Good evening and welcome to the Thursday, October 9th Workforce Ethics and Culture Committee meeting.

With us this evening is myself, Chair Megan Keegan, Council members Derek Johnson and Sergio Adams, staff, Brian Jimenez, and our intern Ariana Costello.

We also have Corporation Council in the audience, Rob McGee, in case he happens to come up and join us for the meeting.

So is anybody planning to submit?

No.

Okay.

So without further ado.

There is a full meeting following this.

Caucus will start at 6 30 and the meeting will start at 7.

Thank you.

So the purpose of this meeting was really to provide an update on some work that has happened behind the scenes to make sure that we have a record that that has been conducted.

Since our last meeting in May of 2025, we did submit a uh formal memo that you folks approved.

Um and we did receive a response from corporation council and clarification on the concerns outlined in that memo.

Um we also have met with the chief city auditor's office to discuss the scope of the audit that was proposed in last year's budget for fiscal year 2025 that is supposed to support the work and the mission of this committee.

Um and the reason why we called this meeting is that in September we finally got um an audit plan back from the Office of Audit and Control.

Um and I just wanted to kind of review um the audit plan with the committee.

I don't know if you guys have had a chance to take a look at that proposal.

Um it is currently under review with corporation council.

I don't know, Rob, is that still under review?

Yeah, I think my understanding of all that isn't okay.

Um so the goal of the audit was to evaluate the fairness, consistency, and transparency of city workforce management practices, including promotions, discipline, and workplace culture, and to provide actual recommendations that support a safe, fair, respectful, inclusive, productive, and supportive workplace and culture within the city of Albany.

Um they will be looking at um January of 2019 through uh December 31st of 2024.

Um their objectives will be to assess discipline and probationary terminations to review promotions and advanced placement practices and evaluate workplace culture and differential treatment.

Um, and they have provided specific audit procedures in their recommendations.

Once this is approved, the next step will be that this is posted for a request for proposal.

And when a firm is selected, the audit will be conducted and take place.

So did you guys have any feedback concerns or questions about the planned proposed audit?

Um, just brief comments in terms of the objectives.

Um, I think to what you just mentioned that the objectives here um align pretty well with the goal.

Um the procedures, the audit procedures, um, I think from the one two three four seven bullet points here.

Um that also um very well aligns with the objectives and some of the things that we've heard over these um last several months to look into.

Um in terms of the audit procedures, um the next step you mentioned would be doing what and who would have to approve this.

So then the next step is for full approval.

So any RFP would go through Corporation Council for its review to ensure both that the funds are being spent appropriately to how they were allocated in the budget, and that the scope of the audit is correct, then it would go out to bid.

Um, those bids would be reviewed.

Once a bid is selected, a contract would be negotiated and corp council would again have to review that contract, and once that contract is agreed to and signed, the work can begin.

One of the things that we want to make sure is that you know the funds are spent down within the fiscal year because if not, um we'd have to reallocate them for fiscal year 2026.

Anything that's not spent in 2025 goes into the general fund.

So any concern there in terms of the timeline of the identified if the funds are appropriated this year, that should be fine, as far as I know.

Um and that was one of the things that I wanted to make sure um occurred.

So I started pushing for that um several months ago.

Excuse me.

The other thing that um I wanted to note um were discussions that sort of took place between myself and the um commissioner for admin services were recommendations on training for department staff.

Um I can confirm that the city did invest in sending um labor relations leadership from the Department of General Services, the Albany Water Department, and um admin services to pursue certification with Cornell's School of International Labor Relations, so that um those staff can be specifically trained and certified in union negotiations and union interactions in the hopes to improve the city's relationship with ASME by providing that foundational training.

Um we actually were in school together in September.

That was quite interesting.

And those are the only updates that I have for you guys.

You guys have any questions or concerns the language for the RFP uh who will be is this pretty much like what we have here is this pretty much like the information that would be included in the RFP to the correct and the only additional information would that's not included in here would be the scope of funds that would be awarded in the RFP, which should be 75,000.

That's what we allocated in for fiscal year 2025.

Um they would respond and from there a contract would be drawn up about that would specify all the work to be done.

It would likely closely follow what's in the RFP.

Okay.

Okay.

Do I have a motion to adjourn?

Do I have a second?

So a motion to adjourn by council member Adams, second by council member Johnson.

All in favor?

So moved.

Uh meeting has ended.

We're good.

Okay, welcome everyone to the caucus and work session.

Well, excuse me, the Thursday, October 9th, COX and work session of the Albany Common Council.

It's our work session prior to our regular meeting.

Anani.

Ballerin.

I said Anani.

I got you.

Ballerin.

Clark.

Conte.

Farrow.

Here.

Here.

Frederick.

Howie.

Johnson.

Keegan.

Here.

Kimber.

Here.

Love.

Robinson.

Zamer.

Here.

Uh, ten present, five absence.

We're also joined by Council President Ellis.

Um Corporation Council Rob McGee, legislative director, Brian Jimenez, and myself, Shanico Jackson, City Clerk.

Okay.

Uh just jumping right into the agenda for uh approval of minutes from a previous book.

Excuse me, actually we'll start with uh public hearing on uh Mr.

Conte's ordinance three forty-one twenty-five.

Then uh on to uh approval of minutes from a previous meeting I'll offer to September fifteenth of twenty twenty-five meeting minutes for approval.

Next on to local laws and local laws, we'll have uh Mr.

Conte's local law B of twenty twenty-five.

Uh local law meaning uh charter of the city of Albany adding new article nine entitled Civic Inclusion and Rights Protection.

That's going to be a referral to the human resources human rights committee.

Next on to ordinances.

And amending the zoning map accordingly.

That'll be a referral to council's planning committee.

Also then next ordinance by me.

It's ordinance 2610125.

It's ordinance amending chapter 31, the housing section by adding a new part requiring disclosure of beneficial owners of LLC companies and other entities that hold residential property in the city of Albany.

That's going to be a referral to the law committee.

Kelly.

Yes, sir.

Yeah, I just noticed when I was turning the pages.

Are we gonna there's a couple of MCs under local laws?

Do I not have the most up to date?

It's uh local law C of 2025 and local law D of 2025.

I think those are all the budget things.

So those are all so there's two local laws that are uh budget related.

Mr.

Jimenez, can I have a copy of that there?

So I make the mistake of printing this out when it first comes out and working off of that, and when it changes, I put out the look for a reminder today.

What was the questions?

These are what were provided to us by uh Corporation Council's office.

Um at the end of the day, it is up to the council to whether they choose to or not amend the agenda to introduce them.

Okay.

Gotcha.

So let me catch up for a second.

We should be able to hold them off at the next meeting rather than MC them.

Why won't we just do that?

I mean, that's that's fine.

Um we're gonna be working with the uh budget for a while anyway.

So don't email okay, put them on the next agenda.

We'll put them on next meeting, uh, Mr.

Howie.

Thank you.

I still need an up-to-date copy if you could.

All right, uh back on the ordinances.

That's there.

On to resolutions introduced.

Speak up, uh Mr.

Howie.

Oh, I apologize.

Ordinance 217124, it's on page 15 of 20.

All right, now one more time.

Page 15 of 20, ordinance 21 712 by Mr.

Flynn.

To be voted on.

Yes.

I need a fresh copy.

Hold on one sec.

Oh, okay.

All right.

So yeah.

Uh next under ordinances held.

We've got Mr.

Flynn's ordinance 217124.

Which we'll be uh voting on.

Can I just ask we are going to be able to do that?

We are doing all the budget ordinances and local laws by majority consent still, aren't we?

Yeah, but we we just decided that we were just going to throw those on at the next meeting.

Okay.

I just got that packet.

Because I mean we're going to be working with the budget for the next couple of weeks, so the only thing is our next little our next meeting on the 20th is our first budget hearing.

I still don't think I have to and I just think it might be better to have the budget introduced before the hearing.

Oh instead of after yeah no that's that's fine.

That's fine.

I get I got the big packet here so we're uh we'll do like uh the the big batch of ordinances is like 28 10125 Mr.

President to what's the last one to 5810125 just by majority consent.

No I again apparently everybody else in the room has it except for I just got it so you got y'all have it I didn't miss a cruising on electronically thing it's and the thing is it it there are intros and referrals to finance so it it it'll and we usually add them all as a as a range to uh when they're introed and then as we go along we pick them do them individually so you got you got that Mr.

President so we're in under ordinances introduced we'll do ordinance 28101 to 25 this is by majority consent and the last one is 58 101 25 we're we're adding them there'll be referrals to finance I'm I'm sorry I don't have sign you would rather wait until the next meeting.

I don't have the thing is I don't have the I have an electronic it was just email to us right you have the 549 we'll just wait we'll we'll wait because it's just too confusing.

Yeah it's fine did you say you had a question Mr.

Conti No I said I need to find it before so I was going to ask you back to the I can your mic I can't hear you getting back to ordinances held because we kind of got sidetracked um I got 25 552 yep I got it okay all right yeah Conties so also under ordinances held we've got Mr.

So that is it for the ordinances.

Okay.

Then uh on to resolutions.

So I have Miss Keegan uh first one's uh one thirteen one on one twenty-five is resolution albany common council honoring October is domestic violence awareness month.

Uh we're typically all um sponsors on that.

Uh we'll be voting on it.

Uh next one is by Mr.

Conte's 114-10125.

It's a resolution albany common council commemorating October as Italian American Heritage Month.

Again, all co-sponsors and uh voting.

Next, Ms.

Fredericks uh resolution one fifteen one on one twenty-five R.

Uh resolution of the Common Council honoring October 13 as Indigenous People's Day in the City of Albany again sponsorship similar.

We're voting.

Uh the next uh my resolution 116-10125 is resolution of council declaring a week of October 6th through October 10 to be digital inclusion week in the city of Albany.

Uh we're typically all co-sponsors voting.

Uh next, Mr.

Johnson's resolution of council honoring the life and legacy of Miss Clara Phillips.

Uh I'd like to be a co-sponsor.

I'm sure most members can you just make us all co-sponsors.

Um that was 117.

Then next uh by Mr.

Robinson, uh resolution one eighteen one on one twenty-five.

So resolution of common council appointing Michaela Robinson as a member of the commission on human rights.

We have Miss Will you you you mind coming up?

Just come up quick introduction.

Introduce yourself, tell us why you're interested.

Just real brief, nothing doesn't have to be lengthy.

Just introduce yourself.

Hello everyone.

Uh I'm Michaela Robinson.

Um I applied for the Commission on Human Rights.

Um you said say why I'm interested.

Excuse me.

You said to say why I'm interested.

Yeah, um, I'm interested in making a difference in my community, and I feel like being a young person, I can give some unique insight and I'm just motivated to make change and be a part of something bigger than myself.

Yeah, okay.

Thank you for your interest and uh and welcome.

Any other members have questions or comments?

Okay.

Thank you, young lady, and welcome.

Looking forward to working with you.

Okay, uh moving right along.

Mr.

Holy's resolution uh 119-10125, resolution of common council opposing censorship of television.

Uh I'd like to be a co-sponsor.

I'm sure all members would also be voting on that.

Uh next resolution is also by Mr.

Howie's uh resolution 120101 25R.

Uh resolution of Common Council appointing Warren Hamilton as a member of the community police review board.

I don't is Mr.

Hamilton here.

Yes.

Oh, we just come up and say hello and just say welcome and thank you.

Hello, thank you all.

Um to the chair and distinguished guests and honorees.

No, I really uh appreciate this um offer and uh it's a serious job.

My name is Warren Hamilton and live up the street, 351, Washington Avenue, Albany, New York, and um willing to help make this process work.

Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you, Mr.

Hamilton.

Okay, we are at Mr.

Clark's uh introduction.

Uh resolution 121-101-25Rs resolution of common council authorizing a public hearing regarding the acquisition uh by eminent domain of a bunch of addresses on wrap road.

So be uh intro and believe finance.

Which one is it?

No, that was one twenty-one.

I said one twenty-two.

Yeah, one twenty-one one twenty-one.

There's no one twenty one.

One twenty-one is related to the council launching a public hearing on it.

Uh one twenty-two was the declaring our self-slead agency if I recall correctly.

Right.

For the seeker.

So the two you don't have that on yours.

If you look at the active calendar, one is on the active calendar and the other one is not.

So that's that was the confusion.

Okay.

So it's just it's an intro.

Um the next uh also by Mr.

Clark's uh resolution one twenty-two one oh one uh twenty-five.

It's a resolution council declaring its intent to act as lead agency for the seeker uh for the same project.

It's uh the acquisition by eminent domain of 502504 uh 506 rap road, which we can we'll full vote on that declaring our intent to act as a lead agency, and that was the last uh resolution.

Did I miss did I miss anything, Mr.

Jimenez?

Or yeah, you did.

Anyone on the day is the resolution does an MC for uh council member Frederick I can get it to you if you want again.

I don't uh was this okay, I'll do it.

Ah okay, uh like to add uh by Miss Frederick's resolution one hundred twenty-three one on one twenty-five.

We added by majority consent resolution of the common council establishing the locally based proportions of the homestead and non-homestead classes for property tax purposes pursuant to Article 19 of real property tax law.

So that'll be an MC.

Mr.

President, and that is the that's the last one.

And that's a referral to finance that is a referral.

It is now seven o'clock.

Call into order the Albany Common Council meeting for October 9th, 2025.

Can the clerk please call the roll?

Adams present Anani Ballorin Clark here, Conte here, Farrell, here, Glenn, President Frederick, Hoey, here Johnson, project Keegan here, Kimberle, here love Robinson, Zamer.

Here 11 present for absent.

Will you rise with me?

Um say to pledge allegiance, and after that a moment of silence.

Can we remember the many families throughout our city?

We've had a number of fires recently, so please remember them in your thoughts.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Now we'll move on.

We now are at our um next item on our agendas or public comment.

No, sorry.

We do have a public hearing.

I almost forgot.

We do have a public hearing.

Doing the public hearing, you can talk about uh only thing you can refer to if you wish to speak upon this this ordinance.

You can only talk about what the ordinances involved.

Um unlike public comment.

If you come up and give public hearing, council members uh can ask you questions pertaining to the public hearing matter.

Um you will have five minutes to speak upon for or against this ordinance during a public hearing.

Uh with that being said, can the clerk please read the public hearing notice?

A notice is hereby given that a common council public hearing will be held on October 9th, 2025 at 7 p.m.

and will be held in advance of the potential passage of the following ordinance.

This meeting will be an in-person meeting in the common council chambers, city hall, and will be held on the following matter.

Ordnance 34125, an ordinance amending part three, cabaret of chapter 11 amusement of the code of the city of Albany in relation to updating the city's entertainment licensing provisions.

Documents may be inspected between the hours of 8 30 a.m.

and 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday in the Office of the Common Council 24 Eagle Street Room 206.

Albany, New York 12207.

Efforts will be made, will also be made to make documents available for viewing online.

This public comment here, excuse me.

This public hearing is held in pursuit pursuant to guidelines established in an open meeting law, and anyone wishing to be heard can submit written comments to comment counsel at Albany NY.gov or provide in-person testimony on ordinance before the common council for consideration.

The public hearing will be live streamed on our YouTube page.

We encourage all interested parties to submit written comments by October 9th, 2025.

Anyone wishing to be heard will have an opportunity to be heard at the above stated time and location.

Is there anyone wishing to speak upon this public hearing of this ordinance that's in front of the council?

No one signed up.

Okay, no one wishes to speak.

Uh we'll deem this public period public hearing closed.

And now we'll move on to our next item of our agenda, which is our public comment period.

During the public comment period, you have five minutes to speak upon any issue you wish.

At that time, council members cannot answer any of your questions or uh comment on any of your statements during your public comment.

Uh period.

Uh you will have five minutes.

The red light means uh with minimum excuse me, with four minutes remain with a minute remaining, there will be a yellow light coming on saying you have one minute remaining, please close your comments, and the red light means uh stop your comments.

Once again, council members cannot address your comments at this time.

If they choose to do so, they will do so later uh in the uh later on the agenda in the meeting.

Uh with that being said, can the clerk please call the first speaker?

Lisa Johnson.

And for anyone come just state your name.

You don't have to give your address to state what city or town or village you live in.

Um hi, my name is Lisa Johnson, and I live in Albany, New York.

Um, I'm here to speak about homelessness in the city of Albany.

Um my husband and I were both raised here right in Albany.

Um we raised our family here, and then our children left to go to college in the Syracuse area.

Um after college, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, and we had no choice but to come back home to Albany for his treatments, which he could only receive here, not in the Syracuse area.

Um we knew we were going to be homeless when we came back, but we had to come here for his care.

Um we seen firsthand how a broken system from the landlord to code inspectors to lawyers to judges, um, and even the court failed people who are in crisis.

Um just like you sitting here tonight, your life can change in a split second.

We filed every rule, we paid rent on time, we made arrangements with our landlord so we could travel for treatment, and still one day without warning, we were facing eviction.

That landlord's certified certificate of occupancy had been expired for five years, but no one enforced it.

We spend a year homelessness homeless here in Albany.

Some people were denied shelter just for uh expired IDs, we were told, and that was one barrier to shelter.

Uh we were denied apartments because of impossible income and credit rules with the cost of multiple rental applications that you have to fill out and background checks.

It drained our resources, and we needed rent, we need money for potential rent and for food.

On top of that, landlords were angry because DSS didn't remove them from the outdated list, creating conflict that we shouldn't have to have faced.

While we waited, the county had an apartment available for months, waiting for a homeless couple that they couldn't find the building headset.

Yet here we were homeless all that time.

The county never even did a coordinated entry with us.

What made the difference and the only difference was to Bora Marcus and her organization.

When the county failed at every turn, she got it done, she got it done quickly, efficiently, and with results that changed our lives.

She connected us to coordinated entry when the county would not.

She provided rental assistance when other programs had already run out.

She gets the job done right the first time.

I feel that Albany needs to partner with her and her organization because she already knows how to make it work, and the city cannot afford to repeat the failures we've experienced.

The truth is that uh with DSS, when files go missing, uh questions go unanswered, and each caseworker has different knowledge.

That's not a resource problem, it's a system failure.

Uh people are stuck in loops uh waiting for supervisors and answers that never seem to um occur.

Evictions are threatened, and married couples such as myself and my husband have been threatened with separation through different case workers because your regular case worker is out, and that's something that we shouldn't have to have dealt with either.

Umelessness isn't just numbers, it's families and people trying to survive while battling illness and financial hardship.

Uh there are too few coordinated entry workers for the city or the county.

Um there's inaccessible processes.

Um not everyone who becomes homeless uh struggles with mental illness or addiction, and in our case it was cancer.

Uh we don't need more studies, we don't need more campaigns, we just need action.

Uh real workers in real places healing and helping real people.

Uh that's how you get the people off the streets and into stability.

We feel that Albany must uh should um as a suggestion provide medical hardship eviction protections, then no eviction notices for tenants and active medical treatment um should um sorry, I lost my place.

Um provide a rapid response eviction prevention unit, um, act immediately when someone faces eviction or medical displacement, even a second on the street is too long.

Um I asked the council to partner with Deborah Marcus organization, she is the proven solution uh to fund the rapid response eviction prevention unit, um, pass medical hardship eviction protection ordinances, um, protect the sick, remove the barriers and enforce accountability.

Because if Albany doesn't act, the next family may be someone sitting in this room.

It could be uh it could be left out in the cold and rain, fighting illness, hoping for real help, and it won't be there if you don't act.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please call next speaker?

Benzie Johnson.

Sir, we can bring the microphone to you if that's better.

Okay.

Um I just want to, I'm not gonna state your name and address my name is Benzi Johnson.

Yep.

Uh former mayorial candidate, Ben Z Johnson.

Um I want to state that I'm not gonna go over everything that my wife have already gone over, but I'm gonna state this is that one day you can be a mayoral candidate, and the next day you can be homeless, and that can be for any of us here in this room, as well as any of us in the city.

Um my proposal to the city is that some of these buildings that they have that are vacant, and that they stick in the land bank.

I think they need to stop sticking them in the land bank and take some of these buildings and fix them up so that they can get the homeless off the street.

Um Miss Uh Deborah Marcus, um, as my wife had um stated earlier that her agency has helped us out.

Um we need the city to partner up with her agency and to help the citizens of Albany by getting them off the streets, so you can solve that homeless problem and be the heroes that the rest of the country can follow.

I want to say thank you very much for your time and have a nice evening.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please call the next speaker?

Jesse Summer, good evening, everybody.

My name is Jesse Summer, and I'm a resident of Ward 6, where I cosplay as the Sheriff of Lark Street.

Albany is collapsing, and everybody in this chamber knows it.

The governor herself recognizes our capital city is falling behind, which is why she's investing 400 million dollars in taxpayer money to champion Albany's potential.

The acronym for which her Gen Z staffers failed to tell her means lie.

No cap.

Albany is failing because of a paucity of vision on vivid display, for example, in the indefensible commitment of 150 million dollars to renovate the state museum and the fact that there's yet an application to build a soccer stadium sitting on Capitalize Albany's desk, much to the delight of the Times Union's Oracle from Manance.

And while a California consultancy built New Yorkers out of a million dollars so it could stage performative public workshops on how to use those funds, I've got 873 ideas, and they're all vacant buildings.

We could be returning to the tax rolls while forging a pathway to home ownership for low-income residents.

For the doping and addicted social media consumers in this room, you're aware that I'm mounting a party unaffiliated right-in-bid to lead this legislative body.

To that end, I again invite the Democratic Party candidate, Kelly Kimbra, to join me for a debate at 6 p.m.

on Wednesday, October 22nd at Lionheart on the Green, so we can lay out our visions for the future and have them tested by debate moderators and attendees.

If I'm elected to serve as common council president on November 4th, I'll be a force multiplier in advancing the 15 distinct and expressly articulated visions furthered by you common council members as the battlefield commanders of Albany's 15 wards.

Progress will have to be at the ground level because I have little faith structurally in this city's executive suite to meet the moment, regardless of who ends up squeezing into a mayor's office now stuffed with a half dozen exciting new paid positions.

I'll also operate as the city's de facto revitalization czar, facilitating interagency coordination at the city and county levels and publicly shaming any entity which stands in the way of progress.

This would entail arranging for criminal prosecution through the county district attorney's office of applicable offenses of the zoning code, so intended to facilitate deed transfers from absentee and non-compliant property owners to a capitalized agency, maybe the county land bank.

From there, as Czar, I'd solicit bids from local small business outfits, contractors, engineers, plumbers, and electricians intended to divide those once dilapidated structures into condominium-style units and rehabilitate them to such condition as justifies issuance of the certificate of occupancy.

The Tsar would then orchestrate a lottery passing legal muster for which applicants who meet specified criteria could obtain clear title to these owner-occupied condos, subject to certain temporary deed restrictions.

In our red line neighborhoods, entrenching pillars of the community in these generationally transferable assets would ward against gentrification while serving to rectify centuries' worth of socioeconomic and racial injustice.

Other units would be made available for the provision of shelter and services to small groups of unhoused individuals so as to prevent the massing of suffering in a single location, thereby minimizing the time this body will have to deal with not in my backyard complaints from the likes of both Karen and Chad.

Is formally appointing a revitalization czar a pipe dream?

Probably.

Because even Dan O'Connell wouldn't have had the audacity to create an eighth plumb patronage job on top of the shiny new deputy mayor, counsel to the mayor, director of policy, director of economic opportunity, director of communications, director of digital communications, and director of intergovernmental affairs.

For those of you following along at home, all that could be a one-person job.

It would be called the mayor.

Who will be getting a 13% raise?

And the city's current auditor is cool with all this.

And those out the door 13% she hand loyalty subsidies for the members of her administration who are returning for round four on a virtually uncontested ballot.

In Albany, things never change, and so I'm torn.

Though I'm sad that staples like El Loco and Amokocina have shut their doors specifically because of the poor business climate, I'm also only one space away from winning Albany's hit new game, Mexican restaurant, close your bingo.

To show you that I mean business as an innovative policy originator, I have an idea as to how we balance our budget without raising taxes.

Relying on our new traffic cameras.

We should lower the speed limit to four miles per hour.

At that rate of travel, no one will complain about all the potholes.

Thank you.

Chris Francisco, good evening, Council members.

My name is Chris Francis.

I'm a resident of four years at Tivoli Park Apartments and one of the proud tenant union leaders.

I'm here tonight because I care really deep about uh excuse me.

I care deeply about my community at Tivoli Park Apartments, and I've seen both its potential and its decline.

Tivoli Park used to be a peaceful, well-kept place to live.

I loved coming home to green spaces, friendly neighbors, and a sense of safety.

But since Opus management took over, the quality of life has sharply declined.

We're dealing with constant uh pest infest infestations, unmaintained landscaping, and ignored maintenance requests.

The property feels very neglected.

But worse than that, it's how the people living there are being treated by Opus Management.

After a devastating fire in 457 Livingston Avenue, instead of receiving compassion or support, some fire victims were retaliated against.

They faced intimidation, lease threats, and little to no assistance.

It was very heartbreaking response to people who had just lost everything.

And when we as tenants began began to organize and speak up, OPUS responded with clear union busting tactics and retaliation against union members.

Not to fight, but to fix what's broken.

We're asking the city to help hold Opus management accountable for their neglect on the property and mistreatment of leaseholders and their guests.

Thank you for your time and thank you for standing with the tenants.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please call next speaker?

Bebin Francis.

Good evening, all I'm so glad I have five minutes.

Just want to give you a quick update on Ida Yarbrough's tenant union.

We are we went to the negotiation table with Albany Housing Authority.

We now have a productive friendly working relationship.

I think to all of those in this room who supported that fight.

And Ida Yarbrough is in desperate need of a safety officer.

Tenants call me at least once a week where somebody is threatening folks with a gun or people are being stabbed.

And these are not being called into Albany Police Department because folks are afraid of the retaliation.

So I'm asking this council to support in any way you can to help us get those meetings with the mayor's office and with the police department.

Again, you all know I'm a tenant organizer and I also organize with the homeless union.

I was going to speak to homelessness tonight, but I think that was already well stated in this room tonight.

So I want to move on to Amsdale apartments.

The Amstell is supposed to be luxury apartments.

Folks are paying between 1,200 to $1,500 a month to live there.

But it's a luxury death trap.

When the tenants first called me to come over there to Amsdell, their concerns were around leaks, pest infestation, like raccoons, amenities that were promised and not kept.

And when I went and scout the building, I found that their fire exits were boarded shut.

And they didn't even realize that they were living in a fire trap.

With the help of their council member, we were able to get code in there and remove those boards.

But the hallways to those fire exits are still extremely dangerous with peeling paint, exposed wiring, metal protruding from the walls.

Also, since we started making some noise about the fire hazards in there, they started installing sprinkler systems.

But those sprinklers have little tabs on them that say remove after installation.

Those sprinklers will not spray, and those tabs are still on those sprinklers, and they're not consistently placed throughout the building.

I have a photo and it's written on the back to give you context as you looked at them.

But this is one of the hallways that has large metal, gnarly sharp metal sticking out from the wall.

Like if you're running for your life from a fire, you might cut yourself.

I cut myself there two nights ago when I was checking out these uh fire exits on a piece of metal sticking out of the wall.

Uh here's a photo of the unfinished construction on the entire half of the building.

Um this is a fire hazard, and we're also concerned about air, uh water and um air and water quality and mold, but this is also leading to the infestation, especially the raccoons.

Uh here is some terrifying exposed wiring in the basement.

Um more exposed wiring in the basement.

This is like electric cute uh, you know, electricity shock hazards.

Also, the back door of the building that leads to the basement is wide open.

There's not even a doorknob on it.

Uh so I started investigating in there, and they hung signs in there that said do not enter for the basement spaces.

But if you go around to the back of the building, doors wide open, walk right in there, walk right through that basement, open that door to the lobby.

So the locks on the front door are absolutely um useless.

And then for Tivley Park, we know about the fire there.

Um we've been trying to get the uh the landlord's attention before that fire.

We knew that there was fire hazards.

And there's photos in here with an email that they sent out after the fire telling folks not to use elect uh extension cords.

Um, but they had their stoves and refrigerators on extension cords.

Um and there's photos of that in here.

There's also several photos of mouse feces all over tenants' belongings, um, ridiculous mold and unsafe outlets.

So I'm gonna turn this in to be passed around for you all to get a better look.

Um, but they're also on the boards that the tenants are gonna be showing you.

Um, we need to hold these landlords accountable.

Uh Amsdale is Hudson Capitol properties as their management, but we dug around and we found that their landlord is actually Sam Dean from a private equity firm.

And if you Google this guy, you find nothing.

And it just speaks to like if you don't exist online, what are you hiding?

And we want to know.

Um, and then Opus Management CEO uh Seema Grumman lives in New Jersey, where she is in a little bubble away from accountability and is not responding to tenants' request for a meeting to negotiate.

Thank you so much.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Can a clerk please call the next speaker?

Bridget Savage Spees.

Hello, my name is Bridget Savage Spees, and I live here in Albany.

So I'm here today to talk about the many issues that several of the tenants have been experiencing in both Livingston and Amstell.

Tenants have had ongoing issues with serious fire hazards.

I used to work as an EMT in Rochester, and I have a lot of friends who are still firefighters and EMTs up there.

And fires are some of the worst things that they see.

And in situations where those are not active, it's some of the most horrific things you'll see.

So the issue with Livingston Park apartments, I think we're all very grateful that no one was hurt in that fire, but there's no guarantee that that will happen next time.

And there may very well be a next time because there has not been follow-up from code enforcement on a deadline to get these issues fixed.

But there was also no follow-up on getting those issues fixed before that could have prevented this fire.

Code enforcement knew that.

And yet nothing happened.

And while the boards are gone, as Bevan mentioned, the fire exits are still extremely dangerous.

There is trash and debris and metal poking out of the walls, which is not conducive to fleeing from a fire.

As they look fairly unsteady.

So building these codes, they don't exist because regulators thought they would be fun, and I think you guys know that.

But they're all these safety rules, they're written in blood.

And they are there because of many, many horrible accidents that we've had in the history of this country.

Um, including one in Chicago in 1903, um, where 602 people died in the Iroquois theater fire, um, which was touted by the designers of the building as being completely fireproof.

Um, but there was no code enforcement in Chicago at the time.

And so there the sprinkler systems didn't work, the fire exits were blocked, um, all because they assumed that the building could not catch fire.

Um, and this is the kind of thing that happened before we enforced codes in our cities.

Um, and that fire spread to nearby buildings.

It was the deadliest fire in American history.

Um, and we don't want to see these issues getting rolled back because we aren't willing to enforce the codes that people fought so hard for.

We don't see people dying in fires as much these days because we have strong code enforcement.

And if we stop doing that, we start we if we get complacent with that, then we end up rolling back to where we came from, where we came.

Um and tenants don't deserve to live in fear like that.

They don't deserve to live in buildings that are death traps, um, and they don't deserve to be retaliated against when they try to complain about that to management.

Um and so I really do urge you as city council members to um to think about what you can do to improve the situation that these tenants are living in and to make sure that everyone stays safe.

Thank you.

Clerk, please call the next speaker.

Marjani Aronson.

I could start.

My name is Marjani Aronson, of course, I'm here from Tidalius Park.

I don't need five minutes.

Unethical, inhuman, death trap, horrifying situation.

What I am going through, and many other people in the complex is going through, there is no gray areas when it comes to gas or electrics.

No gray, no loopholes.

I know law, I know violation law.

But everyone from the building management from code enforcement and national grid is appalling, sickening, especially when someone is doing wrong, and you try to go to the next person to help you, and you can't get help.

And everybody is bypassing law and code, something that you cannot do.

But my pet peeve is when somebody undermined me.

Like I'm no one, but I am someone, and I do not even feel like I am a human being at this point.

I know animals get more rights than this.

So with these unlawful conditions, like I said, is sickening.

And I'm done.

Thank you.

Can a clerk please call that?

Uh before we call the next speaker, Mr.

Kimbrough, we've reached our 30-minute mark.

We only got a few more left.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Motion to extend public comment 30 more minutes.

Second.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Those opposed.

Motion passes.

Um can the clerk please call the next speaker?

John Cutrow.

My name is John Coutreau, and I live at 727, Madison Avenue, Albany, New York.

I also happen to be the caretaker there with my wife of the Albany Quaker meeting house.

And um time traveling a little bit here back in the 70s.

We took in Salvadoran refugees there.

And uh we used to have to uh provide security and diversions to prevent them from being taken by ice when they went to religious institutions to talk about what they've experienced.

Um the thing that's hard for me right now is listening to all of this stuff about housing and risk to human life.

And what came to me is um uh uh an old folk singer friend of mine many many years ago, he wrote a song, and the um the refrain was we just come to work here, we don't come to die, and that can be easily adapted to this situation here.

We just come to live here, we do not come to die, and this is what people are uh talking about here.

I know I used to be the organizer of the Swan and Madison Tenants Association back in the 70s, and I don't know if you remember there was a fire there on Madison where Reggie had to jump out of a third floor window into the court in the back because there were no means of second egress at that location, and we had one of the longest running rent strikes strikes in Albany that actually wound up being ended in Albany police court because we had to take the landlord to court for violating the law by turning off our heat and hot water to get us out.

And unfortunately, the judge sitting on the bench, which I should be careful not to name him, uh, basically said no money, then you get no heat and no hot water.

And I remember you all know Roger Markovich, and I was about to get myself locked up because I said, Your Honor, I was starting to say, Your Honor, you know that's not the law.

And I I know he always used to have a lot of problems with people doing that kind of um confrontation and calling out the truth in a court of law.

But we all had to leave.

We had no heat, we had no hot water, and the government would not be responsible for saying that's right.

You cannot do that.

Well, um this brings me, I I guess, you know, one of the things that as part of the Albany community response team that we're trying to put together.

Um many of us have been working to try and get a response team to kind of fill the gaps when the help just doesn't come in time.

And we have to put together the networks that exist in the community of just ordinary people who have connections, who have the connections needed to say who can do this now, not tomorrow, tonight.

Who can do this?

And so when all of these organizations that we know of have been had their funding just devastated, the question is can the common council make up some of this?

And I think I know the answer, and the answer is no.

I would like the answer to be yes, but there will be a lot of performative yes kind of answers to that.

But the true answer to what has to happen is um mutual aid in the community of ordinary citizens.

And I would hope that this council could find a way to support that, even if it brings out angry responses because people are doing what they have to do to make sure people don't sleep on the street, and that they will then have ordinance cited that can have them arrested and possibly even deported.

That's something I would like for this council to stand against and to stand for supporting the development of community-based mutual aid to fill these gaps that I understand that government may not be able to even come close.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can a clerk please call next speaker?

Kyra Bruno.

Good evening.

My name is Kira Bruno, and I'm a resident at 175 J Street, known as the Amstel.

I moved to Albany in December of 2024, and after just two weeks of living at the Amstel, my fellow residents and I lost heat and hot water for three days in the den of winter.

And to my utter surprise, there was no communication from management alerting us that we had lost these basic utilities, and no communication as to when these utilities were going to be back on.

For months starting this spring and moving into the summer, our building spire alarm was going off two times a week, day and night.

After over ten times people started to stay inside when the alarm went off, increasing the risk that if there was a fire, people would not leave the building.

The cause for the alarms was our unventilated laundry room, which at times became so humid that it would steam the room up.

Frustrated, I called the building asking about the fire alarms and when it would be fixed, and they lied and said they had no idea it was happening.

Frustrated, I decided to check the sprinkler system in my own unit.

But unfortunately, both sprinklers had an orange tab that read remove after installation.

Everyone else I spoke to had the same tabs on their sprinklers.

With known leaks, breaker trips, exposed wires, poor ventilation and sprinkler systems with these remove after installation tabs.

I feared that a fire was likely.

Again, for three days, and there was not one email from management discussing the issue or when it would be fixed.

So we at the Amstel have taken initiative, and we started tenant union with the help of United Tenants of Albany because we believe that Amstdale can be a thriving place of community and love.

We've achieved an 80% majority, making us a supermajority tenant union.

And because of this, as Bevan mentioned, we've been able to make positive change in our fire exits.

We'll be hosting a press conference this Saturday, and I ask that any able-bodied council members attend in order to hold NIVNA and NRDC equities accountable.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can a clerk please call the next speaker?

Helen Cleason.

Helen Clayson, 817 Livingston Avenue, Albany.

I'm a member of a small working group, Albany Community Response Team, which came together in early January.

Precipitating a dent was that on Christmas Day, a family in West Hill was displaced by a fire.

Several members of the community, including Tabora Marcus and Tim Doherty, were able to connect with others to secure a place for the family to live and to replace necessary belongings.

Special thank you to Councilman Robinson for providing shelter to the family during the most vulnerable time, allowing the family to have a safe space while the community worked together to find permanent housing.

This situation led to the question what is available to people who have lost their homes due to a fire.

And as we further explored what happens to people who are in unsafe living situations due to domestic violence, being targeted for violence by members of the community or other circumstances.

And we learned not much is available.

I did speak with a community disaster program manager.

They can provide some money, quote, to get them through one to two days, close quote.

Red Cross and DSS can voucher stays at Motel 6, which is a hotbed of police activity, or Skylar Inn, which has health and safety issues.

There's limited availability of shelters for families.

There are organizations that can provide food and clothing and furniture, which is not helpful if you don't have a home.

Traditional government organizations for assistance can take 30 to 45 days to process an application if the person in need has no documentation, which was likely lost in a fire or left behind when a person escaped in unsafe situation.

Replacing documentation is another process.

If the person is able to find affordable housing, a challenge under the best of circumstances, then they need to find first month's rent security.

Nonprofits have been essential resources.

United Tenants, Trinity Alliance, Catholic Charities, Family Promise, Albany Community Land Trust, Gun Violence Prevention, and as you know, several of these groups are losing federal funding.

As we go into budget season, I'm here as the common council find a way to financially replace the essential services that these organizations provided.

I would also ask that Common Council address in concrete ways the problem, especially as we approach winter months, that vacant buildings are fire traps for people seeking shelter, and that considering the housing stock in older neighborhoods, attached homes, and wooden structures, other buildings are going to be compromised.

Thank you.

Keith Irish, good evening, Common Council members.

As you know, my name is Keith Irish, a lifelong city resident currently residing in one is known as the ninth ward.

I'm here tonight to make comments on several agenda items.

So here it goes.

First, the mayor released her 2026 proposed budget, not advising the residents of when and where again, continuing her tradition of not informing the public on anything her administration is doing until it's too late.

I have not gotten a copy of the printed budget yet, but I have seen or read a few highlights, mainly pertaining to increased elected persons' salaries and adding six new positions to the mayor's office as well as a 3% tax increase.

Shameful as usual.

The salary increases have I have seen show a proposed increase from 246% to 277%, which includes your salaries.

For being part-time positions, at best, these numbers are outrageous.

When your finance committee starts its meetings on the budget, I hope you, as well as the members of the public speak out on these increases.

I'm not saying that maybe some of you deserve increases, but not to this degree.

Especially for the full-time corner office persons downstairs.

And if any of you can provide me with a printed copy of the proposed budget, I would welcome it with open arms.

Next, I'd like to address resolution 117-10125R honoring Miss Clara Phillips.

I do not know her personally, but I was made aware of her work in the city, especially with the South End Children's Cafe.

I hope to in I hope a formal presentation could be scheduled at the Children's Cafe Senior Citizens Holiday themed monthly luncheon on Friday the 31st, Halloween Day itself.

Many seniors from different walks of life will be in attendance and celebrating the holiday at hand.

Next, I'd like to address resolution 116-10125R, declaring the week of October 6th to be Digital Inclusion Week, a national designation.

The resolution itself does not go far enough in its acknowledgement of the need for digital inclusion across the city, as there is still a wide divide among the different parts of the city, income and education levels.

But it's a slow, minor start on your behalf.

Hopefully, with the pending franchise agreement with Spectrum, this will change since the last franchise agreement was known countrywide as one of the worst ones out there.

Now for resolution 12010125R, a resolution opposing censorship of television media.

Wow, this is a big one.

Last night, our late night talk show hosts have been attacked for sure, and the general public should not stand for it as the first stand for it as the first amendment of the Constitution states otherwise.

Yet the current Albany administration, including yourselves, have also been doing the exact same thing here in the city with its community media cable access channels, commonly referred to as Channel Albany, consisting of three different channels on spectrum.

Public access, education access, and the big one, government access.

But underfunding the needs of these channels, the understaffing of the personnel requirements to correctly operate these channels, and the lack of citizen awareness of these First Amendment rights of free speech with these three channels is just outright sad.

And the worst part of this is that you, the common council, have the means to right these wrongs by properly funding, informing the residents, and yourself utilizing these sources of information distribution.

When it comes to government meetings, only your meetings get shown, and with poorly operated equipment to boot.

But we never see any other departments or agency meetings, information distribution, and a general informing the citizens of what you can do for them.

It would be amazing if the persons you appoint to the public education government access oversight board were actually informed and educated persons on the subject.

Maybe someday you will understand what I and others have been telling you what's needed to be done, actually gets done.

Thank you.

That is final uh person signed up for tonight's public comment period, so public comment period was deemed closed at this time.

We'll move on.

Can you come to the state your name and city, state, I mean city, village, or town you live in the white.

Perfect.

Thank you.

My name is Ian Butler.

I'm a resident of Albany.

Have been for the better part of ten years now.

Honorable members of the Common Council.

I am disheartened to have to appear before you once again to defend the dream of an inclusive Albany.

For the last few weeks, the mayor has mounted an increasingly heavy campaign against the inclusionary zoning ordinance that this very common council voted into law multiple times.

Unfortunately, five minutes is not nearly enough time to refute the excessive number of weak and downright inaccurate arguments, denigrating inclusionary zoning that the mayor continues to feed to the public.

Some of you may know this is a gish gallop, and I hope the council has not been fooled by the nonsense of these arguments.

So instead, today I want to focus on what I believe this effort is really about.

The hundreds of millions of dollars in state investment headed to Albany.

This is transformative spending for our city.

And how we act when presented with this opportunity is critically important to the future of Albany.

It's no secret that Albany's at an inflection point.

We've watched businesses leave, restaurants close, and our downtown become increasingly isolated from the rest of the city and its surrounding areas.

Before COVID, we could rely on office workers to bring commerce to downtown.

But this is a new world.

And applying old school thinking won't solve the issues facing us today.

Offering even more shiny incentives to large-scale developers is simply unnecessary.

Offices downtown are already being converted into housing.

Projects like RISE go forward under the current inclusionary zoning ordinance, even without historic building grants that fueled development at places like the Kenmore Building and the countless other beautiful historic properties that had access to those grants.

This large-scale development ignores the bigger problem.

The nearly 900 vacant and abandoned buildings owned by an almost equally large number of individuals.

If the goal is to revitalize Albany, it must start there.

It's impossible not to see the divide within the city.

Downtown communities like Arbor Hill, West Hill, and South End are filled with abandoned properties.

You can see it on the map.

I find it in absolutely embarrassing that Albany consistently ranks at the bottom for racial and economic inclusivity in this country.

We push our neighbors into areas so starved for investment that property owners readily abandon their own buildings.

At the same time, we see large-scale luxury housing being built in new and affluent neighborhoods.

Building new neighborhoods and funding it with state money just to be owned by out-of-town developers and investment groups sucks the long-term investment out of this city, and it fails to address the core issue of housing in Albany.

Over 60% of residents in the city are renters.

And that's more than double the national average.

As home prices and mortgage rates continue to rise, we can expect that number to only increase.

Half of Albany's renters spend more than 35% of their income on rent.

That's the definition of out of control.

Units suitable for a family cost on average over $2,000 a month and continue to climb at a rate of almost 6% a year.

Even if both adults in a household earn 20% more than the median income in this city, that's still unaffordable.

Meanwhile, vacancy rates sits at almost 10%, meaning the city's not even legally eligible for rent control.

This creates a cycle that traps and punishes low and middle income families for choosing to live in Albany and has established a new era of redlining.

This deeply hurts long-term residency, further destabilizing neighborhoods.

Still, development continues, we add to the housing supply, the rents rise even higher, and we continue to offer huge multi-year tax abatements to developers building in Albany.

We, the people of Albany, deserve to get something for this subsidization of luxury housing.

This council worked previously to formalize a contract with inclusionary zoning.

Studies in dozens of cities show that socioeconomic diverse neighborhoods experience greater satisfaction, less crime, and become more desirable places to live as a result.

That directly aligns with the goals of the championing Albany's potential initiative, the CAP initiative, which was what I believe we all want for Albany.

At the same time, we must work to ensure that everyone who wants to make their home in Albany has the opportunity to do so.

The goal must be to make downtown a neighborhood of choice where all our neighbors are welcome and where everyone can be proud to call and make Albany their home.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate your time.

Thank you.

That ends tonight's common council public hearing.

We now move on to uh approval of minutes from previous meeting, Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I offer the September 15th of 2025 meeting minutes for approval.

Second.

Second on that.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Those opposed.

Minutes approved.

Moving on to considerations of local laws.

Mr.

Conti.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice the introduction of local law B of 2025.

Can the clerk please read the local law?

A local law amending the chart the Charter of the City of Albany by adding a new Article 9 entitled Civic Inclusion and Rights Protection.

Thank you, Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you.

That will be a referral to our human resources human rights committee.

Thank you.

Continuing on with local laws, Mr.

Kimbrough.

Yes.

Thank you, sir.

I'll do the I'm just gonna do an MC and add all of the MCs if that's okay with you.

Okay.

Uh I'd like to add by majority consent uh local laws C of 2025, local law D of 2025.

Uh ordinances 27, 101, 25 through ordinance 58 101 25, uh as well as resolution 123 101 25.

I'd like to add those by majority consent.

Is there a second on that?

Second thank you.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Those opposed motion passes.

Okay.

Moving on to um reports of standing committees.

Oh I have to intro.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I know I didn't read the local laws that were being added to the agenda.

Um the clerk please read uh local laws C and local laws uh D.

Don't I have to introduce them or you introduce them?

Okay.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Uh I'd like to uh add on behalf of Ms.

Frederick, local law C of 2025 for introduction.

Can the clerk please read the local laws?

A local law amending section 42-263, annual salaries, elective officers of the code of the city of Albany in relation to salaries of elective officials local law.

Go ahead.

A local all amending the curbside waste collection fee.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Uh that also will be a referral to the council's finance committee.

Thank you.

Now we can move on to Ms.

Farrell with uh reports of standing committees.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The law buildings and code committee met on September 30th.

We discussed ordinance 217124 by Councilmember Frederick in relation to truck parking restrictions that pass through the committee unanimous unanimously with a positive recommendation.

Um we also discussed ordinance 5525 by Councilmember Conte, which um deals with heavy commercial vehicles on a portion of Madison Avenue that also passed through the committee unanimously unanimously with a positive recommendation, and we had uh discussion on ordinance 2091-25 by Councilmember Conti, which would rename Columbus Day to Francis Xavier Cabrini Day.

Um we are not passing that through yet, and but council member Conti is will be amending it to um be Cabrini Day and Indigenous People's Day.

Um and we look forward to continuing that discussion at a future point.

Thank you.

Any further uh Ms.

Keegan.

Thank you.

Um the uh workforce ethics and cultural committee met this evening at 6 p.m.

Um to provide an update on the status of the expenditure of the audit funds that we secured in for fiscal year 2025 to assist with the work of the committee.

Thank you.

Any further?

Seeing none, we'll move on to the ordinances uh section.

Um bear with me because I got a lot of ordinances that I want to make sure that the MC that we get them all.

Um so starting with the introductions of ordinances, uh Mr.

Kimbral, you're Mr.

Clerk.

The ordinance twenty seven one on one point that we MC'd already.

Yeah, but we got a couple in the intro section that started with Mr.

Starting with Mr.

Sorry, Mr.

Clark.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Like to notice ordinance 2410125 and ask for its introduction.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the ordinance?

In ordinance amending chapter 375, unified sustainable development ordinance of the code of the city of Albany in relation to returning the affordable housing requirement to its original level.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

We refer to a council's planning committee.

Thank you.

Continuing on Mr.

Nani.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice ordinance 25101.25 and ask for his introduction.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the ordinance?

In ordinance amending chapter 375, unified sustainable development ordinance of the code of the city of Albany by changing the zoning classification of parcel known as 540 Myrtle Avenue Tax Map Parcel Number 65.77.2-47 from resident from residential two unit R2 to residential multi-unit RM and amending the zoning map accordingly.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Referral to the Council's Planning Committee.

Thank you.

And Mr.

Kimbrough, you have the next ordinance introduction.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Uh I notice ordinance 2610125 and ask for its introduction.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the ordinance?

An ordinance amending chapter 231 housing of the code of the city of Albany by adding a new part 7 thereto requiring the disclosure of beneficial owners of limited liability companies and other entities that hold residential properties in the city of Albany.

Thank you.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

This referral of the council's law buildings and code enforcement committee.

Thank you.

And Mr.

Kimbrough for Ms.

Frederick.

Yes.

I notice ordinance 27-10125 through ordinance 5810125 for purposes of introduction.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the ordinance?

An ordinance adopting the city of Albany's budget for fiscal year 2026 as presented by the mayor on October 1st, 2025.

Thank you.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Referral to finance.

Thank you.

And that is conclusion.

Conclusion of our ordinance of introduction.

Now we'll move on to ordinances held.

Mr.

Flynn.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I know this ordinance 217124 and ask for its passage.

Are we not introducing the rest of it?

Which one?

The bonds.

The bonds.

Oh, I don't have it.

So what is that?

But I thought it is not here.

We can do it.

Sorry, Mr.

To read them, right?

Yes.

Yeah.

Mr.

Kimbrough, since you're sitting in for Ms.

Fredericks.

Yeah.

So I introduced them as a range, so I think she just has to read.

Read them.

And then I refer them at once.

It's kind of early for this, right?

Can the clerk please read the ordinances?

So an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York at a maximum estimated cost of 1 million 913,000 in authorizing the lease financing or issuance of 1 million 913,000 serial bond of said city to pay the costs thereof.

Police public safety IT system.

In ordinance Can we the number the ordinance number?

Can you throw that in there?

Yes, sir.

I just read ordinance 2810125, 2910125, 3010125.

Ordinance number 31125 and ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the city of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 1 million 500,000 and authorizing the lease financing or issuance of 1,500,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Fire emergency services, fire apparatus.

Ordinance 32, 10125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 400,000, and authorizing the lease financing or issuance of 400,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Fire emergency services, fire station, infrastructure improvements.

An ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 250,000, and authorizing the lease financing or issuance of 250,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering maintenance equipment.

Engineering roadway striping.

Engineering traffic safety equipment.

I'm sorry, I just read uh ordinance 3210125 through 3510125.

Ordinance 3610125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases of the City of Albany, New York at a maximum estimated cost of 1,500,000, and authorizing the lease financing or issuance of 1,500,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering traffic signals improvement.

Ordinance 3710125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 1 million, and authorizing the lease financing or issuance of 1 million serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering traffic reduction.

Ordinance 3810125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 1 million, and authorizing the lease financing or issuance of 1 million serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering traffic studies.

Ordinance 3910125 and ordinance authorizing certain purchases of the by the city of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of $4,500,000, and authorizing the lease financing or issuance of $4,500,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering renovations to city buildings.

Ordinance 40 10125 and ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 300, 330,000, and authorizing the lease financing of the or the issuance of 55,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering climate smart community planning.

Ordinance 41125.

Engineering 88 compliance.

Ordinance 4210125.

Engineering sidewalk reconstruction.

Ordinance 4310125.468,000 and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 5 million serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering street reconstructions.

Ordinance 4410125.

An ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York at a maximum estimated cost of 650,000, and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 650,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Engineering street lights capital improvements.

Engineering Washington Park traffic reconfiguration.

General Services, Capitol Hills Rehabilitation, and Improvements.

Ordinance 4710125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 500,000 in authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 500,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

General services, automated public restrooms.

Ordinance 4810125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 500,000 and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 500,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

General Services Citywide Irrigation System.

Ordinance 4910125.

An ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York at a maximum estimated cost of 500,000 in authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 500,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

General services, ridgefield park restroom rehabilitation.

Ordinance 51.

Excuse me, ordinance 50, 10125.

An ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 250,000, and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 250,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

General services, uh security fence installation, ordinance 51125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the city of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 300,000, and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 300,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

General services storage structures.

Ordinance 52, 10125.

An ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the city of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of $2 million in authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of $2 million serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

General services, street sidewalk resurfacing.

Ordinance 53, 10125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 250 50,000 in authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 250,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

General services, street skate and park fixtures.

Ordinance 5410125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York at a maximum estimated cost of 250,000, and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of $62,500 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Neighborhood services, Lincoln Park Connector.

Ordinance 5510125, an ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York at a maximum estimated cost of 135,000, and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 135,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Recreation court resurfacing.

An ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the city of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 100,000 and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 100,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Recreation maintenance equipment.

An ordinance authorizing certain purchases by the City of Albany, New York, at a maximum estimated cost of 250,000 and authorizing the lease financing or the issuance of 250,000 serial bond of said city to pay the cost thereof.

Recreation playgrounds.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

They were all referrals to the council's finance committee.

Thank you.

Finance.

Finance.

Did I not say finance?

I don't know.

Mr.

Holy might have heard different.

Moving on to ordinance ordinances held.

Mr.

Flynn.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Notice ordinance 2171 24 as first passage.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the ordinance?

An ordinance amending Article 2 traffic regulations of Chapter 359 Vehicles and Traffic of the Code of the City of Albany in relation to truck parking restrictions.

Discussion on this ordinance.

Hearing none, can the clerk please call the roll?

Adams.

Yes.

Anani.

Yes.

Clark.

Yes.

Conte?

Yes.

Farrell.

Yes.

Flynn?

Yes.

Howie.

Yes.

Johnson?

Yes.

Keegan.

Yes.

Co-sponsor, please.

Kimbrough.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Zamer.

Yes.

11 in the affirmative.

Ordinance passes.

Mr.

Conte.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um, I notice ordinance 5.52.25.

Uh request passage and a roll call vote thereon.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the ordinance?

An ordinance amending chapter 359 vehicles in traffic of the code of the city of Albany in relation to prohibiting the operation or parking of certain heavy commercial vehicles on the on a portion of Madison Avenue.

Discussion on this ordinance.

Seeing none, uh, Mr.

Adams.

Uh sponsor.

Uh this is not time to ask questions.

Uh, you should ask questions of the sponsor before.

Are you asked by the first time recognizing this is being presented?

So just want to have a last-minute clarification.

What do you mean when you present it?

It went through committee.

It's I mean it's been on the agenda for a while.

Again, this is my first time.

I'm not gonna allow you to ask a question when we're ready to vote on the bill on the ordinance.

If you want clarification of something that's different, are you asking asking for clarification?

What is the clarification of what?

The clarification is in regards to the streets listed on here, and if there's any possible way that there's additions that can also be adjusted to account for the area, not at this time.

Okay.

Thank you.

Can the clerk call the role, please?

Adams.

Anani.

Clerk?

Yes.

Conte?

Yes.

Farrell?

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Flynn?

Yes.

Howie?

Yes.

Johnson?

Present.

Keegan.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Kimbrough.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Zamer.

Yes.

Nine in the affirmative, two present.

Ordinance passes.

Can um sorry, Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The rest of the ordinances on the agenda are held.

Thank you.

Moving on to resolutions introduced.

Ms.

Keegan.

Correct.

Um, I would like to notice resolution 113-101-25R and ask for its passage.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

113.

Did she say one of them?

I said 113.

101 25R.

Thank you.

A resolution of the Albany Common Council honoring October as domestic violence awareness month.

Thank you.

Uh discussion on this resolution.

Since seeing none, since we're all co-sponsors on this, this would be a voice vote.

All those in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Resolution passes.

Continuing on, Mr.

Conti.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

I offer resolution 114.101.24R.

Ask its passage in a vote thereon.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the Albany Common Council commemorating October as Italian American Heritage Month.

Discussion on this resolution.

Seeing none, and you all are co-sponsors on this one as well.

We'll take a voice vote.

All those in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Continuing on when entered resolution introduced.

Since Ms.

Frederick is here, Mr.

Kimbrough will do in her honor.

Ms.

Kimbrough.

Yes, thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice resolution 115-10125.

R and ask for its passage.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the Common Council honoring October 13th as Indigenous People Day in the City of Albany.

Any discussion on this resolution?

Seeing none, since you're all co-sponsors, another voice vote.

All those in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Continuing on.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Yes, sir.

I notice resolution 116 10125 and ask for its passage.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council declaring the week of October 6th through October 10th, 2025, to be digital inclusion inclusive inclusion week in the city of Albany.

In discussion on this resolution.

Mr.

Kimbrough?

Yes.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

This resolution recognizes October 6th through 10th as Digital Inclusion Week in the City of Albany.

It's an opportunity to highlight the importance of ensuring that every resident, regardless of income, age, or neighborhood, has access to affordable internet, digital devices, and the skills needed to use them.

In today's world, digital access is essential for education, employment, health care, and civic participation.

By joining the National Digital Inclusion Week Initiative, we are reaffirming Albany's commitment to closing the digital divide and supporting the work of our community partners who make this goal a reality.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Seeing none, since you're all co-sponsors, force vote.

All those in favor.

Aye.

Thank you.

Resolution passes.

Continuing on Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice uh resolution 117.101.25R and I asked for his um introduction and passage.

Thank you, can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council honoring the life and legacy of Miss Clara Phillips.

Discussion on this resolution.

Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you.

Um Miss Clara Phillips.

She's one of the sweetest people that um lived in the city of Albany.

And um when I think about Ms.

Phillips, I just think about the kids that she produced in our community.

They never have an aggressive bone in their body.

Miss Um Claire Phillips was a person that you can go to about one thing, and she would just volunteer to do 10 more things.

And I think in the um South End, uh she is credited uh with being part of the inspiration for uh Mississippi Day and uh Mississippi Day is um become very important because a lot of people don't know how their families um migrated to Albany um um through from Mississippi, and I think that uh that event has been very informative.

It uh is a family um event that um many people throughout the city look forward to each um year, and so um I felt like it was important for us to um do a resolution uh on uh her behalf, but I'm hoping um as a city that we do something um that would uh carry on her name because she was a giant in our neighborhood, uh one of the kindest people, and um just gonna be a smile on the face, and she was uh a very stern supporter of mine.

So um, you know, we we we we lose people every day, but not the type of person that Ms.

Phillips was.

So I thank um everyone for being a um a supporter of this um resolution and I hope it brings the peace and joy to her family because they shared her um with us for a long time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Seeing none since you're all co-sponsors, voice vote, all those in favor.

Aye, thank you.

Resolution passes.

Uh continuing on uh Mr.

Kimbrough, you're gonna do Mr.

Robinson's Yes, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice resolution 118 101 25 and ask for its passage.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council appointing Michaela Robinson as a member of the Commission on Human Rights.

There any discussion on this resolution, Ms.

Geegan.

I would just since our chair is not here, I would just like to note that Ms.

Robinson came in to interview for the committee, and she's just such an exemplary young person, and we're so grateful for her willingness to serve um the city of Albany, particularly on this issue.

So thank you.

Thank you for that.

Mr.

Johnson.

And I just want to add, um, she didn't say much today, but her interview um she showed a lot of um promise and very impressive um in some of the things that she um talked about.

So um great choice.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please call the roll Adams?

Yes, co-sponsor Anani.

Yes, co-sponsor.

Clark?

Yes, co-sponsor.

County, yes, co-sponsor, please.

Farrell.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Uh Flynn.

Yes, co-sponsor.

Howie.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Johnson.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Keegan.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Kimbrough.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Zamer.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

11 in the affirmative.

Resolution passes.

Congratulations.

Welcome aboard.

Ms.

Robinson.

Continue on the resolutions.

Introduce Mr.

Howie.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice resolution 119.101.25R and ask for its uh introduction and uh vote.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council opposing censorship on television media.

Discussion on this resolution.

Mr.

Howie.

Yeah, I this um this uh resolution came up a few weeks ago, um, but we haven't met.

So even though uh one of the reasons that it came up was when Jimmy Kimmel was taken off the air for exercising free speech, and uh we all know what's going on in this country right now, and uh it's it's terrible.

And uh I didn't grow up in this United States uh through my education and stuff.

I never thought we'd be at this point where people are being um SWAT teams coming in, dragging people out.

Uh it's just like an oppressive uh time, and I I can't believe it's happening in this country.

So I this is just one way of saying that the first amendment is the most important amendment that we have the right for free speech.

So I hope everybody can uh approve on this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion?

Seeing none since you're all co-sponsors, is we a voice vote.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Thank you.

Resolution passes.

Mr.

Howie.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice resolution uh 120-101-25R and ask for its uh introduction and roll call vote.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council appointing Warren Hamilton as a member of the community police review board.

Discussion on this resolution, Mr.

Howie.

Yes, Mr.

Hamilton appeared um in front of the public safety committee and unanimously was approved to serve on the community police review board.

Mr.

Hamilton has served previously, was vice chair, has the training, he's ready to hit the ground running.

And uh we're very lucky to have him come in and be able to you know serve.

All our positions have been filled, and I want to at this point bring out that the mayor's office has three positions for years now that they have not filled.

And I will be introducing legislation in the near future that after a certain amount of time, if the mayor can't fill those positions, the council will gladly find people to serve this important um board.

One of the things is there's supposed to be nine people there, nine people to divide the work.

Right now we have six people, and they're all working extra to cover that extra 30 percent that's missing.

So I wanted publicly to say this this cannot go on, and we'll have to do something about it in the near future.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Howie.

Any further discussion, Mr.

Anani?

Uh thank you, Mr.

President, and just want to congratulate um uh Mr.

Warren Hamilton for his willingness to serve.

Uh I wasn't at the interview process meeting.

But um, I hear nothing but great things.

Um, particularly about the work that you do.

Um, I just want to let you remind you also too that uh the CPRB is something that's really important and near to many of us on the council.

Um and I want to make sure that you know when it comes to level of independence that you're not beholden to any elected official, not the corner office, but the people of the city of Albany.

Um and the person that you're taking their seat uh fought diligently for this city, uh hard worker, um, somebody who was passionate about justice and making sure that uh people held accountable so to see that you feel you're going to be filling.

Uh yeah, big shoes to fill, but uh ultimately with everything I've heard so far, I think you're the right candidate for this position.

So I just wish you all the best and always remember um you're here to um be on the board to represent the people, not any elected official, not the corner office, not leadership.

Thank you.

Thank you.

See no further discussion.

Can the clerk please call the roll?

Adams.

Yes, Anani.

Yes, Clark?

Yes, co-sponsor.

County?

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Farrell, yes, co-sponsor, please.

Flynn?

Yes, co-sponsor.

Howie, yes.

Johnson?

Yes.

Keegan.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Kimbrell?

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Zamer.

Yes.

11 in the affirmative.

Resolution passes.

Welcome, Mr.

Continuing on with resolution introduced.

Uh Mr.

Clark.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice resolution 1210125R ask for its introduction.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the Common Council authorizing a public hearing regarding acquisition of by eminent domain of 502, 504, and 506 Rap Road in for construction of solid waste transfer station.

Thank you.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you.

That will be a referral to the Council's Finance Committee.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I know it's resolution 122-10125R and ask for a vote there on a vote on this, okay.

Um can the clerk please read the resolution.

A resolution of the Common Council.

A resolution of the Common Council declaring itself lead agency for the state environmental quality review of the city's acquisition of by eminent domain of 502, 504, and 506 Rat Road North and declaring itself excuse me, and declaring it in unlisted action.

Thank you.

Uh is there any discussion on this resolution?

Mr.

Howie?

Yeah, I'm gonna be opposing this.

Um we're setting ourselves up to be the lead agency for a seeker on property that is not ours right now that we will do a hearing and have to vote on do an eminent domain.

From what I've read in the uh the newspaper, the owners of this property do want to sell it, but they want they don't feel what the city is offering is a fair price.

I don't know what the fair price is, but I think that we really need to hear it out before we vote that we're gonna, you know, it we're putting the the cart in front of the horse on this one, I believe.

So I will be voting no.

Thank you.

Yeah, I feel the same way you feel.

Um but is there any further discussion?

Excuse me, seeing nothing.

Go ahead.

You can support this and still vote no on the actual legislation right, correct?

I have no clue.

I'm not a lawyer on this.

Mr.

Clark.

I I don't even know what to do.

It's it's not a vote as to the proposal at all.

Uh it's just starting the secret process.

I still think that the planning board should be more involved in the process, but this board has set um precedence that we're gonna serve as lead agency for these types of matters.

So again, a vote to be lead agency uh doesn't mean that we've actually done seeker.

It does not mean you're supporting opposing the project and unlisted action, just means that it has less than 10 acres of disturbance and is otherwise subject to seeker.

So um hopefully the other members are comfortable voting on this again.

It doesn't move anything forward with the uh actual act.

I mean, we can be seekers of property we don't want.

All right, call the roll Adams, Banani President.

Yeah, I get Clark, yes, Conti?

Yes, Farrell, yes, Flynn, yes, Hoey, no.

Johnson, yes, Keegan, yes, Kimbrough, yes, Zamer, yes.

Nine, yes, one no, one present.

Resolution passes, continuing on Mr.

Kimbral for Ms.

Frederick.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice uh resolution 123-10125 and ask for its passage.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council establishing the local locally adjusted base proportion of the homestead and non-homestead classes for property taxes per tax purposes pursuant to Article 19 of the real property tax law.

Is there any discussion on this resolution?

Mr.

I'm sorry, we're voting on this.

This is not what we just need the rates, right?

But this goes to finance.

That's what he just said.

He called it.

That's what it is.

So we understand the formula, etc.

Yeah.

Referral to finance.

So you're going to withdraw the motion to vote and refer to finance.

Just for introduction purposes.

Oh.

No, he moved.

Yes, we're just introducing it.

But he's referring it to finance.

Yeah.

So on the floor, referring to finance.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Ms.

President, be referral of Council's Finance Committee.

Yes.

The rest of the resolutions on the agenda are held.

Thank you.

Ms.

Kimbrell.

We're gonna do the we wanted to do a we'll do it after the meeting.

Yeah, the executive set.

We're gonna do an executive session, though.

I just on the agenda are held, so we can move to miscellaneous.

Okay.

They're miscellaneous business.

I'll recognize Ms.

Keegan because I did see her hand first.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I I just want to very quickly take a moment.

We were supposed to do this during caucus and it didn't happen.

So I want to recognize Ariana Costello.

She is a University at Albany student, former Albany High student, who is going to be interning with me for the next several months.

You'll be seeing her at council meetings.

She's very interested in environment and climates.

She will be working with me on updates to our complete streets to add a green streets component to bring green space equity to and throughout the city.

So everyone, please welcome Ariana to our meetings.

Welcome.

Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

First, I want to say I'm tired of riding down Trinity and making it right on Madison and seeing people smoking crack and in um broad daylight.

I woke up the other morning and I I said people who use drugs have more rights than people who don't use drugs in the city of Albany.

And so I come here tonight and I see a childhood friend in the audience, and I go over and I just say, you know, hey, what's going on?

And you know, we um do a lot of discussion, discussing about issues in the city of Albany, but you know, here it is, another budget, and we have no um approach to uh uh to deal with something that is um knocking people out of apartments, you know.

When we think about homelessness, it like like um the gentleman said, you know, uh uh a mentor of mine said, you know, um one decision away from being um homeless.

That's a real statement.

And you know, I always use myself.

I got a letter in the uh mail the other day from my um landlord, and it said something like after reviewing the um buildings um uh bills, you know, we feel the need to uh raise your rent 86 dollars.

And I just thought about what did my apartment contribute to the expenses of the building, and it was it was none.

And you know, um they have created a market in Albany where whatever the landlord, you're at the mercy of your landlord, they determine the value, they determine um a bunch of things that you are affected by the decisions that they make, and I just say that I know that um I'm fortunate enough to be able to absorb um these uh changes that come my way, but everybody is not a um fortunate enough, and you know, we are in another budgeted season, and we're just doing the same stuff that we've been doing over and over, giving money and more money to um the same departments, and you know, we're hearing people complaining about the quality of life in our city.

And you know, I feel as the chair of housing, it's like we're like I almost feel hopeless on things that we should be able to do something about it because we gave building and codes a whole bunch of um, we empowered them to enforce rules, but it seems like the rules are only enforced against residents and business owners.

You know, um my um um the person who owns my building got fined $8,000 by the state.

That means that it was opportunities for buildings and codes to um um um establish some fines, and I think that as long as people are allowed to conduct business with renters as they are in the city of Albany, they're gonna keep on doing the same things.

And I think that as long as people are allowed to conduct business with renters as they are in the city of Albany, they're gonna keep on doing the same things.

And it's unfortunate, and I think that it's something that um there has to be something that we can do.

Um, because like I said, we empower uh buildings and codes to be able to do some of the things that they're doing.

And you know, the calls that I receive, how businesses are um getting visits uh um in the middle of doing a business transaction and they come in and shut them down.

I think that um it should be um some type of support for um people that are in real bad situations, and you know, I'm just so tired of hearing how our community is reaching out to departments that's supposed to be um working for the residents, and all they're getting is a the um merry-go-round.

So um these things are are are are getting bigger, you know.

As I was writing down some of the things, um some of the uh stuff that uh we're struggling with in the city is just getting larger.

And you know, I'm tired of seeing faces that I'm seeing um come in here.

We we got people that are workers, you know.

Um Benji Johnson has been a worker my whole life.

You know, um and and uh we are you know we have to be able to figure this stuff out because you know um things are gonna happen to people and we don't want people that have supported our city uh paid taxes, put their kids through our um schools, you know, stayed here and been a productive members to uh fall flat on their face without us having a plan to deal with the things that we're struggling with.

So I I sympathize every time that I have to hear someone come in here and talk about um issues dealing with uh rental properties, you know.

Um you know I wish we had the answer.

I wish we could figure it out and uh ask them not to leave so that they could know that it is um beneficial to come down here and have this conversation with us and that we um hear them and we're gonna um try to do something about it.

Uh I want Albany to be better for all, you know.

Um definitely I want Albany to be better um for the second war, but um that gentleman that came in and spoke about um inclusionary housing, we need more people that understand this stuff um clear to come down here and speak to this because I said the messaging and program, and I'm sorry if I'm a little long-winded tonight, but it's it's it's painful to um listen to some of the stuff that comes out of the mayor's office attacking the work that we do on behalf of the people.

And um I just hope that my colleagues stand strong.

We did what we did because it was in the best interest, and it's a lot of money getting ready to come um down the pipeline.

We should need to set that money up so it works best for our city.

Thank you.

Mr.

Adams, I think I saw your Mr.

Adams.

Oh, Mr.

Conte.

Uh thank you, Mr.

President.

I just want to acknowledge the uh tenants from the Amstel who are here tonight, uh, which is in my ward, um, and I'm aware of the issues there of work with the building department on some of them, but I know there's more work to be done there, and I'm committed to working with you guys.

Thank you, Mr.

Conte.

See no further.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

I'm sorry, Ms.

Kimbral, no, but I missed.

Okay, so you we can we can adjourn in executive session, correct?

We'll go in executive session and then do we have to come back.

Uh if you're looking to enter executive session, you would have to make a motion for that before you adjourn the meeting.

Right, right, right.

Yeah, so but we can you make the motion to go in.

Executive session and discuss the personnel issue.

Sound right.

All those in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Motion passes.

Okay.

So now we're good.

So everyone has to leave.

We can end this.

We can