Reaction is coming in after Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan presented her budget proposal Friday.
Sheehan, a third-term Democrat, is proposing a $226 million spending plan, up from $218 million last year.
"President Biden often tells the story of his father's expression, 'don't tell me what you value, show me your budget. And I'll tell you what you value.' And I believe that this budget sends a clear message to the residents of the city of Albany that we value them, and that in order to ensure that we are doing the best that we can, for those who live here, we're making historic investments in public safety, in mental health services in world class recreational facilities, in our parks, in our streets, our sidewalks, walkability sustainability, our city workforce,” said Sheehan.
In a municipality where more than 60% of property in the city is rental property, under Sheehan's budget homeowners will see a $90 property tax increase. Businesses (including landlords with four or more rental units) will see their property taxes decrease by $274.
"So if you are a renter in the city of Albany, and you live in an apartment building that has at least four units, don't let your landlord tell you that your rent is going to go up because taxes are going to go up; taxes are going to go down," Sheehan said.
Sheehan emphasized that Albany’s property tax levy has risen less than 1 percent annually since 2015. The proposed budget provides funding to bolster public safety and raise wages for city workers by about 5% to $18.37 an hour.
"I'm happy about the public safety budget," said Common Councilor Tom Hoey, who chairs the Public Safety Committee. "We do need more police on the force. We do have a shortage of officers. And she did mention that it's getting harder and harder to recruit people to be policemen. But it's something that's going to it's something we need to work on. And I know other parts of the country are also having the same problem."
Sheehan says the plan was written with the impacts of climate change in mind.
"We are doing our part to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. But we need to do more," Sheehan said. "And the 2024 budget recognizes that. We are going to be purchasing a majority of our energy from renewable sources. We're investing in EV chargers and electric station planning. We're investing to convert our city fleet to all-electric. We're replacing more streetlights, we're continuing to invest in DGS’s composting program, which has been incredibly successful. For every million metric tons of organic waste that we decompose, that's 469 metric tons of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases that will not be released as methane.”
Sheehan’s budget invests $1.8 million over the next five years in Albany’s urban forestry program. Funding is also provided for the new Lincoln Park pool, West Hill Community Center and Hoffman Park.
10th ward Councilor Owusu Anane, often critical of city policy, says he’s impressed by many of what he calls "positive features" in the mayor's budget.
"...particularly when it comes to investment into our parks," Owusu said. 'There will be several parks that are going to receive the necessary investments that is needed. And I want to thank the mayor, particularly for $100,000 investment to Madison Avenue Park. The past year, we've had a tough time in that park. It's great to see that the mayor is listening and is paying attention and wants to make some improvements in that neighborhood. Also, there's $90 million in street and sidewalk improvements citywide."
Sheehan noted that the city has availed itself of several grant opportunities, that federal aid is up due to the utilization of American Rescue Plan Act funding, and strong economic activity is driving sales tax revenue up.
View the mayor's complete 2024 Proposed Budget (PDF)
The Common Council typically approves the budget in mid-November.
