

[27:25] National Police Appreciation Week.

[27:27] >> Discussing committee without objection

[27:29] on consent. This item will be presented

[27:32] May 12th.

[27:34] Item number 11.

[27:35] >> Item number 11 for original

[27:36] consideration. and a resolution

[27:38] recognizing National Teacher

[27:40] Appreciation Week.

[27:41] >> Discussing the committee without

[27:42] objection on consent and this item will

[27:43] be passed May 14th. I have no other

[27:46] items to come before the city caucus.

[27:47] I'd ask for a motion to adjurnn. Moved

[27:49] by Mr. Chair, seconded by Mr. Ingert.

[27:51] All those in favor?

[27:52] >> I we are journ.

[27:55] >> I'd like to call to order this Skenctity

[27:56] City Council meeting for Monday, May

[27:58] 11th. Uh the invocation and a moment of

[28:00] silence will be presented by Mr. Cheers.

[28:09] If you would join me in a moment of

[28:11] silence for the lives lost this past

[28:13] week of youth members and elders.

[28:26] Dear Lord, thank you for another week.

[28:28] Thank you for the opportunity to

[28:30] continue to grow our city and to bless

[28:32] us in a way that we can be good members

[28:33] for each other. Allow us to clear our

[28:34] minds and to move forward collectively

[28:37] in the right direction so that we can

[28:38] continue to produce positive outcomes

[28:41] for this city and continue to guide

[28:42] those across the nation to do the right

[28:45] things. We pray all these things in your

[28:46] name. Amen.

[28:48] >> Amen. And I ask for Elizabeth Wolf to

[28:50] provide the pledge of allegiance.

[28:57] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[29:00] United States of America and to the

[29:03] republic for which it stands, one nation

[29:07] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[29:11] justice for all.

[29:19] » If the clerk could please complete the

[29:20] role.

[29:22] >> Mr. Chairs

[29:23] >> present.

[29:24] >> Mr. Sto Toro

[29:25] >> present.

[29:26] >> Mr. Enger.

[29:28] >> Mr. Mutu

[29:29] >> present.

[29:30] >> Miss Patrick is absent. Miss Wiggins is

[29:32] absent. Mr. Williams

[29:34] >> present.

[29:37] » I will ask for approval of the minutes

[29:38] from Monday, April 27th. Moved by Mr.

[29:41] Chairs, second by Mr. Ingert. All those

[29:44] in favor? I.

[29:47] If the deputy clerk can please read any

[29:49] communications or petitions

[29:59] » communications presented

[30:01] >> corrected I'm I apologize if the city

[30:04] clerk would please read any uh

[30:05] communications and petitions.

[30:07] >> Communications presented to the city

[30:09] council for Monday May 11th 2026. Under

[30:12] official there were none. Under General

[30:14] from Carl Arbach, Sam Laria, Post 106 of

[30:18] the Jewish War Veterans of the United

[30:20] States, a thank you letter for the

[30:21] donation to their post. And under

[30:24] petitions, there were none.

[30:25] >> I'd like to call on the council members

[30:27] for their committee reports.

[30:30] Hearing none, I'll move to privilege of

[30:31] the floor concerning matters of

[30:32] legislative agenda. We have four

[30:34] individuals signed up to speak. I'd like

[30:37] to remind them that you have three

[30:39] minutes

[30:40] to speak. First of which will be Anita

[30:43] Russo.

[30:49] » Good evening, Mr. Mayor and city council

[30:52] members. I am Anita Russo, president of

[30:55] the Skenctity Tennis Association. STA is

[30:58] a nonprofit community tennis association

[31:02] recognized by the United States Tennis

[31:04] Association, USA Eastern Division for 66

[31:09] season. STA has provided tennis

[31:12] opportunities to players of all ages and

[31:15] levels at Central Park. While we support

[31:19] an electronic lock system to protect the

[31:21] new facilities from v vandalism, we are

[31:25] concerned about the proposed function

[31:27] and implementation.

[31:29] We believe the system may create

[31:31] barriers to play, particularly the

[31:35] requirement to manage online accounts

[31:37] and passwords that may deter spontaneous

[31:40] play and disadvantage those with limited

[31:44] resources or technology challenges.

[31:47] We hope to see a balance between

[31:49] maintaining public lowcost access and

[31:53] hosting tournaments that support our

[31:55] local economy.

[31:57] Before committing to the USDA's grant

[32:00] proposal, it is essential that STA

[32:03] understands exactly how the system will

[32:06] function. While SDA supports the lock

[32:09] system, we advise the council to be

[32:12] vigilant regarding the agreement with

[32:14] USA. Thank you,

[32:19] » John Nudson.

[32:27] Per a search per a search of AI clog in

[32:31] New York state only New York City

[32:34] charges for public tennis courts.

[32:37] New York City charges $100 for adults,

[32:40] $20 for seniors, $10 for youth per

[32:45] season.

[32:47] Generally across the USA there is no

[32:48] charge for public course use unless one

[32:51] wants to reserve a particular court at a

[32:53] particular time for one only particular

[32:56] use.

[32:58] Although item six of this meeting is

[33:00] supposed to be a discussion about the

[33:01] installation of the smart access lock

[33:03] system. The lock system locks are

[33:06] already in the being installed. So it

[33:10] becomes a question is are they open and

[33:12] close the courts each day or is it to

[33:15] charge $15 an hour to use the courts?

[33:19] In 1984, my youth on now 84, I played

[33:23] tennis Monday through Friday at 9:00 am

[33:26] again with a different group at 5:00 PM

[33:29] and once on Saturday and Sunday, 12

[33:31] times a week, an average of two hours or

[33:33] more

[33:35] from June 1st through September 30th,

[33:38] about 16 weeks, $15 an hour, that would

[33:40] be $5,760

[33:43] for the season

[33:46] from 2010 to 2025. Before the cost is

[33:50] connective to for Central Park courts

[33:51] was close to zero. Jim Neil voluntarily

[33:55] opened and closed the courts. Got

[33:57] various people to contribute num money

[33:59] for nets and rollers to remove water.

[34:01] Discourage dog walkers from having the

[34:03] dogs dirty up the courts.

[34:06] Uh he

[34:09] he's uh was fired from that job. Um,

[34:14] when city hall took it over, they were

[34:16] very upset or we were very upset because

[34:18] they wanted to close the courts at 5:30

[34:21] every night. Most people didn't get

[34:23] there to play tennis until quarter after

[34:25] 5 or 5:30 and you used to play until

[34:27] 9:00. So, after a lot of arguing, they

[34:30] set the time to 8:45.

[34:33] The problem is is when you have people

[34:35] that never play tennis making decisions

[34:38] on how the tennis courts are run, you're

[34:41] not going to get good decisions

[34:43] generally. And I I just would like very

[34:47] much to be able to have some of that

[34:49] done. Um

[34:52] the access lock system, USA clearly

[34:55] states that they do not want it to be a

[34:58] barrier to play or to exclude players.

[35:01] If you put them in and charge a fee in

[35:04] Senki, you're doing both because the

[35:05] only times the courts are used where

[35:07] there's any question is from five to

[35:10] 8:30 or nine o'clock at night when every

[35:13] once in a while you get they get filled.

[35:16] Uh there just a lot of questions that

[35:18] are going to come up as the courts are

[35:20] used. We may get tremendous number of

[35:22] used groups coming in from other places.

[35:27] the uh

[35:30] um the question is is it used to be

[35:34] understood and I'm not sure it's right

[35:35] that they had they had first decision on

[35:38] 10 courts if they now have first choice

[35:42] on all 18 courts it may be that on

[35:45] Tuesday and Thursday night nobody else

[35:47] plays there are other things that will

[35:48] come in should connectity county city

[35:51] residents get

[35:52] >> excuse me I'll need you to summarize

[35:53] >> treatment should double players get

[35:56] access over single players. There are

[35:58] just numerous little things that will

[35:59] come up. Right now, we hardly, except

[36:03] for that evening hours, we have the

[36:05] courts are empty. If you put in $15 an

[36:08] hour charge, how is someone supposed to

[36:10] come in to learn how to play tennis? How

[36:12] are you going to get people coming in

[36:14] for random times during the day or city, you know, youth coming in to play

[36:19] tennis? I don't think that's what you're

[36:21] after. Maybe you are.

[36:25] Thank you very much. Can I get someone

[36:27] to

[36:32] » Thank you,

[36:33] Jonathan Sims.

[36:42] » Good evening. Uh Jonathan Sims, I'm a

[36:45] city resident. I play tennis. And uh I

[36:48] can I could just echo John's sentiment,

[36:51] sentiments that he shared. Uh, and then

[36:55] just add a little bit to that. One, one

[36:57] of the things I would really like for

[36:59] you as mayor and council members to try

[37:03] to do is to is to get grass this time

[37:07] with this project instead of grass seed

[37:09] and weeds. Uh, it's invariably we spray

[37:14] the the grass seed right at the time

[37:17] when the rain has stopped and then it

[37:20] doesn't grow. Look at the grass around

[37:22] the new uh swimming complex and it's

[37:25] terrible. It's terrible. Any anywhere

[37:27] we've done with the new bike trail going

[37:29] up towards Central Park Middle School,

[37:32] it's weeds all around where grass was

[37:34] planted. It's if attention could be paid

[37:36] to that wall, whoever negotiates the

[37:39] contract, it would be great to ensure we

[37:41] get grass. Secondarily about tennis in

[37:44] particular, I live right near the park

[37:47] and I have very much a similar

[37:48] experience to John with the amount of

[37:50] tennis that I play there. Uh he he

[37:54] mentioned every point that I would make

[37:56] and I would just add to that that it's really concerning to me to think

[38:01] about walking over to the tennis courts

[38:03] in the summer during the day when

[38:05] virtually nobody's playing anyway and

[38:08] having to pay $15 for an hour if I just

[38:11] want to practice my serve by myself. If

[38:13] I want to play with my grandkids and

[38:15] help get them excited about tennis, you

[38:18] know, yes, maybe I can afford it, but

[38:21] $15 every time, it just doesn't make

[38:23] sense for a city park that I'm already

[38:25] paying for.

[38:27] So, that's that's it. Thank you for

[38:29] hearing me,

[38:33] » Marian Porterfield.

[38:39] Good evening, council president, council

[38:41] members, mayor. Um, my name is Marian

[38:43] Porterfield and I also am a tennis

[38:44] player. Play with a lot of the folks

[38:46] that you see here. And I do want to also

[38:48] talk about the tennis court. Um, in

[38:51] August 2025, the city council awarded a

[38:54] bid of $3,69,000

[38:57] to to build the tennis court in the city

[38:59] of Skenctity. Um, USA is giving

[39:03] approximately 1 million to that and 2.5

[39:06] million was from ARPA funds, taxpayer

[39:08] money. So,

[39:11] I don't think it's fair that taxpayers

[39:14] in the city of Skenctity residents

[39:15] should have to pay those fees. The pool

[39:17] was built. It cost about $10 million and

[39:20] there's no cost for the pool to be um

[39:22] for pe people to use the pool. So, that

[39:25] is for me is it just really doesn't make

[39:27] sense. It's a diff a smaller amount of

[39:28] money, but yet and still people are

[39:30] being asked. I know it was said that

[39:32] it's to main do the maintenance of the

[39:34] courts. However, my understanding of

[39:37] this state-of-the-art court that's been

[39:38] built, it will last 25 years with very

[39:41] little maintenance. A lot of money was

[39:43] spent on that. In addition to that, for

[39:45] the USA, for the uh almost $1 million

[39:48] that they have spent towards this, they

[39:50] get to use the courts for 20 years with

[39:53] no fee. So, that's about 500 about

[39:57] $50,000 a year. And it's not fair to

[39:59] residents that they have to pay for

[40:00] maintenance, but an organization that's

[40:02] coming in, I know they gave money

[40:04] towards it, but so so did the taxpayers.

[40:06] So the taxpayers should receive the same

[40:08] level of consideration and not be

[40:10] charged a fee um to to use the courts.

[40:13] I've been to visit the courts, they are

[40:14] absolutely beautiful. Can't wait to play

[40:16] there. Um and the other part that was

[40:19] said, if you you could play at other

[40:21] courts, you could play at Michigan

[40:22] Avenue or you could play at Jerry Bell

[40:24] Park. And I've been to both parks.

[40:26] Neither of them compared to what Central

[40:27] Parks look looks like. Now, Michigan

[40:29] Avenue has a lot of cracks. I know

[40:31] they're fixing it, but there's no

[40:32] comparison. And the message to me is

[40:35] that uh if you are in a certain income

[40:38] bracket and you simply can't afford it,

[40:39] then you are relegated to pay play pay

[40:41] on courts that are not quite as

[40:43] wonderful as the new courts that are

[40:44] built. So, I think all of that needs to

[40:46] be taken into consideration when we talk

[40:48] about um how much US is given as well as

[40:51] how much the city has given towards this

[40:53] project. And so residents should be able

[40:55] to benefit from the amount of taxes that

[40:57] they pay and to be able to use this very

[40:59] nice public facility um that's being

[41:01] built in Central Park. Thank you for

[41:03] your time.

[41:06] >> Thank you. [applause]

[41:10] » I have no one else signed up to speak,

[41:12] so I'll declare public comment on the

[41:13] legislative agenda closed.

[41:16] >> I will ask for approval of the

[41:17] legislative agenda.

[41:19] >> Moved by Mr. Min, seconded by Miss Toro.

[41:21] All those in favor? Hi.

[41:23] >> Hi.

[41:25] >> So, we will now have privilege of the

[41:26] floor concerning general city business.

[41:29] I have six individuals signed up to

[41:31] speak. I'd like to remind the public

[41:33] that there will be three minutes.

[41:36] First of which is John Cton or

[41:41] Nutson, excuse me.

[41:59] So from I don't know from 2010 to 2024

[42:04] the coast it cost the city nothing for

[42:07] the courts tenants the nets were paid

[42:10] for the the um push uh things to get

[42:16] water off the courts were paid for and

[42:19] uh they were open and closed by an

[42:21] individual.

[42:22] If it makes a difference to the city, we

[42:25] can get people to do that again. So your

[42:28] court's costs go to zero. Those courts

[42:30] are put in and designed to last 25 years

[42:34] without anything done to them.

[42:37] So your costs are not going to be

[42:39] anything. And so how do you char how do

[42:42] you justify charging $15 an hour for

[42:45] people to come teach their children,

[42:47] their grandchildren to play with other

[42:49] people?

[42:51] Um

[42:54] again

[42:56] you can the argument was we going to

[42:58] keep track of people or we're going to

[43:01] charge people because there's a usage.

[43:03] The only time the courts are filled are

[43:06] from 5 to 9 o'clock at night and

[43:09] sometimes two or three weekends during

[43:12] the summer when you have a perfect day

[43:13] for playing tennis. You get the really

[43:16] crowded courts. But other than that,

[43:18] it's only those hours. And so you can't

[43:21] charge. How's somebody going to come in

[43:23] at 9:00, 10 o'clock in the morning when

[43:26] nobody's there? And you're going to say,

[43:27] "Oh, you can only get on the court if we

[43:29] charge you $15 an hour."

[43:32] Nobody does that. The only place that

[43:33] they charge in the country is in cities

[43:36] or or places where they're really low uh

[43:39] few courts for all the people that want

[43:40] to play and then they charge something

[43:42] for the courts or if you want to make a

[43:44] reservation to hold particular courts.

[43:47] Um

[43:49] I'm really after

[43:53] I live near Central Park. It's amazing.

[43:56] We have unbelievable baseball diamonds,

[43:58] soccer fields, basketball courts, and

[44:01] now tennis courts.

[44:03] And as far as I know, the city does

[44:06] nothing for bringing in really excellent

[44:08] teachers so that our youth have an edge

[44:11] and getting to be really good at these

[44:13] sports, which they should be doing. And

[44:16] I just hope that somehow you can get

[44:17] work work with some foundations or

[44:20] something so you bring in some really

[44:22] good teachers so that our city has our

[44:26] city youth has the ability to make take

[44:28] advantage of all these wonderful

[44:30] features that Central Park has.

[44:36] » Thank you.

[44:37] >> Rachel Ward.

[44:44] » Hi. Good evening. I just wanted to take

[44:46] a minute tonight to give thanks to the

[44:48] city um employees and the city council

[44:51] for all the beautiful beautiful um

[44:53] efforts going on in Central Park. I know

[44:54] that that's a little bit contrary to

[44:56] stuff going on tonight, but I

[44:57] [clears throat] I spend my weekend

[44:58] basically over in Central Park and just

[45:00] want to highlight the Rose Garden, the

[45:02] new pool, music haven, um upgrades to

[45:04] the playground, the new A diamond. I

[45:06] learned today that we're actually

[45:07] hosting the AAA baseball championship

[45:11] playoffs with Russell Sage College.

[45:12] These are all a real testament to the

[45:15] people that have worked really hard to

[45:16] make Central Park the crown jewel once

[45:18] again. Um, and I just wanted to propose

[45:21] another addition to the beautifification

[45:23] efforts and that would be again

[45:24] investigating the rehabilitation of the

[45:26] Central Park flyer. I went on the ride a

[45:29] lot as a child and I think that it

[45:31] really would be a nice addition to the

[45:33] park um and something to consider.

[45:34] Obviously, you'd have to look into the

[45:36] cost of that, but I do think it would be

[45:37] a nice addition to everything else going

[45:39] on there. Thank you.

[45:43] Sean Ratigan.

[45:54] » Yeah. Hey, good evening. Um, so I'd like

[45:58] to once again ask the city uh to release

[46:01] the city budget as a spreadsheet. Um, I

[46:04] just requested this via email uh April

[46:07] 29th uh as of this year and

[46:11] um I haven't really heard anything back

[46:14] from the finance department. So I did

[46:16] submit a foil request tonight. Um

[46:19] Skynctity markets itself as a smart city

[46:22] and from January 2020 to July 2021

[46:26] monthly reports were released with

[46:28] yearly reporting at the end of each

[46:31] year.

[46:32] Um, and so like what happened to that?

[46:35] As a smart city, like we would think

[46:38] that we would want to staff a position

[46:40] to ensure that the city has prompt,

[46:42] accurate, and public reporting. Um,

[46:46] which you would think would be

[46:48] important. Um, it's important to me as a

[46:51] taxpayer because it's already an

[46:54] enormous amount of work to analyze the

[46:56] information, but then additionally

[46:59] acquiring, formatting, cleaning the

[47:01] data, it's that's a whole other job and

[47:05] it's so much easier for the city to do

[47:08] because you're the source of the data.

[47:11] So having this information at hand is

[47:13] important for public discourse and

[47:15] understanding. currently is manifest in

[47:18] the discussion around waste disposal. Uh

[47:21] to understand all the facts and figures,

[47:23] please just post all of the collected

[47:26] data publicly. Waste is about 4.5% of

[47:30] our budget and that's like not an

[47:33] insignificant amount. It's, you know,

[47:35] there's still bigger budget items, but

[47:38] four four and a half% is not nothing.

[47:41] Um, we should understand the problem at

[47:43] hand and we should understand how our

[47:46] taxes are paying to solve that problem.

[47:48] So, publish the budget as a spreadsheet,

[47:52] resume publishing data monthly, and just

[47:55] make sure that the public's informed.

[47:57] Thanks.

[48:00] » Thank you.

[48:02] >> Eric Johnson.

[48:08] » Good evening. Eric Johnson, uh, city

[48:10] resident, mayor, council president,

[48:13] council members, city staff. Uh, I just

[48:16] came to talk a little bit more about

[48:18] garbage. I applaud the work that you all

[48:20] are doing to get some organization

[48:22] around what seems to me to be a little

[48:25] bit of an outofcrol

[48:27] uh, garbage operation and reeling in the

[48:31] cost because it's untenable to maintain.

[48:34] I understand that there was a 30%

[48:36] increase in the collection of solid

[48:39] waste and I see that as a tax increase

[48:41] for our residents because there really

[48:43] aren't other options.

[48:45] Um, and also if I could ask a favor of

[48:47] you, you have this term called uh

[48:50] jackpots, but that doesn't mean anything

[48:53] to a regular citizen. Uh, if it was able

[48:56] to be quantified and measured, that

[48:58] would be very helpful. uh it's just not

[49:00] a useful terminology and certainly going

[49:03] off of something that you can't measure

[49:05] isn't um a good way to proceed with our

[49:08] business.

[49:11] Um and then to our I have a neighbor who

[49:14] told me that there's no problem with the

[49:15] trash and we should just keep doing the

[49:18] same thing. But the reality is is that

[49:20] we all I think that you all as council

[49:22] members rec re uh recognize there's some

[49:25] insolveny issues within the trash and

[49:28] I'd hate to see for people going towards

[49:31] private trash collection options when we

[49:33] have the potential to be very efficient

[49:36] here. Uh lastly uh on the issue of well

[49:40] maybe two things. Uh it's very

[49:43] concerning to me how hard the garbage

[49:46] men and women work and throw their

[49:48] bodies around and if there's anything

[49:50] you can do to preserve their well-being.

[49:53] Uh and so they're not becoming a

[49:55] liability for their health and for the

[49:58] uh insurance policies that you guys keep

[50:00] the workman's comp. And then lastly uh

[50:03] somewhat sadly I think just to report

[50:05] that there's been some more dumping at

[50:07] WY Street. So, uh, I know that you guys

[50:09] are working forward to come up with a

[50:11] solution for that. Um, but we just en

[50:14] encourage the positive teamwork of city

[50:18] council and staff to move forward with

[50:20] this serious problem. Thank you.

[50:25] » Thank you,

[50:28] >> Elizabeth Walsh.

[50:36] Greetings, Mayor McCarthy, esteemed city

[50:39] council members, and everyone else. Uh,

[50:41] I come with greetings and thanks in

[50:44] celebration of being part of such a

[50:46] leaderful community here in Skenctity. I

[50:49] thank each of you on this side of the

[50:51] rail for being willing to lead lives of

[50:53] public service, to run for election, and

[50:56] then maintain the work, do the work, and

[50:58] keep going. want to acknowledge a couple

[51:01] of folks running for offices behind me

[51:04] too. Um, and thank for the staff to make

[51:07] all of these visions reality along with

[51:09] Central Park. Rachel Ward mentioned some

[51:11] great things in Central Park, but I also

[51:13] wanted to call out thanks for the

[51:14] Skenctity Environmental Education Center

[51:17] that the city's been investing in

[51:18] that'll be an incredible resource there.

[51:21] Um, wearing Skenctity Foundation hat. I

[51:23] want to invite everyone um to join us on

[51:26] Thursday at the Stockgate Inn from 5:30

[51:29] to uh about 8 um to celebrate the 10

[51:35] creative change makers circle. Uh it's

[51:37] been a cohort that launched in November

[51:40] and they're beautiful ideas that are

[51:42] transforming into actionable plans and

[51:44] we'll have presentations by uh 10 of

[51:46] these creative change makers with nine

[51:49] different projects that you can learn

[51:50] about and see how you can help move

[51:52] those possibilities forward. Uh but what

[51:55] a gift it is to be part of a community

[51:57] doing so much creative collaborative

[51:59] work together. Um, also want to uh flag

[52:03] an invitation. Uh, the Skinnctity

[52:05] Foundation Create Community Studios is

[52:08] partnering with Evolucid Creative uh to

[52:10] host a couple of events leading up to

[52:13] Declaration Day on July 4th to celebrate

[52:16] the 250th anniversary of the signing of

[52:18] the Declaration of Independence. Uh, but

[52:20] there'll be fun events that are about uh

[52:23] moving into the futures that we most

[52:25] desire. And we'll also have a community

[52:27] art project around Stones of Hope. Um,

[52:30] but thank you everyone for showing up,

[52:33] for participating in making the city a

[52:35] great place to live. Thanks.

[52:41] » Thank you,

[52:43] Orlando Otis Hunley.

[52:51] » Greetings. Uh, hello. My name is Orlando

[52:53] Otis Hunley. Um recently this week I've

[52:56] been uh visiting a lot of our small

[52:58] businesses and interacting with them and

[53:01] understanding a little bit of the recent

[53:03] history uh where post the pandemic where

[53:06] it was probably hard to get store. Am I

[53:09] getting in there? I feel like I'm

[53:10] getting in there. um when it was really

[53:11] hard to store um a lot of the solutions

[53:14] that were found were us spending money

[53:16] on these plastic shields that really

[53:18] didn't do much when in that moment we

[53:21] could have built out a delivery system

[53:24] and understanding so many live in

[53:26] Skenctity right now around my age range

[53:29] are doing driving as a job and with gas

[53:31] prices as steep as they are printed in

[53:34] the Daily Gazette the paper record

[53:36] thanks to you all uh today we have to

[53:39] understand that vocalizing these things

[53:41] and uh we have to nip it in the butt the

[53:44] fact that across this country California

[53:46] tech companies are robbing the working

[53:50] class. Um and there are many things that

[53:52] we could do um just by working with

[53:55] local software developers to open up

[53:59] pathways for people to keep dollars

[54:01] circulating locally. uh the fact that

[54:03] around $3 million is leaving yearly in

[54:06] fees Uber um for people to be driven

[54:09] right up the street. Um this is one of

[54:12] the most devastating things happening uh

[54:15] to working people. People just want to

[54:17] store reliably. Uh they just want to be

[54:19] able to go out and enjoy the town and

[54:22] not have a steep price attached to that.

[54:26] Um,

[54:31] » I feel really good about that. Thank

[54:32] you.

[54:34] >> Thank you.

[54:35] >> I have no one else signed up to speak,

[54:36] so I'll declare public comment on

[54:38] general city business closed.

[54:42] At this time, I'll entertain any

[54:43] miscellaneous business from the council.

[54:47] Hearing none, Mr. Mayor.

[54:51] Thank you, Mr. President. appreciate

[54:52] everyone coming out and your thoughts

[54:54] and uh ideas on the tennis uh courts and

[54:58] just other facilities within the city.

[55:01] Uh I would just remind people that uh

[55:04] property owners and business owners,

[55:06] everybody makes a difference and if you

[55:08] can just clean up a little bit around

[55:10] your own business, around your own home,

[55:13] it has a dramatic impact on the overall

[55:16] image of the city. So, everybody just

[55:18] doing a little really has that big

[55:21] impact and uh as we get into spring, the

[55:24] flowers are blooming, the grass is

[55:25] greener, and uh we're going to have a

[55:27] bright and uh good summer for the whole

[55:29] city. Thank you, Mr. President.

[55:32] >> Thank you. Uh before I begin my

[55:33] comments, uh based on the recommendation

[55:35] from corporation council, just want to

[55:37] outline that the Memorial Day resolution

[55:39] has been tabled that will be presented

[55:40] at a later date by Mr. Chairs. Uh just

[55:43] for clarification moving forward, I'd

[55:45] like to first wish uh all of our mothers

[55:47] a belated Mother's Day. I hope everyone

[55:48] had the opportunity to celebrate u those

[55:51] pillars in our families throughout our

[55:52] community. Uh truly there's a treasure

[55:54] that needs to be constantly reminded of.

[55:56] I also wanted to take an opportunity to

[55:58] give early congratulations to Cocoa

[56:00] House. They'll be celebrating their 30

[56:01] years of light at an upcoming gala

[56:03] that'll be hosted at uh uh the Glen

[56:06] Peters Jewelers um May 13th. I'm beyond

[56:10] excited uh for the reopening of Dailies

[56:12] on the Yates. I don't know if you've had

[56:14] an opportunity to uh visit that that

[56:16] restaurant, but truly one of our

[56:18] greatest treasures throughout the city

[56:19] is just our small businesses and

[56:20] restaurants. So, please uh make way

[56:22] think that announcement is coming uh

[56:24] midweek. Um also, I'd like to remind uh

[56:27] as we are talking a lot about trash, um

[56:30] Friday marks the second annual trash

[56:32] parade. Uh so that does not mean you can

[56:34] throw trash out into the streets. uh

[56:35] sincerely it means and it's just a

[56:37] reflection of just how much waste and

[56:40] recycling efforts that need to be

[56:41] improved moving forward. Uh so please if

[56:43] you have your float ideas or your

[56:44] costume ideas uh come prepared. There

[56:46] were some really uh innovative um

[56:49] costumes and that'll be taking place May

[56:51] 15th at 6:30 right at our downtown uh

[56:54] Dr. Seuss Park. Um and then there were

[56:57] some comments around the USA. Sincerely

[56:59] thank you for providing that

[57:00] perspective. You are correct in that I

[57:02] am not a golfer but sincerely you bring

[57:04] in your comments forward. I know I do

[57:06] not speak only for myself but uh

[57:08] transparency and making sure that we

[57:09] have conclusion in our decision-m is

[57:11] important to ensure that we are making

[57:12] the right decision for your best

[57:14] efforts. And then lastly wanted to

[57:16] comment on making some of our documents

[57:18] more public facing. Uh sincerely

[57:20] transparency is the essence of what we

[57:21] do and if you do not understand our

[57:23] actions as city residents what are we

[57:25] doing? So I know that there are some

[57:27] barriers in place for good reason. Uh

[57:28] but I think with the right conversation

[57:30] we can see about returning to some of

[57:32] those previous uh well-received efforts.

[57:34] So without further ado, I would ask for

[57:36] a motion to adjurnn. Moved by Mr. Miver,

[57:38] seconded by Mr. Ingert. All those in

[57:40] favor? I we are journed. Have a good

[57:42] evening.

[57:58] » [music]

Schenectady City Council Meeting, May 11, 2026

Transcript