City Council reveals shared services plan

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The Saratoga Springs City Council held a special meeting Monday morning in order to notify the county of its choice to opt-in or opt-out to a shared services plan to save money for tax payers.

The council passed a resolution to opt-in to the county’s cooperative purchasing program, which county supervisor Peter Martin anticipates would be a six-figure savings.

“All municipalities have to meet state guidelines in order for all of their purchasing,” Martin said. “Whether it be office supplies, whether it be auto parts, but even with those state guidelines there are different ways to accomplish it. So if you get a bunch of municipalities that join together cooperatively and say we’re going to use our muscle because we no longer are buying auto parts for a fleet of 40 cars in the city, instead now our fleet is going to be several hundred cars. Then you’re going to get a better deal from the vendors of those auto parts. And that’s what this is all about. Basically we’re going to be able to get in with the county, with other municipalities within the county and get those kind of volume discounts.”

The city had to notify the county before Tuesday afternoon. The county will have a formal meeting with representatives from all 21 municipalities to discuss what municipalities are opting-in or opting-out of the shared services initiative.

Governor Andrew Cuomo requested each county put together a shared services plan to help save the tax payers money. The cooperative purchasing program’s one of two items in Saratoga County’s shared services plan. The other deals with retiree health insurance.

Mayor Joanne Yepsen said a labor attorney reviewed the county’s proposal surrounding health insurance.

“We have seven [labor] units here at city hall, and each of the contracts that are currently active would have to all be renegotiated in order to satisfy the proposal that the county has outlined,” said Yepsen. “Our labor council has suggested that we optout at this time for that particular provision.”

Martin said the board of supervisors approved the plan at the last meeting.

“The plan is each city or town can opt-in or opt-out, so that was approved unanimously,” said Martin. “Now we’re just waiting for the opt-ins and opt-outs.”