LOCAL • INDEPENDENT • FREE Volume 12 • Issue 38
• September 21 – September 27, 2018 • saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com • 518- 581-2480 •
BIG PLANS FOR B’SPA by Marissa Gonzalez Saratoga TODAY
Public safety building rendering. Photo provided.
New City Charter Heads to Public Referendum in November by Thomas Dimopoulos Saratoga TODAY SARATOGA SPRINGS — The mayor-appointed City Charter Commission has completed their work on a 38-page document which proposes a new City Charter. The proposition goes to public referendum on Nov. 6. If approved, the new Charter becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2019 – effectively repealing the city’s existing 2001 Charter. A second part of the referendum seeks to increase the voting members of the City Council from five to seven. If that second
proposal is approved by voters – that referendum also takes place Nov. 6 – the addition of the two councilmembers-at-large will become effective Jan. 1, 2020. As such, city voters in November 2019 – the next scheduled vote to elect the council – could be headed to the polls to vote for seven council members, instead of the traditional five. It is anticipated there would be a list of candidates for council membersat-large on the ballot, and the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes would then serve as council members-at-large. See Story pg. 10
BALLSTON SPA — Between the news of a new Hannaford and a groundbreaking for a public safety building in the works, Ballston Spa has a lot going on. As previously reported, a public safety facility will be located adjacent to the Sheriff ’s Department/County Correctional Facility at 6010 County Farm Road in Ballston Spa. Groundbreaking is expected within the next two to three weeks according to County Administrator Spencer Helwig.
Completion will be sometime in 2020. The new public safety building that will house the 911 dispatcher, public health, emergency services, probation department, public health, and the sheriff ’s administrative staff, will be approximately 62,000 square-feet. The original projected cost of the building was initially $32 Million but according to Helwig based on the bids, the contracts the town will be awarded next month and the money that’s already been spent the total See Story pg. 9
BLUE STREAKS BACK IN ACTION
1
JAKE WILLIAMS
Junior • Quarterback
SEE THE FULL TEAM LINEUP PGS. 44, 45