June 1, 2023

Written By Greg Campbell-Cohen

The Community Digest is TIMBER’s newsletter on recent news and upcoming events in Troy and the broader Capital Region. This month’s Community Digest is brought to you by Oakwood Community Center, which brings neighbors together and builds bridges among grassroots organizations throughout Troy.

TROY

AROUND THE HORN

STATE BUDGET

Although the state finance law requires an approved budget by April 1, Governor Hochul signed 7 of this year’s budget bills on May 3 and the remaining 3 on May 12. Despite the extra month, appropriations discussions were cut very short because most of that time was devoted to Article VII proposals, many of which did not become laws. It is easier said than done, but we generally encourage advocates and lawmakers to budget with budgets and legislate with legislation.

Here are a few noteworthy items from this year’s state budget:

  • Aid and Incentives for Municipalities, which provides state support to cities, towns, and villages outside of New York City, will remain the same in FY24: Troy will receive $12,279,463, Cohoes will receive $2,742,886, Watervliet will receive $1,210,193, and Rensselaer will receive $1,137,317.

  • Part UU of TED clarifies that municipalities can bond to finance the replacement of public or private lead service lines.

  • Part QQ of ELFA allows the New York Power Authority to build and maintain new renewable energy projects. The language was adapted from the Build Public Renewables Act, which TIMBER strongly supported.

  • Part T of HMH directs the Department of Health to create a registry of residential properties with two or more units and to ensure that those properties are free of lead paint.

  • Beginning January 2027, Part S of ELFA indexes minimum wage to inflation in upstate New York.

  • Part R of PPGG allows agencies to require electronic bid submissions.

  • Part DD of HMH makes a cost of living adjustment for human services.

  • The state Capital Projects budget appropriates $19 million for Troy’s One Monument Square. Led by Hoboken Brownstone’s Sumeet Gupta with lobbying support from Brown & Weinraub, the current proposal converts city-owned land into a mixed-use development through property tax exemptions, ARPA funds, large state infusions, and some of Hoboken Brownstone’s own money. The total cost of the project is tentatively estimated to be about $64 million.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

In 1929, financial and industrial disasters caused the economic conditions that we now call the Great Depression. As governor, FDR addressed unemployment and infrastructure demands simultaneously through institutions like the New York Power Authority (1931), the New York State Bridge Authority (1932), and the New York City Housing Authority (1934). When he became president, FDR implemented a federalized version of the same policy agenda, which he called the New Deal. This was a core plank of American infrastructure development for the next half-century.

By the Clinton administration, however, these state infrastructure projects started losing out to public-private partnerships, or PPPs. PPPs are collaborative efforts between governments and businesses or nonprofits. While they come in all shapes and sizes, most PPPs adhere to the same basic idea: the government provides direct or indirect financial support to private projects that are in the public interest.

In principle, proponents of PPPs argue that we get all the benefits of state-owned or -operated projects without the administrative burden of running them. Opponents of nonprofit PPPs counter that the arrangements are detrimental to clients and bad for unions. Business PPPs invite similar critiques along with other concerns that public money can be abused to enrich individuals or corporations. More often, though, PPP debates tease out questions about what the public interest actually is, which projects serve it, what partners can steward them well, and who ultimately owns what at the end of the day. Depending on who you ask, the public interest might be affordable housing, clean water, safe transportation, balanced revenue, or renewable energy. A more expansive understanding of the term makes room for entertainment, exercise, food, or economic activity in general.

The media often scrutinizes costly or controversial PPPs like football stadiums, but we encourage readers to ask whether the boring public-private partnerships in your community actually help any normal people. It is your money, so it is not impolite or unsportsmanlike to ask whether it is being used in a way that makes sense.

UPCOMING EVENTS

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

  • Cohoes is looking for a Public Works Coordinator.

  • Troy is hiring a government.

  • Albany County has openings for an Assistant Public Defender, Executive Deputy Comptroller, Director of Communications, and more.

  • SEIU1199 is hiring a Secretary.

  • CSEA Local 1000 is hiring a Labor Relations Specialist, Statewide Organizer, Computer Business Specialist, and more.

  • The AFL-CIO is hiring a Senior Field Representative.

  • Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York is hiring a Staff Attorney.

  • The New York State Bar Association is hiring a Legal Research Assistant, Technical Project Manager, Liaison and Program Manager, and more.

  • Working Families is hiring a State Campaigns Coordinator.

If there are stories, events, job openings, or meetings that you’d like to see included in future Community Digests, please reach out to greg@timbercorp.org. If you enjoyed this digest but didn’t receive it directly, you can sign up for future newsletters below.

Greg Campbell-Cohen
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