City Council is expected to vote tonight on a local law to amend the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) plan, a proposed action supported by a six-page report from City Manager Jason Molino and coming on the heels of last week's resignation of BID Executive Director Laurie Oltramari.
The Business session of tonight's City Council meeting at the Council Board Room at City Hall gets under way at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a Conference session.
The city and the BID have been at odds since May when Molino reported that the BID's 2016-17 assessment budget exceeded the General Municipal Law limits for district assessment charges used for operations. Molino also recommended requiring the BID to adhere to Open Meetings and Freedom of Information laws, and to post its bylaws and meeting notices and minutes on its website.
According to Molino's report, the BID -- which includes business property owners located in the downtown section as well as on Ellicott Street -- assessed a levy of $120,000 for 2016-17, an amount that exceeds the authorized amount allowed for operations and debt service payments under the General Municipal Law. As a result, the BID assessment that was levied May 1, 2016 was an additional $49,571 in confilict with the GML and the district plan with no authorized use of additional funds.
The city has made several budget amendments to correct the situation, including holding the additional levy of $49,571 in a trust account until the BID plan could be updated and approved by City Council to include a capital infrastructure project. Molino's report also calls for the BID's Management Association to forward its proposed budget to the City Manager no later than Jan. 15 of each year, subject to review by City Council.
Emails and calls to Oltramari for comment regarding her resignation have yet to be returned. BID President Victor Gautieri confirmed the resignation and said the board would meet in the coming week to decide what to do next.
Also on tonight's Business agenda:
-- Resolutions to submit applications for a Community Development Block Grant to rehabilitate homes owned by those with low- to low-moderate incomes who occupy the home and a Restore NY grant program that provides up to $50 million for redevelopment projects in urban areas;
-- A resolution to authorize a 2.75-percent hike in Molino's salary, which would increase his annual pay to $93,782.
Two notes:
Two notes:
Molino's proposed salary of $93, 782 does not include the extra money he get paid out of the Water Fund and the Sewer Fund. And as a comparison, the Mayor of Buffalo makes just under $105,000, with about 200,000+ people.
Second, the BID's assessment of $120,000 was based on figures given to it by City Hall