Utica, New York Common Council Meeting Records

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Common Council Meeting January 21st, 2026

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Common Council Meeting January 21st, 2026

16 matches · 12 unidentified
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.
Unidentified speaker 1:14:31
There is no safe level of lead exposure to children. Lead permanently damages brain development. It affects learning, attention, behavior, and long-term opportunities. Once that damage is done, it cannot be undone. This issue is personal for me. My cousin was exposed to lead poisoning as a child in New York City. When he later attended Proctor High School, the effects followed him. He was placed in special ed, not because he lacked potential but because only lead exposure had already altered his learning. He struggled to build social skills and access job opportunities. His future was shaped by unsafe housing, not by a lack of effort. I've also seen families punished for this system failure. When I worked as a housing specialist at Municipal Housing, Parents whose children had elevated lead levels were often reported to CPS. I remember one mother working two jobs in the Obelston. Her landlord refused to abate the lead paint. Instead of being supported, she was blamed and ultimately forced to give custody of her children to their father and move to another city. Just to get them safe. The municipality did not help her find lead-safe housing. This is not child protection. That is systematic failure. Before coming to Utica, I worked in New York City and helped support Local Law 1 of 2004, which required landlords to proactively address lead hazards and provide economic incentives to remove lead paint, a primary prevention approach. I also work with advocates connected to the Committee to Eliminate Lead Poisoning and NIPERG's lead research and policy guides, which emphasize a simple truth: Don't wait for a poisoned child to act for the hazard-free first. Here in Utica, we once had the neighborhood housing funds that helped landlords make apartments safe, and today the Oneida County NAACP Climate Change Committee has mapped neighborhoods most at risk for lead exposure, identifying exactly where help is needed. We also know schools are a critical starting point Other cities like Buffalo have identified lead in school water fountains and taken action. Schools are one of the few places where government can fully control the environment. So here's my call to action to the City Council, municipal leaderships, and the Mayor's Office: use existing federal and state funds already available to test and remediate lead in school drinking water, starting with fountains. Replace unsafe fixtures and install certified filters. And commit to transparent retesting and reporting. Removing lead from schools is not radical. It is a basic child protection. It is also smart policy. Lead exposure is linked to lifelong costs in education, health, and yes, public safety. Lead poisoning is preventable. We know what to do. We have the funds. What we need now is the will to act before another child pays the price. Thank you.
Unidentified speaker 1:10:45
Good evening. My name is Shayna Dolan, and as some of you know, I wear many hats in the community. But here I am tonight. I'm here to wear my NAACP Environmental Justice Committee member hat as well as the policy and advocacy chair for the Lead-Free and Healthy Homes Mohawk Valley Coalition. So I just want to reiterate everything that Betty Jo mentioned earlier. And just remind the council and the rest of the city government that no amount of lead is safe. Again, right now kids are being used as lead detectors, and right, the damage is permanent, but it's 100% preventable. It just requires action and political will. As stated before, this isn't just a public health issue, it's a racial justice issue, a socioeconomic and housing justice issue. I brought some other handouts that I can share with everyone that kind of outlines the ripple effect, that it's not just on the individually poisoned child, but it has impacts on the school system, right, the healthcare system, the taxpayers, et cetera. So I was actually hired by over HUD, 6 years ago to work on a campaign in the community to end childhood lead poisoning. And again, one of the asks was to create local legislation to end childhood poisoning in the City of Utica. And under that grant, I was able to work with different folks at the coalition and with folks at what's called Alterum Institute, and we submitted a bunch of different data to help create a city-specific, um, cost-benefit analysis. So again, this is in the handouts I'll give, but essentially it kind of gives a breakdown on the economic impact to the City of Utica if you don't address this issue. And then it kind of breaks it down into 3 levels whether the city implements lead hazard controls, lead service line replacement, which was talked about earlier, and finally renovation, repair, and painting standards enforcement, which again affects the housing. And then finally, I'll just end by saying that I have a list of recommended videos on YouTube. One is the documentary that the County Health Department and Cornell Cooperative Extension put out a few years ago, as well as other videos that talk about the real history and impact of lead. So I just want to offer my services as someone who has been working on this issue for many years now to help the community get leaducated. My info is on the sign-up sheet. And I hope to hear from you all. Thank you.
Unidentified speaker 1:20:20
Hi, I'm Miranda Hoffelt, uh, and I am a Utica citizen. I'm also a member of the NAACP. I'm on the Environmental and Climate Justice Committee. I live in South Utica, 2 blocks from Cornhill, and I love my area and I love my neighbors. I really want to— like Carol, I came out 2 years ago and spoke a testimonial to the Common Council, and I pointed out at the time that one of the mayor's major planks is teen violence. And we know, and we have this connection, it's in it's actually in the handout that we handed you, that teen violence is directly connected to lead poisoning, the inability to impulse control, the rush to anger. And in fact, I learned this at a City of Utica gun summit in 2020 where actually Dr. Andy Lopez-Williams, the head of the autism and ADHD Center in New Hartford spoke and gave us a wonderful overview of exactly what happens to the brain when exposed to lead and how it drives violence. So I think that in terms of our public safety, our personal public safety, lead is a really important issue. I also want to point out that Lead Free Mohawk Valley and the Homeowners Center here in Utica work together.
Unidentified speaker 1:23:55
Good evening, I'm a Utica I'm a renter and I work in Utica. I'm just going to quickly highlight how different laws, existing laws, relating to housing standards will interact with the rent registry law, and specifically how the council can and should support local landlords. One, municipal residence law prohibits owners from collecting rent if they're required to have a certificate of occupancy and they don't. So a COO is issued by our local Codes Department, and it says the building complies with fire safety and building standards. Two, part of the rental registry law was an amendment to the executive law, which provides that a landlord cannot get a CO, a certificate of occupancy, until they demonstrate compliance with the lead safety law, rental registry law. Three, under the state's good cause eviction law, which caps annual rent increases at between roughly 8.56% and 10% a year. Landlords can recover the cost of significant completed repairs, including lead abatement, through rent increases. Second, if Utica did opt into the good cause eviction law, which I hope it does, there is an exemption for properties for 30 years after a CO is issued. So the stars are aligned. There are sticks and carrots. Um, $15.9 million allocated— excuse me— in connection with the rental registry law, $15.9 million to local health departments. I urge the, the City Council to get creative, um, to try and use some of that money if possible to, to support the codes enforcement department, to, to hire additional inspectors, um, and also to use that money to to help through grants to help landlords bring their properties up to code and lead safe, become lead safe. Thanks.
Unidentified speaker 1:19:01
Hi, I'm Carol Gable. I'm a Utica resident and I work in Utica, and I'm the treasurer of the NAACP Oneida County Utica chapter now. And I was here 2 years ago to talk with people that were on council then about Utica, its lead poisoning situation, because our statistics are so bad compared to so many of our sister cities. We'd really like to see improvement made there. And thank you, Betty Joan, for such a great presentation. We really want to support this work so Utica is not known as this top lead poisoning city in the state of New York. And I think we provided 2 years ago the ordinances Rochester and Buffalo and Syracuse have passed to reduce lead poisoning in their city. There's really effective ways to get this done. And we really are excited about the new council that we hope will be much more interested in doing some work on this.