Jamestown City Council

Jamestown City Council voted down a contract with the Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association in a vote of 5 to 2 at its voting session Monday.

The contract covered January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024 and would have included hiring four new firefighters in addition to pay increases each year and increases in healthcare plans. Health insurance for new hires would have ended at the Federal Medicare eligible age.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said adding four firefighters would cost the city an additional $1.23 million dollars over four years,

“However, with the removal of the removal of the lifetime healthcare, for every new officer we hire within the city, we will save over $2 million per firefighter we hire each year. It is a significant amount. It also runs the second ambulance service, another revenue generating source for the city.”

Council member at large Kim Ecklund clarified that the first year the city would see the $2 million healthcare savings would be 2061.

Council member at large Jeff Russell commended Sundquist and his team for negotiating the end of lifetime healthcare, “But like Kim said, that’s a very long term savings and we’re looking at a cost of $1.2 million. Well, my concern is that we’ll be back here in two or three years. We’ll have a room full of firefighters because we’re going to be laying people off. That’s my concern and I don’t want to see that happen.”

Council members Brent Sheldon, Marie Carrubba, Andrew Faulkner, Randy Daversa, and Jeff Russell were the no votes on the resolution. Council member at large Kim Ecklund recused herself from the vote as her husband is a retired firefighter and she would benefit financially from the contract.

Sundquist said he was deeply disappointment with council’s decision, saying the city had a chance to save money with negotiating the end to lifetime healthcare for retirees which is a huge legacy cost, “Tonight the council has signified that they want no part of that. They’d rather continue going like we always do which is mostly like to be to arbitration, which is unfortunate. Because if we’ve negotiated without having to go to arbitration, all of the police and fire contracts which were six or more years behind and to be all under current contracts is a really incredible thing in the first two-three years.”

Sundquist said the additional cost of adding the four firefighters could be initially covered by American Rescue Plan funds and he understands there could be a potential for lay-offs down the line, “But if you have an opportunity to hire four firefighters to run a second ambulance that will generate anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 a year in additional calls, you’re never going to complete make even with public safety. And that’s something we have to recognize. It’s a service that we pay for through our taxes for our citizens and we’re never going to come out even in this regard.”

City Council did unanimously approve a contract with the Kendall Club Police Benevolent Association. That contract covers January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024. The contract also includes wage increases of 2.5% for 2021 through 2023, and a 2.75% increase in 2024. There also are increases for prescription costs and health insurance plans

Jamestown City Council

The funding for the equipment comes from American Rescue Plan lost revenue monies. Following last week’s work session discussion, a resolution to also purchase a sidewalk plow for $153,259 was added. This plow would replace a 1979 Bombardier.

Under new business, Council will vote on a contract with the Jamestown Professional Firefighters Association Local 137. This contract runs from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2024. Four new firefighters would be hired in June under the contract to man new EMS vehicles. The contract also includes wage increases of 2.5% for 2021 through 2023, and a 2.75% increase in 2024. There also are prescription pay increases, increases to health insurance plans, and health insurance for new hires ends at the Federal Medicare eligible age.

Also under new business is a contract with the Kendall Club Police Benevolent Association. The contract covers January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2024. The contract also includes wage increases of 2.5% for 2021 through 2023, and a 2.75% increase in 2024. There also are increases for prescription costs and health insurance plans

Council also will be voting on appointments to city boards and commissions that were tabled at the organizational meeting held on January 3rd. On that list included new appointments to the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities that replaced long-time board members Greg Rabb and Jim Olson, Council member Marie Carrubba, and former Council member Grant Olson.

At the start of the meeting, a presentation will be given honoring the former City Historian, B. Delores Thompson for her work in preserving the history of the City of Jamestown.

Jamestown resident Doug Champ said he has a problem with the Jamestown Police Department only receiving $177,206 dollars for one police car and new radios under American Rescue Plan lost recovery funds, “If I haven’t seen a budget that wants to defund the Police Department, this is the budget that does that. And my question is why? Why when the ARP fund is supposed to be for public safety, public health, and economic recovery and we have these auxiliary projects as I mentioned before like a dog park and frisbee golf and whatever else you want to call this quote ‘possible projects.”

Kendall Club PBA President Sam Piazza spoke, mentioning how Police Chief Tim Jackson was asked to submit a wish list for capital projects that included five cars, virtual reality training, updating the shooting range, trauma kits, and how almost none of it was funded, “My question is, without these funds from the American Rescue Plan were we not going to budget anything for the Police Department? And you know, Doug kind of.. you know nobody came out and said we’re going to defund the Police Department but where is the funding for the Police Department? The guys and girls that come to work every day downstairs need the equipment to make sure they do their job safely.”

Jamestown resident and former City Council member Tamara Dickey said she is thankful for the Jamestown Police Department following an incident that had happened on 10th Street this summer, “We’ve got to give the Police officers the resources, both human and capital and system resources, that they need to make sure that they have the intelligence and they have the equipment and the weapons that they need.”

Doug Champ also made a recommendation that Council consider changing the City Charter so that the public hearing on the budget always occurs on the Monday before Thanksgiving so that it’s on the same day that council typically meets and is easier for the public to attend.

Finance Chair and Council Member at Large Kim Ecklund said council members are working with the city’s Finance department on separating out the general fund and American Rescue Plan monies. She said the plan is for Council to just vote on the general fund budget on Monday, November 29th.

Council President Tony Dolce said Council will be looking at public safety concerns more under the American Rescue Plan funding, “You know there have also been people that have asked us about where those funds are going to go and when we’re going to put that out there. We will be shortly after the budget is done putting out a vote on the actual categories, the amount, and then as different projects come up or equipment purchases whatever then we would be voting on them piece by piece, a la carte.”

Dolce said at this point City Council will have to bring amendments to the floor to be voted on next Monday.

Parks Manager Dan Stone at City Council Meeting

Parks Manager Dan Stone presented an updated plan for a proposed dog park at Bergman Park that reduced the cost by 53% from $269,950 to $126,000.

Stone said they eliminated a walking path and changed over to a stone dust base that has been used in five dog parks in the Rochester area. He said other cost savings came from removing equipment like dog toys and tables, “And we’ve looked at reducing some of the costs, rather than having four water stations available, reducing that down to one water station which is actually going to replace an existing drinking fountain in the park right at the main entrance there. We’ve also reduced by taking out shade pavilions and the concrete that would be needed to put those structures on. As you can see that is a considerable savings of $65,000.”

Stone said trees would be planted to provide shade instead. He said the size of the proposed park is just a little wider than the dog park in the village of Lakewood. Councilmembers Tom Nelson and Jeff Russell both expressed that the revised plan is much more palatable from a cost standpoint.

Kendall Club PBA President Sam Piazza

Kendall Club PBA President Sam Piazza spoke at privilege of the floor to council, saying this is the opportune time to purchase police equipment and cars, “Give us the opportunity to do our job better. Again, we have cars downstairs that have 134,000 miles. The front line cars, on average, are right around 90,000 miles on it. That’s just the miles. These cars are worked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They don’t shut off. So not only do they have miles on it, they sit and idle. The engines are getting bad in them.”

Piazza said the $144,000 worth of 60 new radios just purchased by the city don’t have the capacity to talk to other police agencies, “We have to get a trunking system to update for us to talk to the county and the sheriff’s department. Jeff [Russell], you were a cop on the streets for many years. We rely on outside agencies when we’re at minimum or below what we should have on the road. Again, we can’t talk to a guy that’s out back if a guy is running out with a gun. You don’t know. Okay? So again, we need to make sure the money that’s here. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to make good on public safety.”

Niether Piazza nor Police Chief Tim Jackson had an exact cost for how much the trunking system would cost, but Jackson said it was significant.

Piazza also presented photos that showed water leaking into the police department’s indoor range. The range was included in proposed capital projects at a cost of $190,000, but was not funded in the proposed 2022 budget.

Finance Chair Council member at Large Kim Ecklund requested council members send her their budget proposals by Wednesday ahead of the budget public hearing that’s set for 6pm, Friday, November 19th. Council has not outruled an additional special meeting on Monday, November 22nd to continue budget deliberations. Council is scheduled to vote on the budget with amendments at its Monday, November 29th voting session.