Albany council

Council’s red-letter day: No masks required

Written July 15th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 22 responses.

For the first time in 16 months, the Albany City Council met in person this week, and the public was allowed in. No masks required.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany city manager, Albany council, city manager's pay, council seating, no masks, Oak Street land, pedestrian paths, Ridders Lane, Sunrise School

Offer for city land in N.A.: Save it as is

Written July 9th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 3 responses.

Three years ago I got a look at a piece of wooded city-owned land in North Albany that included a meadow running down to a pond. The city is planning to sell the property, and the owner of a neighboring property has offered to buy and preserve it as a kind of private nature reserve.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany council, city land, Lee and Sue Cutsforth, Lisa Thompson, meadow and pond, North Albany, Ridders Lane, wildlife refuge

Neighbors hope to save park — by buying it

Written July 7th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 22 responses.

Families living behind Albany’s Hazelwood Park, which the council has offered for sale, hope to save the wooded parcel by buying it and making it part of their yards.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: 17th Avenue S.W., Albany council, Albany neighborhoods, Albany parks, Hazelwood Park, Nicole Schukow

Albany council enacts new city fee — or tax

Written June 23rd, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 28 responses.

Well, it’s official now. The Albany City Council has adopted a new “city services fee” — or utility tax if you will — to help support its general fund, which pays for police, fire protection, parks, libraries and planning, among other things.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany city budget, Albany council, city finances, city services fee, Matilda Novak

Substation security: No climbing that fence

Written June 12th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 2 responses.

Odd little things I see from the bike strike me as noteworthy sometimes. One of them is the fence around the construction site of the Hazelwood electric substation in southwest Albany.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: 17th avenue, Albany council, Hazelwood substation, Pacific Power, security fencing

Albany service fee stalls, delayed 2 weeks

Written June 9th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 27 responses.

It will be another two weeks before the Albany City Council makes the decision whether to impose a new city services fee after the ordinance creating the fee stalled Wednesday night.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany council, city service fee, municipal taxes, water and sewer bills

Food trucks: Council considers many rules

Written May 25th, 2021 by Hasso Hering

Comments: 12 responses.

Food trucks in Albany would be regulated differently under a new city law up for action by the city council Wednesday night. The ordinance would allow food trucks to remain in place indefinitely, with renewable annual permits, but it would also subject them to an array of standards and rules.

Posted in: Commentary, News
Tags: Albany council, food truck permits, food trucks, mobile food units