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

6 matches · 2 unidentified
25:58
Yes, and I'm going to let Marcus talk to us. So this is basically just helping our Codes Department to give them some teeth on, uh, problems. So I've been having a lot of issues where people are calling me, uh, one specific area on Riverside Drive where, um, you know, a resident cut a bunch of trees down, has 7 or 8 big large trucks there. And, um, so I, I talked to Marcus every time they send people there, and it's not just this property, it's all over where people are bringing dump trucks home, um, taking— buying a bus. Um, we have a place on, uh, Lorain Ave where a person has a bus that they bought a bus and they're redoing it into a camper. Um, and when we send our codes there, there's nothing in codes. So I've gone to Marcus, uh, he's been extremely helpful. I'll let him— he helped me draw this up and I'll let him speak on this a little bit. And the only thing I do want to say about this, I'd like— we're in the next month or so, we're going to have a lot of stuff going on. To bring this out for a vote tonight, it has to be unanimous. I'd like to, you know, I'd like to get this done and pass it. It's, um, you know, I did my homework, I worked with the Codes Department, and it's something I think it benefits all the residents of the city. The one thing I want to say beforehand, if anybody's listening, you know, we have, we have a code that you have to have 4-foot fencing. There's a lot of people that will come in front of the zoning that they have a 6-foot fence, and if they have a reason, it gets sent that they can, you know, if it's proper, they can put the fence up. The same thing with this. If somebody has a food truck that's parked on the side of their house that is not being, you know, a deterrent to the neighborhood or making things bad, they are able to get a special permit to be able to do that. This is basically to stop, you know, what's going on in a lot of places— people running businesses out of their house with large vehicles. And guess what? All of you guys sitting around here, you all have people in your, in your districts doing the same thing. So I'll let Marcus speak on this, and I have another piece, um, after, um, kind of the same type thing, um, and I'll let him talk on that too.
Unidentified speaker 33:57
All right, yeah, two things I would like to just point out quickly for you guys. So when I talked to my, my officers and Councilman Betrus about this legislation, um, it's not like the— I don't think it's the type of legislation, but look, I could— there could be a different codes commissioner tomorrow, the mayor could give a different— so regular grains of salt, he could give a different directive. I don't think it's the type of thing where we're going around looking for trucks and driveways. I think it's the type where we're responding to complaints, and then when you get a complaint, you deal with people. That's number one. But number two is you can also write an ordinance, um, the same way you can for an 8-foot fence, like the Councilperson just said, and give exceptions in your neighborhood. But then it's on the council to do that, right? So if somebody calls and says, I don't like that codes cited me for my truck, this is how I make my living, and it's in your district and you feel like it's within the character of your district, you can bring it to the council to try to— that's the main part that we put in there.
36:11
So, all right, so we're gonna put this in committee. Okay, thank you. You know, I'll have you speak on that. The next one is, uh, a resolution of Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad in New York Scenic by nomination and order management. There's some work that we have to do on this. I'm going to put this in committee. The next one is a resolution. This is the proposed resolution number 9, a resolution authorizing the issue of up to $5 million in revenue anticipation notes of the City of Utica, Oneida County, New York, in anticipation of receipt of certain revenues due during the fiscal year ending March 31st, 1st, 2026. Uh, well, we got to borrow money. I talked to the Comptroller around this. He says we need to do this, uh, to finish our bills for the end of the year. Anybody have any issues on this?
38:27
Yes. Um, so this is kind of the same type, um, esthetics. Thank you. Just a different type deal. So same type. Uh, I know Councilman Betar has same problem. We've talked about it. This is basically for people who just fill their front yards with— I don't want to say garbage or debris. I'll give you an example. People have garage sale and they have a ton of stuff, and the stuff doesn't go away, and they just move it to their front yard. And it's, you know, I don't want to use the word garbage or trash, but it's just a nuisance to the neighbors who keep their properties in good order. And when we send codes there, I mean, I could send you— if we, uh, you know, if we do have to have a committee meeting, I will bring you pictures in. But, um, it's just, it's just something that it's very uncomfortable to the people who live around that, that have to see that. All the time. And again, I'll let Marques speak on that. And listen, the reason of these two pieces of ordinance, the reason I have them is when I call codes and they agree with me 100% when they go and see the issues, but they tell me there's nothing in the law that they can do to help out. So that's why I've got with Marques and, um, came up with something.
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.