All Over Albany

Public comments on Troy budget situation, new oversight of SUNY Poly development arms, big mixed-use project floated for Green Island

Troy budget crunch
A city council budget hearing Thursday included many public comments about the Troy budget situation -- including those warning a big tax increase will prompt more vacant buildings, and others warning of the consequences of making cuts. The four member Republican council group that includes council president Carmella Mantello said this week it will not allow an override of the tax cap if the tax increase is more than 9.5 percent. [TU] [TWCN] [Troy Record]

SUNY Poly
The CEO of Empire State Development, Howard Zemsky, says his agency will have oversight of the two real estate arms of SUNY Poly that had been used to handle many economic development projects for the university. Zemsky also said companies had become "had grown very tired and very weary" of working with SUNY Poly because of delays in payments. [Biz Review] [TU]

Also: SUNY Poly's chief operating officer is stepping down from the role -- he's third high-level SUNY Poly official to leave during the past week. [Politico]

Ernest Everett
A Troy City Court jury found Ernest Everett guilty of three misdemeanor counts related to the allegation he filed falsified nominating petitions for the Troy mayor race. Sentencing is set for January and he faces up to a year in jail. [TU] [Troy Record]

Charges against lawyer dismissed
The charges against Rensselaer County attorney accused of overbilling the state and county for legal work have been dismissed after the Saratoga County DA's office, which was serving as special prosecutor in the case, didn't indict within in the six-month window. [TU

Albany middle school plan
The Albany school district is set to ask voters in January to approve a $4 million purchase of the former Brighter Choice Charter middle schools building, part of the districts plan to handle middle school overcrowding. [TU]

Albany budget mix-up
A mix-up between the city of Albany and the county of Albany has resulted in the Sheehan admin looking to move $169k within the proposed city budget to cover management of archived records. [TU]

Immigration
Contrary to what's apparently been cited on some websites, officials in Rensselaer and Saratoga counties say they will enforce federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee orders, even in non-criminal cases. (Municipalities that don't do this are often referred to as "sanctuary" cities.) [NYSNYS/Saratogian]

Crashed into two cars and two houses
Niskayuna police say a driver hit a parked car (which then hit a house) Thursday night, drove across a lawn, hit another car, hit a home, and then she ran. Police say speed was a factor, and not drugs or alcohol. [TU] [Daily Gazette]

Car crash into Menands storefront
A driver crashed her car through a storefront in the Price Chopper Plaza in Menands Thursday. [TWCN] [WNYT]

Green Island mixed-use project
A $60 million mixed-use project with 250 housing units and a marina has been floated for a site in Green Island. [TU+]

Schenectady apartments
A plan to convert the former Annie Schaffer Senior Center on Nott Terrace into 30 apartments got site plan approval from the Schenectady Planning Commission. [Daily Gazette]

Blue Ribbon
The popular Blue Ribbon Diner in Schenectady is looking to set up separate bakery production and retail spaces. [Daily Gazette]

Jim Coyne
Former Albany County exec Jim Coyne still says he's innocent of the charges that sent him to prison two decades ago -- and alleges there was a multi-level conspiracy involved. [TU+]

America
From the Times Union: "An intoxicated 57-year-old man yelling "America!" fired a shotgun into the air outside his Loundonville home on Election Day, before hiding the weapon inside a children's playhouse in his neighbor's yard, [Colonie] police said." [TU]