By John Whittaker

jwhittaker@post-journal.com

City Council Housing Committee members will discuss a Pro-Housing Community Designation during their meeting today.

Housing Committee members are also scheduled to talk about junk and debris around some city homes and the city’s annual Community Development Block Grant action plan. The committee meets at 6:30 p.m. today in the police training room on the fourth floor of City Hall.

In July 2023, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Executive Order 30 creating the Pro-Housing Community Program – a policy designed to reward local governments that are working hard to address New York’s housing crisis. Localities that achieve the “Pro-Housing Communities” designation will receive priority in their applications for discretionary funding programs, including the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), the NY Forward program, the Regional Council Capital Fund, capital projects from the Market New York program, the New York Main Street program, the Long Island Investment Fund (LIIF), the Mid-Hudson Momentum Fund, and the Public Transportation Modernization Enhancement Program (MEP).

Council members are also going to discuss a new piece of Public Works Department equipment. The DPW wants to replace an old robotic total station with a modern robotic total station to improve the efficiency and accuracy of surveying and construction projects. The new robotic total station should offer improved functionality, ease of use, and compatibility with existing equipment, all within the department’s allocated budget.

Using a robotic total station allows one engineer to go out and complete any survey or construction layout work required for a job. The equipment purchased 15 years ago is out of date. The equipment will cost $37,019.

The council’s Finance Committee meets at 7 p.m. today in the mayor’s conference room on the fourth floor of City Hall. The Public Safety Committee, which has three special event applications on its agenda, will meet at 7 p.m. today in the police training room on the fourth floor of City Hall and the Public Works Committee meets at 7 p.m. today in the Development Department conference room.