
January Office Hours
Office hours for January will be held at Cafe Euphoria (225 River St.) on Sunday, January 19 from 1-3pm. Please stop by to chat about City business, neighborhood improvements, or any other issues you might have.
You can always reach me via email at aaron.vera@troyny.gov.
Collar City Pride launching new service program
Collar City Pride is starting a new social service initiative in February, and needs your help! Rainbow Bridging Case Management is an initiative launching thanks to a grant from the Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, providing assistance in health care navigation, gender-affirming healthcare, housing and food resource navigation, and harm reduction/substance use counseling.
While aspects of the program are tailored to the specific needs of the LGBTQ+ community in Rensselaer County, services will be provided to all those requiring assistance. For more information or to request case management services, click here.
Cafe Euphoria has generously provided space to utilize, and CCP is looking for volunteers to help furnish, organize, and prepare for an early February launch on Sunday, Jan 19 from 12pm-4pm. If you are willing to donate some time, materials, or support, please fill out the form here.
Artists Giving Farmers Market a Facelift
The Troy Waterfront Farmer’s Market is undertaking an art installation project this winter at the Troy Atrium, and is looking for submissions from artists as well as material support from the community to create an agriculture-themed series of murals or other art installations.
Some pieces are already underway, thanks to TAP and the Arts Center, and more are planned for completion by March. If you would like to provide any amount of financial support to this effort, please click here. If you would like to submit a project proposal or have questions, please send an email.
Land Bank and Habitat for Humanity Project Moving Forward
You may have seen the recent news about the removal of red X’s on several Troy Community Land Bank properties. Troy Community Land Bank has also successfully sold 7, 9, and 11 Park Avenue to Habitat for Humanity.
Utilizing City ARPA funds, Habitat for Humanity is now set to build affordable, owner-occupied housing in the form of new-construction modular homes on these sites. This project is a major step forward in creating more accessible housing for our community.
If you are interested in becoming a homeowner, Habitat for Humanity is currently accepting applications. Click here to apply.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING RECAPS
December 2: Finance Committee and Special Meeting
The Mayor’s 2025 Budget was adopted by a 4-3 vote with all members of the Democratic minority voting against. Several concerns were identified in the 2025 budget including the lack of funding set aside for expiring union contracts, an expiring 911 contract with the County, and overly optimistic - if not wholly unrealistic - sales tax revenue. Ultimately the only amendments made were to correct errors throughout the document. In future years a hard look at revenue needs to be the focus of budgeting.
December 5: Finance Committee and Regular Meeting
RES 153 passed unanimously authorizing the Mayor to enter into a contract with Tyler Technologies to provide services and software related to a new accounting system. The transition is expected to take between 12 and 24 months at a cost of $800,000.
RES 154 passed unanimously authorizing the environmental cleanup of a recently purchased property. The property will be used for a replacement for the Fire Department's existing Station 1.
RES 159 passed 4-3 with all members of the democratic minority dissenting. This legislation authorized a 6-year lease agreement with the Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association (TAYHA) for the soon-to-be-completed Knick Ice Rink. In exchange for 30 hours of dedicated ice time each week during peak hours, TAYHA will contribute $250,000 in in-kind improvements to the facility over the lease term and pay $500 a month to offset City insurance costs. At market rate, this ice time equates to approximately $1.8M in value (assuming $190/hr). Renovations cost over $2.5M including $2M from County ARPA funds and over $500k from City ARPA funds.
December 19: Finance Committee and Special Meeting
The Council unanimously passed several relevy ordinances. These ordinances place any unpaid taxes and fees onto next year’s tax bill. If you are a Troy property owner and haven’t done so already, I recommend checking the lists to see if you have any outstanding balances.
The Council unanimously passed both RES 160 and RES 161 relating to the Little Italy Market project. This project has been years in the making and relies on State funding. The goal is to breathe new life into this public space which has already seen some nearby investments, including the Liberty Street Mobility Hub and the new Defazio’s restaurant location.
December 30: Special Finance Committee and Special Meeting
Ordinance 81 was passed unanimously authorizing the reallocation and obligation of ARPA funding. With the deadline to obligate these funds just a day away the City needed to move funding to projects that were likely to be constructed over the next two years. This included eliminating the $700k for a community center, reducing the funding for 1 Monument Square by $1M, and eliminating nearly $500k budgeted for renovation of the existing City Hall space. In exchange, $1M was contracted for lead service line replacement, $560,000 for the Knick Ice Arena, and $3.6M for improvements at Frear Park (including renovations to Park Pub).
After the Deputy Mayor stated the total cost of renovating Park Pub could cost $4-7M and historically only generated $1,500/mo in rent, I introduced a bi-partisan amendment which restricted the amount of funding dedicated to the Park Pub renovation. The goal is to see improvements at Frear that benefit the entire community and not to create a sweetheart deal for an undetermined restaurateur.
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