Council is Back in the City Hall Courtroom: A Recap of the 1/13/2026 Meeting

On a cold evening, the Common Council met for their first meeting in the renovated third floor City Courtroom. The meeting began with a Public Hearing for a nominal change to the city code. Per the Water and Sewer Superintendent Bill Norton, “The department [has] updated their annual fee schedule regarding lateral fees; however, the city code’s verbiage is not consistent with the changes made to the fee schedule.” The vote to update the city code will be at the next Common Council meeting on 1/27/2026.

The amended change to Chapter 177, Article 5, Part 37, Paragraph B (Lateral Installation) of the City Code (highlighted in yellow):

B. A fee will be charged for residential, commercial and industrial users in accordance with the Fee Schedule set by the Board. The City may provide these services in accordance with this schedule of rates, fees and charges if it has the resources available to perform the work. Otherwise, the customer shall pay the permitting and inspection fees and shall have the work performed by a contractor acceptable to the City.

The Water and Sewer Commission webpage has yet to be updated with the latest 2026 Rates, Fees, and Charges, but the meeting minutes for the last Common Council in 2025 on December 23rd on page eight has those changes.

I also wanted to highlight some notable resolutions during the meeting:

• The Council approved the nomination of Devin Rozell as the City of Glens Falls Fair Housing Officer and the appointment of Raymond Agnew as Commissioner to the Ethics Board. The reappointment of Bennet F. Driscoll, Jr to the Reassessment Review Board was tabled, per the suggestion from Councilman Ben Lapham due to concerns of an over-inflated voice on city matters, since Mr. Driscoll is a Warren County Supervisor. His nomination is pending until the next Common Council meeting on 1/27/2026.

• The Council approved the purchase of a Vac-Con Combination Machine for the Water and Sewer Department to perform their duties, from J & J Equipment at $83,698.47/year for seven years. Per the quote from J & J Equipment, the 2017 machine will be traded in for an estimated price of $100,000, reducing the overall price. Water and Sewer Superintendent Bill Norton answered some questions from the Councilman Dan Rice and Councilman Ben Lapham regarding warranties, costs of renting versus buying this machine, and sharing with nearby towns. According to Mr. Norton, it would cost about $4,000/day to rent, noting that the department uses it three to four times a week.

• The Council approved six mobile food licenses:

  • Holly & Vine Farm, owned by Mitchell and Rebecca Breese

  • Maple Valley Farm, owned by Timothy Monica

  • Northeast Corner Herb Farm, owned by Penny Sandora

  • Puckers Pickles, owned by Ben Hillis

  • The Mushroom Shop, owned by Jacob Howard

  • Barb & Tom’s Pop Up Grill, owned by Barbara Forkin

Furthermore, I wanted to highlight some new discussions from the Council:

• Councilman Bob Laundry expressed concerns from property owners with encroachment permits regarding the city-owned alleyways, noting multiple issues, like leaking exhaust fans, stacked wooden pallets, garbage overflow, and fire hazards. He asked the City Attorney to figure out appropriate enforcement mechanisms, whether Buildings and Codes or the Fire Department. Deputy City Clerk Emily McNeal noted that the Council can revoke encroachment permits from businesses at Council meetings. As a former resident of an apartment building above the romance bookstore on Ridge Street, I concurred the seriousness of the issue and implored that we ensure that the alleyways in downtown are safe.

• Mayor Palmer set the new committee assignments for the Councilmembers:

  • Policy Committee with Councilman Rice as Chair

  • Audit and Finance Committee with Councilman Donohue as Chair

  • Technology Committee with Councilman Lapham as Chair

  • Personnel and Labor Committee with Councilman Landry as Chair

  • Planning and Development Committee with Councilwoman-At-Large Gooden as Chair

  • Quality of Life Committee with Councilman Palladino as Chair

• Per Mayor Palmer, Glens Falls High School students enrolled in the Policy class will write a policy and present it to the Common Council in the Spring. Just like the Induction Ceremony on January 1st, it will ensure that our students are heard in City Hall.

• I expressed excitement about a pending application with New York Adopt-A-Trail program for the Feeder Canal, as well as my desire to talk with the Mark Lavack of Lavack Real Estate to figure out the best course of action with the vacant lots on 132-134 South Street, particularly in my desire to persuade the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation to purchase the land.

Be sure to read the Common Council minutes, written by the Deputy City Clerk, Emily Neal, as well as the live stream available on YouTube, thanks to Peter Pepe.