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Unidentified speaker 42:40

Thank you. So thank you for this invitation to speak with you this evening. In previous years, you've heard from experts on lead poisoning and its impacts, and I am not here to repeat their presentations. I am here as Chairperson of the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee of the Oneida County and Utica Branch of the NAACP. DPW to advocate for a clear and actionable commitment from the Utica Common Council and the Mayor of Utica to reduce lead poisoning in our city. I'm also here to make equally clear our desire to work with you in partnership. I will briefly review key information to ground us all in the challenge and opportunity before us. And then I'm going to outline specifically what we are asking you to consider and why time is of the essence. I ask that you please hold your questions until the end of my remarks so I can keep this brief. Children are recommended to be tested for lead exposure at 12 and 24 months. According to New York State's Department of Health, 14.25% of Oneida County children are not tested, and Utica's blood levels are 4 times the state average for lead poisoning. Elevated lead levels can cause anemia, nausea, hair loss, confusion, muscle weakness, permanent brain damage, poor impulse control, kidney and bone marrow damage. Once you understand the impact of lead poisoning, you can see it reflected, and you can see the effects in our community. We see it. I'm certain you see it in the police department. Young people struggling economically and vocationally. Increased reports of youth violence and conflict. Our police department responding to fights in our streets. Parents overwhelmed by behavioral and impulse control challenges. I spoke with a leader in our community today who works with children And she said she often talks to these kids and they don't understand why they're acting out. They don't understand, but they're lead poisoned. These are not isolated issues. They are symptoms of a community with high levels of lead exposure. And it costs all of us because of the outcomes. That this creates. Census data shows that 48.7% of Utica residences, and that's about 11,244 households, are renter occupied. These renters face limited housing options and tight fiscal constraints. Scarcity creates a power imbalance that makes these tenants fearful of doing anything that might jeopardize the roof over their head. Many feel unable to push for lead testing or remediation. This brings us to the reason why we as the NAACP are here tonight. Utica is one of 25 New York communities covered under the new New York State lead rental registry law. This requires inspections for rental properties with 2 or more units built before 1980, and it begins on May 3rd of this year. The Oneida County Public Health Department is responsible for enforcing this law and is contracting with Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency to conduct those inspections using lead wipe testing to assess the hazards. So our requests— many of our requests align directly with the implementation of this new law because, frankly, we think that we can help you and we can all benefit from collaboration around this. First of all, we are asking for transparency and some citizen oversight. With Utica lead levels among the highest in New York State, residents deserve transparency. We need to know what the City of Utica is doing and planning to ensure effective implementation of the lead rental registry. There is currently no mechanism for citizen oversight of the city's lead poisoning reduction efforts. Establishing such oversight would keep attention on those at highest risk and encourage collaboration across agencies and departments. And here's the kind of collaboration that we're hoping for. Effective implementation requires strong communication between MVCCA, Oneida County Health Department, and the city. Communities that have made progress on reducing lead coordinate inspections and enforcement. Joint inspections minimize disruption for residents and landlords. While providing more comprehensive and timely assessments. The third ask is we would like the city to share data, specifically property data. We ask the City of Utica proactively share any available property data that will help identify addresses covered under this new law with Oneida County Health Department and/or MVCCA, because quickly identifying which households fall under this legislation is essential. The consequences of lead poisoning are irreversible, so urgency is necessary. Citywide lead testing should be a part of certificates of occupancy. We ask the Common Council to pass legislation requiring both lead wipe testing and soil testing for certificates of occupancy for all rental properties, not only the multi-unit, multi-family units that will be covered by this new state law. Single-family rental tenants deserve the same protections. And given the housing shortage, tenants cannot be expected to request testing themselves. If the Codes Department needs additional staff to meet this responsibility, we would urge the council to add those positions. This is an investment in the economic future of our region through improved health outcomes. We— our 5th recommendation, or ask, I heard referenced earlier, and I'm so sad that the engineer is not here. Um, we— our 5th ask is simply to align the paving with lead service line replacement. We urge the city to coordinate its paving schedule with Mohawk Valley Health System, lead pipe remediation efforts because Dig Once is widely recognized as a cost-effective and fiscally responsible approach. Our sixth and final ask is community representation on the Mohawk Valley Water Authority board. We know that's not up to you, but we also know you influence that. While deteriorating paint is a primary source of lead poisoning, lead service lines also pose a risk. Mohawk Valley Water Authority plays a major role in reducing exposure, and we are asking that the city advocate for the creation of a community advocate position on the MVWA board, which would be filled by a Utica resident selected by the NAACP. We have a handout— Shayna, can you distribute? We have a handout summarizing the statistics and our requests. If you would like a digital copy of what we're going to hand out, there is an email address for the NAACP on the last page. And I would just I'll close by saying one of our community committee members last week said, this is a critical time for local government to restore faith by demonstrating open communication, collaboration, and care for community. And so I thank you for doing your part in helping to restore faith in this government here in Utica by taking action around lead. Thank you.

52:47

Well, thank you, Betty. And we got about 10 minutes. We could go around and ask some questions. We'll start with Katie.

55:14

Thank you so much for coming. I appreciate it. Kind of opened my eyes to things. But one thing I, I do want to ask, so from the street, from the main line to the street is the Water Authority, from the rest of it is the homeowner's responsibility, correct? Yep. Do you know what kind of, like, say 50 feet from, you know, do you have a ballpark figure on what that cost a homeowner to change that?

1:47:15

Um, the only reservation I have on this is I did ask for an updated fund balance balance on the fund balance, and I have yet to receive it. I'll vote for this, but just to put on record and notice that I would like it as soon as possible.

Common Council Meeting January 21st, 2026