Jamestown City Council

The City Department of Development held six community input sessions on the action plan over the last two months. The next step is to have Council review the plan before going before the public a final time at a public hearing scheduled for Monday, June 26. The plan then gets submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The City of Jamestown has been allocated $1,144,750 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds as well as $397,507 in HOME program funds for a total of $1,542,257.

Council also will receive a report on the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth grant of $4,310 the city received to install a high-visibility creative crosswalk at West 6th and Cherry Streets connecting the James Prendergast Library to Dow Park.

And a resolution to lift the hiring freeze to hire an engineer appears on the agenda. According to the staff report, this resolution is to replace engineer Mark Roetzer who is now the Acting Director of Public Works and Parks Departments.

The Housing Committee meets at 6:45 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full work session takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Police Training Room on the fourth floor of City Hall.

All meetings are open to the public with the full work session being livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

Jamestown City Council voting session (May 22, 2023)

Jamestown City Council has approved reallocating $225,000 in previous years HOME program funds to a First Time Homebuyers Assistance Program.

The Annual Action plans for 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 had funds not fully expended, which Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the city could access through the amendment process.

The funding will go to Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation (CHRIC) for the First Time Homebuyers Program that they currently administer.

The $225,000 would provide $4,000 to an estimated 50 low-to moderate-income first time homebuyers between 2023 and 2026.

Council also approved contracting with Highmark Life Insurance for the city’s Annual Stop Loss Program. The agreement continues the same policy but is 37% higher in costs with a budget increase of $160,521 for next year.

Another resolution approved under new business was the award of $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to Southern Tier Builders Exchange for a Pre-Apprenticeship Program. The funding had been approved by the Jamestown Local Development Corporation on May 17 but as the amount was over the $100,000 threshold, it required council approval.

Southern Tier Builders hopes to receive its accreditation from National Center for Construction Education & Research (NCCR) by July and start classes in the Fall.

Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk presents at public hearing (May 15, 2023)

A public hearing has been held on reallocating $225,000 in previous years HOME program funds to a First Time Homebuyers Assistance Program.

Jamestown Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said funds allocated in the 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 Annual Action Plans had not been fully spent in those years and an amendment to those action plans would allow the department to combine those funds for another program, “This funding will go to one of our Community Housing Development organizations, CHRIC, for the First Time Homebuyers Program that they currently administer. This is a great way for us to be able to spend those funds that we certainly don’t want to see go to waste and there’s definitely a need. CHRIC is ready to go.”

Surdyk said Chautauqua Home Rehabilitation and Improvement Corporation has applicants in their program waiting for funding and that U.S. Housing and Urban Development has supported CHRIC’s program in the past. She said CHRIC would retain an additional $500 per recipient for administrative costs.

The $225,000 would provide $4,000 to an estimated 50 low-to moderate-income first time homebuyers between 2023 and 2026.

Surdyk said the homebuyers would use the funds as gap funding, “It helps with down payment and closing costs. It also requires its participants to participate in a program that lasts over, I believe, nine weeks. They learn all of the basics of being a homeowner, responsibilities that they have as a homeowner.”

Surdyk said homebuyers sign an anti-speculation agreement that they won’t sell their home for five years, or risk having to pay back funding they’ve received.

She said there is about $1 million total in unexpended HOME funds. City Deputy Director of Housing Policy and Development Kasie Foulk said the Department of Development just learned that Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME monies not expended in previous years could have the action plans amended to reallocate the funds for existing or new programs.

The Jamestown Department of Development will use the walks to gather community input for the Action Plan, which is the plan for how the city will use Community Development Block Grant and Home program funds it receives. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the development of the action plan for CDBG and HOME funds.

The City of Jamestown has been awarded $1,144,628 in CDBG funds and $392,250 in HOME funds. This is $5,379 less than they were allocated in 2022.

The funding is used for Community Planning and Development activities, ranging from the development of affordable housing to expanding economic opportunities for people with low and moderate incomes.

DOD officials said while the walks are ward-based, all are welcome to attend. The walk will include a short presentation on the action plan followed by a public comment opportunity.

The workshops will be held as follows:
Ward 1 at 6pm, Tuesday, March 28 at Lillian Dickson Park
Ward 2 at 6pm, Thursday, April 6 at Washington Middle School
Ward 3 at 6pm, Tuesday, April 11 at Jackson-Taylor Park
Ward 4 at 6pm, Thursday, April 20 at Lincoln Elementary School
Ward 5 at 6pm, Tuesday, April 25 at Fletcher Elementary School
Ward 6 at 6pm, Tuesday, May 4 at Willard Park.

Locations may change due to inclement weather. Additional public input sessions that will take place at City Hall will be announced at a later date.

For more information, contact the Department of Development at 716-483-7541

Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency Board meets (December 14, 2022)

The Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency Board has approved the agency’s 2023 budget which includes two additional personnel.

The $1.4 million budget includes the creation of a Compliance Manager position as well as the hiring of an additional Target Area Code Enforcement Officer.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said U.S. Housing and Urban Development recommended the creation of the position, “We’re calling it a Compliance Manager because it really is.. we don’t see it as just being HUD. We are looking at it as a position that would manage all of our HUD grants, our Federal grants, any state grants we get. For all of those different types of grants there’s always some level of administration that has to go with them, there’s reporting back. HUD is probably the big example.”

Surdyk said HUD has done several monitorings of the Department of Development over the last couple years as they hadn’t done one in 15 years, “They did a series of monitorings on our financial management, processes and procedures, HOME program, CDBG. They actually monitored us twice for HOME, which was an anomoly, and our CHDOs which is our Community Housing Development Organization program that is sort of a side project out of HOME.”

She added that the HUD monitoring is standard procedure and wasn’t punitive or disciplinary in nature.

Surdyk said the new Code Enforcement Officer will be funded through Community Development Block Grant funds from HUD. She said the current Code Enforcement Officers are over-burdened and struggling to keep up, “We do have some additional grants that we are partnering with other agencies on. And those grants are utilizing our Code Enforcement Officers and their experience and what they do on a daily basis. And in that partnership, one of them in particular is the Healthy Homes Production Grant that’s with the County.”

She said DOD will receive administrative funds from that partnership.

The addition of the position will bring the total number of Code Enforcement Officers in the Department of Development to four.

Surdyk said the over $300,000 increase in the 2023 budget from 2022 can be mainly attributed to increased staffing and staffing costs. Aside from the new positions approved in the budget, JURA also is now contributing to the cost of the shared Grant Writer position and the Associate Corporation Counsel position, the latter which had previously been funded through a

Jamestown City Council

One resolution would use $750,000 in ARP funds to create a permanent 19A Homeownership Program.

The city would use the 19A program to acquire vacant properties in Jamestown. As per the requirements of the statute, these properties have to have at least one actionable code enforcement violation. The city would then work with other non-profits to rehabilitate the structures either using ARPA funds or through the enrollment of the new owner in the HUD-funded HOME Program.

Council also will again review a request to fund an additional $1 million to the Building & Property Infrastructure Improvements program. Council had approved funding that program with $500,000 in April after staff had requested it be funded with $1 million. Department of Development staff are requesting the additional monies after business application requests for program funding came in at $2,807,533.

And a resolution for an additional $2 million for the Roof, Private Sewer Lateral, Private Water Line Repair/Replacement Program will be reviewed.

The program was originally funded with $750,000 in ARP funds in March. The application request period saw 132 requests from homeowners of up to $25,000 per property, well exceeding what was available in grant funds.

The increase requests were initially presented at the City Council’s work session in July.

Council also will again review a resolution requesting $300,000 in ARP monies to fund a Citywide Marketing and Rebranding Campaign.

The Finance Committee will hear a grant update as well as an audit presentation.

Chautauqua County Land Bank Executive Director Gina Paradis will be giving a presentation during the full work session.

The Housing Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full work session begins at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall. The public is welcome to attend and the meeting will also be livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

One resolution would use $750,000 in ARP funds to create a permanent 19A Homeownership Program.

According to the staff report, the city would use the 19A program to acquire vacant properties in Jamestown. As per the requirements of the statute, these properties have to have at least one actionable code enforcement violation. The city would then work with other non-profits to rehabilitate the structures either using ARPA funds or through the enrollment of the new owner in the HUD-funded HOME Program.

Council also will review a request to fund an additional $1 million to the Building & Property Infrastructure Improvements program. Council had approved funding that program with $500,000 in April after staff had requested it be funded with $1 million. Department of Development staff are requesting the additional monies after business application requests for program funding came in at $2,807,533.

And a resolution for an additional $2 million for the Roof, Private Sewer Lateral, Private Water Line Repair/Replacement Program will be reviewed.

The program was originally funded with $750,000 in ARP funds in March. The application request period saw 131 requests from homeowners of up to $25,000 per property, well exceeding what was available in grant funds.

The Housing Committee will begin reviewing three proposed Housing Ordinances that pertain to Rental Inspection, Vacant Property Registration, and Public Nuisances.

According to the staff report, the rental inspection would require inspections at the time of the sale or transfer of rental properties and require them to be brought up to code in the aftermath of the transfer.

The public nuisance ordinance would replace the current, vague nuisance ordinance with a more robust one that lists out the violations that would result in a nuisance finding and also limits the reach to only those units in which the nuisance(s) originate. The current nuisance ordinance had led to a lawsuit due its vague and unenforceable nature.

The vacant real property ordinance requires owners of vacant properties in the City to register the vacant building, create a plan detailing what will be done at those properties, and charges a fee that increases with each year the building continues to remain vacant.

The City is also requesting $100,000 to do a zoning code update. The City hasn’t updated its Comprehensive Plan since 1998 and Zoning Code since 1969 with amendments in 1998. The City was awarded a CFA grant in 2021 to complete a Comprehensive Plan and is seeking funds to complete the Zoning Code Update simultaneously.

Council also will review a resolution to accept a $18,866 Justice Assistance Grant. The grant would be used by the Jamestown Police Department to purchase day-to-day supplies and small equipment. A public hearing on the Justice Assistance Grant will be held at 9am, Tuesday, July 19

Council also will continue discussions on a shared services agreement with the Jamestown Public Schools District for sidewalk plowing in the winter. The proposed cost to the city through 2026 is $689,672 and would be funded using ARP monies.

Housing Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday with other committee meetings at 7:00 p.m. The full work session will take place at 7:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of City Hall. The meetings are open to the public with the full work session streamed on jamestownny.gov.

Jamestown City Council (June 27, 2022)

Jamestown City Council tabled a resolution on a shared services agreement with Jamestown Public Schools about plowing sidewalks, saying more discussion was needed.

Council President Tony Dolce said council members wanted to further discuss the positions that would be added, “This has nothing to do with the school system. We’re very appreciative of the fact that they’ve been willing to purchase the equipment and the maintenance agreements for those. But it’s a huge amount of money to commit for two full-time employees with benefits. So there was some concern and discussion as to whether we would want to look at possibly using seasonal or part-time employees versus full-time employees.”

Dolce said making the two part-time positions seasonal may need to be a union discussion, “Different than the summer help which is more scheduled. In the winter, we’d have to have some different parameters cause as the snow goes, the timing, the number of snowstorms that we actually have, and other things that they could be doing during that time. So, there’s just a lot of things to tie up and how that would look financially as well as how that would look structurally within the department.”

Dolce added the agreement would be discussed again at the July 18 work session with an anticipated vote in July.

Council did approve the two home improvement incentive programs for senior citizens and homeowners that would be administered through the Assessor’s Office. Each was funded with $500,000 of American Rescue Plan money.

A contract with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy to remove the invasive Tree of Heaven from the banks of the Chadakoin River also passed. Council Member Brent Sheldon, who is the council representative on the Riverfront Management Council, said the RMC also supported the resolution and was in support of the river clean-up the CWC had done earlier this year.

Council also approved the Annual Action Plan for the 2022 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Program. The plan for use of $1,542,257 in federal monies will now be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Jamestown City Council

The Public Hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers regarding the FY 2022 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Program. The annual action plan, once approved, will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Jamestown received $1,144,750 in Community Development Block Grant funds and $397,507 in HOME program funds. The funding is for Community Planning and Development activities, ranging from the development of affordable housing to expanding economic opportunities for people with low and moderate incomes.

Council also will vote on two programs, totaling $1 million, that will grant funds to senior citizens and homeowners for improvements to houses in the city. The program would be funded through American Rescue Plan Act monies.

Council also will vote on a shared services agreement with Jamestown Public Schools to share services, purchase, exchange or lend materials or equipment which shall promote and assist the City of Jamestown in the plowing of sidewalk routes to schools. The agreement shall be from August 1, 2022 to December 31, 2026.

The contract with Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy to remove Tree of Heaven along the banks of the Chadakoin River for a cost of $17,760 will be considered.

And Council will vote to suspend hiring freeze to hire a new Comptroller to replace current Comptroller Ryan Thompson, who is leaving City Government for a job in the private sector.

Under new business, Council will vote on a resolution accepting the donation of a Jamestown welcome sign by the Jamestown Noon Rotary and Rotary Club of Jamestown Community Service Fund, Inc. The sign will be constructed at the corner of 1351 North Main Street. The approximate value of the sign is $65,000.

The work session begins at 6:30 p.m in the fourth floor Police Training Room with the voting session starting at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of city hall. The meetings are open to the public with the public hearing and voting session livestreamed on jamestownny.gov

Council will hold its meeting in the Ring School Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. with committee meetings taking place at 6:30 p.m. for Housing in the Auditorium, and 7:00 p.m. for Public Safety in the Auditorium, Finance in the School Library, and Public Works in the Faculty Room.

On the agenda is a resolution to use $17,760 in American Rescue Plan funds to contract with the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy to eradicate the invasive Tree of Heaven from the banks of the Chadakoin River.

Council also will review resolutions to suspend the hiring freeze to replace Comptroller Ryan Thompson who is resigning as well as hire a Deputy Comptroller.

Also, the annual action plan to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the city to receive $1,144,750 in Community Development Block Grant and $397,507 in HOME program funds will be reviewed.

A final public hearing on the city’s action plan will be held before the Monday, June 27 Voting Session.

A resolution to contract with AlertMedia in the amount of $4,902 for a city-wide emergency alert program will be considered. The alert system would allow residents to sign up for mobile alerts of their choosing and the system could be used to send mass alerts to all city employees in the event of an emergency at a City facility.

And the shared services agreement between the City and Jamestown Public Schools to plow sidewalks also will be formally discussed.

The meetings are open to the public with the full work session livestreamed on jamestownny.gov