Veto Override, Budget Hearings & Finance
October 22, 2026 | Troy City Council
October 22, 2026 | Troy City Council
The clerk's minutes for this session haven't been posted yet. Vote titles and sponsors below come from the agendas, and movers come from the meeting recording. The Law and Science and Technology budget hearings were question-and-answer sessions with no votes.
The council overrode Mayor Mantello's veto of Local Law 3 by a 7-0 vote, putting Troy's first binding rules on license plate reader cameras into law. It also voted unanimously to spend about $712,000 in federal recovery money on a new main playground at Frear Park, and accepted the city's 2025 audit, which gave clean opinions on every city fund. In the Finance Committee, it advanced the sale of 13 foreclosed city properties and backed a state bill to stop the sale of e-motos marketed as legal e-bikes.
The same audit found a material weakness: the comptroller's office was understaffed and its accounting records were incomplete and out of date, the outside auditors reported. Council President Sue Steele said that in seven years on the council, had drawn more research or public input than Local Law 3, and called the veto part of a pattern: "We propose something, she opposes it." At the playground vote, a council member said the resolution reached the council on Monday instead of the usual Friday, leaving residents little time to weigh in.
Council President Steele presiding. Present: Council Members Phil DiLorenzo, Shikole Struber, Kathleen Spain-McLaren, Noreen McKee, Jona Favreau, Greg Campbell-Cohen, and Council President Steele. All seven present. In attendance: Mayor Carmella Mantello, Acting Corporation Counsel Richard Morrissey, Comptroller Michael McNeff, Head of Finance and Personnel Gabrielle Mahoney, City Auditor Jeff Nesich, and IT Director Omid.
Local Law 3 is now law. A veto override means the council votes again and passes the law over the mayor's objection. All seven voted yes. The law sets the first binding rules for how the city uses automatic license plate readers (ALPRs), the cameras that photograph and log every passing plate. The council gave it final adoption 6-0 on October 1, with Campbell-Cohen absent, and Mayor Mantello vetoed it on October 15. Campbell-Cohen moved the override.
The first council member to speak summarized the veto message: that the law would undermine police work, that drivers have no reasonable expectation of privacy, and that it favors criminal defendants. The veto "ignores the record," the member said, including months of research, public engagement, and work with the police. "Quite frankly I'm left with the distinct impression that the mayor never read the law."
DiLorenzo quoted the veto message's last line, in which the mayor said she could not believe the council would not take the police department's professional advice. "I cannot believe that the mayor would not take the public's advice," DiLorenzo said. Spain-McLaren said the council did take the police department's advice, and that the law would look very different if it hadn't. Steele said that in seven years on the council, no law had drawn more research, public input, or input from law enforcement, and that the veto fit a pattern since the new council took office in January: "We propose something, she opposes it."
Steele apologized for skipping the public forum before the votes and opened it afterward. Two residents spoke in support of the override.
Frankie, a Troy resident, said they hadn't understood at first why the law was needed. Frankie now sees it as guardrails for the city's existing Flock camera contract, which Frankie said can't be canceled or changed until the council's lawsuit over the mayor's emergency declaration is settled. Frankie said the law has loopholes and urged stricter rules once the case ends.
Deirdre Shay of South Central Troy said Flock cameras scan millions of plates in Troy every month, and that the police department hasn't shown the public any audit of misuse or data proving the cameras solve crimes. Data retention, auditing, permitted uses, and public oversight still need work, Shay said.
Ilona Goldenkoff, who lives near Frear Park, thanked the council for its questions about the playground, pedestrian safety, and bike access. Goldenkoff noted the city didn't win the NY Plays grant for the North Lake playground and asked whether other funding will be sought.
Council President Steele presiding. Called to order shortly after 5:15 p.m. Present at roll call: Council Members DiLorenzo, Struber, McKee, Favreau, Campbell-Cohen, and Council President Steele. Spain-McLaren arrived during the meeting. No one spoke during the public forum.
The council voted unanimously to buy about $712,449 in playground equipment, surfacing, and amenities for the main playground at Frear Park from Landscape Structures Inc. and its dealer, Parkitects, through the Sourcewell purchasing consortium. The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the federal pandemic recovery program, and must be spent by December 31. Because the item was also on the special meeting agenda, the council voted on it a second time there, 7-0.
Favreau noted the contract is less than the ARPA money set aside for the project and asked where the rest goes. Nick Schwartz of CHA, the city's consultant, said the project was bought two ways: this purchase plus a separate public bid for site work, where the city is still negotiating with the apparent low bidder. Together they come in well under budget, Schwartz said, and both contractors say they can finish installation before the end of the year.
Struber asked whether anything changed from the plans shown to the public. The equipment is the same, Schwartz said, but the city negotiated a no-cost upgrade to PlayTurf, a synthetic grass with a sterilized sand fill, in place of poured rubber. Schwartz said it lasts longer and works better for children with sensory needs. The digging residents saw this week was a fire hydrant being moved out of the middle of the playground.
Spain-McLaren said residents had raised concerns about the vendor and asked whether the finished playground would match what was presented. "What is being provided is what was presented," Schwartz said. A council member pointed out that the resolution reached the council on Monday instead of the usual Friday, giving the public little time to weigh in. An administration official said the design came out of months of community meetings and that residents can sign up for city alerts. Spain-McLaren said residents who check agendas on Fridays and weekends missed the late addition, and Favreau asked the administration to post project details on the city website. Asked what changed after resident feedback, the official pointed to pedestrian safety improvements.
Finance Committee, chaired by Council President Steele. Convened after the budget hearings. All seven members present.
The Bonadio Group, the city's outside auditors, gave clean opinions on every city fund for 2025 but found a material weakness, the most serious category of control problem an audit can report. The comptroller's office was understaffed, the auditors found, and its accounting records were incomplete and not kept up to date. The council voted 7-0 to accept the audit (Resolution 97).
Joe of the Bonadio Group presented the draft report. The general fund took in $92.5 million against a $91.8 million budget, spent $1.4 million under budget, and ended the year $1.2 million ahead, for an overall favorable result of $3.3 million. Fund balance across all funds is $33.8 million. The general fund holds $20.2 million of that, including $4.7 million restricted (now $5.1 million) and $10.1 million unassigned. The water fund holds $8.3 million and the sewer fund about $3.9 million.
Capital projects show a $2.1 million deficit that goes away when $32.7 million in short-term bond anticipation notes convert to permanent bonds. Citywide net position is $240 million, up $32.6 million, mostly from lower retiree health care liabilities. Testing is still underway on $11.5 million in federal spending (Community Development Block Grant, ARPA, and the SAFER fire staffing grant) and $8.9 million in state transportation aid, and the auditors said they don't expect problems.
The citywide statements again received an adverse opinion, because Troy has never recorded depreciation on its roads, buildings, and other capital assets, a gap dating to the city's move to full accrual accounting about 25 years ago. The auditors also recommended cutting the city's 50-plus bank accounts, and McNeff said the switch to the new Tyler financial system is the right time to do it.
McNeff joined in mid-2025 and finished both the 2024 and 2025 audits largely alone. "This is definitely the toughest task I've walked into over the 40 years I've been crunching numbers," McNeff said. The mayor said the city hired McNeff from Albany County and recently added Deputy Comptroller Susan Marks.
DiLorenzo read each condition of the finding aloud and asked what was missing. The auditor said no requested invoice went unanswered; the problem was reconciliations no one had kept or reviewed while the comptroller's job was vacant. Spain-McLaren objected to McNeff's remark about the council "screaming" for quarterly reports. A council member noted that page 12 of the report reads like the mayor's State of the City address, and the auditor said management writes that section.
Nesich asked the auditors to confirm the city's cushion: about $15 million in general fund balance and reserves, plus about $12 million in the water and sewer funds. McNeff said unassigned fund balance is an accounting result, not cash set aside. Nesich also flagged that page 45 still lists a lease liability for Knickerbocker Park, which contradicts the city's legal position that the lease isn't in effect. The auditors will check with the corporation counsel before the final report. Nesich asked that future quarterly reports include the debt service fund. McKee asked whether any ARPA projects are at risk, with about $14 million left to spend before December 31. Officials said all are on pace but didn't have a current balance.
The council advanced the sale of 13 foreclosed city properties for a combined $772,500 in auction bids (Ordinance 48). Spain-McLaren said she recognized one bidder as someone residents call a slumlord and asked what the city can do. Morrissey said bidders must be current on city taxes, fees, and adjudicated code violations, that the city has blocked bidders with strong evidence of chronic violations, and that no sale is final until the council approves it.
| Address | Assessed Value | Bidder | Bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 456 Madison St | $31,700 | Charles Naranjo | $42,000 |
| 605 Third Ave | $140,000 | Julie Nichols | $61,000 |
| 31 114th St | $150,000 | Percy Homes & Improvements | $37,000 |
| 15 112th St | $86,000 | DB Investments LLC | $38,000 |
| 745 River St | $58,000 | Adel Ahmed Abuzaid | $80,000 |
| 56 Valley View Ave | $148,000 | ACTD Holdings LLC | $123,600 |
| 353 Fourth St | $74,000 | Cityland Properties LLC | $58,100 |
| 2215 Old Sixth Ave | $85,000 | Magur Holdings LLC | $10,000 |
| 1623 Highland Ave | $101,000 | RPI Triumph LLC | $151,800 |
| 397 Third St | $78,000 | Avalon Enterprises LLC | $86,000 |
| 579 Fourth St | $90,000 | Leroy Diaz | $50,000 |
| 200 Hill St | $8,800 | Donald Walton | $10,000 |
| 21 Spring Ave | $150,000 | Troy Community Land Bank | $25,000 |
Bidders and amounts from Ordinance 48 in the Finance agenda packet.
The council backed S10700, a state bill from Senator Kristen Gonzalez and Assembly Member Diana Moreno that would ban the sale of e-motos falsely marketed as legal e-bikes (Resolution 100). Co-sponsor Favreau has been talking with Troy police about crash data and with a District 5 resident who once served as a deputy commissioner of the New York City Department of Motor Vehicles. Steele thanked Assembly Member McDonald's office for finding the bill. Spain-McLaren asked how police can tell illegal bikes apart without catching riders speeding. Morrissey is drafting a city ordinance, likely built around impoundment. DiLorenzo said he and Struber hear about e-motos at nearly every neighborhood meeting.
During the forum on agenda items, James, whom Favreau thanked alongside the group Capital Streets, backed the resolution. E-motos that go faster than 20 miles per hour are already illegal on Troy streets, James said, and the state bill would stop them at the point of sale. Legal Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes must carry a class sticker, James said. James also urged the council to lower the citywide speed limit to 25 miles per hour, as Albany, Cohoes, Schenectady, and East Greenbush have done.
The council advanced a contract of up to $13,450 with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to drive winter crow roosts out of populated areas, using spotlights, lasers, recorded distress calls, and small pyrotechnics (Resolution 99). Campbell-Cohen said a surprising number of residents had complained about the noise, especially fireworks carrying along the river, and voted to advance it so the debate could continue. The mayor named Sage Park, Second Street, the Uncle Sam Bowl area, North Central, South Troy, and the Burgh as problem areas, said alerts will go out before hazing, and said Troy coordinates with Green Island and Watervliet, which run similar programs. Troy last ran the program in 2022. Favreau, a former downtown resident, said even car washes can't clean crow droppings off a car. Struber asked how the city will measure success. "Less crows, less droppings," the mayor said.
Struber said residents had asked about roughly $30,000 in code enforcement salary lines in the budget transfer (Ordinance 47). An administration official said it was salary savings from positions vacant earlier in the year, not cuts.
The council honored the late Gloria Steinem (Resolution 98). Sponsor McKee said she "would not be sitting here tonight" without the women's movement. The council also appointed a commissioner of deeds (Resolution 101).
In the closing public forum, Frankie returned to criticize the deputy mayor's conduct at the October 15 budget hearing, calling it disrespectful to residents, and asked Steele to remove the deputy mayor from the chamber if it happens again. Frankie also compared the administration's complaints about VMware's price hike after a corporate takeover to a 40 percent rent increase after a new company bought Frankie's apartment complex.
Before the department hearings, McNeff answered questions left over from October 15. The city had collected $28.4 million in property tax through September 30, about 94 to 95 percent of the levy. McNeff broke down the comptroller's consultant line: Fiscal Advisors for bonding ($40,000 to $50,000 a year), its affiliate Premier for bond document postings (up to $10,000), the retiree health care actuary ($7,500), lease and software accounting compliance ($6,000 to $9,000), credit card processing (about $600 to $1,000), and ARPA reporting that continues after the money is spent.
Nesich could find a $2,479,837 transfer out of the water fund but not the matching transfer into the general fund. McNeff said it was another upload error in the city's decades-old KVS financial system, where each line is keyed by hand. McNeff will send corrected pages, and the adopted budget will show the transfer properly.
Law Committee, chaired by Council Member Spain-McLaren.
Morrissey said the law department budget is "aggressive in some respects" but workable. The department has no dependable revenue, and when the city collects damages, the money goes to the general fund.
Spain-McLaren flagged the dues and subscriptions line dropping from $10,000 to $1,500. The law department has long paid for eCode, the online city code, but the city clerk's office recently paid two eCode invoices, and no one is sure what's left in this year's line. Morrissey said the clerk, as keeper of the city's laws, should own it. An administration official said the city is still working out the full cost and will move the money to the clerk's budget, by amendment if needed, so bills don't go unpaid.
The full-time deputy corporation counsel post is unfilled, and Mahoney said it is deferred through December 31, 2027. The former full-time deputy left early in 2026 for private practice and returned part-time at $43,000. Morrissey said the part-time deputies, who all keep private practices, work roughly 12 to 25 hours a week; one handles court appearances, traffic tickets, and code court, and another handles in rem foreclosures. Morrissey is still acting corporation counsel. Steele said the council can't confirm a permanent appointment until it receives a letter of appointment.
The city will issue requests for proposals for outside legal services for 2027, and Morrissey expects hourly rates, some unchanged for six or seven years, to rise. A council member worried the judgments and claims line is too low. Morrissey said it covers routine claims. Any settlement over $999 comes to the council, the largest this year was $20,000 to close a federal lawsuit, and the total so far, apart from one large case, is well under $100,000. "I'm a very stingy person," Morrissey said. The ambulance destroyed in a recent hit-and-run, a loss of about $175,000, is being claimed through the city's own insurance, and the driver has been caught.
Science and Technology Committee, chaired by Council Member Struber.
IT Director Omid walked the committee through a budget shaped by one big new cost and several old systems at the end of their lives. The dues and subscriptions line now carries about $301,000 a year for Tyler Technologies, the new financial system, because the ARPA money that paid for it has run out. Tyler hosts the system on Amazon's government cloud and handles security and backups. It covers the treasurer, payroll and personnel, and finance.
Once Tyler is running, the city will retire KVS, saving about $80,000 a year plus server licensing and backup costs. KVS is more than 30 years old, Omid said, and its last support programmer is about to retire. Residents will be able to pay bills online and by credit card at City Hall. Rollout begins in 2027, one module at a time, starting with finance. Nesich asked for a small group of everyday users to test it first, and Omid said each module will have dedicated training groups.
Licensing is the other pressure. Broadcom, which bought VMware, the software that runs the city's virtual servers, already raised licensing costs 300 percent, and Omid expects another increase of up to 500 percent, roughly $80,000 more. The three-server cluster at City Hall, bought in 2021, reaches end of life early next year. If one server fails, Omid said, services for police, fire, and the water plant could go down. The consultant services line covers a new Kronos timekeeping platform, replacement firewalls and switches for the water plant, fire department, and police, and website accessibility work.
Struber asked whether the budget covers fixes from the water plant cyber assessment the council recently funded with a grant. Omid said firewalls and switches are included and the plant's servers were recently upgraded. All city computers run Windows 11, and the other materials line dropped because the department bought extra computers this year ahead of rising chip prices. A council member noted the budget posted online is a scanned PDF that residents can't search, and Omid said that will be fixed. For 2028, Omid hopes to add phishing awareness training for city staff.
The mayor credited Omid with a new IT literacy program, taught pro bono on Monday nights, that has graduated its first two students.
Titles from the agendas; the clerk's minutes have not been posted yet. Finance Committee items advance to the next Regular Meeting for final adoption.
| # | Full Title | Sponsors | Notes | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Res. 102 | Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter Into an Agreement With Landscape Structures, Inc., to Supply and Install Playground Features and Related Amenities Procured Through Sourcewell Consortium Contract No. 101625-LSI | Steele (Admin.) | Motion by Favreau, seconded by McKee. About $712,449.16, Frear Park | Unanimous |
All seven members present.
| # | Full Title | Sponsors | Notes | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.L. 3 | Local Law Establishing Standards Governing the City's Use of Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) Systems (Veto Override) | McKee | Motion by Campbell-Cohen. Mayor vetoed October 15; final adoption 6-0 on October 1 | 7-0 |
| Res. 102 | Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Enter Into an Agreement With Landscape Structures, Inc., to Supply and Install Playground Features and Related Amenities Procured Through Sourcewell Consortium Contract No. 101625-LSI | Steele (Admin.) | Motion by Struber, seconded by McKee | 7-0 |
All seven members present. All items advance 7-0.
| # | Full Title | Sponsors | Notes | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ord. 47 | Ordinance Transferring Funds Within the 2026 General Fund | Steele (Admin.) | Motion by Spain-McLaren | 7-0 |
| Ord. 48 | Ordinance Authorizing Sales of Certain City Owned Parcels of Real Property by the Auction Method | Steele (Admin.) | Motion by Struber, seconded by Spain-McLaren. 13 parcels, $772,500 | 7-0 |
| Res. 97 | Resolution Accepting the 2025 Financial Statement Audit, Single Audit of Federal Expenditures, and Single Audit of New York State Department of Transportation Expenditures by the Bonadio Group | Steele (Admin.) | Motion by DiLorenzo | 7-0 |
| Res. 98 | Resolution Honoring the Life and Legacy of Gloria M. Steinem | McKee | Motion by Spain-McLaren, seconded by McKee | 7-0 |
| Res. 99 | Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Execute a Contract With the United States Department of Agriculture for Certain Wildlife Management Services | Steele (Admin.) | Motion by Favreau. Up to $13,450 | 7-0 |
| Res. 100 | Resolution Supporting S10700 Regulating the Sale of E-Motos and Electric Off-Highway Motorcycles | Steele, Favreau | Motion by Struber, seconded by Spain-McLaren | 7-0 |
| Res. 101 | Resolution Appointing Commissioner of Deeds for the City of Troy | Steele (Admin.) | Motion by Spain-McLaren, seconded by McKee. Stephanie L. Reiser, December 1, 2026, through November 30, 2028 | 7-0 |