Police & Fire Budget Hearing
November 9, 2026 | Troy City Council
November 9, 2026 | Troy City Council
No separate agenda or clerk's minutes for this session were posted in the city's Agenda Center as of November 10, 2026. Proceedings below are from the meeting recording. The session took no votes other than the motion to adjourn. Budget figures not read at the hearing come from the proposed 2027 budget.
The council's Public Safety Committee went line by line through the 2027 police and fire budgets. Council Member Kathleen Spain-McLaren called two-person ladder truck crews "a crisis" and said finding the money to staff them should be a priority. She and Council Member Jona Favreau pushed for a public safety fee on college students' bills, paid directly to police and fire, and Council Member Greg Campbell-Cohen asked whether the city could strike its own payment deals with RPI and Russell Sage.
Council Member Noreen McKee, who chairs the committee, asked why overtime keeps coming in over budget. Police overtime cost about $1.92 million in 2025, and the 2027 budget sets aside $1.48 million. Fire overtime already stands at $2.1 million through September 30, fire officials said, against about $1.25 million recommended for 2027.
Public Safety Committee, chaired by Council Member McKee. Council President Sue Steele opened the session with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present: Council Members McKee, Shikole Struber, Favreau, Phil DiLorenzo, Spain-McLaren, and Campbell-Cohen, and Council President Steele. In attendance: Mayor Carmella Mantello, Deputy Mayor Seamus Donnelly, Comptroller Michael McNeff, a staff member from the treasurer's office, Police Chief Daniel DeWolf, Deputy Chief Steven Barker, Assistant Chief Adam Mason, and fire department chiefs. Adjourned on a motion by Spain-McLaren, seconded by Favreau. The fire department's capital plan was held for the November 10 session.
Troy runs three firefighters on an engine, two on a ladder truck, two on an ambulance, and three on the rescue squad. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines call for four on an engine, four or five on a truck, and about five on a rescue. In Lansingburgh, Medic 1 and Truck 1 share a single two-person crew that takes whichever vehicle the call needs.
Spain-McLaren, citing the recommendations of the city's fire task force, asked what it would take to put three on every ladder truck. Fire officials said it would take 16 hires: 12 to staff Truck 1 separately across four shifts and four more for Truck 2. At a fire last month, they said, no ambulances were free to help. Spain-McLaren described a fire department ride-along where her crew had to cover Lansingburgh because the local company was tied up. "To me that's a crisis," she said.
Donnelly put 16 hires at roughly $4 million. He said the administration has added firefighters per shift, budgeted close to $1 million more in firefighter pay than in 2026, and kept a peak-hour ambulance that can cost $900,000 to $950,000 a year, all without the layoffs other cities face. The peak ambulance was paid for with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, which the mayor reallocated to the project in December 2024; ARPA projects must be finished by the end of 2026. "I in no way was laughing" at the request, Donnelly said.
Spain-McLaren also asked about a full-time fire prevention captain, another task force recommendation, after two recent fatal fires. Fire officials said two chiefs already work closely with the codes department and review building plans, and crews visit schools. They would rather put the money into separate crews for Medic 1 and Truck 1. Donnelly said fire now reviews new developments for radio coverage inside large buildings and for fire access. Fire officials said the bigger risk is landlords renovating two- and three-story brick buildings.
Spain-McLaren asked whether anyone had discussed billing RPI for fire crews' time in campus buildings, not just the equipment they use. Fire officials said singling out one institution would be tricky: if RPI pays, should Samaritan Hospital? Spain-McLaren then suggested a public safety fee for RPI students. When her own children were in college, she said, she would gladly have paid one knowing city police and fire, not just campus police, would answer calls. Fire officials said the idea has come up repeatedly, but talks with RPI under its former president went nowhere.
The mayor said 52 percent of Troy property is tax exempt. The proposed 2027 budget puts exempt property at about $1.61 billion against $1.82 billion in net taxable value, or about 47 percent of the total, and exempt property grew $22 million in the past year. The Troy Redevelopment Foundation, made up of the city's colleges, Emma Willard, and the hospital, gives the city about $95,000 a year in place of taxes, the mayor said. She said she wants that number higher and that a "student safety fee" tied to a specific purchase, like a fire truck, has been discussed internally.
Favreau asked how the council could get those conversations started and said any fee pitched to one institution should be pitched to all of them. She said the foundation payment, a handshake contribution, should be renegotiated, and the mayor said the city meets with the foundation twice a year. Favreau said she hopes a spring meeting could bring changes in time for fall tuition bills. A public safety fee listed right under the health services fee would be tiny next to tuition, she said, and should go directly to police and fire. Students are Troy residents while they're here, she said, but they aren't taxpayers.
Campbell-Cohen noted that "PILOT" (payment in lieu of taxes) means two things: a tax break for developers and a voluntary payment from a nonprofit. He asked whether deals could be struck directly with RPI or Sage, outside the foundation, and the mayor said yes. Campbell-Cohen said RPI President Martin Schmidt came from MIT, which had one of the largest nonprofit PILOT agreements of its time with Cambridge, Massachusetts. He also noted the hospital has no students. "What's a student fee to a hospital patient?"
Police overtime was budgeted at $1.36 million for 2026, and the comptroller's September 30 figures, sent to members before the meeting, show it running higher. McKee asked why the budget keeps coming in low. The base overtime line was budgeted at $1.26 million in 2025 and actually cost about $1.92 million. The 2027 budget proposes $1.48 million, about $440,000 below what 2025 cost.
| Overtime | 2025 Budget | 2025 Actual | 2027 Proposed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police (base line) | $1,260,100 | $1,923,162 | $1,480,000 |
| Fire (base, ambulance peak, and minimum staffing lines) | $1,475,000 | $2,370,425 | $1,675,000 |
From the actual and budget columns of the proposed 2027 budget. Police base overtime includes about $10,800 of grant overtime booked on the same line.
Chief DeWolf said 15 new officers on regular shifts should cut the mandatory callbacks that drive overtime. The main causes are minimum staffing callbacks when officers are out sick or on vacation, court appearances on days off, and large scenes or protests. The department is down four officers and will swear in a lateral hire (an officer coming from another department) next week. About 10 or 11 recently hired officers are nearly done training, and three more graduate from the academy next month. From hire to solo patrol takes nine to ten months.
Comp time buyouts, where officers cash out banked time, are budgeted at $200,000. Staff said the 2025 figure of about $600,000 was driven by senior officers who retired, and that newer officers have little banked time. The line has been budgeted at $200,000 every year, while actual payouts have run from about $392,000 to $599,000 since 2022, and the first half of 2026 already ran $162,000 over budget.
Spain-McLaren described a police ride-along where a domestic call with children involved tied up officers for about two hours, and asked what happens to the rest of the zone. DeWolf said community police, traffic officers, and detectives back up patrol on days and evenings. Overnight shifts can run at minimum staffing, but call volume is lower then. He said staffing levels are "in discussions."
The Troy Police Benevolent Association (PBA) contract expires at the end of 2026, and bargaining starts in the next few weeks. The 2027 budget includes no raise for patrol officers, sergeants, or captains, while the chief, deputy chief, and assistant chief get 2 percent. Nearly 100 candidates sat for the police exam a week and a half before the hearing.
On the fire side, the contract with the Unified Firefighters Association of Troy (UFA) runs through 2029. Fire officials said the department hired eight people at the end of last year who spent this year in training: a 16-week fire academy, a four-week emergency medical technician (EMT) course if needed, and about ten months of paramedic school at Hudson Valley Community College. Five are in the Utica academy now and graduate the day before Thanksgiving. Three firefighters have been on long-term sick leave. Under a 2000 agreement with the UFA, made when the city was in financial trouble, Troy staffs 26 firefighters a day, and the first two 24-hour callback shifts are paid at straight time.
The police vehicle line goes from more than $500,000 in 2026 to zero in the operating budget, with $250,000 in the capital plan for three or four marked patrol SUVs. Donnelly said the city will not borrow for police cars, which he said the state comptroller's office frowns on. Instead, a capital account would be funded with unspent fund balance or leftover capital money, with council approval. "I don't know why it warrants laughter up there," he said of the dais. McKee said for the record that the purchase should come out of operating revenues. DeWolf said patrol cars last three to five years.
The proposed capital plan lists $1.5 million in marked SUVs over five years and $225,000 in unmarked SUVs, and the plan as a whole relies on $39.8 million in new borrowing. A transfer into a capital account, as Donnelly described, would need a separate council vote.
McKee also said she wants fire vehicle purchases of about $80,000 to $85,000 paid from the general fund. Donnelly said fire trucks and ambulances have never been paid from the operating budget.
The police headquarters at 55 State Street was built in 1920. Its facility upgrade line drops from $58,000 to $15,000 because this year's work is done, and the capital plan carries $500,000 for structural work. Donnelly said an engineering report lays out a phased plan totaling more than $1 million to keep the masonry sound and avoid building a new station. A bond request may come to the council.
Office equipment drops from $257,000 to $30,000. The extra money had been a placeholder for the armored rescue vehicle bought under the prior administration with drug forfeiture money, not tax dollars. McKee said gas and vehicle parts look underfunded given fuel prices and tariffs. DeWolf said officers are under orders not to idle and that the department hoped gas prices would come down.
About $595,000 to $600,000 of the "other materials" line pays Axon for body cameras, car cameras, and Tasers. The Flock license plate reader cameras are paid from the rentals line on page 96. The consultant line, which holds buy money for narcotics cases, drops from $45,000 to $25,000 because federal, county, and state partners are covering more of those costs on joint cases, DeWolf said. Salary savings of $168,571 come mostly from officers moving up pay steps partway through the year, plus a deferred senior account clerk hire.
The 2027 budget holds traffic fine revenue at $505,000, the 2026 level, though the city collected about $344,000 in 2025. DeWolf said ticket counts already match all of last year with eight to ten weeks left, and the department added a traffic officer. McKee, who lives downtown, said speeders regularly pass her coming over the 378 bridge and down Fourth Street, and that on Second Street motorcycles have "gotten crazy" this year. The mayor said speed bumps, temporary traffic-calming devices, and signs are coming to neighborhoods with more speeding.
Council President Steele asked DeWolf to explain the DWI reimbursement figures, and he couldn't on the spot. He said the money may come from the county's STOP-DWI program rather than fines, and promised a written answer. A zero "would look like we're not enforcing DWI," Steele said. "We're definitely enforcing it," DeWolf answered.
Council Member DiLorenzo asked whether the city is missing out on traffic safety grants, since lines like child passenger safety show zeros. DeWolf said those grants are no longer offered and the lines are placeholders.
Favreau asked why the state Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) grant line dropped so far from two years ago, when the city received the money in 2026. Staff said the $161,000 in the 2027 budget covers only police salaries; the full grant runs July to June and topped $1 million in 2026 with the county's share. DeWolf said it pays for a sergeant, a crime analyst, a violence interrupter, and a field intelligence officer, plus some overtime.
On the fire side, ambulance billing revenue rises from $3.25 million to $3.75 million. The city collected about $3.09 million in 2025. Fire officials said Troy last raised its rates in February 2025, and an ordinance raising them again will come to the council with the budget. ComStar, the city's billing company, recommends rates each year based on what it collects.
McKee asked whether Troy is the only municipality in Rensselaer County that pays the county for 911 dispatch. DeWolf said yes, as far as he knows, and called it "completely unfair." Donnelly said the arrangement dates to when Troy police and fire handed their in-house dispatch to the county, and that Troy pays "the lion's share." Asked by Steele where talks stand, Donnelly said it is part of ongoing negotiations with the county on several agreements, including sales tax. McKee asked for a breakdown of 911 calls by town.
Struber pointed to the city's annual financial report, which carries about $1.67 million in National Grid credits on the general fund's books, and asked whether those could cover the police station's gas and electric bills. Donnelly said the city earns more credits than it can use and he would check why more aren't applied to police. Struber asked the same question about the firehouses later in the hearing.
Struber noted that police budget $20,000 for printing and advertising, mostly billboards, signs, and handouts for recruitment, while fire budgets $500. DeWolf said the spending worked. The mayor said fire hasn't had trouble drawing candidates. Fire officials said their $500 covers internal forms, and fire prevention materials come from other lines and from the NFPA at low cost.
The department's 40-hour training on responding to people in emotional distress continues, with the next class in January. New officers will attend, bringing Troy back to nearly 100 percent trained. DeWolf credited partnerships with Joseph's House, Unity House, Samaritan Hospital, and Mobile Crisis. Asked by McKee about the diversity training once offered to new recruits, DeWolf said it has ended. Officers now take state implicit bias and procedural justice training through the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).
Campbell-Cohen asked why fire training ($133,000) trails police despite similar staffing. Fire officials said the money goes mostly to state certification and paramedic school for new firefighters; with fewer than nine hires, recruits go to Utica instead of a Troy academy. Campbell-Cohen also noted that fire health insurance often comes in under budget, about $2.3 million spent against $2.6 million budgeted in 2025. Staff said enrollment is hard to predict, and new hires now pay 20 percent of their premium, up from 15.
Struber asked about a new $160,000 consultant line in the fire budget. It pays ComStar for ambulance billing and was left out of the 2026 budget by mistake, then covered with a midyear transfer, staff said.
Mayor Mantello opened the police hearing with year-to-date figures through November 5: violent crime down 32 percent from last year, property crime down 4 percent, shots fired down 56 percent, and shooting incidents and victims each down 38 percent. The city hasn't published those 2026 figures. Its most recent crime statistics release, from July 2025, reported violent crime down 16 percent and property crime down 24 percent for the first half of that year. The mayor also credited state GIVE grant money and walking beats in Lansingburgh, South Troy, and North Central.
Opening the fire hearing, the mayor said more than $16 million has been invested in the fire department, including a new Lansingburgh firehouse set to open next spring, new radios, round-the-clock ambulance coverage, and four added firefighters. The city's March 2026 bid announcement describes the firehouse itself as part of a $16 million investment, and a December 2024 release lists the firehouse among projects paid for with federal ARPA money.
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