City Council - Regular Meeting

indivisibley and justice for all. Clerk, would you please call the role? Council member Lorenzo, present. Council member Stubber. Council member Spain McLaren, present. Council member McKe, present. Council member Favro, present. Council member Campbell Cohen, present. Council President Steel also present. Six present, one absent.

Council President, I move that the council resolve itself into a committee of the hold for the purpose of conducting a public hearing. Clerk, would you please read the notice of publication? The [snorts] city council of the city of Troy will hold a public hearing on February 19th, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the city council chambers, Troy City Hall, 433 River Street, fifth floor, Troy, New York. This is in connection with the following matter. A local law adopting the provisions of article 6A of the real property law to make the good cause eviction law applicable in Troy, New York.

Thank you. Um, I'd like to share with you the rules of the public hearing. Uh, per section 234 of the special rules of the Troy City Council, no one but a citizen or taxpayer of the city or an attorney at law representing a citizen or taxpayer or group of citizens or taxpayers shall be allowed to speak. The person wishing to speak shall upon being recognized by the chair give his or her name and residence and if an attorney the names and addresses of every person whom he or she represents. All remarks shall be directed to the chair and no colloqui between or among persons present shall be permitted. No person shall extend his or her remarks beyond five minutes. But if the person represents several others, the chair may make reasonable accommodation. The allowance of any rebuttal remarks shall solely be at the discretion of the chair. We will come forward um as is. Uh there's no sign up. So I would just invite you to come forward uh and give your name and residence. This is the public hearing on local law number one. Please come forward to the podium. Good evening everyone. My name is Brian Marsh. Uh I own Marsh Management. I own uh four parcels in the city of Troy. Uh five buildings. I represent uh 17 tenants. Uh on this side of the river, I am all business. On the other side of the river, I mayor of the village of

Manans. Uh I am also a registered Democrat. However, on this side of the river, I am very much a business and consider myself uh I won't consider myself a Republican as far as business. I assure you on that. The reason I'm here is I am a small business. Um I provide quality housing to all of my tenants. My tenants treat me as if we were family and I treat them equally well. I've gone to the hospital when they have had children. I have testified in court when they need protection uh and and protective orders from the police. Um I am very fair with my rent. Um however, my concern about good cause eviction is that it it sways everything in favor of tenants without equal protections for small landlords and small businesses like myself. There are a number of things that happened during COVID that very much decimated tenant responsible landlords like myself. I personally lost over $250,000 of income during COVID because of the restrictions that New York State put in place. They were absolutely devastating to me. Uh and unfortunately uh the problem I have is that fair quality landlords like myself will have restrictions put on them that hamstring them for the bad tenants and there are bad tenants. the protections that they have, especially in court, especially with uh availability of legal aid. For instance, when someone is non-paying a rent, the court process is long. It is cumbersome. I'm required to hire an attorney. I went to court. They are allowed another 60-day delay in order to retain counsel, which rarely do. We come back to court. Four months out of a year, I have non-payment of rent. That's

one quarter of my rent for that particular unit gone. How do I recover that? I personally have $20 plus,000 worth of judgments filed in Rener County for people who have not paid during COVID and beyond. I am very fair and I always try and work it out with my tenants. But what you're doing with good cause evictions is protecting the bad ones. You're hamstringing good landlords into restrictions that don't allow them to reinvest in their properties in Troy. And I have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into all of my properties in Troy. Um I am I am a quality landlord. You can ask code enforcement. I have good relationships with all of them. I have never been reported to code enforcement. I have seen Judge Palazi many times on my bad tenants. I have gone to court. I have tried to explain to him that after a $25 late fee, because my tenant always pays me the month after that. I finally told her, "You're going to have to pay me the $25 late fee as indicated on our lease every month that you pay me late. Every day that she left for work, she would turn the faucet on and leave it on just to incur my water bill that goes from $400 to $1,600 a quarter. How do I recover that if I'm only allowed to raise her rent by 5%? That's the question I ask you. Where is the fairness? I will sit down. I will be a partner to recraft good cause eviction into something that is fair for both tenants. And I believe very much that tenants have a right to housing, that have a right to quality housing, that have a right to have a landlord who's respectful, who addresses their complaints, whether it's 3:00 a.m. or 3 p.m. That's me. I don't have a management company that I can go to to dispatch someone within an hour or whatever they take in order to get there to unclog a toilet. That's me. So, I'm

caught in the middle. I may not fall within the small landlord category here, but I'm surely not a corporation with hundreds of units. You're forgetting about the people in the middle. That's me. That's my business. That's how I earn a living. And that's how I qual I continue to provide quality housing to the tenants that are citizens that are [clears throat] employees of the of the city of Troy. I want to continue to do that and I'm I'm afraid that you're putting restrictions that are too far in one direction and I get it. It feels good and I'm the first up for shot and I'm sure everybody else will disagree with me that comes after me. But that's that's it. That's why I'm here. I'm passionate about housing. I'm passionate about the city of Troy. It's why I invested all of my money as a landlord and a small business here. This is too much, too soon. Let's balance the equation. Fairness for all. Thank you.

Thank you, Brian.

Hi, my name is Jude. I'm a resident of Troy. Uh I'm a renter and I'm also speaking on behalf tonight of the Troy Democratic Socialist of America. Getting to this forum has taken a lot of work from a lot of people. DSA and our coalition partners have pushed for nearly two years to see this legislation passed in Troy. Countless community members, tenants, and homeowners alike. Even some landlords have given their signatures, contacted their council people, and spoken in front of the council in favor of good cause. And before that, many more people put in many more years work to pass good cause on a statewide level. Without that effort, we wouldn't even have the opportunity to pass it here in Troy. Some opponents of good cause will tell you that it doesn't do enough for renters. In that, they are right. It is a bare minimum bill obliging landlords to hold up their end of a rental lease they've already agreed to and promising tenants the opportunity to stay in their homes without absurd rent hikes. It doesn't do anything for already sky-high rental prices for the poorly maintained units around the city. And it certainly doesn't begin to touch the real issue, the commodification of our housing. But that's not a reason to vote it down. I have been renting in Troy for six years now. Nearly everyone I know in Troy is a renter. I'm not concerned that my landlord will suddenly increase rent to the max allowed under good cause because right now landlords can increase rent however much they want. I know people who have faced 40% increases in rent in this city. What concerns me is how hard we've had to fight for such a basic protection. that the city at its discretion denied Trojans our our lawful rights in the process and that unless you can afford a lawsuit, there is no recourse for such a denial. What concerns me is I know one person, one person who received the notice about good cause that all landlords statewide were required to send to all of their tenants when the law went into effect in 2024. I certainly didn't get one. What concerns me is that amid what we all know to be a housing crisis with more and more people overburdened by rent or unable to afford housing at all,

all I see are luxury apartments going up all over the city. Poorly built, unaffordable, and untouched by basic legislation like this. Troy needs good cause and it's not enough. Both are true because landlords can lie to us. Municipalities can deny us our rights. The law astronomically favors landlords over tenants already. Housing court is convoluted and confusing, and legal defense is prohibitively expensive. Renters are treated like we're staying in a hotel, not trying to make our homes. And our homes can be sold out from under us to someone only interested in making money. Housing in this country is treated like a commodity to be traded and profited on, and not a right to which we are all entitled. So long as these things are true, then no, good cause is not enough. But you wouldn't rip out the floors and say it's to manage the hole in the roof. Pass good cause. Don't just think about what the people of Troy need to stay in our homes. To continue to make Troy our home, ask us. Talk to us. And while you do, we won't stop fighting because how housing is a human right and it's time someone acts like it. Thank you.

Thank you, dude.

Good evening. Uh my name is Lita Gresham. I'm a senior citizen and a retired social worker. I'm also a resident of of Troy. I'm here to speak in support of good cause eviction protections. I want to tell you what it feels like to live in a building where the rent continues to go up, but the condition of the property continues to go down. When I first moved into my apartment, certain amenities were included. Over time, the amenities disappeared. Cable was removed, maintenance response slowed, the building has not improved, it has deteriorated, and the rent increases. There is simply deeply unsettling about paying more and receiving less. As a senior citizen on a fixed income, I do not have unlimited earning potential. I cannot simply work more hours to cover another increase. When the rent goes up $100 a year, that is not minor to me. That is groceries. That is medication. That is stability. I have paid my rent on time. I'm a responsible tenant, but even responsible tenants can be priced out. All that is my fear. My fear is not inconvenience. My fear is homelessness. As a former social worker, I have worked with individuals who lost housing. I have seen how quickly it happens. One rent increase, too many. one non um renewal, one disabil, one destabil

destabilizing event. Housing insecurity at my age is not a small stressor. It affects my health. It affects my sleep. It affects my blood pressure. It affects my dignity. Good cause would not make me immune for rent increases. It will not give me free housing. It will simply provide basic protections. Reasonable limits. Reasonable limits on excessive rent hikes. The good to renew my lease if I am a good tenant. The right to be displaced without just cause. That is not radical. That is stability. We are not asking for luxury. We are asking not for special treatment. We are asking for fairness and predictability. No one who pays their rent and follow the rules should live in fear of being pushed out simply because the market allows it. I'm asking you to pass good cause eviction protections for seniors, for working families, for people living paycheck to paycheck, for people who have built their lives in this city. Housing should not feel like a gamble. Please pass good course. Thank you.

Thank you.

[clears throat]

Hi, my name is Mateo. I live in Lancingberg. Um, I have a wonderful wife and I have a teenager that goes to Lancingberg High School. Uh, we moved there just about a year ago after being priced out of the apartment in Burnt Hills we'd lived in for more than three years prior. My father-in-law grew up here in Lancingburg. So, while we are not originally locals, our family once began here. Um, our landlord does not live here and we have never met him. Right after we moved in, he called me upset that we had not told him about having a dog. my wife has PTSD and her dog is an ESA. I explained to him that we didn't tell him because we have been discriminated against even during that same housing search, but he didn't care and told me I was wrong to keep the information from him, even though we sent him the appropriate documentation and made no attempt to hide anything. [snorts] Just a few months later, our shower and tub broke, leaving us with no way to bathe. This was Mother's Day weekend on Friday. First, he tried to force me to fix it. I did as he asked and even went so far as to get the necessary tools from Lowe's. But when I told him it was beyond my understanding of plumbing, which is genuinely nothing, uh he refused to call an emergency plumber and said I would have to wait until Monday. Mind you, my teenager is 15 and 15year-olds are extremely smelly. Uh he tried to make us wait for days without a way to bathe. When I explained to him that legally he could not do that just to avoid the expense of an emergency plumber. First he lied and said he couldn't find anyone to come out because it was Mother's Day. When I told him I had looked into it and the Roland Jown plumber was on their way, he got angry with me. He suddenly found a plumber of his choice to come the same day. In a few weeks, we received an email in which he called me latigious, uncompromising, and several other names.

He said that we were inconvenient to him. He told us that our upstairs neighbors complained about us all the time, which we know is a lie because we exchanged numbers as soon as we moved in and have a good relationship with them. He told us we should move out over the summer, which was only halfway through the lease. Since then, we've been living in fear that he will try to evict us, and we do not have the money for a lawyer to fight it. I would have to figure it out on my own. I am not confident that we would be able to find an apartment in the Lancingberg School District that would fit our needs and be within our budget. My teenager is almost 6 feet tall. While we were looking for an apartment, we already had a hard time finding a second room that would fit his bed, and his feet already hang off the edge of it. My lease is up at the end of this month. He has failed to offer us a lease and also failed to give us the required 30-day notice of intention not to renew a lease. So, now we will become month-to-month tenants. I just started a new job. My father-in-law has dementia that is getting worse and we are trying to figure it out on top of the cancer that is not responding to treatment. I may have to go to court on top of all this where I am not entitled to a lawyer in case you didn't know. Not entitled to a lawyer in the court we would have to go to. I cannot afford one just to keep my family in the apartment that we take good care of. My child is doing so much better in this school in Burnt Hills. They went from failing English to getting a hundred on the final exam in like two months. My child is planning on going to Boseies for construction next year and he might not be able to do that if we have to move out of district. He's taking multiple classes through Hudson Valley Community College as a 15-year-old and all of that work could go to waste if he has if he has to move out in the middle of his school year. My wife has been accepted at Hudson Valley Community College and hopes to be an ultrasound technician. Every time we go grocery shopping, we buy at least one thing to put in a local

free food fridge. We are close with our neighbors who have been here for 10 years or more. We love this city and are committed to honoring those who have lived here a long time. And we want to be here for a long time, too. But without good cause, we might be kicked out simply because we are an average workingclass family. An average workingclass people can't afford lawyers. Our landlord doesn't like the fact that I know my rights. Knowing your rights does nothing when your rights are unaffordable or worse, uninforceable. While I was begging my landlord over the phone to fix my water, he told me that he only became a landlord because his job doesn't compensate him fairly. I do not exist to supplement somebody's income. I too am not paid enough for the work that I do. But I don't have the money to buy a building somewhere that I don't live and make that some random person's problem. I don't have the money to play with people's lives because I feel like I deserve some more money. All I am asking you to do is allow me to take care of my family. What am I supposed to say to my child when he says, "Dad, please let me stay in this school. If you pass good cause eviction, I can look my child in the eye and say, "You will be here. You do not have to leave your friends again." So, please, for the safety and security of Troy's families, both old and new, past could cause eviction because some of our lives depend on it. Thank you. Thank you, Matt.

I can still [clears throat] Hi everybody. Can you hear me? You'll have to speak right into the mic, please. Like right here. That's really close. Okay. Um, hello everyone. My name is Michelle Led Better. You said I was supposed to say a bunch of other things. When I came up here, I already forgot it. What was it? Do you live in Troy?

Yes, I live in Troy. That's it. I um I'm a landlord. I own uh five h four houses and I have about 16 door. Sorry, I have 16 doors. Um, I came here to talk about, at first I came here to talk about how good cause, um, I'm not really for it because of what I've gone through with my tenants because I am just like the gentleman over there who really takes care of their tenants and I have a good intention and I don't scam or own any types of slums. But after hearing just a few people speaking, I realized that not everybody is a good landlord and it puts people in a very very difficult and uncomfortable position where they feel like they're stuck between a rock and homelessness. Um especially from what I've seen as a renter, especially people with animals, specifically dogs and puppies that you know pee on stuff. Um, I I just wanted to say that also that maybe Troy might need an option or an avail a a situation where if you have a good landlord that somehow there has to be some type of registration online or somewhere that's easily accessible so people understand and can see what these people are offering. And then there should also be full transparency on what their prices are and why they believe that those prices are fair. Um because for me I have fair prices but then I I notice that I have to explain why it's fair. Some people don't understand. So I feel like if it's somewhere that's public and these these numbers are public and it's transparent then maybe if people can look at the the the the comparison of prices for what you're getting that might help. And then also I think maybe because this has nothing to do with renters, maybe there needs to be more options for people to live that's

affordable like small houses, tiny houses or additional um types of condos that will look a lot different. I do have a plan that I'm not going to talk about now, but I will probably be back here to talk about it very in depthly and hope you guys look into it. But I do want to say that also has nothing to do anything. I feel so sorry for that man. that man should not have to deal with that. But you know what a snarky person would say is, "Oh, we'll just go buy a house." Well, uh, most people who live in this area can't afford a house that's the size of what I afford and I barely afford it. And it's like, even if you afford the house, as you can see just by looking around Troy, people are struggling to keep it together. like something like a plumbing issue, like he said, for the average renter, they're like, "Oh, just fix this, this, and this. It should be easy." But a lot of times with these old houses, a lot of this maintenance is very specific and it's not always that easy. And it is sometimes difficult to find people right away who actually know what they're doing because there's a lot of there's a lot of contractors who may who say that they know what they're doing. And from my experience of spending thousands of dollars, they don't always know. Um, but I I know I don't want to run on too much. I just wanted to put that out there for for a new maybe different type of housing that needs to be available in Troy that's under 250 or even better under 200k because nobody's we're pe people it's not always appropriate for everybody to be a renter. If you have a dog and you have a problem where you're a veteran and you need to keep that dog near you, like in my apartment, I don't allow dogs because of the types of flooring I have. Any type of pee goes on there, I have to rip up the whole floor and it's it's it's beautiful. I'm just not going to I just in my types of places, I can't do that.

But then I just allowed somebody with two dogs in a different property on the other side, a newer house. Um, but I just think that we just need more options for people with children, people with cats, people with dogs, and people who have baggage that they don't have to tell Big Brother about and pay extra money for it. Because of course, a dog costs extra money. Cats cost extra money. Sometimes if you have a lot of children because of the cost of the heating and if you have heating included or if you have um water included or trash, you need more trash bins. There's more money for more people. It's not really sustainable the way that it's going right now to have to worry about paying rent that's going to go up in a year every year. And that's someone who actually makes money doing this. And I'm telling you that because it's not I mean can I don't know if anybody feels like agreeing with me, but it's that's like someone saying, "Okay, your mortgage is going to go up five or six% every year." I couldn't do that. But you know what does go up? all the the the no offense to anybody here, but the Troy fees go up, the water goes up. I try to add another apartment, can't do it because now there's a random that the the codes change in over a year and then the cost of money to do like any type of planning is very difficult. Am I over five minutes? I'm probably I'm going to stop. I'm gonna keep going. So, thank you so much for your time, everyone. Have a wonderful evening.

Thank you very much. You keeping track? Yeah, please. [clears throat]

Eric, I want to remind you that we have a five minute limit for each speaker. The passage of good cause eviction in Troy would be one small victory in the battle for tenant protections. The truth is that GCE will provide only minimal protections for tenants. Most evictions are based on considerations other than those that the GE encompasses. Additionally, the law allows a maximum rent increase of 10% which is far too high and it also allows exceptions to landlords to raise the rents even higher. Let me be perfectly clear. The lofty goal of tenant protections in Troy cannot come to fruition unless the most egregiously corrupt and incompetent officials who have their hands on the levers of housing policy are removed from office. The charter and code are revised and the emergency tenant protection act is instituted in our city. Let me illustrate the practical realities of what tenants are facing in the real world. There's two procedural pathways where a tenant can be evicted.

Hold over and non-payment of rent. If a case goes to trial where a landlord is seeking to evict the tenant based upon one of the permissible causes under good cause eviction, the landlord must provide facts to substantiate that the tenant can be evicted. Although the landlord has the burden of proof, the responsibility then rests on the tenant to refute the allegations regarding a raise in the 10%. There's a rebuttable presumption that it's illegal. But again, the tenant must prove this by a prepundonderance of evidence. And that evidence is typically in the hands of the landlord and his agents. And our housing court judge does not allow tenants to issue subpoenas. To prevail in an eviction case in Troy would require more than a slim amount of legal sophistication. Tenants routinely lose their cases for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with the merits of the case, such as being unable to phrase questions correctly or being able to admit evidence such as photographs. Unfortunately, our housing court judge views himself as a hardcore partisan defender of landlords and is quick to rule against tenants on a consistent basis. Let me tell you that the last time that the attorney general of the state of New York brought criminal charges against DETROIT OF CODE on enforcement, Mark Pelosi, OUR CURRENT HOUSING COURT JUDGE, was the

defense attorney. Now he's the housing court judge. In other housing courts throughout this state, judges assist unsophisticated tenants by rephrasing inappropriately formatted questions or directly asking the landlord questions referred to AS QUESTIONS FROM THE BENCH. This practice is legally recognized in all jurisdictions and viewed as not only acceptable but necessary. A tiny tiny fraction of evictions are based on holdovers. Five to 10 tenants would have benefited from good cause eviction last year if it had been in place. Most tenants are evicted in non-payment cases and others are forced out of their homes extraditulously because they can no longer afford to pay their rents. In 2025, there were only54 holdover cases, but there were 1,44 nonpayment cases. And many of these people who were evicted had an adequate legal defense but involving substandard living conditions or other ISSUES BUT THEY LACK the legal expertise to present their case in the format required by the court. Between 40 and 70% of tenants in Troy are rent stressed or rent exhausted. EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT THIS COUNCIL does nothing, there will be rent increases. By the next time this council meets, thousands of tenants will have been forced to pay an increase exceeding 5% or more. Thank you, Eric. You've

you've exceeded your time.

These people need your help and they need it now. Thank you. Good evening, Council President Steel and members of the council. My name is Zachary Rusone. I am a homeowner in Troy's district 1 represented by Mr. Dorenzo. 65% of our city rents the homes they own in that elevates housing stability from a niche concern to the primary financial issue facing Troy today. I'm here to endorse the council opting into good cause eviction legislation. And I'd like to briefly outline why that is. First, these reforms create a more economically fair and stable market by giving tenants protections from arbitrary or capricious non-renewal of leases, reinforcing existing protections against arbitrary or capricious evictions. We give renters the confidence to stay in Troy long term, strengthening our city by transforming temporary transient visitors or long short-term students into lifelong Trojans. These reforms also protect our neighbors bank accounts by preventing arbitrary or unanticipated severe rent hikes during a time of, let's face it, national economic instability. When rent spikes unpredictably, families lose more than just the home they live in. They lose a school. They lose their neighbors. They lose the stability that

living in Troy can provide them. These reforms also solve an oft complained issue for local landlords by clarifying the existing restrictions in the law. They remove gray areas and outline exactly when an eviction, a non-renewal of a lease, or a rent increase is legally allowed. That protects both sides of a valid business contract, and it encourages our honest landlords to feel secure in their rights as property owners. On that same note of fair protections for both landlords and renters, I would like to urge the council to adopt New York State's standard 10 unit exemption for small landlords as opposed to the sometimes considered one unit cap. This provides breathing room for honest local landlords who might own two or three buildings while ensuring housing protections are focused where they're needed most on large ambitious corporate landlords and private equity firms that are increasingly snatching up property all across upstate New York. Lastly, a word on knock-on effects. We know that good cause eviction protections work. New Jersey has had laws very similar to good cause eviction for half a century and cities throughout Hudson County in the last decade have seen as much as an 8% increase in both available rental units and renter occupied units demonstrating that the rental market increases under these rules. These increases are not despite good cause eviction. They are in fact largely due to the stability that these laws provide. I do respect this this council's decision, but I urge you to opt into good cause eviction and adopt the 10-unit exemption to help make Troy a leader in fair housing.

Thank you, Zachary. Hello, council members. Uh, my name is Brian Pos Hernandez and I live in South Troy, specifically in city council district 5. I'm here tonight in support of the good cause ordinance. I'm a renter. I'm a tenant. I'm a high school teacher who lives paycheck to paycheck. Good cause legislation is not about punishing landlords. I believe that landlords have the right to make a profit and provide housing, but they do not have the right to evict people for whatever reason. This ordinance is about making sure that the power dynamic that already exists between landlords and renters do not become exploited. Most tenants just want a decent place to call home and many landlords simply want responsible tenants. Good cause provides an even playing field. We're not advocating for property property neglect on the either side. I've heard landlords site cases where the the tenant [clears throat] was irresponsible. We don't support that. We're advocating for the protection of tenants who are contributing members of our community. The majority of Troy residents are renters and safe housing is a human right. One of the reasons I really want you guys to pass this is because of the rent increases limits in the ordinance. The ordinance defines an unreasonable rent increase as more than 5% plus the annual consumer price index inflation rate or a flat 10% whichever is lower. We should pass this because it will at least ensure already high rents do not increase even further to a significant degree. This issue intersects with so many other issues that our city is facing. We're dealing with a high number of homeless people, high levels of crime, a high cost of living. The city government should be doing everything it

can to reduce crime and reduce the cost of living. Um research shows that there's connections between housing instability and certain types of crime. The link is rooted in economic stress, displacement, and weakened community stability. So, when rent rises fa faster than wages, that's a problem for so many Tory residents, including myself. We have to deal with intense financial pressure. And in much of the country, renters spend h nearly half or more of their income on housing. So, we really need those increase limits uh to put it put into law. Um I personally spend most of my income on housing. I'm sure a lot of people here do as well. That leaves little flexibility to absorb emergencies such as medical bills, car repairs, or job loss. You know, I recently actually got a flat tire from one of these darn potholes, and the new tire purchase ate into was supposed to go for rent. So, you know, [clears throat] it's it's really uh puts us in a really tough position. You know, once a Troy family falls behind or a bad landlord decides to evict someone for an unreasonable cause, eviction takes place. And after eviction, securing new housing becomes more difficult due to application fees becomes harder because there's, you know, you have to deal with secure security deposits and credit checks. A single eviction record can follow someone for years closing off future housing options. So we don't want to have this kind of instability uh because it increases how vulnerable people are. People who lose housing may uh you know are more vulnerable uh and we can see sometimes they may engage in low-level offenses such as sleeping on private property uh when they're homeless. So, we know that here in Troy, areas with limited economic opportunity, underfunded schools. I once worked at uh Kip uh Troy uh high school and that area definitely has uh very few job

opportunities and the folks who live in those areas um may experience uh signific significant financial instability. Expensive rent worsens poverty by eating up Troy residents income that could otherwise go to medicine or to groceries. Um, I personally know what it's like to have to choose between rent or medicine. I know what it's like to have to choose between rent and a car repair. And it's dehumanizing. I feel robbed of my dignity when I have to make those really hard decisions. So, passing this ordinance will reduce the rates of eviction. Evictions function as a pipeline to long-term hardship. Losing housing disrupts employment. It destabilizes children's schooling. It's it's a huge strain on our mental health and increases contact with the criminal legal system. So, I want to close with this. I'm aware that this ordinance will most likely pass here in the city council and I thank the council members who worked hard uh for for years to make this moment happen. This really is a multi-year struggle and I also want to thank Troy DSA for working so hard on this as well. Uh I really urge Mayor Carmelo Montello to sign this into law. the majority of Troy residents are renters. Will the mayor stand with the majority of Trojans or will she stand with bad landlords who evict people without a good reason or raise rents in a time of high inflation? Will the mayor stand with workingclass tenants or the donor class? So, I encourage Mayor Montello, do the right thing and approve this. Uh if not, we will remember your veto next and remember who you stood to protect. Thank you.

Thank you, Brian.

[snorts]

Hello. My Oh, hello. My name is Fero Moore. Although I'm not a resident of Troy, I live in Manans. The reason I am here is to talk about good cause and my neighbors to the t to no tenant. No tenant should be a should be feared legally eviction, outrageous rent hikes, or retaliatory non renewal of lease. I'd like to see you finally pass good cause legislation so we can stop bad landlords from mis mistreating and exploiting our people. They deserve better and so does our city. Please get this done for all of us. Also, when I lived in Troy, I lived in the 161 Washington apartment number seven. My landlord, when I was a kid, refused to get several things fixed. That is the reason why we moved to Manansan's. my landlord now refuses to fix the back door, which is why I've kept my heat so high and why good cause needs to be needs to be passed. All I ask that you equally look at both sides and pass this otherwise landlords can do whatever they please and no one will be accounted for.

Thank you.

Thank you. Hi there folks. I'm Elizabeth O. I live in district 4. Um I am one of the leads on the uh good cause campaign. Uh I'm member of BSA proudly. Uh I'd like to speak to the one apartment uh concern. Uh you pre uh you've previously heard arguments in favor of 10 houses of 10 apartments before uh the cause comes to into effect. Uh unfortunately uh anyone who knows any like who really wants to game it can simply make LLC's uh that hold less than 10 units each. Uh and in this way large corporate landlords get around any uh uh good cause in any way that does not have the one unit limitation. Uh so it's really important that we maintain the one unit limitation as as is in Albany. Uh you've heard a lot of personal stories uh here today. I I'm also a renter. I have to deal with leaky roof uh all that all that stuff. But I want to speak to some numbers. In 2023, uh, when our housing campaign was just getting off the ground, uh, rent was around $1,100 for the average Troy resident. Um, and they were and they had an average household income of $66,000 a year. [clears throat] Uh, currently, uh, rents is around 1430 a year for the average Troy resident. Their income is $70,000 a year. Y'all can do the math on that. uh before we even account for inflation from grocery bills, uh increases in consumer uh and like consumer good prices, uh it's becoming an unsustainable um situation that you are in a position to help a little bit. Um we've kept some data on the uh amount of evictions that have happened in Troy. Uh and we've also looked at how uh evictions have been reduced in Albany and other cities. Uh if good cause was passed last year when we first started

asking people to pass it um somewhere between 150 to like on the bottom end about 80 70 people would still be in their sorry not people families would still be in their homes. I urge you to pass this as quickly as possible uh without the loophole maintaining one unit uh uh as the minimum requirement. Thank you so much.

Thank you. Hello, my name is Hunter. I live in Lancingburg. There's a lot of stuff that's already been said way better by other people, but I'm going to speak a little bit here in support of good cause eviction. Uh I work at a nonprofit downtown and in my role I cover Albony and Rinselair counties. The overwhelming of calls that I get from people who live in Relair County are Troy residents who are struggling with housing. Over the past seven years where I've worked at this nonprofit, I've had a handful of these residents call me for assistance with finding housing because their leases were not renewed. These folks were given no reason for the decision to not renew. There were no lease violations, no later missing payments. These people ultimately had to drop everything in order to secure housing on a short timeline. When this happens, people's jobs and lives are jeopardized with no explanation and no cause. Um, while I do support good cause, it is a little bit tepid and gentle in terms of its legislation, there are a lot of other things going on in Troy with regards to housing that need to be worked on as well. Uh, I got a call this morning from a Troy resident who needs help finding and applying for housing because in this case, this individual and all of their neighbors in their building are without running water and are unable to do anything about it except for try their luck applying elsewhere. They're unable to do anything about it because they know that calling code enforcement would likely result in their homelessness much faster than if they went to eviction court for non-payment.

I've gotten calls from far more Troy residents in this situation than I have from Troy residents who could have been protected by good cause. Uh, while I support good cause and I hope that the city council enacts it and enacts the will of the residents of Troy by putting it into law, it doesn't protect tenants as much as tenants deserve protection. I would like to live in a Troy where I can when I can let people know that they can call code enforcement in order to have their issues worked on. [snorts] As things stand right now, I cannot in good faith suggest that anybody who calls me in this situation contact code enforcement because in many cases they are likely to be summarily homeless as a result. Uh hopefully once good cause passes, this can be another issue that the city council is willing and able to address. Thank you.

Thank you, Hunter. Hi everyone. I'm Francisu from South Troy. Um I got involved in Good C cause only last spring. um they've been working on this for a lot longer and I commend all of the people who've worked and led that campaign. Um and we're really close. Um and I just wanted to say um that the mayor has said on Facebook to just call code when you have a problem. and she spoke on affordable housing during the state of the city. Well, this is how you start that. This is the bare minimum. This is the way forward to for residents of Troy, for renters of Troy. And if if she really wants to back up what she says, then she won't veto this. And maybe she'll even get reelected. Hi Thank you, Francis.

Good evening, council members. My name is Frankie and I'm a long-term renter here in Troy. I've spoken to the council many times in support of good cause and I'm hoping and praying that tonight can be the last. The absurdly long struggle for fundamental tenant protections makes me think of this line from an old folk song. How many ears must one man have before he can hear people cry? I and others have spoken for the past year on virtually every element of good cause. We've shared personal stories of outrageous rent increases, deplorable living conditions, inadequate code enforcement, and landlord retaliation. We've collectively addressed and debunked every false assertion about good cause that's been put forward by the mayor, former city councilors, and local slum lords. How much more do we need to say before the city of Troy can hear our cries for the simple nocost tenant protections that good cause can provide? We've said enough. But the mayor and her associates disagree. The mayor continues to assert that good cause is an attack on landlords and developers, basically painting slumlords and profiteeers as victims somehow, which is just ridiculous. Millions of tenants across New York State are already protected by good cause legislation, and the sky hasn't fallen, and development hasn't screeched to a halt, and landlords haven't stopped making profits. Good cause isn't an attack on anybody. It's just good public policy. But the mayor would rather say that tenants and our low awareness levels are the problem in Troy. As you may have seen in a recent press release, the mayor basically suggested it's our fault if we're having a hard time with bad landlords because we don't know our rights and we aren't using her newly compiled list of online resources to

fight them. Yeah, we should know better and do better to protect ourselves from unscrupulous landlords in Troy. It's just like the former city councelor Tom Casey once told us, "If you have a bad landlord, just get a U-Haul and move." They have so little understanding of what it means to be trapped in substandard housing because you're rent burdened or poor. They're so out of touch with how limited your housing choices are. If you have kids or pets or a disability or a low-wage job or no car or no savings, there's such an absence of compassion for people in our own community who are actively struggling and suffering. And if we can't afford to get a U-Haul and move, the mayor says we should go online and complain to the attorney general. The problem is that most people with housing concerns have an immediate need. Not all the time in the world to lodge an environmental protection or civil rights complaint that will go nowhere fast. So the attorney general's website is not particularly useful. What is interesting on that website is the information about good cause tenant protections, including a list of all the cities in New York that enjoy those protections. Why isn't Troy on that list? I guess we'll have to ask the mayor because she's the only local hold out on getting good cause passed. And the rest of the online resources that the mayor says will solve tenants problems in place of good cause, they're mostly Albany or New York City based and they're unavailable to Troy renters, or they're overwhelmed agencies with more demand than they can handle, or they're state or federal level bureaucracies that move at a snail's pace. So, it's unlikely Troy renters will ever get the help we need from those resources, which by the way makes them nonresources. So, how could we get the mayor to understand our needs and hear our cries? How about we put the mayor and her team

into a rental unit with a rodent infestation, a caved in ceiling from a roof leak, black mold spreading on the walls, broken smoke alarms, blocked emergency exits, rotting trash piled up on the property. Let's put the mayor in the same position. and Troy renters are in every day and see if her special press release and her stellar code enforcement department and her precious online resources are of any use at all. You can't fool us by replacing real help with that kind of artificial caring. There's nothing more insulting than pretending to care but doing nothing to make a difference. I entered the good cause fight because a developer bought my apartment complex, jacked up the rent, priced out most of my friends and neighbors, and then let the property decline. I stayed in the good cause fight because I realized that my local government thought all of that was perfectly okay. Witnessing that callousness and indifference changed me and lit a fire in me to fight for housing justice in Troy. I and many others became politically acti act active because our government representatives told us our voices didn't matter. But they didn't realize what would happen when they sent that message. They didn't anticipate that their words would bring us closer and make us stronger as a community. They didn't expect that we would band together and stake our collective claim as full citizens of Troy. Good cause is only on the agenda tonight because we pushed it forward and because this new council listened and took our concerns seriously. I thank you for that and I urge you to finish the job and get good cause on the books because it's about time someone heard our cries. Thank you. Thank you Frankie.

Does anyone else wish to speak? Seeing none. No. Okay. I know I already spoke, but since people have spoken directly to my situation, is it okay if I make a couple comments? U if you could make them brief, please.

Sure. Um, first of all, I want to point out that a lot of people have said that my situation is terrible. My landlord owns one building. He owns one building that has two units in it. I am one. My neighbors are the other. If if you go with this 10 unit thing, I'm still screwed. To put it plainly, nothing is protecting me. Um, I also know that retaliatory eviction is illegal. My landlord has incriminated himself in writing that what he is doing is retaliatory and discrimination. I can't do anything about it. My family needs a home. When am I supposed to go to court? I have to work during the hours that they hold court. I'm not entitled to a lawyer. I can't afford a lawyer. So, even the protections that we quote unquote have right now are not enforcable. So, you've already heard the statistics of how many people had good cases and still lost. Because we were put in these entirely impossible situations as tenants. I also just want to say I am not living in some luxurious apartment. My apartment sucks, y'all. like and I'm still fighting to stay there because I don't know where else I can go. I've already done the apartment search. Th this is where we ended up. We signed up for one other apartment and once we disclose that we have an ESA and we will hand you over the paperwork, suddenly they couldn't move forward anymore for some reason. So between a rock and a hard place is absolutely true. But the other thing is like again not a luxurious apartment. We only realized that the previous occupants smoked inside everywhere after my kid's asthma started acting up when it really is not usually a problem. My bedroom is cold enough to wake me from sleep if my arm falls out of the

blanket. And because allegedly the heating system is functioning, my landlord claims that it's not his problem. And yes, we have winterized the windows. So now we have to run a space heater, which my room is so small that we can only maintain about a foot around the space heater at any side of it. The instructions say you need a minimum of 3 ft in order to safely operate this thing, and you're not supposed to use it while you sleep. So I'm already in an unsafe situation. I tried to call code enforcement like was suggested by the mayor and then I realized this is gonna kick me out of my home if I [laughter] call code enforcement. So I called them back and I said actually I'm sorry don't come. So I I just needed to speak to some of the other things that have been said and and clarify. We also were looking for a house in Lancingburg several months ago. That changed because of my father-in-law's health and because we needed to change priorities. But in Lancingberg, the the the school district that we love so much, every single building that we looked at was in such horrific like disrepair. There was no way we could have actually afforded it. It would have been minimum double the amount of money that we were allowed by the bank to to go with. So, you can't buy a house because even if you can afford it, code enforcement probably wouldn't let you live in that house. You can't afford to fix the house. You can't afford to fix the things that your landlord won't fix. Can't afford the rent when your landlord hikes up the rent. Can't afford to find another place if your landlord hikes up the rent or just decides they don't want to rent to you anymore for no reason. So, there you go. That has addressed a couple other things that have been suggested. Thank you for letting me speak again.

Thank you, Matteo. Certainly. My name is Tony Mad and I live in District 4. I'm sorry. You're going to need to speak into the mic. My name is Tony Mad and I live in District 4.

Thank you. So, [snorts] um, you know, I spend a lot of time listening and I'm trying to make the the best sense of, uh, and a lot of this stuff just doesn't make any sense to me. You know, um, I've spoken to a lot of landlords and I've spoken to tenants and this doesn't make sense to them neither. And, um, they have like so many rights. They have more rights. This is New York State. New York State has more rights than uh tenants have than any place in the country. And um I'm to be a landlord is like nearly impossible here. So um to be a landlord, okay, you have to come up with a hundred thou like hundreds of thousands of dollars as an investment. You could try that. And then um you have to come up with all kinds of regulations. You have to have a budget while you're being taxed more. then you can hold the place up. And um there's a lot of people that say, "I don't even want to be a landlord." And this is just going to chase out more um of the landlords. Owner occupied people um will want to leave. And um and this is not good for uh good tenants. I've spoken to good tenants. This doesn't make sense to them. Uh if you have a problem tenant. I don't know how that benefits uh to keep them there. You know, you're giving all the rights to a bad tenant over the rightful owner and the other tenants. And to think that uh none of this would just make sense. Uh why would you get rid of good a good tenant? That doesn't even make sense neither. Every other everything I'm hearing just

doesn't make sense. Like they say that they don't have any rights. They got all the rights more than any state like in the country. And if you give them this, then they're going to keep on saying, "Well, we want more rights." And I know where this is going. If you if I said you can have the house, then they'll say, "Well, we want money to fix it and someone else can fix it." you know, um I work when I'm bleeding and I keep on working. I don't say somebody help me out. I just uh do what I'm supposed to do to hold the building together while I'm trying to be bankrupted. So, try that out. You know, my place is vandalized. You remember that? And what help did I get? They tried to destroy my place as I gave them my direct to the chair, please.

I'm sorry. Please direct your comments to the

As I was giving them my best hospitality, the thanks I got was to have my place vandalized. When you give them your best, it's still not good enough. You have to have your place uh squatter after squatter take over the place. You're not allowed to run your place. Um I've I've written it every doesn't make any sense whatsoever. What kind of investor wants to come in and not be able to evict a tenant that is causing all kinds of problems? Not all problems can be proven. What if the people are running up and down the stairs um above you like what I've experienced 3:00 in the morning just to annoy you just because you have rules, just because you say, you know, could you have some respect? Trying to get somebody to be respectful to you when they're not a respectful person is going to make them even more disrespectful. I've been doing this for 16 years. I know. I don't even know what kind of etiquette goes on in this city. I learned my manners from from the best and I give it to them for them to vandalize my place. You've seen you you've seen the emails. I've showed him pages and pages of emails. I've got police reports. My house has been broken into. This is for for being the best I could be. It's this I I can't even. They just they they want communism is what they want. Okay. It's it's never going to end. It's just give me give me more. Give me we we gave them the the harshest laws in the country. It's still not enough to be a landlord. You have to go buy You have to buy property. That's a big huge investment for them to come in. You're not even asking for a full percent of the of the building. Do you understand? Like just to ask them for a deposit is like, "Oh, I can't do that." Uh, well, I just came

up with like, you know, 300 grand, 200 grand. What about that? Can you can you just have enough respect for for for what we do? You know, if if a boiler goes, we you'd have to repair it. How much is that? 10,000 right there. and and and and and I have to hear their problems like I'm their social worker. You know, I'm not your social worker. I I deal with my own budget and and my apartment will be 40 if I can't afford the heat and I have to hear their problems. I don't tell anybody my problem. You never hear anything from me. And and thank you, Tony. Okay. Thanks a lot.

We appreciate it. Thank you. Does anyone else wish to speak? Looks like there's two. Okay. [cough] [clears throat] Uh, and I'll be brief. Um, so if something about this legislation doesn't make sense, please give us your name.

Yes. Sorry. Uh, my name is Rachel Rample, uh, district three. Um, and I've spoken before on this. Um, so if it doesn't make sense, then just read the legislation. I don't know why this is this is so hard. I mean, you know, nobody likes to read, but but really there's there's good information there um as to what it does and doesn't do, and it still absolutely allows landlords to run a business because that's what being a landlord is. It's it's owning a business. Um I'm also a small business owner uh in the city of Troy. Um and I have way more in the way of regulations that are um forced upon my business. And sure, you know, it's a pain. It's a pain sometimes. Um it's it costs money, but my business is so that I can make a living and it's also an investment in um the work that I do and in the future that I want to have. And even owning property like property is one of the most uh like lucrative over the long period investments you can have almost no matter what you do with it. like it the cost of living just keeps going up. The cost of housing just keeps going up. So landlords in a way like they're they're making money twice over because yes, they are they're because they're buying the building, they own it, they will eventually sell it someday. Um plus they are also getting rent in the meantime. Yes, of course, taxes, um keeping up building maintenance, uh lots of other things, but at the same time, it's it's a business. Um you you're doing it to make money. you're doing it to have short-term gains and also long-term gains. And if you're if you're struggling to make a living doing really any kind of business, like that's you got to figure that out. I don't know, you know, um regulations are part of really any business. Um and currently, um

there the the business arrangement between landlord and tenant is a contract. And right now, yes, theoretically there are laws that protect the tenant side of it, but really in practice only the landlord's side of the contract is what leads because landlords don't have to follow any of the responsibilities that are associated with their contract. And all over Troy, I mean, anyone can say that they've talked to people. I've knocked on hundreds of doors in Troy of renters um getting 1,800 signatures or helping with that effort. Um so we actually have talked to people. Um, and really in almost every instance, the lease agreement that a landlord has with their tenant, the landlord can just do whatever they want. Um, and there's there's really no enforcement for them to like other than code. But again, code can just get people out of the building and then the landlord doesn't really have to do anything. Um, unless at some point they want to have a new tenant, but you know, the cycle repeats itself. So, I just wanted to be clear that we are talking about people who run a business. Um, you know, I also run a business and I don't want things to be overly ownorous, but I also know that like I'm in this I'm in my business to make money doing it. Um, and and so are they. And so that's that's what we're talking about. Just wanted to be clear. Thank you. Thank you, Rachel. Hello, my name is Lawrence. I am a homeowner in District 2. Um, I just wanted to come today to speak as a homeowner in support of tenants, particularly in my neighborhood who I see. Um, when my husband and I bought our home about 11 months ago, the first people to welcome us to the neighborhood were tenants. Um, the folks who lived right next door. And the first thing that um my neighbor said to me was she talked about how proud she was and loved the neighborhood, but she apologized for the exterior of her home because her

landlord failed to do any amount of maintenance. And that includes crack, very clear cracks in the foundation and things like that that appear cosmetic, but that have, you know, structural problems to the home that she just um just just feels like she has to deal with has no recourse. Um we have neighbors across the street who regularly call code enforcement um for problems relating to the landlord shutting off utilities. uh in a retaliatory fashion in the middle of the night uh removing appliances, a joint appliances from the basement um because they got into the landlord got into a dispute with one of the tenants. Um and again, as a homeowner, the the tenants in our neighborhood are who make the neighborhood who make the community. Without them, there is no community um around where we live. And so, I mean, I I think folks have already spoken at length about how 65% or so of the t of the city are tenants and are renters. Um, and so I just very briefly wanted to speak to the fact that as a homeowner, I mean, I there's truly no issue to me and what's being presented. It only provides stability uh to those who should be able to stay and thrive and live in the neighborhoods that they've made their homes. Um, and so again, I just wanted to very provide a perspective as a homeowner and speak in support of this. Um, thank you.

Thank you. Seeing no one else who wishes to speak, um I would entertain a motion to conclude the hearing. Motion. Council member McLaren. Second. Second. Council member McKe. All in favor? I opposed.

The public hearing is hereby closed. We'll go right into the second. Is that right? It is 6:43 and we will now um open and call the public hearing to order. [clears throat] Uh clerk, would you we've you've already called the role. I guess we can there have been no changes. Uh council president, I move that the council resolve itself into a committee of the whole for the purpose of conducting a public hearing. Clerk, please read the publication notice.

The city council of the city of Troy will hold a public hearing on February 19th, 2026 at 5:45 p.m. in the city council chambers, Troy City Hall, 433 River Street, 5th floor, Troy, New York. This is in connection with the following matter. a local law amending chapter 2 of the code of the city of Troy to add a new article 7 for the purpose of authorizing remote participation by video conferencing for the public members of the city council and all other public bodies of the city of Troy.

Thank you. Uh the rules of the chair are as the same as the previous public hearing. Um does anyone wish to speak in connection with local law number two? For the second time, does anyone wish to speak in connection with local law number two? Rachel Rample, District 3. Uh, yes, do it. Um, the the the remarks um from the last city council and their opposition to it were ridiculous and offensive. So, yes, we pass.

Thank you. [clears throat] Does anyone else wish to speak in connection with local law number two? Now, here's one horrifying example of what's going on in the tenant world. my 77year-old neighbor.

Eric, we're on local law number two. Received is Excuse me. We're on local law number two, which Oh, excuse me. Okay. Next session videography. Okay. Gotcha. Yeah. Gotcha. Thank you. I have no comment on that.

Okay. All righty. Does anyone else have any comments on the fact that we will be videoing and allow videography in our meetings? I'm Frankie from Troy and I just want to say it's 2026. What took you so long? Thank you. Seeing none, no other speakers, um I would entertain a motion to close the hearing. Motion.

Council member Favro. Second. Council member McLaren. All in favor? I opposed. We are adjourned from public hearing.

Okay to go right into finance. [clears throat] It is now 6:46 and we will uh begin the finance committee meeting. Uh we have pledged allegiance. We have called the role. So, I would um now open a public forum on any agenda item. Please limit your remarks to any of the items on tonight's finance committee agenda. And again, it's five minutes. As I was saying, my 77year-old neighbor in 2024 received an 8% rent increase and last year she was hit with another 8% increase. Now, even though she cares for her disabled sister and she herself has medical issues, she's been forced to return to work to have enough money to pay her disgusting outofstate greedy landlord. So, I asked somebody, somebody up here, somebody back there, in what universe is that okay? We need to level the playing field because in jurisdictions where tenants have the right to legal representation or access to counsel whether it be prosay or their own attorney or there's an alternative litigation mechanism.

Evictions have fallen by 50 to 60%. That's right 50 to 60%. Now, good cause eviction was a carveout from the emergency tenant protection act. Everything that good cause eviction has plus more is in the emergency tenant protection act. It is no coincidence that this city has no landlord tenant relations council. It is no coincidence that this city council has no housing subcommittee. It is no coincidence that the code provides for a whole housing board of review, but the charter makes no provision for its creation. It is no coincidence that there has never been the issuance of a study concerning housing in Troy and no annual report has ever been issued including the accompl accomplishments which there have not been many and recommendations despite the fact that section 1765 of the code mandates that this be done each and every year by the director of code on enforcement who's making $100,000 a year. So when I say that they're not doing their jobs, that is not a personal attack. That is a descriptive term. These are not unintentional oversightes that we're the only city that doesn't have these things. They're the result of long-term purposeful scheme to mask a housing policy that is built on a foundation of corruption. These things need to be fixed and this council was elected to do that.

Now, by virtue of local law and the United States Constitution, speakers before this council retain the right to address all matters within the proper jurisdiction of this council. And like it or not, like it or not, waste, fraud, corruption, malfeascence, and incompetence by city agencies or personnel is included. It is included in that definition. When this council invokes admonitions telling a speaker to refrain from making so-called personal attacks levied against city officials with proven histories of evil anti-tenant tendencies. A fear arises among tenants that only window dressing rather than tangible reform will be the product of our protestations before you. We have been stymied in the past. We have strived to bring forth meaningual reform of Troy housing policy and tenants protections. And we've been stopped by the city council whether IT HAD A DEMOCRAT MAJORITY or a Republican majority. And irrespective of whether the mayor was a Democrat or a Republican, labeling a person who has committed an unjustified homicide as a murderer is not a prohibited personal attack. It's an accurate descriptive term. We are not dealing with agencies or departments of government that rise suddenly of their own valition to quash the rights of tenants. We are not dealing with faceless, nameless government

bureaucrats that are perpetuating ex the existence of policies providing landlords with pro protections from their liabilities that harm tenants. We know who these individuals are. WE HAVE THEM ON RECORD AND WE HAVE THEM ON VIDEOTAPE. MORSY, SHEARAN, SORENTO, AND MONTEL. THE COUNCIL must remain vigilant AGAINST FORCES of resistance BOTH OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL AND FROM WITHIN. Thank you, Eric. You you've exceeded your time. What? I'm not done. I have one more paragraph and there's no way my five minutes expired.

Well, we've been timing you, so we know it.

You've been I GOT 41. REMOVING city officials WHO HAVE SPENT A DECADE or more blocking the enrichment of tenant protections or failing to enforce the ones on the books, modernizing the charter and code that relate to housing policy, and instituting the Emergency Tenant Protection Act in Troy are the tenants only hope to be let out of THE HELL OF HOUSING deprivation and be released from the chains of the affordability rental crisis. Thank you. Now I'm done. Does anyone else wish to speak on any agenda item? [clears throat]

Hello again everybody. I was told nobody. Can you hear me now? Because I was told I wouldn't. Okay. Um, I'm just gonna go through really quick and you you have to speak right into the mic. I'm sorry. If you want to take it off and hold it, that's that's possible, too. Is that better? That might be better. All right. Wonderful. Yeah. Um, I don't need to say my name again, do I? Yeah, please.

Okay. My name is Michelle Led Better. I live in Troy. Um, I did want to talk about improving housing quality um through specifically with um with landlords and the way that the town could help us with that is by um I have to slow down. Um having more clear communication with code enforcement. With my experience, I've had a lot of problems. I was here about a year ago for a code enforcement issue um that I still haven't resolved and it cost me a a ridiculous amount of money. So, if there's a way that code enforcement when they change rules that there should be some way that I could easily go online, look up the codes in a plain English that's easy for me to understand and me not have to be a contractor. It's easier if I know what codes to look forward to or look into when I'm trying to develop my property and I could have a better understanding about how much something would cost. Um I said that um streamlining permits and inspections sometimes a lot of the times they do they are pretty speedy and they they do a pretty good job but there are times where it can and it has been a little bit more difficult for me to obtain a permit. um and um consistent accountability to the actual owner. So if they once they do know and there is no possibility that they can't know, it's very important to keep them accountable. Especially when you hear about all these bad homeowners and landlords, maybe it's maybe the accountability should be more stronger or I hate to say it, but maybe fees need to be more higher and expensive for people who are openly not listening and getting the and and not and doing whatever they want as owners to people who have when they have tenants. And that being said, I did hear

a lot of people talk today about how they don't like being tenants. And I did mention earlier that the tiny home idea or um like a some type of area where we could where the Troy could kind of try to develop a space where there's smaller houses less than 1500 square feet that people can afford that could kind of help get us out of this place where we're mostly renters. And there's nothing wrong with renters, but the you're you're you're going to be in a better city when you have more people paying into it and then they have ownership and then you have these people who are owning these houses so they're not going to let them fall down and they're not going to let them become ugly. And it's like there there should be some type of like driving from my house, I live on three fereral road from that spot all the way down here. I think I saw about three or four red X's. It shouldn't even have gone to that because it's like I I know that it's expensive to keep these houses. Is that over a minute? That's all I've been Okay, great. Um I know it's expensive because I just spent in the last year, no exaggeration, about $165,000 in just my houses. like I I didn't make any extra money just keeping things maintained. And I think for a lot of people that I've seen, even if they wanted to own something, I think that would be way too it's like it's not realistic unless you rent and or unless you rent out to people. And listening to people also, they think that like old landowners are some type of big fat cats and it's not really true. Yes, I'm a housewife, but my husband has two jobs and we also have military assistants and I also have five uh four properties. So, it's like it's not like we're

swimming in oil over here. I just think it's it's just important that maybe I don't really know who to talk to because it's it's really I have a lot of ideas, but I did just want to bring up those few things to you and I'm sorry if I sound long-winded. No, we thank you very much. Thank you so much. Have a wonderful night. I appreciate your time. Thank you

again. My name is Brian Marsh and uh I own Marsh Management. Um uh you heard a lot of passion tonight from from uh from the tenants who have bad landlord situations and I feel for them. Uh I am also a real estate broker. I have helped my own tenants migrate from my own apartments into houses uh and here in Troy who uh you know I give them a free month rent their last month's rent when they if they buy a house with me I even give them some of the money uh that they that they would pay me as a commission back. Um it's a pathway that I very much believe in. May I ask that we silence

I I folks we we'd like to hear the speaker. So, could we keep it down the the noise level, please?

Um, you just heard from another passionate small landlord and and believe it or not, we are small landlords. Um, person who answers the phone at 4 in the morning when there's an issue is me. And I believe very much it's this young lady here and her husband who also run a small business. The the people who live out of state are the problem. It's not the people who are here who respond when the tenant calls. And and I feel for those people who have issues with their landlords. I just think you're lumping everybody into the black black rock ownership of uh you know of buying up these properties and you're not you're not fairly helping people like me who have a tenant who becomes addicted to drugs who doesn't pay her rent. I can't get her out. She rents rooms to prostitutes. It's five months later and I still earn nothing. I file an eviction. She she asked me for she asked the attorney for a legal aid. They get her legal aid. What's the defense? There is none. 30 days later, then 14-day service. Uh I'm 6 months out of rent. Who helps me when I have to claim that as a loss? Nobody. Who helps me when uh when I have a tenant who leaves the water on because they're pissed off over a $25 late fee, thousands of dollars a year. I happen to think code enforcement does an excellent job. Carlo uh uh Aldo uh Billy uh they're they're all they are very balanced. I think Judge Plloy is very fair. He's by the book and he [clears throat] doesn't let me get away with anything or my attorney get away with anything and and I always sit down and mediate my cases with my tenants. But if you can't pay and you're six months behind in the rent, you have no

excuse other than you can't pay. What am I supposed to do? Where's my justice? If you destroy the apartment, destroy tens of thousands of dollars. Where's my justice back to recoup that? It it it just it's not fair to just say that landlords are always the bad guy. Tenants always deserve all the rights. There has to be some compromise. And I understand everyone's passion here. Um I I can't imagine them living in that situation, but when I have to spend thousands of dollars remediating bed bugs because my tenant brings in a couch they found on the side of the road, who pays? [sighs] I do. Thousands of dollars it cost me to remediate that problem. So I just ask that you you fairly look at this problem and you fairly find a solution. That's what democracy is all about. And uh and I I just I really hope that you don't think the young lady and I are the bad guys that everyone seems to might want to make us out to be. On the short elevator ride up here as soon as I said I'm pro I'm pro landlord uh and I'm pro fair housing. I I'm pro uh fair tenant rights. Uh and I told him how many apartments I owned. He smirked and said I'm the bad guy. It's not fair. I ask you to be fair. Thank you.

Thank you. Does anyone else wish to speak on any agenda item? Seeing none, we will move into our agenda. We have two local laws and four resolutions. Local law number one. Local law adopting the provisions of article 6A of the real property law to make the good cause eviction law applicable in Troy New York. Council member Spain McLaren. Council member Campbell Cohen. Council President Steel. Is there a motion? Motion. Council member Favro. Is there a second?

Second. Council member McKe. discussion on local law number one. Council President, Council Member McLaren,

um, this has kind of been a long time coming and, uh, I just I want to say to the landlords who are here because you care. Um, who are good landlords who care about their tenants, um, to us, you're not the bad guys. Um, and we need more people like you or or we wouldn't have tenants that need protections. Um, I think the way this is balanced is that if you are a good landlord, then you're going to have fewer issues um with tenants because you are taking care of the property. Um, and the tenants aren't needing to invoke good cause eviction. Um, because you're not giving them reason for that, if that makes sense. Um, the absentee landlords, the LLC's, the out ofstate um, landlords, those are the people who tenants need protection from. Um, I just the week before last when we had that really bad cold snap. Um, in the neighborhood that I teach in, two children in my class missed a full week of school. Come to find out, both in both of their homes, their pipes burst. Landlords couldn't be reached. Code came. They were put out of their houses. They had to go stay with family elsewhere and had to miss school because they didn't have a way to get there. Um, luckily both are back in as far as we know. But when we started to talk about it in class, a couple more kids raised their hand and said, "Yeah, we don't have our water doesn't work either." Um, it it's a real life everyday problem. Um, and we've heard countless stories over

the last couple of years about how bad things are. And, you know, this is only a start, I think, um, like we've heard many people say tonight. Um, so it's not meant to stack the cards against good landlords. It's meant to try to even things out and make sure that tenants aren't getting um, you know, aren't suffering the way so many of them in Troy are. Council member Campbell call.

Thank you, Council President. Um, I just wanted to express my appreciation to everyone who came and spoke on this tonight. um both for and against. Um I can't um in good conscience address every one of these points because uh we got a timeline here, but um I did want to uh comment on a couple concerns that were raised um all of which I completely get. Um uh and maybe provide points of clarification. if not for the speakers than uh for the people listening. Um for the for the gentleman earlier who described a tenant running up and down the stairs at 3:00 a.m. to annoy him. Um the under good cause that's nuisance behavior. So it is evictable. Um but um also it sounds like it was to annoy you. And if you live in that building, owner occupied buildings with no more than 10 units are not protected by good cause. Um so you're actually in the clear on that for better or for worse. Um and then the other concern that was raised about uh what a landlord is supposed to do um if there's an extraordinary water bill that you had raised, which is to me a completely understandable concern and I you have my sympathies there. Um what what what good cause does is it establishes 5% plus CPI or 10% whichever is lower as presumptively unreasonable. It doesn't say that it's unlawful and um those things get conflated pretty often I think just because it's easier to talk about that way. But um it says presumptively unreasonable and not unlawful because of situations like what you're describing where um you do have a burden of proof to demonstrate. Um but things like really high water bills, fee

increases, stuff like that, that's where you can make your argument and um sort of pierce that soft cap. Um, I I totally get where you're coming from here and um I I appreciate everything you do for your tenants and I'm I'm sorry that you have that situation, but um uh you would be able to raise rents. Again, that might be cold water for some. Uh but hopefully, yeah, [laughter]

hopefully good news for you. Um yeah, um you know, I'm a sponsor of this legislation. I of course support it. I also don't find it interesting to demonize landlords. Um I know you guys have a job to do and um uh if there are resources that you guys need or that you'd like the city to be part of um I'm happy to have a conversation with anybody about um the best way to move forward. Um you know, we want we want tenant protections, but it um doesn't do us any good if we regulate you guys out of the picture. And so whatever res resources you're looking for, I'm I'm happy to have a conversation with you. Thank you very much. Thank you,

Council President. Council member Dorenzo,

I just want to echo what my colleagues uh have have spoken about tonight. Uh and I want to thank everyone who came here to speak on good cause for and against. Um excellent points were made tonight. Um, and thank you for coming and listening, speaking, and just being part of the process. Um, you know, the supporters of good cause collected thousands of signatures. Um, they've made excellent points. They've looked at the data. Uh, they brought many, many stories. I I've heard stories knocking at doors during my campaign. I've heard stories up here in this seat um about and and in a seat in the audience here tonight in this uh in this room uh in the past of about about uh situations for tenants and um it's the point has been made to me and I've learned a lot over the over the months um about good cause and you know it it is not a radical law. It is not a revolutionary law. It is simple and it's straightforward. Uh placing a cap on rent increases and requiring landlords to have a legitimate reason to evict a tenant uh is simple. It's straightforward. Uh critics will say, you know, this is going to hurt landlords and drive up costs. And I don't believe um that that argument holds water. Um and I think that it misses a fundamental truth. and get it. It misses the truth that housing is not just any commodity. It's about safety, stability, and dignity. It's one of the most basic human necessities, and it's something that, uh, is so essential, and it shouldn't just be treated like a speculative investment. Um, so to be clear, um, I believe this law will not meaningfully affect the many good landlords in this city and the

landlords that, uh, take care of their tenants and do their homework. Uh, but I think it will affect bad landlords and landlords that are absentee landlords that don't invest in the community and don't take responsibility for their buildings and for their tenants. And uh, frankly, I believe that this law is meant to address those landlords. Uh, with home ownership only getting more expensive, I think renting is going to continue to grow in the city. And I want Troy to thrive and I want Troy's population to grow and I want to attract people to live here and move here. And stability uh this good cause I believe will bring stability uh to Troy. And stability isn't just good for tenants, but it's good for the long-term health this city. And so I want to encourage my fellow council members here to uh vote to to move this uh to a vote at the next meeting. Thank you.

Thank you, council member. Anyone else? Uh, I would just say for me this is a matter of justice. Um, it's it's housing justice. Um, it's a start. It's no by no means the end. We have a lot to look at when it comes to housing. We've had some excellent suggestions tonight. Um, echoing my colleagues, I thank everyone who came out um, not just tonight but for years. This is this is uh, something that we have heard repeatedly and I'm really proud that we are taking one step forward uh, towards conclusion of this. Um so all in favor of local law number one moving on to the regular meeting.

I opposed. We have 6 [snorts] on local law number one. Local law number two. a local law amending chapter 2 of the code of the city of Troy to add a new article 7 for the purpose of authorizing remote participation by video or conferencing for the p public members of the city council and all other public bodies of the city of Troy council member Spay McLaren council member McKe is there a motion motion you're a sponsor so you can motion council

member Fabro and seconded by council member Dorenzo. Discussion on the local law. Council president.

Council member McKe. I support this um law for video conferencing. Um I think again we are in the 21st century. uh we have the technology to allow for more um people to participate in their democracy and we can see in the current environment where we are losing our democracy and I think that moving forward with this law for video conferencing will generate more participation at the local level and um just enhance our democracy here and protect it. So um I just want to say that I definitely support this law. Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else?

I would just make the point that other boards in the city are using this technology. Um why shouldn't the city council? Uh, it's it's a in my estimation a no-brainer. Um, Council Member McKe said it much more eloquently than I, but um, it is truly time for us to use every tool available to us to encourage public participation. Um, we've had an instances where illness uh prevented someone from being present at our meetings or maybe there was a child care issue or maybe there's a a mobility issue or transportation. There's a number of reasons why this makes common sense and so I'm I'm thrilled that we're we're moving it one step closer. Council President,

Council Member McLaren, as someone who um has had to miss a couple of meetings um due to something that would not have prevented me from participating uh by video. I I appreciate that now if such uh such things were to arise again, I would be able to participate. Thank you. All in favor? I

opposed. Local [snorts] law number two is adopted for referral to our regular meeting. Moving on to resolutions. Resolution 26, resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a me memorandum of agreement with the Saratoga County Animal Shelter, Council President Steel at the request of the administration. Is there a motion? Motion. Uh, Council Member McLaren with a second by Council Member McKe. Discussion on the resolution. Council President, Council Member Favro.

Um, I'm just curious if there's somebody from the administration that can let us know how much we've paid to Saratoga County in 2025 since we don't have the financials yet. Hi. So, we don't have the exact number of that, but it is less expensive than what we were paying prior to our old contract. Sure.

Do you have any ballpark figures to what we spent? Yeah, we can get back to you on the exact number.

The contract with up contract with Mohawk Hudson was in the mid 200,000s I believe when we stopped using them. City is required by article 7 of the Agon markets law to provide shelter uh for the stray animals that we pick up. Uh the the fees are are detailed in the contract which is attached to the legislation. I believe they're certainly reasonable uh and uh you know but we can get we can try to get an exact figure of how much we spent in 2025. Is that what you're looking for? Specifically, but it would be nice to compare um to our uh previous arrangement with Mohawk.

Okay. If you would we can do that. We just don't have send that to the entire council that would be appreciated. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Any other comments, Council President? Council member McLaren.

Um I don't obviously it's an arrangement that we need to have. Um and I know that housing them housing some animals in our our garage here has become a necessity because of the some of the dogs that the the county Saratoga County can't take. um or just because they're full. Um I don't I don't know how likely it is that Winsler County would ever fund a shelter. Um but I wonder if we could encourage that.

Hi all. Um so I'll fill you in. Um just for council members, the the new council members when I took office in 2024 and council member um Spain McLaren and council president Steel are aware of this. Um literally in the freezing cold second week of January, we have a couple stray dogs. our animal control officer, Kevin Mcdana. We had a contract with the Humane Society, um paying them uh quite a bit of money. Long story short, Kevin went over to the Humane Society, tried to he had a key, had an arrangement with the Humane Society, a whole process. He was locked out right then and there. We literally went into immediate um emergency mode. We are required as our corporation council um just explained under law um to house these stray dogs. Um fast forward two years, we've come a long way. Um initially, you can only imagine what we learned. We contacted a markets. We tried to work with the humane society. They were at full capacity, but yet they were still taking dozens of dogs when um you know someone uh potentially was in violation of having 20, 30, 40 dogs. Fast forward. Um I cannot emphasize enough um the staff here at city hall. Uh between Maria who was city clerk at the time, between um Joe Maserillo, general services,

Sheamus, deputy mayor, all of us. Um we turned the garage into essentially a temporary shelter. We can't be a full-fledged shelter. we don't have the staff capacity to have folks come adopt dogs directly. So, uh, Maria and others and myself visited Saratoga County Animal Shelter. If you haven't seen it, it's the Taj Mahal of animal shelters. It is absolutely beautiful. It's a nonprofit, the county working together, staffing it, volunteers, you name it. Um, so they essentially now partner with us. We've also created other partnerships with other nonprofits. Um, but we have to hold the dogs for a certain amount of days. They send their folks to uh come down. They do an assessment. Unfortunately, some dogs they can't take immediately. Some dogs they do. Um our shelter at DPW A markets uh comes pretty regularly to inspect it and we uh do fantastic and that's literally due to just the folks us going into this unchartered territory. What I did find out over the past two years um to your question council member is um we're not the only ones. Obviously, we're the largest municipality on this side of the river. Uh but Waterly, CO, some other towns, um they're scraping to figure out how to do it. Brunswick for a little while wanted to use our shelter. Um we obviously just have the means for Troy. We can't partner with other municipalities. So,

um, on a larger scale, uh, there does need to be potentially a regional solution. We have a great short-term solution right now. We've created, like I said, more partnerships with other nonprofits. Um, but there are other municipalities in need. The county to date has not shown um, that they are interested in building a shelter. um the county of Albany, Craig Apple, I've talked to him. He's actually turning part of the jail over there into a shelter. Um he is having a tough time. Also, he received some funding from AA Markets a grant, but it does um require under Agon Markets to be a full-fledged shelter. A number of new regulations. There was a new law recently passed that actually went into action this year. Um, so it's difficult. Um, it's tough road, but uh, we have found a solution. We've created partnerships. I can't say enough about Saratoga County. Um, they stepped up to the plate when we were in real need for that partnership. But, um, our garage, it's fully heated. It sounds like, oh my gosh, a garage. No. Uh we have um all of the necessities that are needed. Folks have donated um everything from blankets to food. You name it. Um if you know folks that want to donate, please contact our uh general services commissioner. He'll direct you to the staff person that's working on our end who will be partnering with Addie because um the city clerk has certain duties and then general services because

um we maintain the shelter and all of that. So um we we have a good solution but yes there does need to be a regional solution. Thank you. Yep. Thank you. Any other questions? Um is someone from the administration available? Are you still here? [laughter] Um uh on the fourth whereas here it says that the terms of the agreement are being um modified to more effectively memorialize the wishes of each party. Is is anything changing besides the dates of it? Not that I'm aware of. No. Same arrangement and I think that's boilerplate language.

Cool. Yep. Thank you. Thank you. Um, in terms of the dollars, we'll get you that number, but I can state for a fact it's much lower, much, much lower than the agreement we have with the Humane Society. Any other questions or comments? All in favor? I opposed. Resolution is adopted. 6. Resolution 27, resolution commending the Troy Division of the Ancient Order of Hiburnians for its service to the communities of Troy. Council President Steel at the request of the administration. Is there a motion? Motion. Motion.

McLaren. Seconded by Council Member Dorenzo. Discussion. Council President. Council member Dorenzo. I uh I just want to say these guys do a lot of great work uh for Troy every Tuesday. They uh are up at the Lancingberg uh food pantry at St. Augustine's uh doing great work giving uh food out to people who need it. And uh I spent some time volunteering there um a couple of months ago and uh you know they do great work up there. And I just want to say uh thank you and I commend them.

Thank you. And thank you. Um, any other comments? All in favor? I opposed. Resolution 27 adopted 6. Resolution 28, resolution proclaiming March 2026 as Women's History Month in the city of Troy. Council member Strouer, Council Member McKe, Council Member Favro at the request of the administration. Is there a motion? Motion. Council member McLaren. Second. Seconded by council member Dorenzo. Discussion. [clears throat] All in favor?

I opposed. Resolution 28 adopted 6. Resolution 29, resolution proclaiming March 2026 as developmental disabilities month in the city of Troy. Council member Spay McLaren at the request of the administration. Is there a motion? Motion. Council member Campbell Cohen. Second by Council Member Favro. Discussion on the resolution. Council President, Council Member McLaren.

Um I've said this before and I'll say it again. Um if you are um a family of someone with a de developmental disability um awareness is all year long 247. Um, I think it will be a good thing if we can move into the language of acceptance from awareness um like we've done um with the autism resolution um for April um which is a nationwide it's it wasn't Troy making that move. It was a national move. Um we're committed to thinking differently which is um amazing. Um but I would like to add perhaps by amendment um that the national theme for uh developmental disability month is um the importance or the power of support because it is very important um for families and for people with the uh disabilities to have support. the support of their community, the support of their um educational institutions, uh their community. Um and I would just like to challenge people to, you know, we talk a lot about allyship, um and being aware and being accepting, but go that extra step. Say hello. Um you know, ask questions. I think people would rather answer questions, especially, you know, maybe from a young child. I've seen parents kind of discourage their kids from going right up to somebody in a wheelchair and asking them questions. I think people would rather answer questions than than have someone wonder or have a mom have

to whisper behind their back to their children. Um, you know, I don't know if we need to make it by amendment. Well, I was going to ask Okay. Could we make an amendment to add um in the second whereas the second paragraph [clears throat] that the city council continues to be committed to the think differently initiative and recognizes the national theme of you know in quotes the power of report.

Okay. Is that the only Mhm. amendment? Yes. So, we have an motion to amend. Is there a second? Sure. Second. Is there an issue? Yeah. Wasn't there another amendment that you had proposed maybe last year for acceptance? I first of all I apologize that not sure where I got this template or whether I came up with it myself or someone sent it to me but uh I do recall that this was amended last year. I don't think it was this one. I think it was the autism one. Oh well it could have been that maybe that's it to because the national movement went from awareness to acceptance. That hasn't happened yet with this one.

I was just noting that it would be nice if we move that way someday but it's not recognized nationally that way. So, I wasn't suggesting that part be amended. I just wanted to add the national theme into it. Okay. All right. Thank you, though. I'll make whatever changes you want. Okay. Thanks. So, we have a motion on the floor regarding the second whereas it's been made and seconded discussion on the amendment. Is everyone clear as to the wording that we're adding? Addie, you're Yes, Addie is adding [laughter] [clears throat] um on the amendment. All in favor? I opposed. The amendment passes. [snorts] Uh on the amended resolution, discussion.

All in favor? I

opposed. We have an amended resolution adopted 6. Um, at this time, um, I would entertain any council members who may wish to speak. Council President, Council Member McLaren. Um, I think I would be remiss um, if I didn't mention that most of us expected to have [snorts] another resolution on this agenda. Um, but unfortunately, it didn't make it that far. Um, and that is the one where the council uh was condemning the actions of ICE.

We we passed it. We passed that. But it didn't get signed, right? No, it didn't get signed, but it wouldn't it wouldn't be on this agenda, right? But it didn't get signed. Okay. Yeah.

So, I'm sorry. It wouldn't have been on this agenda, but it did not it it didn't get signed. Um, and I think I feel like I would be derelch in my duty if I didn't bring it up. Um, I think it was this council as a whole kind of expressing our constitutional right um to speak out against something in a peaceful way. It was our peaceful protest. You know, some of us have um participated out on the streets and in peaceful protest. Um this was our way as a whole for the council to peacefully protest um the actions of ICE um in our community and nationwide. Um it was not a statement about us believing in lawlessness. It was not a statement about us um believing that people should not obey laws. It was not about us being anti law enforcement. I know that night and I will speak for myself now when I say that um if you are here illegally and most importantly if you en engage in criminal behavior you should expect to be deported. you should also expect due process. Um, and I think that's what we were speaking out against, the many people who have not received due process. uh many citizens, American citizens, with no question of their immigration status, being hurt and murdered by um ICE officers, many of whom are not trained like our law

enforcement officers are. Um I think it was made to sound like it was us expressing a political opinion. Um, I don't believe that's what it was. I don't believe that expressing our belief in human rights, um, and in the, um, the right of all citizens to to due process, um, whether you're here illegally or not. Um, I think that's what the statement was about. It was not political. Um, and I just I guess I just wanted to clear the air about that. Thank you.

Thank you. Does anyone else wish to say anything? Okay. I would entertain a motion to adjurnn. Motion. Council member Favro. Second. Council member Dorenzo. All in favor? Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you very much. Okay. Close that.