Law Committee & Finance Meeting
April 23, 2026 — Troy City Council
April 23, 2026 — Troy City Council
Law Committee minutes were not yet published as of May 31, 2026.
The Law Committee held three hearings on April 23. CSEA had gone nearly four months without a substantive response to a draft labor contract. The Nick Board — a private nonprofit trust that has owned Knickerbocker Park since 1936 — reported the city was $25,000 in arrears on its lease obligations. The city's FOIL officer had not submitted a single annual compliance report to the council; Communications Director Horton acknowledged this on the record and stated she had received in-house training only once.
The Finance Committee called to order at 8:38 PM and adjourned at 9:44 PM with approximately 15 members of the public present. All seven council members were in attendance.
The Finance Committee passed 15 items unanimously, including a $200,000 Lansingburgh Main Street grant, a DEC Urban Forestry grant, a $50,000 EFC engineering planning grant for the water treatment plant, and the CDM Smith sludge lagoon engineering contract. Seven residents testified during the public forum on the mayor's emergency declaration to install Flock cameras.
CSEA Labor Relations Specialist Jordan Lee and union president Bill Wangler testified that a draft integrated contract was delivered to the city in November 2025; the administration did not respond for nearly four months despite repeated follow-up emails. When the administration finally engaged in March 2026, it proposed reading the contract "word-for-word, line-by-line" — a process Lee said every labor relations specialist he consulted was "stunned by." CSEA filed an improper practice charge with PERB after receiving no substantive response. The administration stated it could not advance negotiations while a PERB charge was pending. The council directed both parties to continue communicating.
The Nick Board testified that the city had accumulated $25,000 in arrears on its Knickerbocker Park lease since December 2025. The administration's position: the 2020 term offer sheet that set payments at $5,000/month has expired, leaving only the 2007 lease at $1/year. The Nick Board disputed this interpretation and raised additional concerns: a DASNY grant of approximately $6 million is funding active pool construction at the park, but the city had not addressed construction plans and insurance coverage with the property owner. Mayor Mantello and council members had a direct exchange when the council pressed on the city's obligations; the council stated it intended to resolve the arrears dispute.
Communications Director Alex Horton (the city's FOIL officer) and Corporation Counsel Morrissey testified. Horton acknowledged she has never submitted an annual FOIL compliance report to the council and has received in-house training only once. Morrissey stated that municipalities are not legally bound by the State Committee on Open Government's guidance opinions. The council directed that compliance reports be provided at future meetings.
All items passed 7-0. Votes verified against clerk's minutes (_04232026-1814).
| # | Full Title | Sponsors | Notes | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ord. 7 | Amending the Rules and Regulations of the City of Troy Department of Public Utilities | Campbell-Cohen, Steele | Sewer billing for disconnected properties | 7-0 |
| Ord. 8 | Amending Chapter 264 of the Troy City Code | Campbell-Cohen, Steele | 7-0 | |
| Ord. 10 | Authorizing the Reconveyance of Real Property Acquired by In Rem Foreclosure (34 Centerview Drive) | Steele (Admin.) | 7-0 | |
| Ord. 11 | Approving a Grant of Easement to Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation and Verizon New York, Inc. | Steele (Admin.) | 7-0 | |
| Ord. 12 | Authorizing Settlement of Claim — NY Central Mutual Fire Insurance Co. A/S/O Anna L. Hughes vs. Michael Bourdon and the City of Troy (Rensselaer County Supreme Court Index No. EF2022-271535) | Steele (Admin.) | 7-0 | |
| Ord. 13 | Authorizing Awards of Neighborhood Improvement Project Funds | Steele, Spain-McLaren, Struber | 7-0 | |
| Res. 41 | Resolution Accepting Main Street Grant ($200,000) for the Lansingburgh Building Renovation Program and Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into an Agreement with TAP, Inc. | Steele, DiLorenzo (Admin.) | City applied for $500K; received $200K | 7-0 |
| Res. 42 | Resolution Ratifying Acceptance of a Grant from the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation for Engineering Planning at the John P. Buckley Water Treatment Plant | Steele (Admin.) | $50K grant, $10K city match | 7-0 |
| Res. 43 | Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into a Contractual Agreement with CDM Smith to Investigate the City's Sludge Lagoons and Sludge Handling Processes and Identify Solutions for Regulatory Compliance | Steele (Admin.) | Manganese lagoons at the John P. Buckley plant require dredging and long-term engineering | 7-0 |
| Res. 44 | Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter into a Contractual Agreement with Finch Turf, Inc., to Purchase Foley Grinders | Steele (Admin.) | Golf course equipment | 7-0 |
| Res. 45 | Resolution Ratifying Acceptance of a NYS DEC Urban & Community Forestry Grant and Authorizing Administration of the Grant | Steele (Admin.) | Amended by Struber (second Spain-McLaren) to add paragraph urging maximum effort to plant native trees within grant requirements. Prospect Park, 20 trees. Amendment 7-0. | 7-0 (amended) |
| Res. 46 | Resolution Proclaiming May 1, 2026, to Be International Workers’ Day in the City of Troy | Campbell-Cohen | 7-0 | |
| Res. 47 | Resolution Proclaiming May 22, 2026, to Be Harvey Milk Day in the City of Troy | Campbell-Cohen, DiLorenzo, Spain-McLaren | 7-0 | |
| Res. 48 | Resolution Urging the State of New York to Preserve the Martin Dunham Reservoir and Dam in Grafton Lakes State Park | Campbell-Cohen, Favreau | 7-0 | |
| Res. 49 | Resolution to Commend the North Central Community Solidarity Group for Continued Service to the Community | Struber | 7-0 |