Here's what's happening at tonight's Cortland Common Council meeting

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Cortland Common Council will meet tonight at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 25 Court St., Cortland.

Common Council meets on the first and third Wednesdays of every month, and The Cortland Voice will now be live-streaming every Common Council meeting.

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Here are the biggest agenda items we're watching. Click here for the full agenda.

Public hearing on city's rental permit policy

The city's policy on applying for a rental permit requires the applicant to list the maximum number of occupants that would dwell in each rental dwelling unit; however, the city has deemed this aspect of the policy "unnecessary" following a recent court ruling in Madison County.

In the case of Gerald Ruggerio v. City of Cortland; Robert Rhea, Zoning Officer for the City of Cortland; and Tom Tobin, Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Cortland, a judge in Madison County ruled in October that Ruggiero was entitled to a rental housing permit despite the city's objections, according to court documents.

"This is just a cleanup provision," city attorney Ric Van Donsel said in a phone interview this afternoon.

Settling with Ramada

Council members will vote on whether or not to enter into a settlement agreement with the Ramada Inn. The hotel owes the city $458,925 in property taxes and special assessments from 2017 and 2018, as well as $30,000 in water and sewer usage charges. There is $47,814 in interest owed to the city on the outstanding debt, but council members will consider foregoing the interest and accepting a settlement in the sum of $497,471.

Creating the 'Peacemaker Trail'

The city would pay the Central New York Regional Planning & Development Board about $1,800 for consulting services in the creation of a "CNY Peacemaker Trail: Bike Corridor & Wayfinding Plan." The trail would go through the City of Cortland from the Cortlandville border at Route 11 to North Main Street at Clinton Avenue:

Part of the work would involve identifying appropriate locations for the trail, as well as the conceptual design of bike infrastructure along Route 11, Main Street and Clinton Avenue, with shared lane pavement markings or bike lanes as needed. The Seven Valleys Health Coalition have also allocated funding toward the project.

Other noteworthy items on tonight's agenda include: entering into a regional Rideshare program; approving special event applications for Porchfest and the Cortland County Halloween Parade; allocating $13,000 to the Cortland Regional Sports Council to help bring sporting events to the area; and eliminating parking on 206-208 Tompkins St. for safety reasons.