Saratoga Springs Approves Ordinance Prohibiting Firearm Possession while Intoxicated

by Thomas Dimopoulos Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS —

During its meeting on Aug. 1, the City Council approved a long-debated ordinance prohibiting intoxication or impairment by alcohol or drugs in a public place when in possession of a firearm.

The measure passed by a 3-2 vote. Commissioners Dillon

Moran and Jason Golub, who each voted against the proposal, expressing general agreement with a majority of the ordinance’s components, but took issue with certain aspects of it.

“I think it’s a great idea as a piggy-back onto another offense - If someone is arrested for assault and you have reasonable suspicion that you can now search them for firearms or give them a breathalyzer,”

by Thomas Dimopoulos Saratoga TODAY

Golub told the council. “But, to expect the police to identify those who are both drunk and carrying a firearm independent of another violation is a nearimpossible exercise unless you want to violate people’s civil rights,” he said. “That’s my biggest concern.”

According to the ordinance, “intoxicated” and/or “impaired” is as defined by State Vehicle and Traffic Law.

SARATOGA SPRINGS —

With its work completed, the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness is expected to provide a report to the City Council in early September, Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim said this week.

The ad hoc group was formed earlier this year to target solutions regarding a permanently placed 24/7 homeless shelter in the city.

“They did a lot of great work – they recommended the site, they recommended an RFP for us to consider, they’ve recommended financing options,” Mayor Kim said. “There’s a lot of story to tell.”

During its meeting Aug. 1, the City Council unanimously approved, by a 5-0 vote, a Local Law to set a 1,000-foot minimum distance between a homeless shelter and any primary or secondary educational facility. That 1,000-foot buffer would apply to daycare centers, provided those centers are part of a school.