City Clerk staff presented a budget proposal that keeps overall spending largely unchanged while seeking modest increases for personnel alignment, training, specialized scanning equipment and several security and accessibility capital items for City Council Chambers.

The clerk’s office said personnel-service increases reflect salary adjustments tied to a permanent legislation action and CSEA contract updates; the office also described a reorganization that removed a half-time licensing clerk post and replaced it with full-time senior licensing clerks. The clerk’s presentation noted higher travel and training requests to support professional development and cited recent attendance at state and national clerk training programs.

On records management, the clerk’s office said older, oversized books and fragile records require a desktop/book scanner and a dedicated digital camera rather than the all-in-one office printers used now. The office estimated roughly $500 for the desktop scanner and $200 for the camera and said those devices are intended as immediate, lower-cost steps while pursuing larger digitization grants.

The presentation included several capital and security items for City Council Chambers. The clerk’s office requested five panic buttons (one in the vitals office, two in the clerk’s office, one in the chambers control room and one under the clerk’s desk), installation of a security camera that would cover the chambers exit door, and requested measures to block an internal entrance from the staircase that has been left unsecured on multiple occasions. The office said there have been times people entered the chambers and the path to the clerk’s office when doors were left unlocked, creating a security concern for staff and for confidential records.

Accessibility was a focus: the clerk’s office described a recent assessment led by STCC and the Broome County Health Department that confirmed chamber accessibility is poor and recommended improvements. The office said it plans to submit a request for qualifications (RFQ) for an elevator project to provide a direct elevator into council chambers; the clerk said the mayor’s office was receptive to the proposal and asked that an RFQ be submitted.

Council members asked for more detail about contracts related to records storage and shredding; the clerk’s office said that contract (Rogers) is with the city facility and that the clerk’s office is the steward but would need to check contract term details.

A motion to close budget pages 15, 26, 27, 35, 76 and the clerk’s fee line (02/2005) passed by voice vote. The transcript records a motion and a second and records unanimous “Aye” with no opposition.

Why this matters: the requested modest equipment and training funding supports day-to-day records management; the security and accessibility capital requests affect public access and staff safety in City Council Chambers and could require capital planning and cross-department coordination.