Dear Saratoga Springs Mayor, City Council Members, City Attorneys, and New York State Comptroller:

We the undersigned are requesting an immediate investigation into the “Resolution for Non-Union Full Time Executive Employees” ("On-Call" Resolution) adopted on February 9, 2023. The City Attorneys issued a memorandum outlining a legal opinion to Mayor John Safford which was provided to council members prior to the February 5, 2024 City Council pre-agenda meeting. The ongoing lack of response to the memorandum creates a risky standard where manipulating legal records may be seen as acceptable.

New York State pension is calculated off of average salary. "On-call” pay received by Executive Employees (no less than $17,000 to date) due to this resolution would be included in average salary figures. Any missteps or wrongdoing with the “On-Call'' Resolution, that is currently in effect, in Saratoga Springs materially impacts New York State pensions- which is funded by New York State taxpayers. It should be the City’s priority to initiate and cooperate with the New York State Comptroller to investigate the issues the City Attorneys' legal opinion presents. 

 

THE LEGAL OPINION

 

 

 

 

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE DISCREPENCIES

The friendly amendment agreed upon by the City Council required some of the first sentence to be removed and the words "in situations where" added.

The final version contains a number of changes to the text and the change of "emergency calls" to "emergency situations and events". All of these changes appear to be inaccurate nor required by the friendly amendment.

 

 

 

 

Another potential discrepancy, which is not in the legal opinion, is the metadata linked to the final document in question. An Executive Employee, who may not normally edit resolutions could possibly be linked as “the author” of the final copy of the resolution.

 

 

 

 

TAMPERING WITH PUBLIC RECORDS IS ILLEGAL. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IMPACTS TAXPAYER MONEY.

We are aware that NYS Penal Law 175.20 & 175.25 holds strict regulations regarding tampering with public records. According to this law, any alteration, destruction, or concealment of a public record with the intent to deceive or defraud is considered a criminal offense. It is crucial that we respect and uphold the integrity of public records to ensure transparency and accountability within our government institutions.

We value integrity and respect for due process. Accusations can carry serious consequences and should only be made by experts with careful consideration and discernment.

As citizens of Saratoga Springs and New York State, we demand that elected officials prioritize our concerns above all else and advance this to experts to conduct an investigation to uncover any mismanagement within the “Resolution for Non-Union Full Time Executive Employees”. We expect transparency, accountability, and swift action to rectify any wrongdoing that may be uncovered. We are calling for our elected leaders to show integrity and put the best interests of City and State taxpayers first.

Sincerely,

 

 

THE NEXT STEPS:

1. SIGN the petition
2. SHARE the petition
3. EMAIL City Council Members, City Attorneys, NYS Comptroller Investigations

 

• Mayor John Safford: john.safford@saratoga-springs.org
• Commissioner of Accounts, Dillon Moran: dillon.moran@saratoga-springs.org
• Commissioner of Finance, Minita Sangvhi: minita.sanghvi@saratoga-springs.org
• Commissioner of Public Works, Jason Golub: jason.golub@saratoga-springs.org
• Commissioner of Public Safety, Tim Coll: tim.coll@saratoga-springs.org
• City Attorney, David Harper: david.harper@saratoga-springs.org
• Assistant City Attorney, Anthony Izzo: tony.izzo@saratoga-springs.org
• New York State Comptroller Investigations: investigations@osc.ny.gov

 

MORE INFORMATION & LINKS

NYS Penal Code 175.20 & 175.25