Proposed charter discussed
Residents to vote on document in Nov.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> On Wednesday night at the Saratoga Springs Public Library, the mayor-appointed Charter Review Commission presented its proposed charter, which will be voted on next month during the general election.
Vince DeLeonardis, the city attorney and commission chair, and Mike Sharp, the city’s Deputy Commissioner of Finance and commission vice chair, presented an overview of the charter.
DeLeonardis explained the history of the city’s commission form of government, which dates back to 1915. The form of government hasn’t been changed since Saratoga Springs was incorporated as a city. The charter has been altered, however, and the last time was in 2001. Since then, DeLeonardis explained, there have been unsuccessful attempts to change the form of government, the last being November 2017.
The failed 2017 charter attempt prompted Mayor Meg Kelly to create the 10-member commission
made up of DeLeonardis, the four City Council commissioners and their four respective deputies with the specific goal of “finding efficiencies and organizational improvements to better serve the people who live and work in the City of Saratoga Springs.”
Sharp provided six specific categories the commission believed best outlined the charter, which included: increasing professionalism across City Hall; realigning certain functions (such as the Recreation Department moving to the Department of Public Works and Risk & Safety moving to Legal); removing unilateral appointments (the new charter requires advice and consent from the entire City Council for land-use boards, city attorney and HR appointments and other certain commissions and boards rather than just a single council member); increasing flexibility of city operations; improving the readability of the charter, and increasing opportunities to participate in city government with the proposed two Council Member-At-Large positions.
About 40 people attended the presentation, which featured an opportunity for audience members to ask questions. Some audience members wanted more of an explanation about the role of the proposed human resource and IT departments, and the function of the Recreation Department under the Department of Public Works.
Some people also asked why the county supervisors will not be the Council Members-At-Large.
DeLeonardis explained that the city responded to the idea of making county supervisors the Council Members-At-Large negatively in a survey, believing they should be separate elected officials. DeLeonardis responded to a question about a potential conflict for IT or HR since in the proposed charter those roles would be at the digression of the entire council and not under a specific department, explaining it would be IT or HR’s responsibility to do work in order of what they viewed as most important.
Bob Turner, the chair of the now defunct 2017 Charter Review Commission, said following the meeting he was disappointed that not a single citizen appeared on the commission.
“There’s nothing in this to protect the taxpayers and there’s no checks and balances,” said Turner. “There’s no professionalism.”
Turner and the commission he chaired proposed changing the form of government to a council-manager form of government. It failed to pass by 10 votes last November.
SUCCESS (Saratogians United to Continue the Charter Essential for Saratoga’s Success) hosted Wednesday night’s presentation.
The Charter Review Commission will host an official public forum Thursday, Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Saratoga Springs Public Library. DeLeonardis said during Wednesday’s forum he’d be willing to make the presentations to various political groups and organizations in the city.