Albany has banned unauthorized camping on public property and set up a zone from which the municipal court may banish repeat criminals for up to a year. Both measures are in effect starting now.
If this works, Albany may have fewer empty buildings and vacant storefronts in a couple of years. By “this,” I mean an agreement between the city council and Buxton, a firm that uses advanced analytic techniques to help cities attract business.
Harmony evidently is not good enough as a goal, so Albany’s Human Relations Commission wants a change in its official mission to include striving for “diversity, equity and inclusion.” The city council’s response on Wednesday: “Not so fast.”
Reversing a decision it made a year ago, the Albany City Council now says it does not want a full roundabout at the junction of Gibson Hill Road and Crocker Lane in North Albany.
It doesn’t happen often that the Albany mayor and council lose patience with someone appearing before them, but they did on Wednesday after an applicant for a park reservation loudly lectured them for about 20 minutes about due process and his rights.
Albany Councilman Mike Sykes wants the council to revisit the idea of weekly rather than biweekly yard debris pickup, which it turned down last October. And he’ll get his wish.
Fuel tax defeat: Council out of touch
The crushing rejection of Albany’s local fuel tax Tuesday may be just the latest example of the majority of council members and a majority of their constituents not being on the same page.
Tags: Albany council, albany fuel tax, Albany streetscape project