By DAVID MEISTER Sports Editor and TAKORA McINTYRE Staff Writer
Two pieces of legislation that affect quality of life issues in the city of Albany were the primary focus of the brief 25-minute Common Council meeting Monday night.
First was an ordinance that would allow residents to own hens. It was proposed by 15th ward councilman Tom Hoey. The legislation would only allow for people to keep them in their backyards and it would permit hens only and no other type of animal.
Hoey said it will take another month or two before Councilman Joe Igoe, who is the head of the council’s law committee, will hold a public hearing on the issue “there will be a period for public comment. We will bring in people. I will have people come in and talk during the committee and we will see if we can get support”
The ordinance has garnered support from Tenth Ward Councilman Owusu Anane, who sits on the law committee. “With greater interest in urban farming as a means to promoting sustainability and ensuring that food is made naturally, with the appropriate regulations, there’s no reason that Albany residents can’t have backyard hens,” he said.
This kind of legislation is not new to the city and has a long history. “The city passed a law back in the 90’s to get rid of all farm animals in the city and I think part of the problem is people and roosters that were waking people up,” said Hoey. “So people complained about it so they said well Albany is an urban city lets just get rid of all animals.” One person who spoke Monday during the public comment period was Marlon Anderson who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2017 and is a self-described “community advocate.” Anderson believes that this legislation has no place in the city.
“This is a city, not a farm,” said Anderson.
A similar ordinance was proposed about eight years ago but it was vetoed by former Albany mayor Jerry Jennings. Hoey remembers the moment well. “It won eight to seven there was a big controversy and it made a lot of news,” he recalled. “Jerry Jennings vetoed it, it was his first veto in 19 years and there wasn’t enough votes to override it so it died.”
This ordinance submitted tonight also hits home for Hoey. “I didn’t know there was a law passed (banning farm animals). I had a big piece of property and we had a couple of hens and I didn’t know there was a law against them,” said Hoey. “I had them for almost two years and then I came home one day and there was a notice on my door they gave me 30 days to get rid of them. At that point they had become my pets.”
Despite the past history with this type of proposal, Hoey said there are promising signs that this time may be different.
“The mayor is in support. It went to the city wide sustainability committee. They gave their endorsement to it so I think I have a lot of backing this time, that they didn’t have last time,” said Hoey.
Another item on the agenda, although it did not get any time on the floor, was an ongoing proposal created in July 2018 by Anane which would create a city-owned and run municipal internet service throughout the city of Albany. Anane spoke about how this type of legislation would benefit not only his ward but also the greater city.
“There are certain communities who do not have access to affordable and reliable internet,” said Anane. He also shared a statistic that 25 percent of residents in Albany do not have access to internet. Anane also called this proposal a “recognition of the fact that internet is becoming a necessity in today’s world.” The proposal anticipates using the city’s streetlights as an integral part of creating this service.
Current Albany mayor Kathy Sheehan’s Chief of Staff Brian Shea said that the city is currently working on buying their streetlights back from National Grid and then outfitting those lights with LED bulbs and smart node technology. This new technology, once it is implemented, would facilitate the necessary foundation for this proposal to grow and come to fruition.
The New York State Public Service Commission is currently reviewing that transaction. The Commission is considering whether or not to approve this transfer of the streetlights from National Grid to the City according to documents obtained from Public Information Officer James Denn. The document also says that the value of the streetlights is about $9.6 million and they are looking to sell them for about $9.5 million. Denn also noted that the public comment period on this proposal before the committee ended last month. He went on to say that “The proceeding is ongoing. No date for a decision has been announced.”
Despite the long wait for Anane, he is still hopeful that this legislation can do a lot of good for the city. “We have to make sure our residents have all the necessary tools to succeed,” he said.
This proposal calls for an entirely city owned and operated system. Anane described that a committee will look at this further. His overall goal is “For the city of Albany to operate its own internet service that it can provide to city residents at free or minimal cost,” said Anane.
In terms of that cost, Anane said it would be up to the committee looking into this to decide, however, he believes that this investment is worthwhile. “There’s no doubt it would be expensive, but what valuable infrastructure isn’t expensive?” Anane said.
Despite the long road ahead for these two proposals, both Hoey and Anane believe in their ideas and think that they will have a chance to become reality.
“Most of the members seem to be supportive. I am excited about it I am nervous but I’m optimistic too, so we will see what happens,” said Hoey.
The proposal by Anane has been ongoing for just short of a year now but he recognizes that it needs to happen in order for people to go about their day to day lives. “Internet service is now seen as a vital utility in the same way our city invested in its water infrastructure,” he said. “It will be worthwhile to invest in city owned internet infrastructure.”
