Fulton Common Council Unable To Vote On Agenda Items Due To Lack Of Quorum, Listens To Public Comment

by Kassadee Bradshaw | November 4, 2021 10:11 am

FULTON – Although members of the Fulton Common Council met last night, Tuesday, November 3, it did not have enough councilors present to reach quorum, causing them to strike all items on the planned agenda for that night.

In order to vote on an item, a majority of the council needs to be present at a meeting. Last night, First Ward Councilor Tom Kenyon, who announced in the summer he would not return to his seat, Third Ward Councilor Don Patrick Jr., and Fourth Ward Councilor John Kenyon were absent.

While the results remain to be finalized, Dan Farfaglia, who ran against Steve Ward, and Ethan Parkhurst, who ran unopposed, will be filling the seats for the first and fourth ward respectively on January 1, 2022.

Second Ward Councilor Douglas Chapman, Councilor Patrick, Fifth Ward Councilor/President Audrey Avery, and Sixth Ward Councilor Larry Macner, who all ran unopposed, will be returning to the council for another two years.

Unofficial election results in Oswego County can be found here[1].

The agenda from last night’s meeting will be added to that of the next meeting, Tuesday, November 16, at 7 p.m. in the community room of City Hall.

While they could not vote on anything, they did open public comment. During that time, Amy D’Angelo and Heather Howard spoke about their respective businesses, and Frank Castiglia Jr. asked questions about items on the agenda.

D’Angelo, owner of Foundation for Elevation/Amethyst Reiki Services, located at 554 South 1st St., talked about the services her business provides.

Foundation for Elevation opened in May and allows small businesses to rent space in the facility, including her own Amethyst Reiki Services. Space is available to rent hourly for events, community organizations, small businesses, etc.

Amethyst Reiki has been in Fulton for three and a half years and offers reiki, energy healing techniques, and classes for those who want to learn the practice.

Howard owns A Heathens Touch, also located in the Foundation for Elevation facility. Her services also include energetic healing along with products from various local vendors.

Castiglia, whom residents voted to return to county government as District 25’s county legislator on Election Day, asked the council questions regarding items on the agenda. He asked if they were aware of the procedure of rescinding a resolution, which requires a councilor who voted against the resolution to present the resolution.

He also asked which properties are to be included in the resolution authorizing the city clerk/chamberlain to advertise for bids for “demolition of various city owned properties.”

Lastly, he expressed his disapproval in using American Rescue Plan funds to purchase two new variable message boards for city use.

“I have a hard time wondering what we’re going to rescue with signage,” Castiglia said. “I believe the main focus of the rescue money is to help businesses that have been failing, businesses that are in trouble… To use any rescue money for signage that may last five years is a waste of taxpayer money.”

Mayor Deana Michaels responded and said they have a list of properties they would like to be demolished, but do not have specific projects yet. Right now, they are just looking for interested parties for demo work. In regards to the resolution on the agenda to be rescinded, she said she trusts the city clerk/chamberlain to do the process correctly.

“As far as the signage goes, we absolutely can use [ARPA funding] for this,” Michaels said. “[ARPA funding] is not just to help small businesses… There’s a big push on infrastructure. There’s a big push on tourism. There’s a big push on small business. There’s a big push on COVID recovery. There’s a big push on broadband. Those are the big ticket items on ARPA. That’s what they want to see.”

Michaels said if the city is going to be doing work on its infrastructure, this signage would notify drivers in advance, and also would be able to notify residents of COVID-19 vaccine clinics. She said the city will make sure it meets the necessary requirements to receive that funding because ARPA guidelines are strict and they will not get the funding if the intention of the funding does not meet those guidelines.

Following public comment, the three councilors in attendance spoke. They thanked those who came to the meeting, those who spoke during public comment, and Sixth Ward Larry Macner asked residents with plugged up storm drains in front of their homes to rake those leaves out.

Although he will not be able to attend, he encouraged residents to attend the Veterans Day ceremony at City Hall/Veterans Park across City Hall on Thursday, November 11, beginning at 10 a.m.

The mayor shared that the first round of COVID-19 relief grants were distributed to city businesses and was pleased they had enough to give a grant to each business who applied. She also said this month they city plans to “Give Back and Give Thanks” to its non-profits with $50,000 in grants using ARPA funding as well as highlighting those agencies.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, November 16, at 7 p.m. in the community room of City Hall.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/fulton/fulton-common-council-unable-to-vote-on-agenda-items-due-to-lack-of-quorum-listens-to-public-comment/

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