SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Spa City went about the State of the City address slightly differently this year, opting for all the City Council Commissioners and County Supervisors to speak in addition to the Mayor.
Mayor John Safford shared with a commissioner-form of government it is important to work together for the city and support one another, hence why the decision to have each commissioner and the supervisors have some time to speak was made.
“The thing that I ran on and one of the things that I’ve been encouraging us all to do is to work toward this idea of civility,” Safford said. “As I’ve said many times before, the word civil is the basis of civilization and it’s not something we can propose. It’s something that we live. It’s something that we agree to, and if you don’t have it you lose something really valuable in our society.”
Along with expressing excitement for the Belmont Stakes and their appreciation for their staff, each commissioner and supervisor shared insight and future goals with the community at Tuesday night’s address.
Mayor John Safford
One of the main things Safford touched on in his speech was the people who work within the mayor’s department. He stated these departments and divisions are the people who keep the city going, touching on highlights and accomplishments from the pervious year.
“Mayors can come and go every couple of years, and the deputies can do the same,” Safford said. “The heart and soul of the city are the people who belong to these various departments, and I want to give full recognition to every one of them.”
Other things that were touched on throughout his speech included that there is a complete review being done of all litigation pending against the city to get a handle on any law concerns and to see if there is a way to reduce litigation frequency and expense and the city is looking to find a way to streamline and expedite responses to FOIL request.
A goal for the building department was to reduce permit wait time to a range of four to six weeks. There is a desire to streamline the process for a third-party review of commercial building permit applications to facilitate reduced permitted times, as well as to evaluate and modify the process or intake and review of simple permits so minor projects can be permitted more quickly.
Commissioner of Accounts Dillon Moran
Moran said when thinking about what he wanted to say at the State of the City, thanking the mayor for allowing the commissioners to have a chance to speak, what he wanted to touch on was the people who worked in City Hall.
“We don’t get to do anything without the folks that are in this building; the men and women in uniform, the people that are at the office windows every time we come in to have a need fulfilled,” Moran said. “People like us come and go, but the train keeps running and with that, we have to acknowledge the participation that’s necessary amongst us to be able to assist that train in running faster.”
One of the biggest things Moran touched on is that short-term rentals are going to become regulated. Within the next couple of weeks, there is a plan to bring forward legislation as well as there will be community conversations.
Moran also touched on the comeback the city has made since the COVID-19 pandemic, sharing that in comparison to his first year in office when a million dollars was added to the assessment roll, already over $40 million has been added this year. During his speech, Moran noted that historically $26 million a year is averaged.
Commissioner of Finance Minita Sanghvi
Sanghvi started off by stating that the state of the city’s finances is healthy and the department’s accomplishments over the past year, were a result of hard work and collaboration with all city staff and leaders from each department within City Hall.
“Often functions of departments like finance and IT are a little invisible,” Sanghvi said. “People don’t always realize how critical these functions are. Yet without these departments, the essential operations of our city government would come to a halt. Finance ensures our bills are paid, our employees are paid, our funds are managed well and our taxes are collected.
Sanghvi touched on the work done by the finance department to help fund many needs of the public safety department touching on the third fire station, and establishing a firefighter reserve fund that will cover the expanded staffing needs once the federal SAFER grant expires, helping reinstate the assistant police chief a position and securing a $2.2 million ladder truck and a new ambulance.
Sanghvi made note of the work finance has done in collaboration with DPW in establishing an assignment that functions like a savings account for salt and sand, mentioning city’s needs for salt and sand are ever-changing, allowing the city to save money for salt and sand if it is not needed as much from one year to another.
Sanghvi touched on some green initiatives that the finance department has helped fund including the purchase of 2000 streetlights from National Grid or to be converted to LEDs as well as secured grant matching funds for the climate action and resiliency plan, which is a roadmap to become a carbon neutral community.
She also shared that participatory budgeting will be making a return for a third cycle this year.
Commissioner of Public Works Jason Golub
Along with thanking the city employees, stating he believes “everyone who works for the city, keeps the city safe and keeps the city running efficiently deserves our praise,” Golub focused on his mission to bring Saratoga Springs into the 21st century and how that can be executed through public works.
One thing Golub shared was a goal of his when he came into office was to focus on some of the areas around the city that needed attention in terms of recreation and green space. Strides for this were made in 2023 with renovations to the bathrooms and gazebo as well as the addition of a playground at Waterfront Park, built gardens in Flat Rock Park, a dog fountain at the dog park in the State Park and the installation of a multiuse sports court at the Rec Center on. For 2024 there will be work done at Geyser Crest and Veterans Memorial Park
Golub also talked about the Helping Hand program, a collaboration with RISE to offer employment opportunities to unhoused individuals within the DPW that started last year. Beginning with only a couple of participants on a part-time basis, the goal was to help participants develop skills that could lead to longer-term employment. The program saw success in its inaugural year and following the graduation of the first class of Helping Hands participants plans have been made to expand the program in 2024.
Looking toward 2024 DPW has many projects planned, including but not limited to the implementation of a seasonal tourism parking plan, a supplemental water source in Geyser Crest, the development of a multi-use trail on Grand Avenue, improvements to Van Dam to alleviate the impact of truck traffic, a new mountain bike park on Weible Ave.
“My view in closing is that DPW is the department that never sleeps and ensures our city runs at its best,” Golub said. “I’ve learned over the two years I’ve been here is that DPW is staffed by some of the most innovative and qualified professionals I’ve ever worked with, and they consistently provide the best municipal services for our community.”
Commissioner of PublicSafetyTim Coll
Along with thanking his fellow commissioners for their support during his transition into office Coll shared he wanted to recognize the hard work of all who fall under the umbrella of public safety, and appreciated the dedication of the 205 employees.
When discussing the police department, Coll shared that the SSPD answered 27,643 calls in 2023, with the number one call for service involving the Woodlawn parking garage. However, he noted that from 2022 to 2023 the from 1165 falls down to 758 calls which he says is a direct result of the opening of the 24/7 low-barrier shelter on Adelphi Street.
He also shared the accomplishment that occurred in December of last year when the SSPD became accredited for the first time in the department’s history.
Coll touched on a program that started last year which installed one officer on foot patrol. This year the number of the officers has doubled, and under the name Community Engagement officers (CEOs) the two officers will meet with the businesses, learn about their concerns and vulnerabilities, work with the city’s homeless community and nonprofits such as RISE and Shelters of Saratoga as well as the community outreach court, to help the homeless obtain the services they need.
In regards to the Fire Department, which answered 6990 calls for service in 2023, one of the biggest topics of discussion has been the completion of Fire Station 3. Coll shared that the fire department has seen the largest hiring in the history of the department with the 16 new hires for station three that are being brought on.
At the State of the City, coll announced that the grand opening of this station is expected in mid-March.
“The construction of Fire Station Three has been a milestone project for the department and the city,” Coll said. “The additional Fire Station has been in the works for more than 20 years and the majority of the construction of fire station three was performed and completed during 2023. And it’s now coming to completion.”
Supervisor Michele Madigan
Madigan expressed her excitement to serve as one of the city’s county supervisors and that she looks forward to serving on the Economic Development, the Public Works, and the trails and open space committees.
“These three committees, especially as a new supervisor, and in the Democratic minority, was a big deal,” Madigan said. “I’m very grateful for the committees that I was assigned to. I think it speaks a lot for our city, again, being placed on such great committees.”
Madigan shared one of the primary topics she ran on, addressing homelessness, is already well underway with emails recently going out that will bring the county supervisors together to find a solution.
Another topic touched on by Madigan was another of the primary topics she ran on — working to bring an earlier bar closing time to Spa City. Madigan shared this is something being worked on and will most likely be a hybrid solution that includes various closing times throughout the year.
Supervisor Matt Veitch
Veitch shared how proud he was to get to continue to represent the city as a county supervisor. He touched on his positions for this year including having been unanimously supported by his colleagues at the board of supervisors to serve as the vice chair of the county board this year.
He will also serve as chair of the law and Finance Committee along with being a member of the Buildings and Grounds, the Trails and Open Space and the Human Resources and Insurance Committees locally, and serve at both the state and national levels as a member of the New York State Association of Counties and the National Association of Counties, being apart of numerous committees across both associations.
Veitch touched on the $300,000 appropriated to the city for projects from the county which was utilized on a variety of projects, some of which are not yet completed. In the coming year, he mentioned that the city will see new signage at gateway entrances as well as new historical markers around the city, especially in the traditionally African American neighborhoods.
He also discussed upcoming projects the county is working on, including an approximately $30 billion airport terminal project, the county’s facility study and the start of the county Sewer Commission’s study to possibly extend services down South Broadway beyond the current end of the line at the Homewood Suites.
Veitch shared insight on the work being done towards the solution for on the homelessness issue, explaining that not having found a permanent location for a shelter is going to cause complications due to changes in state funding which may cause issues. He affirmed he is committed to working with the city and county and all of our various partners and stakeholders to work for a workable solution to what is a very challenging problem in our community.
He also shared his support for working towards bar closing time and addressing the truck traffic issue in the city.
