Syracuse’s Common Council met on Wednesday to discuss collaboration with Syracuse University, the city’s operating deficit and a new code violations bureau. Here are four key takeaways from the session:

University collaboration

Syracuse University may continue to collaborate with the city’s Office of Innovation to identify city priority areas and challenges. Councilor at-large Khalid Bey proposed an agenda item that would allocate $22,468 to SU for staffing and intern support for the research.

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs’ community geography department applies its research to issues such as urban planning and public health.

Financial insecurity

Syracuse’s operating deficit for the 2018-19 fiscal year is estimated at $11 million. The council is considering a proposal to request a financial review by the New York State Financial Restructuring Board for Local Governments.

Enrolling in the program provides up to $5 million in grant opportunities for financially struggling cities to implement the Board’s recommendations. In Mayor Ben Walsh’s budget presentation to the council last week, he asked the council to consider assistance from the state organization. The council will hold a meeting with its Finance Committee next Wednesday to discuss the proposal.

New violations bureau

A proposal submitted by Councilor Latoya Allen, of the 4th district, would create a new city code violations bureau. If passed, the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication would issue fines for minor code violations similar to the way parking tickets are issued, Councilor at-large Timothy Rudd said in an interview last month.   

Former Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner advocated for the bureau during her time in office. The bureau would make it easier for the city to levy fines against negligent landlords and reduce the city’s backlog of code violations.

Buffalo and Yonkers both have adjudication bureaus of their own. Syracuse would follow their models, per legislation passed by the New York State Senate in June 2017, that allowed the city to create the bureau. The council will discuss the legislation at its meeting next Wednesday.

Public hearing

The council will hold a public hearing in City Hall on the budgets for the city and the Syracuse City School District on May 3.

Walsh’s budget proposal puts the city’s operating budget at $245 million, with an additional $437 million set aside for the school district. The proposal would cut spending by $2.8 million for city departments and would put a freeze on new hires and salary raises not mentioned in the proposal.

Published on April 18, 2018 at 5:33 pm

Contact Casey: casey@dailyorange.com | @caseydarnell_