News Flash

(Albany, NY) Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 – The City of Albany has concluded its first Snow Emergency in six years. Regular alternate parking rules will be back in effect as of 8pm, Jan 29. The official Snow Emergency Response might be concluded, but the work is far from over for the Department of General Services. They will continue to work through the weekend and into next week on their regular schedule, clearing sidewalks and crosswalks throughout the City.

DGS’s work on the first night of the Snow Emergency was delayed significantly following mass parking noncompliance in some of Albany’s busiest neighborhoods, such as Center Square and Mansion Area. These neighborhoods rely heavily on street parking, not only by residents, but by out-of-town visitors who might not have been aware that the City was in its Snow Emergency response. Mayor Applyrs, DGS, APD, Traffic Engineering, and Albany Parking Authority had multiple meetings throughout the weekend to discuss tackling problem areas in the City, check in on DGS’s status, and strategize how to ensure better compliance going forward, such as bringing back physical messaging signs in 33 locations throughout the City.

Parking compliance is a critical aspect of the City’s efforts to remove snow and make the City accessible again for pedestrians, CDTA riders, and vehicles alike. The Albany Police Department works in coordination with DGS to ensure that cars are off the streets so removal crews can make their way through. The City of Albany towed 302 cars in the two nights of the Snow Emergency response. Snow-buried cars that owners did not clean or move to off-street parking further slowed down the towing and snow removal process. “It’s about civic responsibility and doing the right thing,” said Albany Police Chief Brendan Cox, “When we band together as a community to alert our neighbors, share important information, or lend a shovel to someone in need of assistance, we can all aid the City in its shared goal of snow removal. The level of parking noncompliance we saw on the first night only frustrates residents and impacts our DGS workers and officers, who work around the clock to serve our City in times of emergency.”

Residents can sign up for APD Nixle alerts about Snow Emergencies and other important information by going to APD’s page on the City’s website and entering their phone number, email, and zip code. APD will continue to coordinate with DGS over the weekend and into next week as they target problem areas that still need to be addressed. The City asks that residents please adhere to posted parking rules, as APD will be ticketing cars that are parked illegally and potentially towing vehicles that are in the way of DGS snow removal. APD will be putting Emergency No Parking restrictions on a series of locations to assist with removal. Residents can sign up for Nixle alerts for the full list.

DGS will continue to have inspectors out with snow removal machines for walkways and crosswalks in the coming days. The Department focuses on snow removal for walkways in the daytime, to prioritize safety from ice and poor visibility for workers and residents alike. Since Sunday, DGS crews have been working in mandatory 12-hour shifts to clear the City as fast as possible. In two days, they removed over 28,000 tons of snow. This was in addition to the salting of roads, as freezing temperatures caused some streets to slick on the second night. “Poor compliance significantly impacted us on the first night of the City’s Snow Emergency, which delays our whole process,” said DGS Commissioner Sergio Panunzio, “We will continue to clear off snow every day until our crews are done. We have a strong workforce and a dedicated team, working 24/7 to keep the City clear and safe, but we can’t be everywhere at once.” DGS had a successful second night of its Snow Emergency response, removing 253 total truck loads of snow.

Mayor Applyrs commended the hard work and partnership of APD and DGS to get the City’s streets as cleared as possible during the Snow Emergency. “Our DGS workers are the unsung heroes of a clean, accessible City,” said Mayor Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs, “They have been working around the clock to ensure the City is accessible for all residents. These are real people that go out and do this work with the aid of complex machines that must be driven, maintained, and monitored. We owe them a debt of gratitude.”

The City of Albany commends the vast number of residents who showed up for their City and neighbors by shoveling sidewalks, clearing off cars, and reminding people of temporary parking rules. It is through civic collaboration, across City departments and residents, that shared success can be realized in times of emergency.

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(Albany, NY)  Monday, Jan. 26, 2026 – The City of Albany is declaring a Snow Emergency that will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 27th, at 8:00pm. Starting then, for 48 hours, all normal parking rules and regulations will be temporarily suspended. Alternate street parking for Monday, Jan. 26th will still be in effect until the Snow Emergency at 8:00pm, Tuesday begins. Designated emergency lots information can be found below. Lots will open by 8pm tonight. 

• During the first 24 hours of the Snow Emergency starting at 8:00pm on Tuesday, all vehicles must be parked on the even numbered side of the street. 

• Beginning the SECOND DAY OF SNOW EMERGENCY, Jan. 28th, all vehicles must be parked on the odd numbered side of the street for the next 24-hour period. 

If you are parked on the wrong side of the street during the snow emergency, your vehicle will be ticketed and may be towed. 

After the second 24-hour period, please stay tuned for further announcements. For Snow Emergency information, call 518-476-7669 or visit the City of Albany’s website at albanyny.gov. You can also find information on the official Facebook and Instagram pages of Mayor Dr. Dorcey L. Applyrs. 

IMPORTANT CONTACTS: 

The Snow Emergency Hotline is 518-476-SNOW (7669); The City of Albany’s Non-Emergency Line is 518-438-4000.  

To report power outages and determine area repair schedules, call National Grid at 1-800-867-5222; in an emergency, call 911. 

If your vehicle has been towed, call Albany Police Department at 518-438-4000 for information on how to retrieve your vehicle.  

Designated Snow Emergency Lots will open at 8pm on Monday, Jan. 26th: 

Arbor Hill 

• Parking Area, Arbor Hill Softball Field (N. Lark St.) 

• 230 Colonie St. (Playground Lot) 

Pine Hills 

• Ridgefield Park (on Partridge St.) 

• Woodlawn Park Little League 

• Waterson Park (Westland Hills) Enter on Colvin Ave. or Austain Ave. 

• Washington Park (Specified roadways and parking areas) 

South End 

• Krank Park 

• Franklin St. (between Schuyler & Basset Street East Side) 

• Frisbee Ave. Parking Lot (between Second Ave. and McCarty Ave.) 

Center Square/Mansion 

• Lincoln Park (specified roadway & parking area) 

North Albany 

• Hackett Park parking lot across from N. Albany Post (Do not use N. Albany Post parking lot) 

West End 

• Bleecker Stadium (parking area & roadways) 

• Trivoli Park (opposite Judson St.) North Side of Livingston Ave. 

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ALBANY, NY – Mayor Kathy Sheehan presented her 2025 City of Albany Proposed Budget to the residents of the City of Albany and Common Councilmembers earlier today – a budget for city residents that makes transformative and lasting investments in Public Safety & Mental Health Services, World-Class Recreation Facilities, Infrastructure, Sustainability, and the City’s Workforce.

2025 Proposed City Budget: https://www.albanyny.gov/2350/Mayor-Kathy-Sheehans-Proposed-Budget-202

Video Presentation: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/tUa1ZvpJnPw6yCDQ/?mibextid=WC7FNe and https://www.albanyny.gov/299/Speeches-Events

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said, “Over the last 11 years, we have worked closely together to turn challenges into opportunities.”

“We went from borrowing against our future to securing unprecedented Capital City Funding and providing competitive wages to our frontline heroes. After years of doing more with less, we are investing tens of millions of dollars in our aging infrastructure to repave our streets, rebuild our parks, and revitalize our community centers. After a once in a century pandemic, we are building back better.

“But we must remember none of this would be possible without years of hard work. We built the foundation to a fiscally sustainable future, and we advocated for President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, Chips and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act to help us recover from the pandemic. These historic pieces of legislation kept police officers and firefighters on our streets, allow us to help tackle the climate crisis, and provide the resources to make much-needed repairs to our streets, bridges, parks, and buildings.

“Our years of hard work and perseverance have allowed us to propose this budget – a budget that will further enhance public safety, create world-class recreational facilities, improve quality of life, deliver on our commitment to sustainability, and do everything we can to prepare the workforce of the future.

“I want to thank our Budget Director Gideon Grande, Commissioner of Administrative Services Ann Marie Salmon, Deputy Budget Director Kate Fitzpatrick, and Chief Financial Manager Joel Stetson for the months of hard work that went into creating this document that very clearly reflects what we as a city value.

“I look forward to working with the residents of the City of Albany and members of the Common Council to approve this budget and ensure our city continues to be an Albany for All – Powered by Pride & Potential – for generations to come.”

Mayor Sheehan’s 2025 City of Albany Proposed Budget:

Investing in Public Safety & Mental Health Services:

• Thanks to a major investment by Governor Hochul, New York State’s largest Crime Analysis Center at APD Headquarters continues to be an invaluable resource in the City’s efforts to enhance public safety:
  • Overall property crime down 15%
  • Confirmed shots fired down 15%
  • Homicides down 29%
  • Illegal guns recovered up 54%
• Creating 5 non-sworn positions in APD to take on administrative tasks and free up more officers to be deployed in Albany’s neighborhoods

Mental Health & Substance Abuse Crisis:

• Albany Navigates – the joint mental health and housing resource program in partnership with Albany County – started in June and is already having an impact:
  • Street Outreach Team:
    • 314 encounters
    • 183 admissions
  • Health & Housing Navigation:
    • 70 referrals 
    • 32 enrollments

Creating World-Class Recreational Facilities for Our Residents:

• $10 million grant from New York SWIMS program to help build the new Lincoln Park Pool
• $8.5 million to help build the new Albany West Community Center
• $2.75 million to help revitalize the Albany South Recreation Center
• $2.0 million to revitalize the Corning Preserve, Pitch Pine, and Shaker Park Playgrounds and build a state-of-the-art Washington Park Playground
• $390,000 to rehabilitate the Sheridan Hollow and Lounello Park Spraypads

Historic Infrastructure Investments:

• $16.1 million in streets & sidewalks
• $1.0 million to expand Traffic Speed Reduction (Speed Humps)
• $3.1 million for Traffic and Pedestrian Safety improvements, including new crosswalks and signals
• School Zone Speed Cameras to be installed at 20 school zones across Albany
• City-wide 25 MPH Speed Limit taking effect January 1, 2025
• Realigned Department of Engineering will oversee design and construction of all street improvement projects moving forward - with emphasis on traffic calming, ADA compliance, bicycle infrastructure, and pedestrian safety

Investing in Our Future:

• $13 million over the next five years to construct infrastructure necessary to convert City fleet
• Enhancing our Climate Action Plan:
  • Development of climate adaption and mitigation responses
  • Focus on both government operations and the community at-large
  • Prioritization of climate justice through community engagement and actionable outcomes
• Investment of $24 million over next 5 years to determine the future of solid waste management in the City of Albany after the closure of Rapp Road Landfill that is scheduled to occur in 2026

Investing in the City’s Workforce:

• Living wage increasing from $15.52 in 2021 to $18.99 in this budget
• Currently settled with 10 of 12 bargaining units, including all of the City’s police and fire bargaining units for the first time in recent memory.
• Increased investment in training organization-wide.

Albany For All Program:

• Capitalize Albany, the Downtown BID, and the Central Avenue BID provided small businesses more than $1 million in grants to 78 small businesses
• Rehabilitiated 88 apartments at Steamboat Square
• 240 refugee and migrant families receiving support services
• 10 properties in the renovation pipeline to become affordable single-family homes, with 2 complete
• 17 affordable homes built and 12 more in the pipeline
• 631 residents supported with navigation through housing, food, and financial insecurity
• 3,000 sq. ft. of new space for LGBTQI+ BIPOC service delivery
• 30,000 sq. ft. of space purchased for new Community Centers

Securing Grant Resources:

• $10 million for Roadways
• $11 million for Recreation Facilities
• $2.9 million for Youth & Workforce Development
• $1.7 million for Gun Violence Elimination Program
• $350,000 million for Sustainability Efforts
• $600,000 to eliminate home health hazards
• $400,000 for Urban Forestry
• $300,000 for housing acquisition and rehabilitation to support low-income households

Ensuring Albany Receives Its Fair Share – Permanently:

• The City of Albany is requesting that New York State:
  • (1) combine and re-base Capital City Funding and our Empire State Plaza PILOT to be a total of $35 million for state fiscal year 2025-26.
  • (2) make them permanent under New York State Public Lands Law.
  • and (3) tie them to the tax levy growth factor into the future.
• 64% of all property in the City of Albany is tax exempt.
• New York State owns nearly 40% of all property in the City of Albany – worth more than $6.5 billion.
• Put another way: New York State owns more property than the entire taxable base of property in the entire city.
• The cost of maintaining roads and sidewalks and providing police, fire, and emergency services to accommodate and protect the tens of thousands of State workers and visitors falls on our residents. 
• Providing this level of service while being denied our fair share of permanent, unrestricted state aid is not fair and is not sustainable. 
• No other city in New York State is forced to endure this situation every year, and we cannot ask our residents, businesses, and taxpayers to carry a larger burden simply because they choose to make the Capital City their home.

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