Okay.

Let me know what way to go.

Ready to go?

Okay.

Thank you, everybody, for joining us today at our planning economic, our planning economic development and land meeting.

Uh today in the agenda, we will be addressing our residential parking permit system.

Before then, can I have staff do a quick vocal, please?

Adams.

Ballorin.

Here.

Clark.

Here.

How are we?

Here.

Zammer.

Here.

For present.

We're also joined by Councilmember Conti as well as Chief Traffic Supervisor William Trudeau.

Okay, so we're gonna jump right into it.

If we can have Bill join us.

Should I be giving these out to people?

Bill, should I be giving these out to people or how are we doing this?

What's that?

I didn't hear you.

They're large versions of the small ones that are on your desk.

Well, let's work with the small ones for now.

I'll put that over here.

Okay.

The mic is yours, Bill.

All right, as a follow-up to our last meeting.

I took the recommendations from the committee and put them into the negotiated inclusion sheets, which are on the larger uh sheets here.

And then we created uh on the maps that you have the purple streets, uh streets that are in purple are the new uh proposed additions to the system uh both in or in all three zones A, B, and C, and we put in some uh we extended the boundaries to reflect the inclusion of those streets.

Okay, thank you.

Um before we get started, though, actually I I apologize.

Do we have any public comment?

Do we have anyone that wants to do public comment on this?

No.

Okay.

Do we have anyone in the audience that wants to do a public comment on the parking uh permit system?

No.

Okay.

Just wanted to make sure.

Just wanted to make sure I give that an option.

Okay.

So uh how do we so what are the next steps we need to take to move this forward?

Uh well, actually, are there any questions about the purple streets that have been added that were that we spoke about last uh meeting?

Uh Councilmember Hoy and then Councilmember Conti.

Uh thank you.

And my question was um since this was uh former council member Romero's legislation and Councilman Conti picked it up.

I my question was does is he happy with it?

So I'll yield and hear what he has to say.

Thank you.

Well, I I had a question.

Um so what Bill did was take the map and just indicated the streets that we had indicated we wanted to expand to.

Um but the zone boundaries are still a question that I had, and I think um the amended legislation that we have in front of us, which has revisions to the zone boundaries, the meets and meets and bounds.

Um does do those I don't know, do those revisions necessarily reflect the maps that Bill gave us.

In other words, did I think Bill took the the streets and outlined them, but separate from that is creating the zone boundaries, which I don't think Bill you did based on the draft that we have here, which I think uh I believe Alyssa did Alyssa do this?

I think she did it.

Yeah, our office did work on that.

Okay.

So I don't uh the these two match.

Assuming these are the same maps that we were working off of, the what the drafted legislation or the potential amendment to the legislation should reflect the map.

I believe we included uh sections such as Brantford Street, uh Myrtle Avenue where that's one thing.

I mean that the aside from that is the boundary of the zone, because there are people who don't necessarily live on uh permit designated streets that would also be within the zone and be entitled.

So on the maps uh where we have the legend zone boundary, do those zone boundaries on the maps that Bill gave us reflect the meets and bounds in the ordinance uh that elicited.

They sh generally should.

Uh there is uh language in the other parts of the code uh in that section that extend the zone to uh lots on both sides of those streets.

So for instance, along South Lake Avenue, uh any lots that would qualify should technically be involved, included in that zone boundary.

Um that's just a function of the rest of the uh of another part of the legislation, not the boundaries themselves.

Mm-hmm.

But otherwise we did go line by line uh for the adjustments to the zone boundaries.

There are some um zone boundaries again.

If I'm looking at zone C.

Um, which right now, the current zone C is a kind of a compact area that really focuses on like on the Tembrock triangle area and the surrounding area.

Um and in bringing in those additional streets on orange, which are no problem.

Um, but it creates kind of a an interesting new zone map, and I'm wondering where the the orange street ones really don't have that same connection to Tembroke.

And I'm just I I'm not I don't know.

I don't want to suggest should that be a separate zone like a D.

So I I do see what you're talking about.

In earlier drafts from uh what our office had worked on, we did include that in zone A.

Um, zone A would be uh I think it's just the adjacent.

That I don't know if that makes sense either, but when we worked on it, when we worked on it, it was we had the same question.

Yeah.

And we thought keeping it in zone C from a simplicity purpose made sense.

Uh it also when we looked at trying to create this, we did try to bring it all the way up to South Swan Street and then come in that way.

If you came up Clinton Avenue, and I guess we could go back to that if that's the desire.

No, I don't know.

I'm just looking at it, and it's kind of, you know, you you you the the each zone, I mean the streets within a zone tend to be connected and connected to uh I don't know, you might say community of interest where there are similarities, et cetera.

Uh and in some of them you're bringing even on the one for zone B when you're bringing Morton, that also it's not as far removed.

Um, but that that's probably okay, because it you know it's it's so it will get disconnected.

And Morton is just different.

A lot of the zone C was I'm sorry, B was in the mansion area and pastures.

But it's just um yeah.

I mean it it it's it's doable, but it you're also bringing in permit holders that I guess it's doable, I mean.

We can look at it any way you want that the committee decides they want to go with this.

Uh we did it from more of a simplicity purpose rather than creating a uh th a fourth zone that could be by itself or in the future could be included or I just thought this was the easier way of doing it.

And again, jury's out on it.

It can go either way.

I mean, doing a fourth zone will just create more work and everything, probably you don't want to do that.

Uh so uh we can you know see how it works, and then if there's a need to make adjustments, we can always adjust if we have to.

At a later point once we have experience.

Um you wouldn't be disqualifying anybody, but all right.

Um you wouldn't be disqualifying anybody, but we certainly had some streets in zone A in the very beginning that weren't part of the system.

Right.

But we're within the boundary.

The hardest part is we're only dealing with 750 additional spaces.

So it's it's hard to connect everything that was was asked for.

Yeah.

And just remind me, how many we didn't allocate all 750, correct?

749.

Oh, it's only one.

We squeaked it in under one.

I thought there was a little bit more space.

Okay.

Yeah, there I'm not really aware of any available spaces in the entirety of the system.

All right.

Okay.

Do any other questions by committee members?

Councilmember Adams.

Yes, thank you.

Um just for a point of clarification for the residential permit system that operates or works 24 hours.

No, 8 a.m.

to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

Okay.

Yeah.

Eight to five or eight to six.

Eight to six?

She's got she's a younger brain than mine.

Eight to six.

But it is Monday through Friday.

Okay.

Any uh additional questions?

So I'm gonna ask you, Bill, what what steps do we need to take now to move this forward?

Are we ready have we cleaned up the language?

Are we ready to go?

So just to clarify it the the amended version here with the meets and bounds here reflect the zone boundaries indicated on the map.

And if we're okay with the zone boundaries, then you have everything is put together.

So everyone just take a quick minute to take a look at it, make sure that if you're comfortable with the drafted legislation, if you could member Howie?

Yeah, if we pass the self-redo, could we do it with uh say that that the written boundaries we're gonna double check to make sure that they match up with what the map says.

Well, the map is what we really want, but that the written matches the map that we're gonna pass it, but we're gonna verify you also before oh, we're meeting tonight.

Never mind.

Well, I don't think we would be voting on this on the meeting tonight.

I I it needs to go to it needs to go to public hearing.

Uh so it's still even passed today still has more time.

I don't believe this.

Does it Richard?

Do you bel do you remember if this goes to before public hearing?

Yeah, I the uh the state legislation, this is section 1640-m of the vehicle and transportation law.

Uh no local law ordinance shall be adopted pursuant to this section, and this is the part dealing with the Albany permit system.

No local law ordinance shall be adopted pursuant to this section until a public hearing thereon has been held by the common council of the city of Albany concerning the designation of the certain area or areas in which said parking permit system is to be implemented.

Thank you.

I have a copy.

But uh Alfred, I think if if we're feel if we feel comfortable with this, and then if later on review we find that there's a technical that that's just a technical correction that doesn't need to come back for committee meeting or anything like that.

And if we after the public hearing, unless there are some concerns, objections or significant issues raised at public hearing.

Um we can move forward.

There's no reason why this can't be moved out tonight, subject to the public hearing, and barring any significant concerns at the public hearing be moved for passage that same night.

So you know, if there's any technical issues, I hope we can address them, you know, with a quick cleanup.

Um, do you see any bill that gives you any hesitation?

At a quick glance, the meeting means and bounds meet what's in the maps, so your office was working from what I sent you.

I didn't run through all the streets and the tables, but I would say we're probably from what I'm seeing here.

We're in a spot where we can move forward.

Yeah, I believe the table was just largely copying pasted from the spreadsheet.

Yeah, that should be the case.

Okay.

So there's no further questions on this.

Uh asked for a motion to move this.

I'm sorry, Councilman Howie.

Sure.

I'm going to make the motion that's okay that we move forward with this amended uh ordinance with a positive recommendation.

Do I have a second?

Second.

Okay.

All in favor?

Aye.

Okay, it passes with unanimous consent.

Uh so now this will go towards a public hearing and move forward to the full council.

Uh, thank you, Bill.

Thank you to our staff.

Uh, and thank you to everyone uh who's worked on this uh for the last uh two plus years to get this moved forward.

So appreciate everybody's continuous efforts.

Uh with that said, do I have a motion to adjourn the meeting?

Motion to adjourn.

Uh seconded by uh motion made by Council Member Zamer, seconded by Council Member Howie.

Uh, all in favor to adjourn.

Aye.

Okay, the ayes have it.

Thank you, everyone, and thank you all for joining us.

All right, welcome everyone.

Today is Monday, October 20th, 2025.

Mr.

Jimenez, please call the roll.

Adams.

Anana.

Ballarin.

Here.

Clark.

Here.

Conte.

Farrell.

Here.

Flynn.

Frederick.

How are we?

Here.

Johnson.

Keegan.

Here.

Kimber.

Here.

Love.

Here.

Robinson is absent and Zamer.

Here.

We have 10 present.

We're also joined by Council President Corey Ellis, City Clerk Shanequa Jackson, Corporation Council Robert McGee, Research Council Robert Winner, Legislative Director Brian Amenez, and Junior Legislative Aide Carly Johnson.

Thank you.

Okay, so jumping right into our agenda.

We'll start the meeting with the public hearing for the budget.

It's uh ordinance 2710125.

That's uh yeah.

And next uh on to local laws.

We will be taking up Ms.

Keegan's uh local law held uh A of 2025 uh in relation to creating the City of Albany Commission on Disabilities, it's been through committee, uh came out with a positive recommendation, so we'll be voting on that and to note really quickly that um it's my understanding last I spoke with her that Maggie's gonna be here.

So Ariana's gonna be sitting at that table and Maggie's gonna come up for the meeting for the bill to be passed, if that's okay.

One more one more time.

So Maggie, the young woman who worked on that legislation, is coming to this meeting tonight.

So I've invited her to come up with me for the bill of passage.

And if it's okay with uh Mr.

President for her to be allowed to speak since she worked on that legislation.

Yes, please.

Thank you.

Okay, gotcha.

Thanks.

Okay, then next uh on to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Resolutions.

We've got uh resolution uh 124 uh 10125 by Mr.

Anani's resolution of the council declaring October 20th through the 26th 2025 is free speech week in the city of Albany.

We're typically all listed as co-sponsor, so if you could do that for us, Clerk.

I'd appreciate it.

Okay.

Don't we have some ordinances to introduce the there were there were some minor changes to the ordinances section of the agenda.

Apologies.

Okay, I now I printed this today in an effort to not miss.

Now what would what were the changes again?

Uh are you you saying six of seventeen?

Oh, you know what?

I just missed the page.

I do have that now that I think about it.

To the back.

It's the back.

Sorry about that.

Uh ordinance by Ms.

Frederick.

Uh is 591025.

Is ordinance authorizing the sale of 3739 41 Cherry Hill Street to Mount Zion Baptist Church.

That's going to be a referral to finance.

The next by Miss also by Ms.

Frederick is ordinance 60102 uh 25.

It's uh ordinance that uh is amending ordinance 1071 25, uh which authorizes sale of various city-owned properties.

The changes well, excuse me, it's gonna be an intro and uh we can refer to finance, but I think it's just a matter of changing and adding some addresses that that weren't on the original um documentation for the legislation, correct?

That's right.

Just Mr.

Holley, yeah, just real fast.

Over the weekend, somebody told me a county legislator actually that the Albany County Land Bank doesn't exist anymore, that's a court decision.

But would it go to the county?

I don't know if that's something we can look into.

We can, but I I didn't hear that.

I think the issue with this is that they just didn't need or want those other properties.

Yeah, there is a mix up on a lot of numbers.

But yeah, I haven't heard anything about the Albany County Land Bank.

Yeah, we'll we can check, but it's a different issue than this.

I'm just a minute, you know, just letting you know.

Thank you.

We're all co-sponsors.

And then next uh also by Mr.

Anani's resolution one twenty-five one oh one twenty-five resolution declaring October twentieth twenty uh twenty three twenty-five to be community media day in the city of Albany.

Uh, we're all co-sponsors on that.

So if that could be noted, uh appreciate it.

And that's it for the agenda.

What I would like to do is uh go into a brief executive session to discuss uh an issue, the personnel issue.

Yeah, that's it.

So if we could have turned the mics off and have everyone leave, I'd appreciate it.

Like to call the order tonight's Albany Common Council meeting.

Council members, please take your seats.

It is seven o'clock.

We're calling the order to Albany Common Council meeting, October twentieth, year twenty twenty-five.

Can the clerk please call the roll?

Adams.

Present.

Anani.

Ballorin.

Here.

Clerk.

Here.

Conte.

Farrell.

Here.

Flynn.

Frederick.

Here.

Hoey.

Here.

Johnson.

Present.

Keegan.

Here.

Here.

Love.

Here.

Robinson.

Zamer.

Here.

Thirteen present, two absent.

Thank you.

And can you please stand with me and say the pledge of allegiance?

And after that, just a quick moment of silence.

Our next item on our agenda is the public hearing.

We're scheduled for a public hearing tonight.

Um, during the public hearing, uh, you can only comment.

Your comments have to be in reference to the city uh budget.

Um, and during public hearing, you will have five minutes to speak upon the city's budget.

Um, that the council will be dealing with.

Also, uh, doing that time, unlike public comment period.

During the public hearing after your remarks, council members can ask you questions about your remarks right after your remarks during the public hearing.

Um, not like public comment period.

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

Notices hereby given that a common council public hearing will be held on October 20th, 2025 at 7 PM and will be held in advance of the potential passage of the following ordinance.

Ordinance 27 101 25, an ordinance adopting the City of Albany's budget for fiscal year 2026 as presented by the mayor on October first, 2025.

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

and 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday, you know, Office of the Common Council, 24 Eagle Street, Room 206, Albany, New York 12207.

Efforts will be, excuse me, efforts will also be held made to make documents available for viewing online.

This public hearing will be held pursuant to guidelines establishing an open meetings law, and anyone wishing to be heard can submit written comments at Comic Council at Albany NY.gov or provide in-person testimony on the ordinance before the Common Council for consideration.

The public hearing will be live streamed on our YouTube page, and we encourage all interested parties to submit written comments by October 20th, 2025.

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

Thank you.

With that being said, um when you come, please just state your name and you know state your address, just the city or town or you live in.

So with that being said, can the clerk please call the first person for the public hearing?

Carl Urich.

There will be a red light, I mean green light, and then a yellow light means you have a minute remaining on your remarks, and red means complete your comments.

Thanks.

Thank you very much.

Uh Carl Urich, Albany, Lennox Avenue.

So I'll be obviously speaking to the proposed budget.

Uh when I look at the proposed budget, I focus on a couple of things.

You know, firstly, the content of the budget, the spending, the growth, growth, the programs and goals, and second, the behaviors surrounding the budget, the construction, the communication, and the understandability.

So I grabbed a copy of the budget book, PDF, expecting to make 20 or 30 comments here and there, a question here, a comment there.

Uh maybe I went a little overboard, but I ended up with about 125 comments and questions on the PDF.

And then finally I stopped, you know, diminishing returns and all.

I'll send an email to all common council members with a link to the PDF.

I want to review three of several themes that I found making comments on the budget book.

No particular order.

First, uh revenue and expense projections lack supporting information to validate their growth and or growth or decline.

If an expense or revenue line item is expected to go materially up or down, this change should be rationalized and explained.

As an example, 2560 street openings, sort of revenue line item.

It has a revenue budget of $750,000.

In full year 2024, our actuals were $511,000.

So our 2026 budget suggests a 47% growth in a rev revenue line item with no explanation of uh that supports the the revenue growth, uh, no supporting information on the 25 revenue trend, and no explanation even of what a street opening line item actually is.

Now maybe this could be a slam dunk and the revenue is there.

Great.

Explain it, defend it.

That's what I expect to see in a budget in a budget narrative.

Second, the connection between department goals and spending is weak in the budget.

Any department goal should answer two questions.

Can the department achieve this goal with existing personnel opex and capex, or is new spending required?

And if the latter, what are the details and where do they show up in the budget?

Continuously throughout the budget, there are goals really with no connection at all to what resources are going to be required.

As an example, in the mayor's budget, there is a goal.

Launch a business attraction strategy as a part of a broader equitable economic development strategy for Albany.

Great.

No one here, I think, is anti-economic development.

However, there's no indication if the goal is supported by existing or new resources.

Budget should not have big sounding goals when there is no visibility into the financial execution of these goals.

If we don't have a path to execute on a goal, it doesn't belong in the budget.

Thirdly, 2026 could be incredibly challenging.

You know, macroeconomically, politically, uh, some of this discussion came up in last week's common council meeting.

And the budget really presents little to no risk management that's expressed anywhere in the budget.

The city's budget should express risk management by doing three things at the very least.

One, scorecarding all state and federal revenue streams, evaluating the certainty of revenue capture or the potential for them falling away.

This was discussed in last week's common council meeting.

Two, prioritizing all new and growth spending to identify our first cuts if we have to move into risk containment mode.

You know, things like hey, you know what?

If we're in a pickle here, we're cutting our sustainability programs, not picking on sustainability, that's just for illustrative purposes.

Third, review new headcount to assess our basic requirements.

We're adding, by my count, two dozen net new positions in this budget.

We're adding four net new positions with the word communications in the title.

Now, undoubtedly the city could use a little more communications, but can we do with maybe a bit fewer than four net new positions?

So our budget needs significant uh improvement.

You know, expense and revenue line items need more regular and explanation, department goals lack specifics and their focus and financing, and we need risk management to position Albany leaders in a defensive and reactive state if things go bad in 2026.

I'd ask the common council to ask questions to provide the best possible budget that provides direction and resources to the 1200 member team, the powers of the city of Albany, and that the City of citizens of Albany can read and understand this the budget and understand that by seeing important context and validation in the budget.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you.

Is there any questions for this gentleman?

Ms.

Frederick.

Thank you, Carl, for your diligence, and I look forward to receiving the PDF that you mentioned with the 120 comments.

Yep.

And I always appreciate you coming here with uh thought provoking points and really analyzing the data.

Uh, one thing I just want to note.

Has to be a question.

Um, is you know, are you uh familiar and aware that over the next month we will be uh going through uh conversations with various department heads to uh ask questions on any changes to revenue and expenses and receive justification within those public meetings?

Absolutely, and I'd hope this PDF provides hey, and and 125 or however many comments I'm in, I'm sure some I I messed up on and I misconstrued or misunderstood something, and there's explor you know something explainable.

However, I would hope that some of the questions that are in the PDF are things that you can just easily pick up, drop in your conversation, and and you know, challenge the stakeholders.

And it's nothing personal to ask questions, it's perfectly valid to ask something like help me look at the 2025 actuals to see if revenue supports this plug in the in the budget.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Any further questions for the gentleman?

Thank you so much.

And I hope one day we do get to that point where when people ask questions, it's not viewed as personal.

Thank you.

Can the court please call the next speaker for the public hearing?

M.

McCauley.

Bless you.

Because taxpayers deserve to know how and why their money is spent, especially when tax increases will result.

There's a duty for elected officials to use taxpayer money efficiently.

A budget prepared in a year like this, when the outgoing mayor's term ends, and a newly elected mayor's term has not begun, is intended to be an interim budget, one that keeps the lights on, holds the line on taxes, a fiscal carryover.

It's not supposed to constrain the incoming mayor with tax increases.

In short, it is not this wish list that you have before you.

A wish list that shows no concern for Albany's tax-burdened residents.

Some of the specifics from this wish list.

It adds one million dollars for hiring in the mayor's and the auditors and the treasurer's offices.

Of note is that there was no discussion about saving taxpayer money by using AI or anything else in any of these offices.

The mayor's office adds six positions to those that already exist and will result in close to a 50% increase in staff.

And it will also increase costs from the total level of $800,000 to 1.7 million dollars.

Why is that increase justified?

No basis is given.

One of the new positions is for a deputy mayor.

What duties, responsibility, and authority this deputy mayor is not specified.

Will the deputy mayor act as the mayor if the mayor is unavailable?

No one knows, no basis.

Another new position is counsel to the mayor.

This, despite the city corporation council being the designated legal advisor to the mayor.

Will this tee up conflict issues?

Is it a redundant expense?

Again, no specificity.

Other additional positions in the mayor's office are director of economic opportunity and development, director of communications, and then we have more communications, director of community and digital communications, director of intergovernmental affairs.

The question is when when existing services, programs, or departments have expanded, that do they require this?

We don't know.

We have no idea what the justification is.

The wish list, or also known as the proposed budget, will increase taxes on already tax burdened citizens by 3% and above, depending on what classification you fall into.

For a single family home, the sustain of $250,000, that's $51.

It will require the city to spend $4.3 million more on employee costs than it did in 2025.

And I just want to add the salary that you see in this this wish list is not the extent of what the city is going to bear the costs of.

You have to add somewhere between a 30 to a 40 percent factor for benefits and pensions and health care.

And as you all know, health care is an ever climbing expense.

There is no basis, no justification given for raising property taxes in an interim budget, especially since we all know we are nearing a winter when we have been told to expect hefty increases in the cost of heat.

The choice we face as residents of Albany, if this budget passes, seems to be if you want to keep your house, you're going to freeze.

Thank you.

Ma'am, I do any quite council members have any questions for the speaker?

No.

Okay, thank you.

Can you call the next speaker for the public hearing?

Judy Doshey.

Hi.

I've been hiding.

Carly, did you pass out the document?

Okay.

Okay.

So my name is Judy Doshate.

I live in the city of Albany.

I'm here to talk about the budget.

I'm sure a shock to many of you, especially about the debt service and the borrowing, the amount of borrowing.

But I want to say from the start that this budget is irresponsible and unsustainable.

It's an undue burden on property taxpayers.

A 59% increase in the salaries in the mayor's office when you're asking for really a 7, 11, 15 percent increase in what the taxpayers are paying is completely unacceptable.

There is no justification for it.

With the city property tax bill, with the trash fee, the civic uh the city property tax bill will go up by 7.3 percent for uh single family uh homes.

11.5 percent for properties with two units, and 15 percent for properties with three units.

Does this sound reasonable to anybody?

It's very burdensome.

Um I have asked the budget director, um, I left a message, I tried to get through to him.

How much of the debt that was already authorized in the last three years, 150 million dollars remains unissued.

I believe that amount to be about 40 million dollars.

So what you have been given on a debt report and what you have been given in the budget does not reflect the fact that you have already authorized another 40 million dollars, which winds up being about another $5 million a year when you're paying debt service.

While um, and I want to say that so in addition to the $36 million additional borrowing put in this year's budget, over the next several years you have another $33, you have another $44.

I've provided you with a chart that I did up in 2019 in anticipation of the 2020 budget, trying to show my fellow council members how this level of borrowing is unsustainable.

In that year, we did reduce the amount of borrowing to $16 million, but then in the three years subsequent to that, the borrowing was $150 million total.

That chart essentially shows you, I I've circled on that chart.

Um anticipated um debt service being a little over 20 million dollars that yeah in 2026.

I was wrong.

I underestimated it.

I kind of thought I might be underestimating it.

Um but people poo-pooed.

The administration poo-pooed the whole idea that you are running into going up against um the debt limit.

Um the the debt the debt limit policy that we have.

Um I note that um while the borrowing clearly violates the principles of the debt policy, nobody wants to have your credit card debt essentially be or your debt be for a municipality be more than 10 percent.

While I was chair of the Finance Committee, I called around to different cities, unheard of, unheard of, but this administration wants to make you feel as though it's fine to violate our policy of 10 percent.

In addition to it going up over $4 million this year, next year it will go up another over another $3 million.

In the next two years, it will go up over 11%.

It will be an over an 11% increase.

Divide that uh uh two years for the if there's no other revenue, and there's not going to be revenue from the landfill, divide that between the two years, it's over five percent per year property tax increases that you are looking at.

By 2030, you can expect the debt service to be close to 40 million dollars annually.

That's almost double what it is in the budget currently.

That is 15 percent of a projected 260 million dollar budget.

Thank you.

The time is up.

Does any council members have any questions from Ms.

Duche?

Mr.

Bowler.

Uh thank you, Ms.

Uh Councilwoman Doschee.

It's always good to hear from you, it's always good to see you.

Uh my question is, what was the statement you would find to finish?

Uh if you could just finish that for us.

Um my point being that um you're gonna far exceed the projected um the the debt limit policy that we have in place, while the um treasurer and uh and last year the treasurer, you might recall last year the treasurer and and the uh budget director uh poo-pooed again, my saying, oh, you're really looking at significant um uh running up against that.

This year they actually came here and they said, Oh, yeah, we're probably gonna go over it, but that's okay, because all you guys have to do is you just have to vote, you know, to to approve this irresponsible borrowing.

Um then that makes it okay.

As long as as long as uh you know, if it goes up against these limits, then you're gonna have to you're you're gonna approve it, and that makes it okay.

Well, it doesn't make it okay, as uh Mr.

Shonifar said in response to a question from the chair of the finance committee that um what happens then is you have you have less money to spend on operating costs.

And then where are you going to cut on those operating costs, or are you just going to keep on increasing uh the tax burden on uh on residents?

But what he also didn't say was this kind of irresponsible borrowing is what results in your debt rating, your bond ratings being reduced, which just like all of us, if we are irresponsible with our, you know, if we don't have a great FICA score, then you're paying more to borrow more money.

Um I want to, and I do want to note also, again, I thought we were done with the idea of having borrowing for police vehicles.

You borrow for three years for something that has a useful life for three years, you replace them every three years, and essentially all you're doing is adding a hundred thousand dollars a year to the budget because you're borrowing instead of taking it out of cash.

Any further question?

Mr.

Howie.

Yeah, thank you.

Uh thank you, Judy.

Um, you had mentioned the 10 percent.

Can you explain that?

How long has that like debt 10 percent debt uh debt limit been around, or is that a city policy?

And how long have we like looked at that?

My understanding of that is um if if you look at the resolution, it was adopted in 2009, I believe, uh drafted by Dan Herring.

Uh he was the chair of the finance committee at the time.

And it was the result of um at the time, there was a lot of discussion about the Jennings administration just borrowing too much, and it was unsustainable.

So we needed to reel it in, and um, and then and the council did then do a certain amount, and and the administration did do a certain amount of reeling it in and getting it down.

I think it was just hitting within that 10 percent limit when I joined the council.

Thank you.

Mr.

Conte.

Yeah, just to to build on that and to answer probably Tom's question.

Um it actually resulted from an amendment to the city charter.

There was a charter commission around that time.

Um, and that was one of the uh the recommended one of the uh recommendations uh directing the council to adopt a debt policy.

Uh it was actually advocated by, I guess with city uh comptroller at that point, Tom The Tito was one of the advocates.

It was included in the charter that was adopted, the charter amendments that year that were adopted.

Um, and then Mr.

Herring, and I believe Mr.

Natito worked on drafting the actual policy, which was in the form of a resolution adopted by the council, uh, which set the uh the 10 percent figure.

So that that was the genesis of what it how it happened, but it's rooted in a requirement uh in the city charter that directed the adoption of a debt policy.

And my question is what are we gonna do when Richard Conte is no longer serving on the common council for that kind of history?

Thank you, Richard.

Thank you, Councilwoman Duchet.

Can the clerk please call the next speaker?

Keith Irish.

I'm waiting for you.

All right.

All right, I was waiting for you.

Good evening.

As you know, my name is Keith Irish.

A lifelong city citizen currently in what's known as the ninth ward.

I'm here tonight to speak on the proposed 2026 city budget at this first of two budget hearings provided for the citizens to speak.

The budget was released on October 1st without advising the public, not informing the public, not holding it at a preferred time and place for the public to attend, and not providing copies of the budget to the public.

This is typical of this administration's hiding the residents shouldn't be aware of, hiding what the residents should be aware of.

Government transparency at its worst puts it mildly.

As far as the budget goes, after I finally got a copy of it to read through, so far what I have analyzed of it and have heard of what's in it from other sources, that this is that this as usual is filled with grade A pork products worthy of a departing administration.

And you all should be ashamed to be a part of it in its current form.

Your finance committee has five budget presentations scheduled, so far of which one has been held with only four of the five committee members and only two of the rest of you in attendance.

The presenters at the first meeting were the Treasurer and Administration Service.

If you were in attendance, you would have heard the treasurer state that his budget has a need to increase staffing by three persons, with poor reasoning behind it.

One of those positions is called on page 35 in the budget book a communications coordinator at a hefty $53,780 to start.

He claimed that this is for social media outreach.

Laughable for sure, mainly because you, the common consul, has control of the funding for Albany's community media cable access channels, commonly referred to as Channel Albany, but can consist of three channels on spectrum.

If you were properly funding this entity as you would be under freedom of information and government transparency regulations, this position would not be needed in the treasurer's office and would be filled by the currently non-existing staff you don't fund.

The administration services presentation slipped over the fact that the proposed budget for the mayor's office includes six new positions in an office that that now in an office that does nothing now to be proud of.

One of those positions on page 34 is called Director of Digital and Community Communications, starting at a hefty $78,000, $780 to start, which is a fancy term for having a person communicate with the public, which is what I stated above, should be handled by Channel Albany if you properly fund its operation.

I cannot wait to see what other items out, what other items come out in the next four budget meetings, two of which are this week.

Another item that came out is a general 3% tax levy increase, which is total pork just because of the nine positions I have already mentioned and cannot wait to find more.

Remember that the funding, which I can still not find itemized in the budget for years on end now, that comes from Spectrum Cables franchise fee, clearly stated on the cable bill shows, is supposed to go to the operational needs of your community media cable access channels and not into the general fund hiding its even existence.

Yes, there is no state level requirement to do so, but legislation has been trying to get passed for a few years now to mandate a minimum 40 percent for its operational needs.

It's not as good as the state of Massachusetts regulation of a 100 percent, but it's a start, and should be the minimum you as the overseers of the funding should have in this and all future budgets.

Speaking of which, from what I have read so far, there seems to be a decrease in the community media funding shown on page 19 and 28 of the budget.

A major mistake that even talking to corporation counsel does not understand.

Increase the funding needs of Channel Albany to increase the staffing and to make Albany's government completely transparent to the citizens it is supposed to serve.

I got 30 seconds.

I did not mention in here about the trash fee for those that have to pay it.

Uh I think it was the treasurer that said something about doubling it, and maybe that should have been a little bit each year going up, but doubling it is kind of ridiculous.

Thankfully, I don't have to pay it.

Thank you for your time.

Any questions for the gentleman?

Thank you, Ms.

Irish.

I'll call the next speaker.

Oh, that's the last.

That is the last person signed up for the budget public hearing.

So budget public hearing at this time.

This council meeting is deemed closed.

Now we'll move on to public comment period.

Public comment period.

You will have five minutes to speak on any subject you wish to speak upon.

During that time, council members cannot answer any of your questions or respond to your statements.

They cannot do that.

If they choose to do so, they will do so at a later time during the agenda.

When you come to the table, just state your name and city or town that you reside in.

When you see the yellow, um, when you see the yellow turn yellow, that means you have one minute to conclude your comment.

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

Tabitha Wilson.

Sheila, thank you.

Cheryl DuCosta.

Good evening, I'm Cheryl DeCrosta.

I live in Albany in the fifth ward in West Hill, which happens to be a rather underrepresented and marginalized community.

I am here to speak about West Hill generally and more specifically about the planned wind development project that is at the Philip Livingston Middle School apartments.

I am a homeowner, by the way, in that neighborhood.

So I'm aware that the existing 103 units at uh 315 Northern Boulevard house residents who are veterans, disabled, and seniors, many of whom have outstanding concerns for which they have had to resort to seeking advocacy assistance from United Tenants of Albany in an effort to gain resolution of their concerns that have not yet been resolved.

I have no authority really to speak on behalf of those residents, but that said, because I share their concerns.

They're my neighbors and I care.

Second, because I question the wisdom of bringing an additional at-risk housing for people with existing matters that are less than satisfactory and even escalating.

The issues I'm aware of are as follows.

Maintenance of surrounding sidewalks and streets, rendering them impassable for wheelchair-bound individuals, uh, lack of availability of handicapped parking, existing building leaks, uh still severe, um, requiring water pools to be up in the top floor of the building.

Frequent power outages, unwashed windows, non-repair, non-replacement, broken appliances, uh, no painting refreshes for long-term residents.

Um, tenants have had the to uh well, I said that already.

My own concerns for the larger neighborhood are as follows.

Uh potential stress on all individuals living in the area, including those proposed to be housed in phase two project expansion brought on by um housing additional at-risk individuals here.

I don't know if you're familiar with the um the planned four-story uh 97 units for at-risk veterans.

Um I care about the veterans, of course, they need someplace uh to live, um, but maybe not in a community that is already uh largely suffering from lack of uh adequate resources and and and residents even feeling like their voices don't matter.

Um I'm concerned about veterans being in the area with the you know, there's a a lot of fireworks that happen in that area and a lot of gunshot veterans with PTSD.

Um existing and worsening traffic conditions.

Uh there the opening recently of the KIP High School has brought a lot of interesting activity to the area.

And by the way, at a recent uh Albany Planning Board meeting, um, some of the residents from the building next door did did attend, and one of their concerns was the registered sex offenders that live within you know feet of those three KIP uh schools.

In any event, I think, yeah, okay.

Another issue is, you know, what about the impact on the Tivoli Nature Preserve?

If the area is supposed to be a preserve, not a park.

They keep taking down trees in the area.

The deer, there is many, my yard is fenced in, and there are as many as six deer who that come into my yard on a fairly regular basis.

Um I could go on, but I think I'm gonna stop there.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please go on next speaker?

Tabora Marcus.

Good evening, members of the council and council president.

My name is Tabora Marcus.

I am the West Hill president, also a president of West Hill.

So I am here on behalf of many of our neighbors who have been solely complaining about some of the things that they have been experiencing in our communities.

Um we recently had a meeting, and it came up that West Hill is the neighborhood that never complains.

We are the neighborhood that accepts everyone into the community, a neighborhood that is already as one of our neighbors just spoke about, very distressed.

Um right now, what we're facing is we're dealing with children that are being let out from our KIP High School.

50 to 70 children who are kind of congregating up on Livingston Avenue and Thornton, causing havoc, get into fights.

The neighbors are really concerned because it's starting to trickle down into many of the neighbors' homes, their yards.

Uh, we recently experienced a shooting that took place on Beverwick, um, that many of our neighbors were deeply concerned about seeing that type of activity and that part of the neighborhood.

Um, I've been recently getting a lot of complaints about the KIP High School and the turnout.

My biggest thing is we're now develop we're now talking about a development, and as Miss Sherry spoke about, we're bringing already distressed people into a community that is already underserved and disadvantaged.

You're talking about folks who are experiencing homelessness, being impacted by the activities where the children are being let out from school, all the activities that's happening, how those residents are going to be impacted while we're bringing them in to make sure that their living conditions are well as well.

We're also going to talk about the current tenants who are currently living at 315 who are experiencing all of the conditions from mold to uh repairs not being made timely, and then we're gonna allow a development that can't meet the needs of the already residents there to come in and to develop more, not meeting the needs that they should be meeting for the residents there.

I wanted to talk to the council because I think that one of the things that we don't think about is what transportation can do for our community of kids.

Every other community have transportation where they have their children picked up from the school and dispersed into their homes, dropped off in front of their homes.

I believe that that might be a resolution that we can have for our community.

No one thinks about how many kids from all, even the high school.

The high school kids are having enough time to make it over into the areas where the KIP high school, most people are thinking it's just the KIPP High School, but it's other schools that are having the time to kind of congregate, meet up after school and have their little battles, they're fighting, they're few, and then it's causing more problems for the neighbors.

So I'm just urging someone, I'm not sure what we can do about it, but I think we need to start really thinking about transportation for our children and making sure that those are some options that our children can have.

There's no reason why our children are being turned away from CDTA, not being able allowed to get on the buses.

And again, if I'm a bus driver, I will probably be a little fearful too with 70 children at a bus stop.

So I think we have to start really thinking about what that can look like for the future of our children when it comes to transportation and the violence that we are experiencing in our communities from the Albany High School to now our recently added KIP High School.

We have to have some type of transportation in place for those children.

And we really are sick and tired of hearing that.

Oh, they are two miles within, so they can't have buses.

You have other children who are being bussed and they are not even a mile from their homes and they have the opportunity to get to and from home.

If we really want to make sure that our children can get the best education and have the best opportunities like others can, we really want that to be an option that we're thinking about for our children while we've made that decision to bring another high school over into our community that is already distressed.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Sharon Davis.

I have had to move out of the area, but I am here to represent a 91-year-old woman who is now homeless.

She has lived in the West Hill area all of her life.

She lived in Trivoli.

She became sick in June and was forced into a rehab center.

So from June till now, that is where she resides.

She cannot go back to Trivoli because she was on the top floor.

And she lived there for 53 years.

But she's been there for 53 years.

All right.

I have been working with her since July 4th, when she was first admitted into the hospital.

All right, she, like us that she is now in rehab with no place to go because she can't go back to Tribly.

I have searched.

I have put in applications all over Albany.

I can't find a place for this woman to live.

91 years old, and she is now homeless.

All right, think about that.

Think if that was your mother or your grandmother, and there was no place for her to go.

We've tried the other issue is Medicaid, because in all of her years, she didn't think that she qualified for any of these services.

So now we're coming down to the wire.

The end of October, she will be responsible for over 120,000 dollars in medical bills.

91 years old.

Where is she going to get that kind of money?

And remember, she's also homeless.

We need help.

And I don't know who else to go to.

Like I said, the end of this month, Medicaid, the responsibility to her is over.

Housing, where am I to go?

Because every application that I have put in for her, they're telling me she doesn't qualify.

So members of the council, what am I supposed to do?

Again, she's 91 years old and homeless.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Can the clerk please call the next speaker?

Kathleen Basner Smalls.

But she said she left.

Good evening.

My name is Kathleen Bisner Smalls, and I too live in the forgotten neighborhood of Albany, entitled West Hill.

I came to speak to you about the vacant buildings in my neighborhood.

I have been a resident there for almost 50 years.

I've lived at 74 Judson Street, infamous Judson Street, for 54 years, or 50 over almost 50 years, excuse me.

And I say that because people like me that even look like me still live in that neighborhood.

We work, we're educated, we pay taxes, but we get little or nothing from you.

You, as representing the city of Albany.

We have neighborhood meetings.

We invite our elected official, who of course is not even here tonight.

No one seems to have the time to show up.

So yes, we are truly forgotten.

We're not center square, we're not Pine Hills.

So I guess we kind of don't count.

We're thankful that the community center is being built, but what is going to actually go into that community center is a whole other question.

But I'm here basically to speak about the vacant buildings in my neighborhood, across the street from me, on a corner from me, that I haven't been lobbying to have taken down for years.

What is happening now in my neighborhood is the squatters are very, very comfortable in these buildings, which are being burnt.

What?

Every other week?

We don't even have a community resource officer available to even walk the streets to find out who is in those buildings.

You call the city, you let them know.

Nothing is ever done about it.

So I guess I'm really frustrated.

I'm frustrated because I don't know where to go.

I don't even have a community resource officer.

I can't even find his name or her name.

They did brand new streets.

Brand new street, Judson Street.

Looks beautiful.

Put in some trees.

Now, the people on my street can't even pick up a piece of paper.

So who do you think's gonna mow around those trees?

It's just gonna look like a jungle.

And where are the speed bumps?

Where are the speed bumps on a street like Judson Street?

I don't know who planned it.

It was it looks beautiful, but what about the residents that live there?

You just came and put some bicycle path uh markings.

Wonderful, but where's the speed bumps?

So I guess I'm just frustrated with the city as a whole.

Um it's almost I understand that people in my community don't vote.

I get that.

We're trying to get people involved through our West Hill Association.

We're trying to get make people aware that we don't have to live like this, but we need a voice.

So I guess I'm here about the vacant buildings, about the fires, about the lack of the name of a community resource officer, and also could I get some speed bumps?

Thanks.

I really appreciate your time.

And I do appreciate the positive things you do for the city.

I just wish that you'd recognize us in West Hill.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Can a clerk please call next speaker?

Good evening.

Uh my name is Cleanna Lightbourne.

Um, I am a resident of Albany in the 6th ward.

I have a few things to say.

First, it's extremely difficult for the residents to reach their representatives.

The contact links on your city website don't work.

I've had to call a number of times to get some get an email for my representative, and still the links are not working after I've brought that up with every call I've made.

I too would like speed bumps, actually, because I wasn't able to contact my representative.

I spoke to my assembly member Romero, and um in the in the month afterwards, the streets on either side of mine got a speed bump, but not mine, so I'd like to also collect my speed bump, please.

Um, I am wondering when the uh when the matter of the Albany C PRB will be addressed.

Um I recently read their open letter last week, and I was appalled to hear that there is no movement happening in that area.

The board says it's being blocked from doing this job with more than 120 police-related complaints being stalled when I was a young activist.

I actually founded uh with my friends, the Black Lives Matter uh upstate New York organization on the steps of this of City Hall.

We were told a number of times as we were uh protesting the streets to do it the right way to go through the proper channels.

I am now a campaign director for the League of Women Voters, doing the work in the Capitol almost every day, and yet I am still being I'm still seeing lack of progress in my city, um, even when I uh pursue the proper channels.

Um I let's see.

Uh amidst our protests and demanding blah blah blah.

I've already said that.

So I'm sure that if we've looked at these complaints, we will see that there are the usual suspects, not to use that pun, but cops will be cops, huh?

Um, and I'm just wondering: are these individuals when they receive a complaint or when they're named in a complaint, are they taken off the streets, or do they continue to do their job and cause harassment and cause harm in the communities?

We still have people on the street as police officers that are harm harming trust.

Uh, failure to follow through with accountability for these individuals who are expected to protect and serve, also harms this city's trust in you and the work you do here.

Uh, this is absolutely unacceptable.

Albany deserves transparency, functioning oversight, and uh leadership willing to face this issue directly.

The public has done its part by showing up, and it's time for the council to do the same.

Uh lastly, I'd like to also address the issues of the of our kids in this city.

Um I would like to know what's being done for our youth.

Uh, just last weekend I had about eight 12-year-olds try to break into my car, thank God for a car alarm.

And I was not angry at them, even though it was nine o'clock on a Monday, and what I was wondering what the hell they were doing out there.

I was mad at the city for not providing after school care for not providing programs for enrichment and for something that a 12-year-old can do besides stare at an iPad.

Sure, we're thinking, where are their parents?

Probably working overtime to pay those taxes that we keep getting, and probably that double um trash fine we're gonna get soon.

So, can we really take away from one side and then give parents uh grief for working to literally keep a roof over kids' heads?

We really can't be upset when uh when they're doing this.

So it's we're already seeing our already flimsy safety net of Albany disintegrating as we see the Fed taking away money, as we see the state of the state of New York bracing for a very difficult budget session next year.

I am working very hard to make sure that folks know that my campaign is cheap and um high impact, and that's very difficult when I'm trying to do work at nine o'clock at night and I hear the car alarms going off because um because there's just nothing for our youth to do.

Co-sign on the buses for kids, that would be great.

I am not a parent myself, but I am the aunt of a nine-year-old.

Um I know how much work it goes into keeping a kid interested in stuff, and I think that I really hope that that is earmarked in our budget.

I'm not gonna hold my breath.

I'm actually gonna go home and read the budget after this.

Um, but I I really hope that there is something that we are doing for our kids, most of all.

And if you have to give up my speed bump for something for the kids, I'm totally okay with that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please call next speaker?

Keith Irish.

Good evening, common council members.

As you know, my name is Keith Irish, a lifelong city citizen currently residing in what's referred to as the ninth ward.

I come to you tonight to talk about a few items on your agenda.

You have two resolutions of note with follow-up from your last meeting.

Tonight you are introducing and assuming passing a resolution called Free Speech Week, which starts today nationwide.

It's exactly what it says that it relates to free speech in America and here in New York, and of course here in Albany, which I wonder sometimes if it is actually happening with the current local administration, which includes yourselves.

Back on your last meeting on Thursday, October the 9th, you passed with 11 of 15 present, a resolution relating to censorship of television media.

You all know what's been going on at the federal level with late-night talk shows, but sometimes I wonder if you are hypocrites by passing this legislation, yet you are not properly funding Albany's community media cable access channels, commonly referred to as Channel Albany.

You, the common consul, has control over the funding, yet you barely support the proper operational needs of the three spectrum cable channels.

Public access, government access, and education access.

The staffing level is minimal, which is one part-time person that has four other priorities than to operate the production studio and its operational needs when a minimum of four full-time persons is the industry normal, where I know some have two to three times that amount in staff.

You also appoint persons to the public educational government access oversight board that in most cases are not the persons that you should be appointing, as they are looking at it as a status to put on their resume and not actually being involved or have the knowledge of its needs.

Can you can most of them say that?

No, they can't.

Yet you appoint them over persons such as myself and others that produce programming or did since the current part-timer is barely ever there or returns calls or emails.

Shamefully, especially shameful, especially since you passed such legislation.

Also, today is known as Community Media Day.

And again, you are introducing and passing legislation for this day.

Yet, because of this administration's unwarranted restrictions, instead of a day-long list of activities being held just a lousy two hours earlier this afternoon was the most they could do, and even then it wasn't promoted unless you attended last week's peg access oversight board meeting, which none of you did.

Shameful again.

Coverage of all government meetings held by this body should be given top priority, as well as all others, such as planning departments, various meetings, housing authority, order department, porthority, uh, port district authority, and others are not getting recorded, let alone being shown live and encore because of mismanagement that you allow to happen across the city because you don't include the proper needed funding and staffing in the production studio and board makeup with appointees.

You need to get your act together and listen and change things you control.

Finally, I want to state that at your last meeting, I referred to local law C of 2025 and its contents.

Afterwards, I was informed, not by any of you in this room, that apparently the printed law details details contained some major errors, and I updated my information it contained.

The percentage amounts I also should, the percentage amounts I use should have been from 11.38 to 18.45%, averaging 15.1%.

Still numbers way too high.

Looking forward to changes coming from you for community media in Albany.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please call next speaker?

Don Hewitt.

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Dawn Ewitt.

I'm resident at 363 2nd Street in Albany, which is between Judson and Lake.

I have lived, I've seen, I lived there for 43 years.

We've owned our home since 43 years.

I've seen a lot of changes.

When I got in, when I when we lived there, the neighborhood was different.

I've raised two daughters, college, educated kids who have one has a job with the state, the other one with the company, Triam.

But they have been so many changes.

We have, I'm just going to use the word very loosely.

We have duck bullets.

I've been sitting in my car and the bullets are flying over my home, my neighbors' home, have bullet marks in them.

But I have survived it, and I'm still living there because I don't want to go anywhere, at least now.

I've retired from New York State.

I've worked for New York State for 31 years.

And now we're living where, again, the West Hill neighborhood, which seemed to be forgotten.

Trash is not being picked up as it's supposed to be.

I called the city, they said, I called DG DGS, they said they're behind on trash.

I pay.

And I think we in the neighborhood deserve better.

There's also the matter of homelessness.

And the people that are homeless are the ones that are jargon.

I walk in my neighborhood in the mornings.

Eight o'clock, nine o'clock, I'm in contouring.

Men and women who are high at that time.

Who do we turn to?

Their children.

I went to our neighborhood meeting.

There was a young woman who said at the school on Clinton Avenue that she was outside picking up needles.

And we were trying to tell her not to.

And she said I have to because kids go there.

And then there was an interpreter who had to tell her the reason why she or children should be wearing gloves.

There are these vacant homes between again, same street that I'm live in, the same block.

They're over.

I walk with my great great niece, and she's contented the houses on both sides that have the hicces.

This is a seven-year-old child.

And she's conked in it.

And it's not because that nobody talks about it.

We I lived through it.

Again, there was a time you didn't even want to look outside because the gunshots were flying, the bullets were flying down the street.

So I'm here because of that, the homelessness, the people that are walking the streets that are high and discarding their lead needles.

Who's supposed to pick them up?

And the trash.

And where I live, I have at least six or seven people that moved into that street.

I'm from South America.

And there are people who came from my country, Guyana, that came and bought a homes because we were living there.

So it's not that it's all other people, not homeowners.

A lot of the people in 2nd Street are homeowners.

There are some renters, yes.

Then there are the absent landlords who do not do what they're supposed to do.

So we're here because we're just tired.

So I thank you for your time.

Thank you, ma'am.

That is like that is the last speaker signed up for public comment period this Monday.

And so that ends our public comment period.

Now we'll move on to our other items on our agenda.

Um approval of minutes from previous meetings, Mr.

Kimbrough.

I don't I don't have the meetings for the last meeting, so we'll do it next month.

Okay, thank you.

Considerations of local laws with local laws held.

Ms.

Keegan.

I would like to notice local law A and ask for its passage via roll call vote.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the local law?

A local all amending, Chapter 42, departments and commissions of the Code of the City of Albany by adding a new Part 43 there to creating the City of Albany's Commission on Disabilities.

Thank you.

Discussion on this local law.

Ms.

Keegan.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Um I want to acknowledge that we have our intern Maggie McCallum here, who did an incredible amount of work on this legislation with me.

She went to participated in our community listening tour where we listen to folks who are experiencing various disabilities throughout the city and their experiences in accessing government services and public spaces throughout the city.

I'm sure that my colleagues are well aware of many of my frustrations that I have expressed during our budget sessions.

Because that is when we have the most power to make the most change on these issues as they relate to true equity and access for folks with disabilities in our community.

And I have had to do a lot of education around this issue.

It is an equity issue, and it is certainly a racial equity issue, particularly when we consider the health disparities that exist among our minority communities and how that relates to the increased rates of disabilities in those communities.

This is also a really proud moment for me.

Um we talk about this issue.

And this legislation really allows for those folks who are experiencing disability here in the city of Albany to have a place at the table and to impact the decisions that impact influence how they live their lives here in the city of Albany.

So I thank you all for supporting this legislation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any further discussion on this legislation?

Seeing none.

Okay.

Ms.

Farrell.

I just wanted to thank Councilmember Keegan and Maggie for their work on this issue.

It's absolutely incredibly important, and it was a lot of work, a lot of outreach, and um very proud to vote for it and and co-sponsor it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Seeing no further discussions, can the clerk please call the roll?

Adams.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Anani?

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Ballorant.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Clark.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Consey.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Ferrell.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Blyn.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Frederick.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Howie.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Johnson.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Keegan.

Yes.

Camero.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

Love.

Yes, co-sponsor.

Zamer.

Yes, co-sponsor, please.

14 in the affirmative.

Local law passes.

Continue on with uh report.

Councilwoman, if you like, yes, we can.

Thank you.

Okay, everybody.

Three, two, one.

Okay.

Thank you.

So thank you for the work on this.

Thank you.

Now we're back to our regularly scheduled broadcast.

We'll be going in with our reports of standing committees.

I believe we have one from Mr.

Ballar.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The planning committee met this evening and we passed out ordinance 20 point 62.

24 with unanimous consent.

This is the ordinance that has to do with residential parking permits.

But I just want to say thank you to everyone who's put in work on this piece of legislation for the last few years.

It is fully appreciated, and I'm glad it's being moved forward.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Ballard.

I don't think we have any more reports.

We do?

Oh, yes, finance.

Ms.

Frederick.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The finance committee met for our first meeting of budget season on October 14th.

At that meeting, we discussed the treasurer's office budget as well as administrative services.

This week we are meeting tomorrow here in the chambers at 5 30 to discuss the neighborhood and community services budget.

At that time, we're also going to go over ordinance 138125, ordinance 2292 25, and resolution 121-10125R.

On Thursday this week, we will be back here as well at 5 30 to discuss the Department of Recreation Budget, Youth and Workforce Budget, and the Community Police Review Board budget.

And then just moving to next week, we are also having a meeting on Monday, October 27th to discuss the fire at EMS budget and the police department budget.

Finally, Thursday on October 30th, we are going to discuss the Albany Water Department budget, Department of General Services, and the Engineering Budget.

In addition, just want to note based on some comment we had today, we are looking to have a discussion on the mayor's office.

We are currently looking to schedule that either November 10th or November 13th on one of these standing meetings that we have.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now we're moving on to consideration of ordinances.

Umrdnance introduced Ms.

Fredericks.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice ordinance 59-10225R, an experts introduction.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the res the ordinance?

An ordinance authorizing the cell of 37, 39, and 41 Cherry Hill Street, tax map parcel numbers 76.81-1-21, 76.80-1-22, and the 76.80-1-23 to Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Thank you.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, sir.

That will be a referral of council's finance committee.

Thank you.

Continuing on with ordinances.

Introduce Ms.

Frederick.

Thank you.

I notice ordinance 6010225, an export introduction.

Thank you.

Can the clerk please read the ordinance?

An ordinance amending ordinance 1071 25, which authorized the sale of various city-owned properties to the city, the Albany County Land Bank.

Excuse me.

Thank you.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

That's also a referral of the finance.

Thank you.

And that is it for our ordinances.

Mr.

Kimbrough.

Yes.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The rest of the ordinances are held.

Thank you.

Moving on to resolutions introduced, Mr.

Anani.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice resolution 124-101-25R and asked for his intro and passage.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council declaring October 20th, 2025 through October 26, 2025 as free speech week in the city of Albany.

Discussion on this resolution.

Seeing none since you're all you miss uh Miss Love.

Thank you.

So that means I could say what's on my mind and what's on my heart.

Is that what that means?

Pardon me?

What about the this resolution?

Yes, I could say what's on my mind and what's on my heart.

Without nobody, no repercussions.

Because I definitely have something to say to keep it.

But I won't do it right now.

Thank you.

Okay.

Well, everyone is co-sponsored on this resolution, so we will do a voice vote.

All those in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Resolution passes.

Moving on to resolution introduced Mr.

Nani.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

I notice resolution 125-101 25 are an extra passage of the rule called thereon.

Can the clerk please read the resolution?

A resolution of the common council declaring October 20th, 2025 to be community media day in the city of Albany.

Discussion on this resolution.

Seeing none, can the clerk please call the roll?

Oh, there are co-sponsors.

Okay.

This will be another voice vote.

All those in favor.

Aye.

Aye.

Thank you.

Resolution passes.

That is done with our Mr.

Kimbrough.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The rest of the resolutions on the agenda held.

Thank you.

Any miscellaneous unfinished business?

Mr.

Johnson.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Today for me was a beautiful meeting to hear the community come out and speak about things that I've spoken about for a long time.

And I hope that it resonated with the ears that it fell on.

Um to hear um the young lady talk about CDTA.

Um no, let me back up.

Kit.

Um one for a couple of Fridays ago, I was riding down Livingston Avenue when I saw a group of kids, and I got out and I did the Mr.

Johnson thing, and it wasn't a problem.

Um a couple of issues.

The uh CDTA were riding by the kids and not picking them up.

And I'm an educator, and I know that when we bring a kid to school, you're responsible to transport them back.

And when I grew up in Albany, they had tripper buses that um were outside of Albany High that took kids to certain parts of town, um, high number of kids.

When I um went to Albany High, I literally can go out on South Pearl and um Mount Hope Drive, and it was about 30 of us that got on one bus, and the bus took us directly to Albany High.

What it did is it prevented us from congregating in areas.

And what you see what we're dealing with after school is the lack of preparation.

You know, um, we had trooper buses that took kids um directly, but we also the kids use CDTA, and I think one of the benefits of kids being on the bus on a CDTA bus is adults were there, and um a lot of times um because you were in front of adults, you you handled yourself a little bit differently, and that isn't always the case today, but um it doesn't mean that it can't happen.

And I I just say um um for kids who don't want to get caught up in that um the hoopla that happens um before and after school, we should um try to provide them and and see I understand the state law, you have to live 1.5 uh miles, right?

But even if we focused on the ones that lived uh 1.5 miles or better, we're taking people away from potential harm.

And um the the harm that exists between the kids today, something that um is horseplay can escalate to adults getting involved in a bunch of um things.

So um I was happy to hear um that being brought up because when you um move a school into a neighborhood and you don't have proper planning, it's gonna be a bunch of bunch of unexpected to happen, and they're they've been happening in bunches, and so now if you look at our whole city um on all four sides, we have schools letting out um the purple tech, green tech, it's constantly um fights and stuff over by Hollandav.

You have what's going on at Albany High, and now we've added another wrinkle to um the West End so um when you hear people come down so fast, a lot of it is just you know, um it's happening so thick and um it's unaddressed.

Like these things are happening, and you never see an officer out there until it explodes, and then once it explodes, they're right on the spot.

So in my travels, I get a chance to watch how other cities are doing it, and the police are a big part of that.

And um we have to go back to the expectation of police to be able to de-escalate and just be the presence that is needed uh for these young kids that um a lot of times some of them have opportunities and it is programming there, but the choices that they're making.

So again, not to be long-winded, but I'm all I'm always excited to hear people come in and talk about issues that are near and dear to our communities, and um taxpayers should never feel uh forgotten, and I think that um the scrutinization that we put on any uh city dollars spent should be across the board.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Kimbrough Thank you, Mr.

President.

Uh motion to adjourn.

There's a second.

All those in favor?

Meeting adjourned.