Proposed Albany budget includes trash fee for single-family homes, man dies from Albany shooting, tracking the events at the Albany Capital Center
Albany city budget
+ Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan released her proposed 2019 budget. It includes a spending increase of less than 1 percent, and again relies on $12.5 million in "Capital City Funding" from the state. [Sheehan admin]
+ But the most noteworthy part of the proposed budget is that it includes a new $90 trash fee for single-family homes. (Trash service is currently not paid for separately, and has for years been subsidized by the city's landfill, which is scheduled to close next decade. The city is probably headed, eventually, toward a system that charges people in some way based on how much gets thrown out.) [TU]
More municipal budgets
+ Supervisor Paula Mahan's proposed Colonie town budget includes a 7.5 percent tax increase, which would exceed the tax cap. [TU]
+ Mayor Gary McCarthy's proposed Schenectady city budget would include a small property tax cut. The budget plans for $2.56 million in casino revenue, a 12 percent increase from this year. [TU] [Daily Gazette]
+ The proposed Schenectady County budget doesn't include a an increase in the tax levy. [Daily Gazette]
Shooting death in Albany
+ Albany police say one of the people shot outside Club Phoenix on Central Ave this past weekend has died of his injuries. APD says the charges against the man in custody for the shooting will be upgraded. [APD]
+ The man's death is the city's 13th homicide of 2018. The Times Union has been tracking that number. [TU x2]
Albany fires
+ Albany's fire chief says investigators are working to determine what caused the two large fires on Sheridan Ave and Quail Street over the weekend. The Red Cross says more than 70 people were displaced by the fires. [TU] [CBS6]
+ The fire near Buckingham Pond Monday morning destroyed a house a Colonie Ave. There were no injuries. [TU] [Spectrum]
Washington Park robbery
Albany police say they're investigating a reported mugging in Washington Park near the foot bridge over the lake around 9 pm Sunday night. [TU]
Crossgates stabbing
Guilderland police say a 17-year-old girl is accused of robbing and stabbing two 15-year-old girls at Crossgates Saturday. [TU]
Hot wheels
A Clifton Park auto dealership says the wheels stolen from vehicles over the weekend -- the cars were propped up on rocks -- are collectively worth almost $50,000. [Daily Gazette]
Lawsuit alleges assault by state trooper
A Castleton woman has filed the prescursor of a lawsuit alleging that State Police assaulted her and held her improperly following a crash on Route 50 in Saratoga Springs this past summer in which the vehicle she was in was rear ended -- she said a trooper had yelled at the driver of her car and then hit her phone when the woman tried to record the situation. [TU]
Schenectady excessive force settlement
A Schenectady City Council committee has approved a tentative settlement of an excessive force lawsuit against the city and a police officer -- the amount hasn't been publicly disclosed, but a council member tells Andrew Beam "it's a lot of money." [Daily Gazette]
NY-19 election
One of the Republican strategies in the NY-19 race between incumbent Republican John Faso and Democratic challenger Antonio Delgado: trying to label Delgado as "a big-city rapper." [NYT]
Child Victims Act
Chris Churchill on the Brett Kavanaugh accusations, the Child Victims Act in New York State, and the difficulty in trying to bring light and justice to what may have happened many years in the past. [TU]
East Greenbush schools superintendent pregnancy discrimination suit
A federal jury sided with the East Greenbush school district in the case in which a former superintendent alleged she didn't have her contract renewed because she had gotten pregnant. [TU]
Albany Capital Center
Lauren Stanforth reviews the number -- and type -- of events that have been held at the Albany Capital Center so far. [TU]
Regeneron
Regeneron is seeking $15.7 million in tax breaks for its planned expansion in East Greenbush. [TU]
COCOA
Sara Foss checks back on the COCOA (Children of Our Community Open to Achievement) House in Schenectady, which connects kids with mentors. [Daily Gazette]
Survivor
The Watervliet man who was competing on Survivor had to leave after one episode because of a back injury. [TU]
Stuff going on today
Capitol Hauntings
Monday-Saturday: The popular Capitol Hauntings tours have started up for the season at the state Capitol. "The tour lasts about an hour, but the chilling, ghostly tales might haunt you forever." Monday-Friday 1 pm and 5:30 pm / Saturday 1 pm -- free (but you must make a reservation and they fill up)
The Royale
Tuesday-Sunday: The Rep continues its production of The Royale. Tuesday-Sunday various times -- $20 and up
Science on Tap: climate change
Tuesday: The Science on Tap series will be at Slidin' Dirty in Schenectady for a talk about figuring the change in climate change by Brian Rose, an assistant professor in UAlbany's Department of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences. Tuesday 7 pm -- free admission
Tattoo Flash Art
Tuesday: The "Social Media" crafts-and-drinks series at the Arts Center of the Capital Region has tattoo design night. "Discover the art of classic tattoo design while sipping on a cocktail! You'll also have the opportunity to draw out your own design with the guidance of the professional tattoo artists from Albany's Curly Wolf Tattoo Club!" Tuesday 5:30 pm -- $40
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection
Tuesday: Proctors is the screening the new documentary John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection. "A documentary set at the final of the 1984 French Open between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl at a time when McEnroe was the world's top-ranked player. " Tuesday 2 pm, 4:30 pm, 7 pm -- $9 / $6 students and seniors
Music: Madeleine Peyroux at The Egg
"Madeleine continues to challenge the confines of jazz, venturing into the fertile fields of contemporary music with unfading curiosity." 7:30 pm -- $39.50
Music: Iration at Upstate Concert Hall
Reggae. With: Common Kings, Katastro. 7:30 pm -- $20 ahead / $23 day of
Music: Justin Townes Earle at Caffe Lena
Americana. 5 pm and 8 pm -- $37
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Comments
Albany Capital Center: "the purpose of convention centers is not to make money, but to garner spending at neighboring businesses." So maybe more businesses should stay open later than 5pm, and be open on weekends?
... said ethan on Oct 2, 2018 at 10:40 AM | link
@ethan Or how about better neighboring business?
... said Ron on Oct 2, 2018 at 12:43 PM | link
If I now have to pay for trash removal, can I just opt out and bring the trash to a dump myself, or hire a 3rd party to remove it? Or is the $90 mandatory? Which in that case its really just a tax, vailed as a fee.
... said john on Oct 2, 2018 at 12:50 PM | link
John - the reason it's set up as a fee is that fees can be billed to tax-exempt properties, which allows it to be more fairly shared amongst the properties in the city. I think we should be looking at more ways to move things from taxes to fees in order to get more revenue from properties that currently do not contribute.
... said BethAM on Oct 2, 2018 at 1:38 PM | link
More, actually ALL, not for profits from WAMC public radio to Churches to Hospitals should follow Albany Med's lead and start contributing (voluntarily) to the City---I know they are "exempt", but payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) is just an acknowledgment of fairness and helps defray police, fire and highway services. The State's $12 Million is not really a "big ask", it may be considered either a PILOT for its Downtown offices or its Uptown State Office Campus or the two University campuses OR it may be considered a payment to equalize the per capita aid given to other upstate cities. (the State pays PILOTS, for example, to municipalities for State Forests, and still pays taxes to the school districts which have been submerged under the Great Sacandaga Lake since the 1930s!)
... said jsc on Oct 2, 2018 at 1:49 PM | link
YES to what jsc said.
... said Danny C on Oct 2, 2018 at 2:59 PM | link
@ BethAM, sounds good, then reduce my taxes by $90.
... said john on Oct 2, 2018 at 3:09 PM | link
John - my coworkers in Delmar pay between $20-$30 a month for trash pickup. $90 isn't really very much, I don't think - and that's coming from someone who pays $120 a year because I have a two-family property.
... said Silvia M Lilly on Oct 2, 2018 at 3:13 PM | link
@ Silvia M Lilly - You are missing my point. We now have to pay $90 for something that used to be included in our taxes so the city can go after non-profits. Sounds like a good game plan, but not really...
What I read is the $90 fee gets passed to 13,500 single family homes in Albany, per the Times Union article. If I did the math right thats $1.2M the city is now collecting in new tax revenues from the good people of Albany. Is the city going to provide $1.2M worth of better garbage collection service? I sure hope so. And how many non-profits will be paying that fee, I assume most of the non-profits have commercial garbage removal. How many non-profits can you name that don't have a commercial dumpster service in Albany?
And concerning the multi-family trash removal fee.. Its unfair, I myself own rental properties that are two families, one of them is occupied by a single lady, and a young couple, and the rental property puts out less trash then the family of five that live next door in the single family home.
To be clear I am OK with a trash fee, but if we are going to call it a fee lets make sure we get the facts straight, not that I have them all, but would like to have them:
1. How many non-profit businesses not currently paying a trash fee will now be paying a trash fee?
2. What percentage, of the amount of money collected from the new trash fee, is from the non-profit businesses?
3. If its a fee, and not a tax, then let me not have to pay it and figure out a legal means to get rid of my trash.
And frankly, I think its rude to tell someone what is or isn't "very much", as one person's very much, is another person's very little, lets make sure to be inclusive of all the people in Albany.
... said john on Oct 2, 2018 at 5:50 PM | link
I live in the Town of Colonie. I pay school and property taxes, a water bill every six months and $20.00 a month for trash pickup, that's $240.00 per year!
... said Dave on Oct 3, 2018 at 4:41 AM | link
@john - $90 divided by 12 = $7.50 per month and I stand by my assertion, frankly, that it isn't very much.
... said Silvia M Lilly on Oct 3, 2018 at 12:32 PM | link
It was obvious when the multi-unit fee was added and is more obvious now, we need pay-as-you-throw. It works in plenty of other places, and has the benefit of incentivizing waste reduction. Municipal composting is probably a dream but PAYT would urge at least some people to either compost on their own or use an available service (business growth opportunity right there).
... said -B on Oct 3, 2018 at 3:11 PM | link