OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Albany Common Council Meeting – Youth and Government Night – May 18, 2026

Common Council — Monday, May 18, 2026
BodyAlbany, New York
SessionCommon Council
DateMonday, May 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:09:42
Transcript — Verbatim
1:29

Good evening, everyone.

1:34

So hi everyone.

1:38

Uh if everybody could we're gonna go through the agenda quickly and then um we'll give everybody a few more minutes to chat with our students.

1:46

Carly, let me know when we're live.

1:50

Good evening, everyone.

1:52

Welcome to Caucus this evening.

1:55

Um if someone wouldn't mind um saying who is here.

2:06

Uh Adams.

2:09

Present.

2:10

Uh Nani.

2:11

Ballerin Brody.

2:13

Present.

2:14

Barrel.

2:15

Here, Lynn.

2:16

Present.

2:16

Howie.

2:18

President Johnson.

2:21

President.

2:22

Jones.

2:23

Present.

2:23

Keegan.

2:25

Here.

2:26

Lumpkin.

2:27

Present.

2:27

Powell.

2:29

Robinson.

2:32

Williamson.

2:33

Present.

2:34

Zamer.

2:35

Present.

2:36

Um also present.

2:37

We have Council President Kelly Kimbrell, myself, Shenica Jackson, City Clerk, um, research council Robert Winner, and Corporation Council Martha Motzkowitz.

2:51

We're also joined by Councilmember um Robinson.

2:59

Thank you so much.

3:00

And um Council Policy Analyst Carly Johnson.

3:07

I apologize.

3:08

We also are joined by um Carly Johnson.

3:13

Just because she's got her new title now, so I was like, oh, I get to flex the new title.

3:18

Um so welcome to Youth and Government Night, everyone.

3:22

Um what we're going I'll go through the agenda.

3:26

But this evening, um what we're going to have is this is an opportunity for the students to kind of go through a meeting and see how things go.

3:37

So they um Brian has been kind enough to provide scripts for everyone, I believe.

3:48

Um also you're I we kind of leave it up to the council member, but we'll often allow uh encourage our students to vote for us.

3:58

So if you're going to be voting for a law or something like that and you want to co-sponsor it, just tell the student yes, co-sponsor please, or um yes or no, however you want to vote on that.

4:15

Um we also will be um so that's the main thing tonight.

4:23

And feel free to take a few moments and chat with them and kind of go through things.

4:27

Um so what we'll do is we'll go through the agenda.

4:30

Um this evening we have the May 4th minutes.

4:36

Um and a quick note for the committee section.

4:40

Unless you have something typed up for your student to read, you can just take care of that yourself if you have uh if you're doing a committee report.

4:50

Um in local laws introduced, we have local law I of twenty twenty-six from council member Keegan.

5:04

That will go to finance.

5:07

Um councilmember Keegan, did you want to say anything about that?

5:11

Just very quickly.

5:13

So this um will uh improve the definitions of what counts towards the four percent mark um when it comes to uh monies that are moved through the board of estimate and apportionment.

5:27

One of the issues and concerns that were raised regarding the budget crisis was that um over the years uh the city has moved funds and counted them as appropriations, which does not count towards the four percent calculation.

5:44

Um so whereas the city has sort of exceeded that four percent of budget transfers when you account for appropriations and therefore should have triggered count more oversight from the council.

5:57

That was not happening.

5:58

So this is kind of going back to uh address changes that the council had put through in 2021 and flush out the intent of those changes so that um we don't have those issues going forward.

6:15

Thank you so much.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████26%
Budget Equity Analysis████████████████16%
Economic Development█████████████13%
Youth Programs████████████12%
Community Engagement███████7%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Public Engagement████4%
Active Transportation███3%
Data Center Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Albany Common Council Meeting – Youth and Government Night – May 18, 2026

The Albany Common Council held its regular meeting on May 18, 2026, featuring Youth and Government participation from Albany High School students. The meeting began at 7:01 PM with a roll call of 15 members present. After a pledge and moment of silence, the council temporarily amended rules to allow students to make motions and read legislation. The council acted on multiple local laws, ordinances, and resolutions, and heard public comments on the city budget, controller involvement, and a proposed battery storage facility.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The May 4, 2026 regular meeting minutes were approved unanimously.
  • Local Laws Introduced:
    • Local Law I of 2026 (Councilmember Keegan) – amends charter to clarify budget transfer definitions; referred to Finance Committee.
    • Local Law J of 2026 (Councilmember Hoey) – allows emergency meetings with adjusted notice; referred to Operations Committee.
  • Resolutions Introduced via Majority Consent:
    • Resolution 3652-26R: Honoring May 2026 as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 3752-26R: Recognizing May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 3852-26R: Recognizing May 2026 as Bike Month in Albany (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4052-26R: Recognizing and welcoming students participating in Youth and Government event (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4252-26R: Recognizing May 20, 2026 as World Bee Day (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4352-26R: Recognizing May 31, 2026 as World No Tobacco Day (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4452-26R: Celebrating the growth of the South End Children's Cafe (passed unanimously; taken out of order before public comment).
    • Resolution 4552-26R: Recognizing May 4–7 as National Air Quality Awareness Week (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4652-26R: Declaring May 25, 2026 as Memorial Day (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4752-26R: Recognizing May 3–9 as National Small Business Week (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4852-26R: Recognizing May 2026 as ALS Awareness Month (passed unanimously).
    • Resolution 4952-26R: Celebrating the 78th annual Tulip Festival (passed unanimously).
  • Resolutions with Individual Votes:
    • Resolution 4152-26R (Councilmember Balloran): Calling on the NYS Legislature to pass the New York Health Plan (single-payer) – passed 15–0.
    • Resolution 5052-26R (Councilmember Flynn): Urging the city to halt installation of a battery storage system until new legislation is adopted – passed 15–0.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Carl Yorich (Lennox Avenue): Requested the council seek assistance from the State Comptroller's Division of Local Government Accountability, citing an existential budget crisis. He noted that several residents have already made formal requests and urged the council to act quickly.
  • Anaya A. (Haitian American resident): Spoke about Haitian Flag Day and the importance of recognizing Haitian contributions, emphasizing hope for Haiti despite ongoing challenges.
  • Ed Brennan (389 McCormick Road, president of Albany Bicycle Coalition and acting president of Normanskill Neighborhood Association): Expressed support for the Bike Month resolution and reported improvements in cycling infrastructure. Voiced opposition to the proposed lithium-ion battery storage facility near Hopi Street, citing safety concerns from fires and toxic fumes. Noted that over 80 neighbors attended a recent meeting and none supported the project.
  • Tessa Hughes (Zuni Street, new homeowner): Opposed the battery storage facility, stating she purchased her home expecting a quiet residential neighborhood. She raised concerns about fire risks, emergency access, and cited a New York State Senator's quote on prioritizing children's safety. Asked that the council consider residents' concerns before making a decision.
  • Omar Robinson (404 Livingston Avenue): Criticized the city's budget process, alleging

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. So hi everyone. Uh if everybody could we're gonna go through the agenda quickly and then um we'll give everybody a few more minutes to chat with our students. Carly, let me know when we're live. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Caucus this evening. Um if someone wouldn't mind um saying who is here. Uh Adams. Present. Uh Nani. Ballerin Brody. Present. Barrel. Here, Lynn. Present. Howie. President Johnson. President. Jones. Present. Keegan. Here. Lumpkin. Present. Powell. Robinson. Williamson. Present. Zamer. Present. Um also present. We have Council President Kelly Kimbrell, myself, Shenica Jackson, City Clerk, um, research council Robert Winner, and Corporation Council Martha Motzkowitz. We're also joined by Councilmember um Robinson. Thank you so much. And um Council Policy Analyst Carly Johnson. I apologize. We also are joined by um Carly Johnson. Just because she's got her new title now, so I was like, oh, I get to flex the new title. Um so welcome to Youth and Government Night, everyone. Um what we're going I'll go through the agenda. But this evening, um what we're going to have is this is an opportunity for the students to kind of go through a meeting and see how things go. So they um Brian has been kind enough to provide scripts for everyone, I believe. Um also you're I we kind of leave it up to the council member, but we'll often allow uh encourage our students to vote for us. So if you're going to be voting for a law or something like that and you want to co-sponsor it, just tell the student yes, co-sponsor please, or um yes or no, however you want to vote on that. Um we also will be um so that's the main thing tonight. And feel free to take a few moments and chat with them and kind of go through things. Um so what we'll do is we'll go through the agenda. Um this evening we have the May 4th minutes. Um and a quick note for the committee section. Unless you have something typed up for your student to read, you can just take care of that yourself if you have uh if you're doing a committee report.

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