Because the speakers for Vacant Building Inventory will not be able to make the September 3 meeting as originally scheduled, Richard Conti, Common Council member,  will present on the proposed charter amendment.  Please see his e-mail below discussing the subject. The text of the proposed amendment below.

Richard Conti e-mail=========================================

On July 21 the Common Council by a vote of 8-5 passed my local law (Local Law C of 2007) that would require prior Common Council approval of  any adjustment to the adopted City budget that affects salary rates or salary totals.  The Mayor has decided not to veto it, it now goes before the voters in November as an amendment to the City Charter (a copy is attached). I am requesting an opportunity to discuss this at the September CANA meeting in hopes of having CANA's support.  The Mayor is opposed to the amendment.

This is the first time the Council has ever adopted legislation to enhance it's authority in adjustments to the budget. Under the current city charter, the Council has no say in adjustments to the budget once it's adopted, my local law would provide Council oversight in areas that could involve salary changes, creation of new positions or staffing re-organizations within a department, all of which have policy implications that the Council should be involved in.  The language is patterned after a similar provision in the Albany County Charter.  This is a modest, though significant, proposal that will help establish checks and balances in the City government. Here's a link to an editorial which appeared in the July 25 Times-Union in support of the proposal --  http://timesunion.com/ASPStories/Story.asp?StoryID=706524&LinkFrom=RSS .   While the proposal itself may seem modest, the action that the Council took in advancing this is significant.

Please let me know if I can have some time on the September CANA agenda to discuss this issue.

Thanks --

Richard Conti

Council Member 6th Ward
Richard Conti
151 Chestnut Street, Albany, NY 12210

tel: 518-436-8546 / fax: 518-463-8992 / e-mail: rc6thward@aol.com

Text of proposed Law=====================================================

LOCAL LAW C-2007 (As Amended May 19, 2008 )

 

A LOCAL LAW AMENDING SECTION 603(D) OF THE CITY OF ALBANY CHARTER IN RELATION TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE BOARD OF ESTIMATE AND APPORTIONMENT TO TRANSFER BUDGETED FUNDS RELATED TO SALARY RATES OR SALARY TOTALS

 

BE IT ENACTED by the Common Council of the City of Albany as follows:

 

Section 1.  Subsection (D) of Section 603 of the Charter of the City of Albany is amended to read as follows:

 

(D) Budget transfer after adoption of budget

 

(a)    The Board of Estimate and Apportionment, as provided for in Section 605 below, shall approve or disapprove transfers of budgeted funds that do not exceed, in the aggregate, four percent of the total annual City budget in any given year subject to paragraph (b) of this subsection.

 

(b)   All transfers of budgeted funds that exceed four percent of the total annual City budget in any given year, [of] any transfer of budgeted funds that reduces the budget of any City department, office and commission in excess of 37.5% in any given year, or any transfer of budgeted funds that affects any salary rate or salary total, shall require the prior approval of a majority of the entire Common Council membership.

 

            Section 2.  This local law shall take effect upon final passage, public hearing and approval of the electors at a general election of state or local government officers held not less than sixty days after the adoption of this local law

 

 

 

Adopted July 21, 2008

 

Affirmative:       8          (Calsoalro, McLaughlin, Ellis, Smith, Conti, Fahey, Scalzo,                                            O’Brien)

 

Negative           5          (Timmons, Rosenzweig, Casey, Igoe, Fox)

 

Absent: 2          (Sano, Herring)