Slate Chat Follow-Up!

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to Slate Chat Live on Wednesday, June 2nd! A couple of viewers had questions which required follow-up. Please see below for additional information:

Q: “From my seat on the school board I see request for adjustments on taxes due to landlords having property sitting vacant (i.e. Sear's). With that growing how does the town plan to address?” A: The town regularly handles requests for tax adjustments through the Town Assessor’s office. Grievances are heard before the Board of Assessment Review, where the burden of proof is on the applicant to challenge his/her assessment. In some instances, the Town settles these cases to avoid the high cost of litigation which would ultimately be borne by the taxpayers. However, the Town continues to monitor the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the business community and will work with our partners in both the public and private sector to ensure that everyone recovers from the pandemic together. Q: “Years ago there was a youth employment program. NY has a summer youth employment program funded through TANF. The City of Albany participates but Colonie does not. Has any thought been given to that?” A: The state-funded Summer Youth Employment Program (“SYEP”) was created for individuals aged 14 – 20 years old who have a family income at or below 200% of the poverty level. Applications for that program are handled through the Albany County Department of Social Services. However, the Town did have its own Youth Bureau many years ago. This office worked in conjunction with our local high schools to connect students with employment and related opportunities. As job seekers began turning to the internet to find employment, the Town restructured its Youth Bureau into the Parks & Recreation Department, where we offer youth a variety of seasonal employment opportunities. Additionally, the Town continues to work collaboratively with both the Colonie Youth Center and the Albany County Department of Children Youth and Families’ Youth Bureau to provide a range of services for our youth, such as before/after school programs, recreation and leisure, and delinquency/runaway/homelessness prevention. Q: “What other revenue streams will you look at to fund the Open Space Fund?”

A: Currently, the Town is building our open space fund through an “Open Space Acquisition, Maintenance and Improvement Fee” which is listed on our Town of Colonie Land Use Review Fees form. This fee was increased to $300 per approved building and/or subdivision lot in non-GEIS areas, or $300 per acre or fraction thereof for each approved commercial project in non-GEIS areas. In addition to these fees, the Town continues to seek grant opportunities to assist with conserving and maintaining open space. For example, the Town was recently awarded an Urban and Community Forestry grant from NYSDEC and plans to use the resulting funds ($60,831) to contract a certified arborist for a tree inventory and community forest management plan. The Town has an excellent working relationship with the Albany County Land Bank, the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, and the Open Space Institute, as well as our partners at the county and state level. Finally, other municipalities in New York State have put this issue directly on the ballot in the form of an open space protection referendum. For example, in November 2020, the City of New Paltz proposed a local law that would implement a one-time fee (1.5%) every time a buyer purchases a home or piece of property above the median cost. Similarly, in Middletown, New York, residents recently voted on whether to increase their contribution to the town's open space fund from two cents to three cents per every $100 of their quarterly tax bill. These examples remain options for the Town of Colonie to explore in the future.

Melissa Jeffers

Candidate for Re-Election to the Colonie Town Board

info@melissaforcolonie.com