[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:04] And good evening, everyone, and thank you for coming out to our town board meeting of October
[0:10] 1st, 2020. Six and please rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance.
[0:17] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for
[0:24] which it hands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
[0:30] Thank you. Madam Clerk for the resolutions this evening.
[0:37] There are a few resolutions before the board. We'll begin with resolution 324, which is a resolution authorizing the supervisor to execute change order number 1 with LaBella Associates PC in connection with the West Albany Memorial Park Restroom Building Project.
[0:53] So moved.
[0:53] Second.
[0:54] Supervisor votes aye.
[0:56] Councilman Gamble.
[0:56] Aye.
[0:57] Feel?
[0:57] Aye.
[0:58] Kovacs.
[0:58] Aye.
[0:58] Please.
[0:59] Aye.
[0:59] Wine Garden.
[1:00] Aye.
[1:00] I'm a converse.
[1:01] Aye.
[1:01] The eyes have a supervisor.
[1:02] The resolution is adopted.
[1:04] Resolution 325 is a resolution authorizing the Leif and Water District to reimburse for overestimated
[1:10] water usage due to failure of the property owner to provide accurate water meter readings.
[1:16] So moved.
[1:17] Second.
[1:18] Supervisor votes aye.
[1:19] Councilman Gamble.
[1:20] Aye.
[1:20] Feel?
[1:21] Aye.
[1:21] Aye.
[1:21] Overtime.
[1:22] Aye.
[1:22] Lays.
[1:23] Aye.
[1:23] Lengarden.
[1:24] Aye.
[1:24] Ima Cumber.
[1:25] Aye.
[1:25] The I's Havett Supervisor.
[1:26] The resolution is adopted.
[1:28] Resolution 326 is a resolution authorizing the Latham water district to reimburse for overestimated water usage due to failure of the property owner to provide accurate water meter readings.
[1:39] So moved.
[1:39] Second.
[1:40] Supervisor votes aye.
[1:42] Houseman Gamble.
[1:42] Aye.
[1:43] Eal.
[1:43] Aye.
[1:44] Overtime.
[1:44] Aye.
[1:45] Lays.
[1:45] Aye.
[1:46] Lengarden.
[1:46] Aye.
[1:46] I'm McComber. Hi. The eyes have a supervisor. The resolution is adopted.
[1:51] Resolution 327 is a resolution authorizing the supervisor to execute a
[1:56] contractor's agreement with clean harbors and environmental services
[1:59] ink in connection with the sulfuric acid day tank neutralization and removal
[2:04] project at the Mohawk View Water Treatment Plant for the DPW Division of
[2:09] Latham water. So moved. Second. Supervisor votes aye.
[2:12] Hi.
[2:13] Councilman Gamble.
[2:14] Hi.
[2:14] Eel.
[2:14] Hi.
[2:15] Covax.
[2:15] Hi.
[2:16] Please.
[2:16] Hi.
[2:17] Flying Garden.
[2:18] Hi.
[2:18] Hi.
[2:18] Hi.
[2:18] Hi.
[2:18] Hi.
[2:19] Hi.
[2:19] Hi.
[2:20] Hi.
[2:21] Hi.
[2:22] Resolution 328 is a resolution awarding the contract to spring electric ink in connection with the high-lift pump station
[2:29] Generator automatic transfer switch replacement project at the Mohawk View water treatment plant for the DPW division of leaf and water
[2:36] So moved second supervisor votes aye
[2:40] Councilman Gamble aye field aye covex aye please aye wine garden aye and McCunbar aye the eyes have a supervisor
[2:47] The resolution is adopted.
[2:49] Resolution 329 is a resolution awarding the contract to angel construction limited in connection with the
[2:55] 2026 sanitary sewer repair program 2.
[2:59] So moved.
[3:00] Second.
[3:01] Supervisor votes aye.
[3:02] Councilman Gamble.
[3:03] Aye.
[3:04] Field.
[3:04] Povex.
[3:05] Please.
[3:06] Aye.
[3:06] Flying Garden.
[3:07] Aye.
[3:07] Emma Cumber.
[3:08] Aye.
[3:09] The eyes have a supervisor.
[3:10] The resolution is adopted.
[3:11] Resolution 330 is a resolution calling a public hearing.
[3:15] pursuant to Section 202 of the New York State Town Law relative to the annual estimate
[3:20] of expense of improvements and benefit assessment role for the town of colonies sewer improvement
[3:25] area.
[3:26] So moved.
[3:27] Second.
[3:28] Supervisor votes aye.
[3:29] Councilman Gamble.
[3:30] Aye.
[3:31] You.
[3:31] Aye.
[3:31] Covax.
[3:32] Aye.
[3:32] Please.
[3:33] Aye.
[3:33] Wine Garden.
[3:34] Aye.
[3:35] And the number.
[3:35] Aye.
[3:36] The eyes have a supervisor.
[3:37] Resolution is adopted.
[3:39] Resolution 331 is a resolution calling for a public hearing in connection with the fire protection
[3:44] Section services within the town's fire protection districts for 2027.
[3:49] So moved.
[3:50] Second.
[3:51] Supervisor votes aye.
[3:52] Pounceman Gamble.
[3:53] Aye.
[3:53] Field.
[3:54] Aye.
[3:54] COVAX.
[3:55] Aye.
[3:55] Please.
[3:56] Aye.
[3:56] Wine Garden.
[3:57] Aye.
[3:58] Emma Cumber.
[3:58] Aye.
[3:59] The aye's habit supervisor.
[4:00] The resolution is adopted.
[4:02] The resolution 332 is a resolution authorizing the supervisor to enter into an agreement with data works
[4:08] plus in connection with the annual maintenance and support services of the RICY plus live
[4:13] plan system for the colony police department.
[4:15] So moved.
[4:16] Second.
[4:17] Supervisor votes aye.
[4:19] Councilor Campbell.
[4:19] Aye.
[4:20] Phil.
[4:20] Aye.
[4:21] Kovacs.
[4:21] Aye.
[4:22] Please.
[4:22] Aye.
[4:23] Lion Garden.
[4:23] Aye.
[4:24] Emma Cumber.
[4:24] Aye.
[4:25] Aye.
[4:25] Aye.
[4:25] Aye.
[4:25] Aye.
[4:26] Aye.
[4:40] Aye.
[4:40] The board openly welcomes all public commentary.
[4:43] However, this public comment period is not appropriate for you to pose or present questions.
[4:48] As a reminder, the board meeting agenda and
[4:53] related agenda packet on the town website 24 hours in advance of each town board meeting.
[5:00] This posting provides the public with an opportunity to review proposed resolutions prior to each meeting.
[5:06] Questions may be asked and answers sought prior to any town board meeting by calling,
[5:12] emailing, mailing, or delivering a letter to the town supervisor's office, each and every
[5:17] town councilman or councilwoman or any of the town departments. The phone numbers and email
[5:23] addresses for the town supervisor, town councilman and women, and town departments are available on
[5:30] town's website, www.townaconey.gov.
[5:34] Again, please limit your comments
[5:35] to no more than three minutes in duration.
[5:37] Thank you.
[5:39] First, a tie-in up is Christopher Kelsey
[5:41] of the Comptroller's Office.
[5:48] Good evening, sir.
[5:49] Good evening.
[5:50] Thank you for forward for the times and I.
[5:52] I'd like to correct the record as it relates
[5:54] to a statement made by the final speaker
[5:56] during the public comment period
[5:58] at the town board meeting of September 24th, 2026.
[6:02] Ms. Weber alleged the town did not comply
[6:04] with the Town Law Chapter 26 Article 8 Section 106 as it related to the presentation of the 2026
[6:11] tentative town budget to the town board. Chapter 62 Article 8 Section 106 requires the
[6:19] town clerk to present the tentative town budget to the town board at a regular or special meeting
[6:25] on or before October 5th of each year. The town clerk did in fact distribute the 2026 tentative
[6:31] budget filed on September 30, 2025 to the town board members at the regular meeting of October
[6:38] 2, 2025. This is clearly documented at approximately the 41-minute mark of the meeting. The video
[6:45] of the meeting is available on the town's website. The town board then reviewed the tentative
[6:50] budget and on October 23, 2025, it unanimously voted to accept the tentative budget as the
[6:57] the 2026 preliminary budget.
[7:00] That evening, a public hearing on the preliminary 2026 budget
[7:03] was called for November 6th, 2025.
[7:06] Subsequent to the October 23rd meeting,
[7:09] the preliminary budget was made available
[7:10] in the town's clerk's office and on the town's website.
[7:14] The public hearing for the 2026 preliminary budget
[7:16] was held on November 6th, 2025,
[7:19] and the town board unanimously adopted the preliminary budget
[7:22] as the final 2026 budget.
[7:25] The final budget was then made available
[7:27] in the town clerk's office and on the talent's website.
[7:30] Thank you.
[7:31] Thank you, sir.
[7:34] Next, I sign up.
[7:35] We have Susan Lurillard.
[7:38] Good evening.
[7:39] Susan Lurillard here, town resident.
[7:41] I'm just going to reiterate a point I made up,
[7:45] well, actually not upstairs in the pre-ident.
[7:48] Let me interrupt.
[7:49] Have you, can you provide us here with your address please?
[7:52] I know.
[7:52] It's a public.
[7:56] I'm not going to get into that.
[7:57] But there's a New York State Office of Government opinion that anyone is not required to speak
[8:06] at a public hearing to provide their address.
[8:09] So, if you wouldn't mind if you wanted to.
[8:12] I live in the town of Colony, you know, where I live anyway.
[8:16] Getting back to my point at the pre-agenda session, I asked whether or not the town would
[8:22] and entertain scheduling some budget workshops for town residents to be able to ask questions
[8:32] about the budget prior to the budget hearing in November.
[8:38] And I just want to reiterate that I think that would be a very good idea.
[8:41] There are many towns in our area that have this practice to provide a copy of the tentative
[8:50] budget for their residents to review and ask questions at budget workshops.
[8:55] I think it's very helpful for the town as it's doing its budget to hear what
[9:00] residents would like to see in the budget. Any questions they have in that so
[9:08] forth. So basically that was what I had mentioned at the pre-agenda session and I
[9:20] There are several towns in our areas.
[9:22] I mentioned town of Rotterdam, town of Bethlehem,
[9:26] Knox, Queenmans.
[9:27] For example, have all had in our schedule
[9:30] to have budget workshops.
[9:32] So it's not out of the ordinary.
[9:34] And I think it would be very helpful in a good government
[9:37] move for our town to do this.
[9:39] Thank you.
[9:40] Thank you.
[9:43] Next we have Allison McLean Lane.
[9:49] Thank you very much.
[9:51] Yes, there is an opinion from the committee
[9:52] on open government that you do not need to provide identifying information about yourself.
[9:58] Personally, I am an elections official. I do not want to give out my address. And, you
[10:04] know, I hope that that would be respected. So, I wanted to thank the Colony EMS Department
[10:13] for everything they have done for my parents in the past year and a half. It's been a
[10:24] tough
[10:25] here. They've come and done the lift assist.
[10:37] I'm sorry. Their emotional generosity and their kindness
[10:41] has been beyond belief. They actually, 15 and a half years ago, saved my husband's life on the
[10:47] floor of an ambulance in Kimberly Square and actually used his EKJ as a training document for their
[10:55] staff. I am indebted to them for my entire effort.
[11:05] It's okay. Do you want to collect yourself and
[11:08] come back. Is that okay? Whatever. Okay. All right. Thank you.
[11:13] And I apologize for my emotion.
[11:19] Next we have Paul.
[11:21] I'd
[11:27] like to comment on a town employee that showed me something that was on the Internet or whatever it is.
[11:38] But Peter had an announcement and it was for a building at the West Albany Pocket Park.
[11:44] But it just showed him and a little piece of the building behind him.
[11:49] So I really couldn't see what it was.
[11:52] So I had to run down to West Albany to see this new building down in West Albany.
[11:58] I don't know whether some of the town board members have seen it yet.
[12:01] But I went down there and one of the town employees, very nice person,
[12:07] gave me a sneak peek.
[12:10] It isn't open yet.
[12:11] So I got a sneak peek at this building and it is beautiful.
[12:16] But also he gave me a little bit of a tour around West Albany Pocket Park.
[12:20] I haven't been down there in a lot of years.
[12:23] And the amount of work that's gone in to the West Albany Pocket Park and probably because
[12:29] of the employees of the Recreation Department, but it is unbelievable down there.
[12:36] New fencing and the ice skating rink and all the other things that are going on down
[12:41] there. I just think they're just doing a wonderful job. I would like to mention that perhaps
[12:47] the town board might consider putting one of those buildings behind town hall in the
[12:54] park in Newtonville just offhand might think of doing something like that because it's
[13:00] just the perfect size building to put in that park. So I'd like to thank all the town
[13:06] employees for doing a great job.
[13:10] Thank you, sir.
[13:12] And next, we have Jim Quirk.
[13:23] Good evening.
[13:24] Jim Quirk, 43-11 Avenue.
[13:27] There was a last-town board meeting
[13:29] I had raised some concerns about a couple of vacant lots
[13:33] near where I live that were severely overgrown,
[13:37] as well as an issue I had with or not an issue I have,
[13:40] but an issue that's actually kind of a safety issue.
[13:44] about the sidewalk on Delator Road that floods even with moderate rain.
[13:51] And Mr. Mavage, we asked me to speak to Andres about the little hats.
[13:55] And he seemed like a pretty mild matter guy.
[13:57] But he must have put the fear of God in the sun.
[14:00] But he, because those lots got cleaned up, especially the,
[14:03] there's one on the corner of Delator in Troy's connectivity road
[14:07] with the stewards, between the stewards and the Salvation Army.
[14:13] And they mowed that down nicely, but there's a lot of 302
[14:17] Troy's connecting road, just up the road to peace.
[14:20] And across the street from the Old Blasberg's gas station,
[14:22] if you're familiar with that.
[14:24] And they had a small army of guys there last week,
[14:27] and it cleaned up nicely.
[14:28] So I appreciate that very much to it.
[14:32] I just wanted to do knowledge in Andrus.
[14:34] I talked to about the lots.
[14:35] And I talked to Crate about the flooded sidewalks.
[14:39] And really, like I said, he got the job done with cleaning
[14:42] knows up and I've had conversations with Crate and they are working to come to some kind
[14:49] of solution to try to make that sidewalk passable and not blood and get covered with mud
[14:55] because, as I said, when I was talking about this last...
[15:00] The meeting is it, I think, part of the reason that there are people walking up Delator Road on the other side where there's just a small shoulder. It's extremely dangerous. I think part of that is because they can't reverse the sidewalk on the side that has a sidewalk. So, anyway, I just wanted to give a little acknowledgement to Anderson Crate and just to let the board know that they are responsive and working towards solutions. Thank you. Thank you, sir.
[15:28] That
[15:35] concludes the public sign-up for tonight.
[15:38] Okay.
[15:39] Madam Clerk, before we close, is there any service that you would like to do while we're on the record?
[15:46] Yes, and if I may just take a moment to address the board.
[15:49] I just wanted to echo the sentiments of the Comptroller in relation to the allegations that were set forth at the last meeting of September 4th.
[15:55] And again, concurring about those allegations in regards to legal requirements that were set forth in town law section 106.
[16:02] that they were ignored.
[16:04] And as Chris stated, the media files are available on our website.
[16:08] They contain the video in which I presented the tentative town budget to the board.
[16:12] And again, that was on October 2nd of 2025 at approximately the 41 minute mark of the video.
[16:19] I also made note of the date that it was filed in my office again in accordance with town
[16:24] law.
[16:25] And I would note that the tentative budget was filed on September 30th of that year as well.
[16:30] So once again, and again, in compliance with New York State Town Law Section 106-3,
[16:36] I would like to present the 2027 tentative budget to this board, which was filed
[16:41] in my office yesterday, which was the 30th day of September 2026, and again,
[16:47] in compliance with Town Law Section 106-2.
[16:50] Thank you.
[16:51] And thank you, Julie.
[16:52] While you're doing that, it's, you know, those kinds of bear allegations and
[16:57] suggesting that this town board is done something illegal.
[17:01] All it took was a phone call to the controller's office or
[17:06] to Julie's office to find the facts.
[17:10] But to come before a legislative body and just make false
[17:14] allegations of illegal conduct by this town board,
[17:19] it's just not healthy and all you have to do is call the
[17:22] department head and they'll tell you the answers.
[17:25] Chris, you've always made yourself available on all financial data as well and Julie you
[17:31] have as well.
[17:32] So we encourage a better dialogue between folks that really want to know the answers.
[17:38] As a result, these department heads every day field calls from constituents.
[17:44] I know my office does on a daily basis.
[17:47] People do have questions and they call us to get the answers and get the facts.
[17:53] credibility is so important in government today and being able to trust the people that
[17:59] are making those decisions. And all you have to do is contact the town and we'll get
[18:05] the answers for you like we do with the majority of citizens that have questions on a daily
[18:11] basis. It's not that difficult, we're always happy to answer questions. So I think the
[18:17] Department heads once again as well for rolling out here and being here to even answer questions
[18:22] tonight, or being available to answer questions on specific resolutions in a work session
[18:29] immediately before this meeting. So there's great opportunities to receive comment
[18:36] and to get answers. And it's the best way to do it as to get the answers by just asking
[18:42] the departments, and they're more than happy to do it, and most citizens do just that, or
[18:48] they call their town board members and they get the answers for them.
[18:52] It's not that difficult to get the correct information if that's what you really want.
[18:58] Nonetheless, I think the department heads too for galvanizing the employees every day.
[19:03] Mr. Russell pointed out how the employees and the parks and recreation department doing
[19:07] a fabulous job, not just at West Albany, but throughout our great town under the leadership
[19:12] of Jeff Madden, thank you, sir.
[19:14] in that way and we take great pride in enhancing all of our parks which we have done over the last four years with the support of this town board.
[19:23] So I thank you for doing that and mentioning the hard work of those folks each and every day.
[19:29] And so thank you for galvanizing the employees and being role models for them as well.
[19:36] At this point our next meeting is-
[19:38] We'll be back on October the 22nd.
[19:40] All right, we'll see you then safe drive home now. Thank you very much for coming out tonight