The council banned battery energy storage systems. Members took the proposed ban off the table and passed it the same night, adding a section of the city code that prohibits establishing, installing, or constructing the systems in Rome. Before voting, the council made two changes to the paperwork, attaching the planning board's recommendation and filling in July 14th as the date the planning board held its public hearing. Corporation counsel told the council it could act at any meeting, but that the ordinance would die if it stayed tabled past a third one. Councilor Mortise asked for a roll call. The vote was 5 to 0, with Councilors Sparace and Dursi excused. The decision ends a process that started in the spring, when the council passed a six month pause while it studied the technology. In July, a developer had urged the council to write local rules on setbacks, screening, and fire safety rather than ban the systems outright.

A former councilor questioned a $2 million transfer. During public comment, former councilor Frank Anderson raised the plan to move $2 million from the general fund into a reserve for retirement contributions. He said that looking at the agenda and the supporting paperwork, it was hard to tell why it was happening, asked whether the city had ever made such a move before, and noted its size and its timing just ahead of budget season. Treasurer Adams said the city received roughly $2.1 million this year in additional temporary state aid that it had not budgeted for and did not expect. The plan, he said, is to put $2 million of it into the reserve and use it over the next few years to help bridge the gap between expenses and revenue as retirement costs rise. Asked directly where the money came from, Adams said it was temporary aid from New York State. The council passed the transfer without further discussion.

A resolution was corrected on the floor. The council took up an item listed as creating a capital project account for tornado demolition and rehabilitation work on city owned parcels. Adams told the council the title was not accurate, because the project already exists. He suggested describing it instead as a transfer between the two accounts listed. Councilors amended it on the spot and then passed it. The item moves about $1.17 million in state economic development grant money from one tornado account into another.

The police department accepted a county grant. The council authorized the mayor to accept a $30,000 grant from the Oneida County District Attorney's Office to improve the police department's discovery unit process.

An environmental cleanup on Lawrence Street will cost more. The council approved a revised budget for the cleanup of two city parcels at 701 Lawrence Street, which sit on either side of the barge canal. Bids came in higher than expected, with the low bid to install a soil cover system on the southern parcel reaching $399,300 against a 2022 estimate of about $280,875. The total project cost rises by $35,000 to roughly $986,122, and because the state covers 90 percent of the work, the city's share increases by $3,500. The council also extended the state contract by a year, to June 2027.

Property and easement items. The council approved the sale of a city owned parcel at 118 West Fox Street for $4,000, and an agreement to buy property on Merrick Road for $1,700 for the Merrick Road bridge project. It amended a National Grid easement approved in June to allow an additional pole for overhead wire support. And it corrected an ordinance passed on August 12th, changing the address of the property the city is buying for $150,000 from 709 Canal Street to 107 Canal Street.

Parks updates. Councilor Sbaraglia reported that the mayor announced a splash pad going in at Guyer Field, and that the four new pickleball courts at Franklyn's Field are close to opening, with an announcement on hours expected within days. He said complaints about Triangle Park have been addressed, with equipment updates and safety fixes on the way. The city is still waiting on a draft of its parks plan.

A look at a community center. Councilor Reilly told the council the members recently toured the Rome Arts & Community Center, housed in the Carpenter House, and were impressed. He described it as a hub for arts, culture, and learning, with children's programs, concerts, exhibitions, and workshops, and encouraged residents to use it.