Council President Steele Delivers Annual Legislative Address
Speech Outlined Major Initiatives for City Council in 2025
Finances Remain Focus of City Council for Coming Year, Urges Administration to Start Contingency Planning for Sales Tax Shortfalls in 2025
Council Democrats to Advance Proposals to Require Monthly Financial Reports, Establish Housing Taskforce
Steele: City Must Prioritize Investments in Lead Pipe Replacement, Swimming Pool, New Fire Station, and Employee Salaries Over Purchase of New City Hall Building
Troy, New York (March 6, 2025)—Council President Sue Steele delivered the annual Legislative Address tonight, outlining major goals for the coming year and identifying opportunities to improve the quality of life for Troy families and neighborhoods.
The speech focused on a number of key areas, including:
Increasing transparency around the city’s finances after a chaotic year.
Accelerate replacement of lead pipes to protect drinking water and public health.
Stabilize the city’s workforce by filling key vacancies in all departments and approving new labor contracts with the city’s unionized employees.
Investments in the city’s pools, parks, recreational facilities, and water and sewer infrastructure.
The growing need to address rising costs associated with solid waste disposal.
Several major proposals were announced during the address, including;
Requiring monthly financial reports be provided to the city council, increasing from the current quarterly schedule.
Increase base salaries for the workforce.
Urging the administration to develop contingency plans to address potential shortfalls in sales tax and other revenues amid ongoing economic uncertainty and tariff disputes with the United States’ largest trading partners in North America.
Establishing a housing task force to promote the expansion of affordable housing in the Collar City.
Prioritize investments in critical projects and infrastructure over unnecessary spending on a new city hall building.
A copy of the address prepared for delivery is below:
The Future of Our City
Good evening, and thank you for attending this evening’s meeting and Legislative Address. Your presence here tonight shows there’s a strong interest from the public in what’s happening in our city.
The Legislative Address is the annual update delivered to the Troy community by the council’s president outlining legislative priorities for the coming year and how we can find ways to work together and with the administration to make Troy a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
This is my second address as your council president, and I remain humbled to serve our city with my fellow council colleagues.
There were several positive developments for the Collar City in 2024, including many that were top priorities identified in last year's Legislative Address. In the last 12 months, the City Council:
Approved the contract to construct a new firehouse in our Lansingburgh neighborhood
Successfully pushed to secure state funding through Governor Hochul’s NY-SWIMS program for a new swimming pool for Lansingburgh and North Central
Authorized the construction of a new swimming pool in Knickerbacker Park
Voted to accept federal funds to renovate and reopen the Knickerbacker Ice Arena
Secured a pro-housing community designation from New York State
Authorized funds for the repair of roads in neighborhoods across the city
Approved a variety of Neighborhood Improvement Projects throughout our city
These are not just important steps for the council to take that will directly benefit our residents, but also part of our core mission as Troy’s legislative representatives.
I want to thank and acknowledge all my colleagues for their desire to serve Troy. We don‘t always agree on issues facing our community, but I am committed to finding common ground where possible to move our city forward in the right direction.
While it is important to celebrate our successes, we also must recognize where we fell short. As I’ve said many times before, our residents deserve transparency and honesty from their elected leaders, and we must work to ensure they stay informed about what’s happening at City Hall.
The city's finances remain the most pressing issue for the city council in 2025.
There continue to be serious issues involving the city's finances, including questions about the budget, missing quarterly reports, insufficient money in the city’s contingency fund, inaccurate figures, and overdue audits of the city's finances.
We also continue to see challenges with meeting our financial obligations:
$184,000 in rent charges went unpaid for 2024;
$84,000 in overdue rent for 2025 was recently paid late; and
An interest payment of $241,600 in debt issued to fund public improvement projects was paid late.
Meanwhile, the city continues to rely on outside financial consultants to run day-to-day operations for our Finance Department. Since January 2024, more than $300,000 has been spent on outside consultants.
While the council confirmed the administration’s new full-time City Comptroller last month—in a bipartisan vote I might add—these consultants are expected to continue working for the administration through the end of 2025. While the final cost is unknown, it could easily exceed half-a-million dollars. For context, this total equates to a 2 percent tax increase for 2026.
Of great concern is the city’s Contingency Fund. Rather than using it for unanticipated expenses as the city’s “rainy day fund” it was used this year to hide funding for the 911 contract with the county.
After tonight, our contingency fund will contain just $480,000 following the transfer of more than $1 million to pay for our contract with Rensselaer County to provide 911 emergency dispatch services. With a new labor contract with our police captains, and other routine expenses, this fund will have less than $300,000 ahead of labor contract negotiations with our other employe unions.
With national economic uncertainty spreading due to ongoing trade conflicts and the implementation of tariffs on America’s largest trading partners in North America, I am urging the administration to immediately begin developing contingency plans to address potential shortfalls in sales tax and other revenues. These are serious times, and we need a serious approach to weather the potential storms ahead. We can’t put our heads in the sand and not be prepared.
It’s clear we need greater transparency through direct action by the city council. Next month, the Democratic caucus will advance legislation to require monthly financial reports from the administration. Other communities like Albany provide financial updates on a monthly basis, and Troy should follow suit.
We also are committing to call department heads into future Finance Committee meetings. This will be a good, productive way to encourage greater coordination between the administration and city council, and aid in transparency efforts that will reassure the public.
We will also advance legislation to expand our open meetings option to include remote participation by council members and the public. This will encourage more public engagement for those unable to attend in person at city hall. Young parents in need of child care, senior citizens with mobility issues or those without transportation should all have the ability to communicate their opinions in real time.
The council must be more than a rubber stamp for the administration and I am hopeful the council can come together more often on common sense proposals like these. One example of our successful independence and collaboration was the Councils effort to earmark ARPA funds for the Frear Park playground. That bipartisan cooperation is a promising sign and one I so hope we can duplicate going forward.
The planned modernizations to the city’s IT, payroll, and accounting systems are a much-needed effort to address the city's ability to effectively oversee Troy's budgets, spending, and revenues. However, we need to be honest with residents that this work comes at considerable, but necessary, expense. Most importantly, these investments should be prioritized over less critical projects, such as the purchase of a new city hall building.
Next, I want to address the issue of widespread vacancies across all departments. Stabilizing the city's workforce must be prioritized in 2025.
It’s been no secret that the city has been struggling to retain staff in key positions across every department. Record vacancies force staff to do more with less, and for less money.
Let me be clear: I support increasing base salaries for our unionized workforce. Competitive wages will ensure they can do their jobs with respect and dignity. In doing so, we must balance our budgets to account for new union contracts and prioritize this over unnecessary spending like buying a new city hall building.
That means making sure our contingency fund had sufficient money to ensure raises can be paid for. Tonight, we will be using $1 million from that fund to pay for essential emergency dispatch services provided by Rensselaer County. This is a recurring expense, however unfair to Troy, that should have been budgeted for.
Moving forward, our budget should account for annual bills and keep the contingency fund for unforeseen expenses.
I’d like to turn our focus to drinking water and public health. The replacement of lead pipes is critical to the future of our city.
The mayor and the entire city council agree: replacement of lead service lines must happen faster.
According to our Public Utilities Department, the inventory of lead lines only increased 6 percent in 2024. Of the 12,500 water service lines in the city, the status of approximately 5,500 lines are still unknown. I urge any residents listening tonight to visit troyny.gov/lead and follow the simple instructions to check the water line coming into their home. If you’re a landlord, please take steps to verify the status of properties you own or manage.
Completing only 300 replacements in the previous 14 months is far below where we need to be. The mayor set an ambitious goal of nearly 1,000 lead pipe replacements for 2025, and I hope this effort is successful for the health of Troy families and residents.
Key to this will be the recent opinion sought by the City Council from the State Comptroller that confirms our ability to bond for replacement of residential lead services lines in Troy at no direct cost to taxpayers. I extend my thanks to Comptroller DiNapoli and our state officials, including Assemblymember McDonald, for their assistance and guidance throughout this long and complex process.
We also continue to monitor the status of legislation advanced by Congressional Republicans to roll back a landmark rule by the Environmental Protection Agency under former President Biden that lowers lead limits in drinking water and strengthens requirements to replace lead pipes in communities across the nation. Tonight, the council will vote to approve a resolution opposing any attempts by Congress to eliminate this rule. Let the council speak with one voice tonight to reject scaling back commonsense protections against lead in drinking water.
Next, I want to highlight our city’s recreational assets and outdoor spaces. Investing in our pools, parks, and other recreational facilities strengthens quality of life in Troy's neighborhoods.
Having places to get outside and get together with friends and family is important for physical and mental health. Troy is very fortunate to have so many parks and green spaces for residents to visit and enjoy. That's why I'm pleased the administration and Council will continue the work announced by the previous administration to invest in Kinloch Park, Prospect Park, and Knickerbacker Park. Seeing a Republican continue the work of a Democratic administration is a positive sign for what Troy can achieve if we set aside partisan differences and focus on projects that benefit all of us.
Last year, I emphasized the importance of building a new swimming pool to serve North Central and Lansingburgh families. We urged the administration to submit an application to Governor Hochul’s NY-SWIMS program which resulted in a $5.8 million grant awarded to Troy for this project. I am thrilled the Governor has recognized the need for access to swimming opportunities in our city. While I’m pleased construction bids have finally been awarded, we must prioritize this project over unnecessary spending like buying a new city hall building. I urge the mayor to work collaboratively with the Knickerbacker Park Association board to ensure this project can move forward without unnecessary conflict.
As noted earlier, my Democratic colleagues and I were supportive of reopening the Knickerbacker Ice Rink. In fact, the entire council voted to accept $2 million in federal funds provided to Rensselaer County through President Joe Biden’s ARPA program, something that was critical to make this project possible. The rink has the potential to provide important recreational opportunities for Troy families and children, and we encourage everyone to attend open skate programs where available in the schedule.
However, we continue to feel the contract between the city and the third party organization to operate the rink was not a fair deal for taxpayers. The agreement gives away prime ice time at a fraction of the going rate of similar facilities. This could have been a much more lucrative deal for our community that would have brought in more revenue to support more staff and greater programs for Troy youth. The council should always prioritize getting the best deal for taxpayers and never serve as a rubber stamp for the administration. My Democratic colleagues and I will continue to scrutinize future contracts, and hope we can restore a balance of power between the city council and administration in cooperation with our Republican colleagues.
Strengthening our city's aging water and sewer infrastructure should be a top priority for 2025.
Despite issuing an emergency declaration to address critical water infrastructure at the Eddy’s Lane pump station, these repairs remain incomplete more than a year later. At the time, we questioned the nature of the emergency and were chastised by the administration for asking questions about the work.
The Eddy's Lane project is being handled in a way where the costs and extent of the work are being withheld from the Council because the council is not approving contracts. Complicating matters is that we have no full-time city engineer to oversee similar critical projects, forcing us to rely on outside contractors at much higher costs. This is part of our larger concerns about the lack of transparency and lack of fiscal oversight.
We also must continue investing in sewer infrastructure to protect the Hudson River. As the federal government appears set to deprioritize environmental protections, municipalities like Troy should continue to step up to improve water quality and support future waterfront access and recreational opportunities that take advantage of Troy's most valuable natural asset.
Again, investments in critical water and sewer infrastructure should be prioritized over the purchase of a new city hall building.
Now, I’d like to talk a little trash. Don’t worry—I’m talking about garbage collection and the hard-working staff who take care of this critical job. We must address the growing costs associated with solid waste management for Troy.
A glaring omission in the State of the City Address was the growing costs associated with garbage and recycling collection for local municipalities. Troy's solid waste fee was previously targeted for elimination by the mayor, but has been extended another year. While it's clear this fee is not popular with residents, we must acknowledge that costs for solid waste management will continue to grow in the coming years. The only way to reduce costs is to reduce the amount of garbage we generate and confront the impact of single-use plastics and other products on our budgets and the environment.
The departure of our two-person recycling coordinator team last year was a major step backward for the city. These staff members were responsible for coordinating waste diversion efforts, expansion of various recycling programs, and the rollout of a citywide composting pilot program. Unfortunately, these positions have been vacant for over 8 months.
I understand the mayor is attempting to hire for these roles, something that I appreciate. These two critical positions must be prioritized and filled immediately so we can return our focus to reducing costs and addressing Troy's relationship with trash.
Regardless of income level, everyone deserves access to housing opportunities in Troy.
After the mayor advanced the Council Democratic Caucus' request to declare Troy a pro-housing community, there has been little progress to make housing more affordable in our community. We must take real, concrete steps toward addressing housing to meet the needs of Troy families in 2025, starting with the creation of a housing task force that was previously advanced by the Democratic majority but was blocked.
Advancing the goals of affordable housing and strong neighborhoods in Troy must come through collaboration between the council and the mayor. The dismantling of the Planning Commission and replacement with a Planning Board consisting of the mayor's handpicked political allies plan was a step backward, and only created more public distrust of our institutions and faith in how city hall operates.
As the governor continues to pursue a pro-housing agenda, Troy is strongly positioned to take advantage of state funds to make our community a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family. Let's hit the reset button and take a fresh start on this critical issue.
As we look forward, there are several items of unfinished business that merit attention. We are still awaiting release of the Fire Study needed to inform our decisions regarding our fire and emergency services. RFPs to demolish and renovate the restaurant at Frear Park, as well as the restaurant vendor, are overdue - as is an RFP for lead line removal in 2025. RFPs for construction of the Lansingburgh Fire House are still to be released. When will we address 1 Monument Square with specifics and public input? We have yet to confirm a Corporation Counsel following the departure of the previous one…. The list goes on.
Needless to say, there needs to be better management of these details and more planning - to offer time for discussion and public engagement of city projects.
I'd like to conclude on the importance of bipartisan cooperation.
After a year of challenges and setbacks relating to the budget and oversight of Troy’s finances, the mayor reached out earlier this year to signal her willingness to take a new approach and rebuild her relationship with the entire City Council. I offered to support new dialogue and encouraged greater transparency from her team. There have been some bumps in the road since then, but I am committed to working in cooperation, not opposition, with the mayor on the critical issues impacting quality of life for Troy families, and hope the mayor will meet the entire council halfway on her agenda. It begins with mutual respect and better communication.
I ended last year’s remarks with “Troy is stronger together,”
That’s as appropriate tonight as it was a year ago.
It begins right here as elected leaders, we must continue to communicate and cooperate, share ideas and information to better serve the residents of our city.
Thank you all for listening.
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