On Thursday, Auburn City Council approved the city’s 2026 meeting calendar, amended its rules governing work session meetings after public comment, authorized a change order tied to the Burgess Street Culvert Replacement Project, and adopted new financial control policies following an external audit presentation.
Mayor Jimmy Giannettino Jr. also issued a proclamation designating Jan. 9, 2026, as Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Auburn, with Auburn Police Chief Matt Androsko in attendance.
Public comment raises concerns about work session votes
During the public comment period, Dale Bush of 116 Standard Woods addressed Council Resolution No. 2 of 2026 on adopting council rules and procedures, focusing on the section about work session meetings and voting. Bush said the rules stated votes “can be taken in the work session meeting at the discretion of the city manager, with the consent of a majority of council members,” and he argued that over the prior fiscal year, votes were taken during work sessions in nine months out of 12, totaling 13 votes.
Bush urged the council to re-evaluate the wording before voting.
YMCA parking and permits
After public comment closed, City Manager Jenny Haines responded to a question raised about parking and said the city had entered into a parking agreement with the YMCA for half of the Court Street lot, designating those spaces for YMCA members at the request of the new executive director. Haines said the remainder of the lot needed to remain available to the public.
Haines said free parking for YMCA members in the parking garage was not something the city could offer, citing garage expenses including debt. She said the city could discuss the YMCA buying permits in bulk if council wanted staff to pursue that.
City manager report: Bids and parking enforcement
In her report, Haines pointed to open bids listed on the city’s website, including a Tommy Walsh mural RFP available until Jan. 16, the Lake Avenue Bridge rehabilitation bid with a Jan. 27 date referenced in her remarks, and a New York State Homes and Community Renewal Housing Trust Fund Corporation vacant rental program delivery opportunity.
Haines also said that after previously reporting about approximately $600,000 in unpaid, outstanding parking tickets, the city was restarting a boot-and-tow program. She said vehicles with outstanding parking tickets parked on the street could be booted and towed and stored until tickets were paid, and that a list of tickets and amounts had been posted to the city website. Tickets can be paid at the city treasurer’s office, she said.
Audit presentation
Giannettino said the council would move the audit presentation ahead of the resolutions because two of the resolutions were directly related to the audit and he wanted the public to understand the connection.
Luke Malecki and Aimee Haensly of Drescher & Malecki presented on the external financial statement audit of the city of Auburn for the year ended June 30, 2025. Malecki said the audit was in its “final stages” and the firm anticipated releasing it “over the next couple of weeks.”
During discussion later in the presentation, Malecki provided a five-year trend that he said showed state aid of $6.0 million in 2021; $5.7 million in 2022; $5.6 million in 2023; $5.9 million in 2024; and $6.6 million in 2025. He also cited federal aid figures over the same period, including ARPA at about a half-million in 2021 and $5.2 million in 2025.
Council actions and votes
2026 council meeting calendar: Council approved Council Resolution No. 1 of 2026 establishing the council meeting calendar for 2026, with meetings scheduled on Thursdays at 5 p.m. in the council chambers at Memorial City Hall, 24 South St.
Rules and procedures amended and adopted: Council took up Council Resolution No. 2 of 2026 to adopt updated council rules and procedures. After discussion, the council approved an amendment changing the work session voting language from “with the consent of a majority of council members” to “with the consent of the city council,” then adopted the rules as amended.
Burgess Street culvert project change order: Council approved Agreement Resolution No. 3 of 2026 authorizing Change Order No. 2 with Prudent Engineering LLP for construction inspection services for the Burgess Street Culvert Replacement Project, increasing the maximum amount payable by $59,076.14 to a combined contract total of $280,000.94.
The resolution stated the change order cost was eligible for reimbursement at 94% through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, with a local share to be reimbursed through New York state sources referenced in the resolution. Councilor Craig T. Diego voted no, while the remaining members voted yes.
Journal entry policy adopted: Council approved Council Resolution No. 4 of 2026 adopting a journal entry policy, with City Comptroller Amanda Leeson telling council the policy was part of ongoing discussions about internal controls and segregation of duties and included limits on how much discretion department heads have to move dollars within budget lines. Leeson said the intent was to ensure council is aware of larger changes between lines and understood why a line may need more in a future budget.
Capital asset policy adopted: Council approved Council Resolution No. 5 of 2026 approving a capital asset policy, authorizing the comptroller to implement it.
Auburn Downtown Partnership contract for mural support: Council approved Agreement Resolution No. 6 of 2026 authorizing a $3,000 agreement with the Auburn Downtown Partnership for professional services to facilitate creation of a new downtown mural, connected to a Downtown Revitalization Initiative small project fund. The resolution text referenced committing $20,000 of that fund to a new mural project.
Haines told council the city wanted to use the remaining small projects fund to create the mural and sought the Downtown Partnership’s expertise, noting that Jesse Klein, the partnership’s executive director, had overseen multiple public art projects funded through a DRI grant. Giannettino noted on the record that the DRI-related funding could not be spent on roads or public safety.
City staff announced the next meeting of the Auburn Civil Service Commission would be held Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall, and that the Historic Resources Review Board’s regularly scheduled January meeting was canceled because there were no applications.
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