Catherine Maycock, on far right, addresses City Council Finance Committee (February 13, 2023)

The City of Jamestown is looking for its fifth comptroller in three years.

Catherine Maycock, who was hired as the Deputy Comptroller in Fall 2022, became the interim Comptroller in December 2022 following John Sellstrom‘s resignation.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist confirmed that Maycock departed the interim position at the beginning of March for a job in the private sector.

John Sellstrom had only been City Comptroller for five months. City Council members had criticized 2023 City Budget during his tenure for having around $400,000 worth of mistakes. Sellstrom has returned to the Financial Coordinator position he previously held in the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency prior to being appointed Comptroller.

Sellstorm had replaced Ryan Thompson, who resigned in July 2022 for a job in the private sector as well. Thompson had been preceded by longtime Comptroller Joe Bellitto, who retired in June 2020.

Sundquist said it’s been tough for the city to compete with the private sector, “She (Maycock) received an offer to work for another company that offered her some different flexibility than the city is able to offer. Unfortunately, with city work we just can’t compete with work from home opportunities as well as well as much larger salary opportunities that have been coming along.”

Sundquist said internal staff is helping keep the city’s finances moving along including oversight from the Clerk’s office under Treasurer and City Clerk Jennifer Williams. He said a search for a new comptroller has been underway with interviews being conducted.

Sundquist added that in the meantime former City Comptrollers are assisting with year-end close outs as well as audit preparations.

He hopes to have a new Comptroller in place by April 1.

John Sellstrom

Jamestown City Comptroller John Sellstrom will be resigning less than six months after taking the job.

City Council had approved the appointment of Sellstrom in July following the resignation of Ryan Thompson as Comptroller. Thompson left the position for a new job in the private sector.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said Sellstrom has been offered another opportunity. He had previously worked in the Jamestown Department of Development for several years.

Sundquist said Sellstrom will remain in the position until the end of December with the position of Comptroller being advertised in the new year, “But we do have to start that process to do a search. Unfortunately, the market for hiring people has changed. As I’ve talked to mayors across both New York and nationwide, everyone is struggling to find and fill positions in city government. City government, unfortunately, just can’t move quick enough to provide the same benefits that private sector is providing.”

Sundquist added a new Deputy Comptroller was hired several months ago, as authorized by City Council, “We’ve been very lucky to have Catherine Maycock, who’s been our Deputy Comptroller, joining us. In particular, she was hired on to help us with ARPA projects, Rescue Plan projects and others. But it’s been really beneficial to have that additional assistance. We also have some of the former comptrollers coming in to provide some technical assistance as needed to those folks, so we will have some continuity as we move forward.”

The proposed 2023 City Budget had been criticized by Finance Chair and Council Member at Large Kim Ecklund for having around $400,000 worth of mistakes. Many of the 27 amendments passed by Council as part of approving the 2023 Budget on November 28 were to deal with correcting those issues.

City of Jamestown 2022 3rd Quarter Sales Tax Receipt Information

City of Jamestown sales tax receipts are down 2.1% for the third quarter of 2022 compared with the same quarter in 2021.

Jamestown received $2,206,455, which is $48,207 less than in 2021. Currently, the city has received 74.7% of its budgeted amount of sales tax for 2022. Comptroller John Sellstrom is expected to give a full report at tonight’s City Council work session.

City Council also will review a resolution to use $68,895 in American Rescue Plan funds to replace 20 Cisco switches. The switches would be purchased from SHI International. Information Technology Director Mark Dean said the purchase price represents a 76% discount over retail price.

A resolution to use $21,400 from the contingency fund to replace Fire Station #4 roof also will be reviewed. The project originally was funded using $100,000 in ARP funds back in June. If this additional funding is approved, that will leave $111,568 in the city’s contingency fund.

Council will also review the donation of $2,000 by Rand Machine to purchase smoke alarms for the Jamestown Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Outreach Program.

Other items on tonight’s work session agenda include the discussion of the Senior Home Improvement Incentive Program application status as well as an update on grants.

The Housing Committee will meet at 6:45 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full work session will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Police Training Room on the fourth floor of City Hall. The meetings are open to the public with the work session also being livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

Council President Tony Dolce, City Comptroller John Sellstrom, and Information Technology Director Mark Dean at budget presentations to City Council (October 24, 2022)

The City of Jamestown is proposing to raise downtown parking meter rates 50-cents an half hour.

City Comptroller John Sellstrom told City Council that the on-street meters rates will go from 25-cents to 50-cents a half hour, for a total of $1 an hour. The parking revenue budgeted for 2023 is $245,000 versus $127,000 for 2022, a 31% increase.

Information Technology Director Mark Dean informed Council that his request for an IT Specialist was not funded in the Executive Budget. He said the $42,634 for the additional position is needed to handle cyber security needs and network hardware-software needs, “There’s a lot of activity, a lot of technical needs in the city hall. And what’s happening here is that many departments are kind of doing their own thing, taking it upon themselves to do IT. And that kind of leaves us out of the loop a little bit. And, so, when we’re asked sometimes about a certain piece of technology, we don’t know anything about it and we probably should have another person to help with that.”

Finance Chair and Council member at Large Kim Ecklund expressed concern over departments doing their own tech work when there are staff assigned to handle that already.

City Council also heard budget presentations from the City Clerk and Treasurer’s office, Corporation Counsel, and Assessor’s Office. Assessor Lisa Volpe did note that a city revaluation had been in her proposed budget for $685,000 but was not funded in the executive budget.

City Council will hear the next set of budget presentations by the Police and Fire Department at 6:30 p.m., Monday, November 7 before its work session that night.

Jamestown City Council work session (September 12, 2022)

Jamestown City Council is looking at how to increase funding to a Senior Citizen Home Improvement program while not completely removing funding for another home improvement program.

Two resolutions being considered would add an additional $500,000 in American Rescue Plan funds to the Senior Citizen Program and move $500,000 from the Home Improvement Incentive Program. The latter would effectively de-fund the Home Improvement Incentive Program.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said there had been over $1.8 million in requests for the senior citizen program, which had initially been funded with $500,000 of ARPA funds. He said the Home Improvement Incentive Program, which would provide cash rebates to anyone who made over $5,000 in repairs to their home, hadn’t been opened yet

Finance Chair and Council member at Large Kim Ecklund expressed concern over not taking care of senior citizens and neglecting another group, “And making sure that we’re covering everybody and not just one or two groups with ARPA funding. So the lower-income and seniors is great, but we’re missing that middle group who maybe it’s a struggling family, a single parent, doesn’t meet all those other needs. They have a job but they could use some incentives so I think, that I want to be sure of.”

Councilmember Marie Carrubba agreed, saying that people under 62 and not disabled can’t be ignored.

Council members requested an updated application list from City Comptroller John Sellstrom for the Senior Citizen Program.

A local law on the proposed redistricting of City Council Boundaries passed through committee. The City’s Reapportionment Commission voted in August to recommend a set of maps that have little change from the current ward boundaries.

The recommendation was based off of the minimal changes to Jamestown’s population within the last ten years. According to Mayor Sundquist, the local law must sit for 30 days and have a public hearing. Council will likely approve the redistricting at its October voting session.

Council President Tony Dolce said due to a number of council members and staff who will be absent, the September 19 work session for City Council has been canceled. The next meeting of the Jamestown City Council will be their voting session on Monday, September 26.

City of Jamestown 2022 Second Quarter Sales Tax Receipt Data

Sales tax receipts for the City of Jamestown saw a decrease for the second quarter as compared to 2021.

According to the Second Quarter Sales tax report prepared by City Comptroller John Sellstrom, the sales tax payment for second quarter is 5.5% lower than the 2021 second quarter payments. The city received $2,042,824, which is $118,884 less than last year.

However, the 2022 second quarter receipts are 38.8% above 2020.

The City has collected 47.6% of its 2022 adopted sales tax budget, which totals $8,131,477. This compares to 56.8% at the same time last year.

The third quarter 2022 payment will be received in October.

Jamestown City Council is expected to hear the full report on sales tax at its work session tonight.

Also at the work session, the Finance Committee is expected to continue discussion on increasing funding to several housing and business programs that are funded using American Rescue Plan monies.

And Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation Executive Director Gina Paradis will give a presentation at 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 will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the fourth floor police training room of city hall. That meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

Bergman Park Disc Golf Course Map

A new disc golf course is officially open at Bergman Park in the City of Jamestown.

The course currently has 12 holes, with an additional 6 to make a full 18-hole course expected to open in Spring of 2023.

City officials say the course utilizes many of the underused, open areas of the park, as well as some of the wooded areas around Bergman Park. City officials say use of the course is free of charge.

City Comptroller John Sellstrom said the $5,620 project was funded using Neighborhood Target Area Infrastructure monies as part of the Community Development Block Grant program. This funded the baskets for all 18-holes.

The City, in partnership with Twin Tiers Disc Golf, have applied for funding from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation to go toward purchasing discs and portable baskets for the Summer Playground program.

A free Disc Golf Youth Camp is also being planned for Tuesday, August 30 at Bergman Park. The camp will give kids ages 7 to 13 an introduction to the sport of disc golf. No experience is necessary. It will be taught using the Educational Disc Golf Experience (EDGE) curriculum.

The free program is being made possible by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr Legacy Funds administered by the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.

The link for more information about the camp can be found here: https://fb.me/e/5hv2miXDq

The map of the disc golf course can be found here: https://udisc.com/courses/bergman-park-x3mX.

John Sellstrom takes oath of office as City of Jamestown’s new Comptroller (July 25, 2022)

Jamestown City Council has approved a new contract with the Jamestown Firefighter’s Union.

This is the second time Council voted on a contract this year after voting down the one presented to them in January.

Council President Tony Dolce said the issue then was that the contract included adding four firefighters to man a second ambulance, “They were removed from that, so now they’re being funded by ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for those four positions. And so basically, other than that, it is identical to the Police contract that was passed back in January as well. So, we’re glad to have that behind us. I’m sure they are as well. And again, all the different units being under contract, it’s nice to have that out of the way.”

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said the contract with Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association Local 137 would cover January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024, “They would provide pay raises similar to our Police Department and other bargaining units, providing a 2.5% increase from 2021 to 2023 and a 2.75% increase in 2024. It does provide some additional funding for firefighters to maintain their EMT certification.”

Also in the contract, firefighter’s health insurance contribution rates will raise from 21% for 2021 to 23% for 2022 through 2024.

Council also approved contracts totaling $4.5 million toward the renovation of the new Fleet Maintenance Building.

The new facility will be located on Washington Street in the former Hartley Buick building.

Public Works Director Jeff Lehman stated at the work session before council voted that the project is about $2 million over budget at this point.

Sundquist said construction costs have nearly doubled and tripled with inflation, “We do have (American) Rescue Plan funds that we can use to pay for it, but we want to remind folks that if we were to rebuild or create a completely new garage, we were looking at ten-plus million dollars at this point given inflation and others. So, the fact that we’re still hovering around $4 to $5 million for the rebuild, in addition some of that property was sold to a for-profit business that will have a business on it, I think it was a good result overall.”

Sundquist added the city had received $1 million from the State’s Financial Restructuring Board toward the project and has applied for an $800,000 NYSERDA grant to make it a “green” building, or environmentally friendly. The rest of the project is being funded through a bond approved in 2019.

Council also approved the appointment of John Sellstrom as the City’s new Comptroller.

Sundquist said Sellstrom has been an employee of the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency for several years, “So he’s been dealing with a lot of different accounting and other financial things across the city, so we’re really excited to bring him on. It is obviously a very large position to take on. We’ve been very lucky to have our former comptrollers, both Ryan Thompson and Joe Bellitto, step in to provide some training and support. And we’re still actively looking for a deputy comptroller to provide additional support for John.”

Sellstrom replaces Ryan Thompson, who resigned as Comptroller on July 8 to take a job in the private sector.

Jamestown police chief Harry Snellings, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, and Johnson Foundation co-trustee John Sellstrom stand at the intersection of Main and Eighth Streets, one of the locations where traffic security cameras were recently installed in Jamestown.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Police Department has expanded the number of traffic security cameras in operation throughout the city.

On Thursday afternoon Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings was joined by mayor Sam Teresi and Johnson Foundation co-trustee John Sellstrom to announce that the new cameras are now in place and operational.

According to Chief Snellings, cameras have been installed at seven designated intersections in the city. They are in high traffic areas and areas of town that are more prone to criminal activity. The cameras can not be used for traffic violations, such as speeding or running a light.

The cameras are at three locations on Main Street where it intersects with Harrison, Sixth, and Eighth Streets. One has also been installed at the intersection of Fourth and Pine streets; Winsor and Second streets; Winsor and English streets, and also two locations on Washington Street.

The total cost to install the cameras was $112,000 – with much of the funding provided by a $100,000 grant from the Johnson Foundation. Other partners include Jamestown BPU and DFT Communications.