Submitted by the Legislative Majority and Minority Offices
One of the items that gained the approval of the Rensselaer County Legislature at its Tuesday, November 13 meeting was the sale of the former WCW building at One Mechanic Street in Hoosick Falls to Patrick Bakaitis of Hoosick Falls. The sale price was $120,000 as is. The county foreclosed on the building several years ago. A previous sale of the building was canceled after the county and the buyer could not come to an agreement over work the buyer was requesting be done to the building before closing. Mr. Bakaitis plans to renovate the structure, use part for his own business and rent out the remainder. County Legislator Bruce Patire said it will be exciting to see the structure alive and vibrant again.
The lawmakers also approved the transfer of ownership of the Troy Senior Center to the Rensselaer County Capital Resource Corporation. The transfer will not impact the day-to-day operations of the center, but will allow the county to explore redevelopment opportunities for the property. One of the ideas under consideration is a multi-million dollar center for artificial intelligence, which could bring many technology jobs to Troy.
Looking at the Budget
The Legislature has scheduled a special meeting for Monday, December 3 at 6 pm to adopt the proposed 347 million dollar budget that holds the line on taxes. The five Democratic members of the legislature have taken exception with some items of the budget. In a press release, they say it is imperative that what they call “unprecedented raises in the offices of the County Executive, Central Services and Budget be eliminated.” They label them as inappropriate and unjustified. They also want Legislative Board salaries returned to their actual salaries and want to know the impact of the 287(g) program on the Sheriff’s Department budget.