FULTON – The City of Fulton’s October 3 Common Council meeting was overrun by complaints of drugs and mischief at several residences on Rochester Street with many of them having alleged code violations.
Eight members of the community spoke during the public comment period to voice their displeasure with the way codes are being enforced and why squatters are allowed to remain in these more dilapidated houses.
“My problem is we don’t have a code to kick people out of the garages [where they are] living there,” one resident, Jim Trowbridge said. “We don’t have an emergency way to shut this down. The same pinheads are back today … My problem is the codes … Why aren’t we going after these people to shut at least the garage down?”
The flop house in reference is on Rochester Street.
According to Mayor Deana Michaels, that property is going through the “nuisance abatement” program that has a pending eviction, forcing residents to leave by October 9.
“The attorney has filed everything with the court system. This was in addition to the nuisance abatement which takes everyone out [and] shuts the property down completely,” Michaels said. “This was an effort that we were doing behind the scenes with the drug task force and law enforcement to eradicate all of that.”
The nuisance abatement provision essentially allows the City of Fulton to impose penalties for properties that interfere with the public’s quality of life. In this case, those in the flop house must correct the nuisances or leave the property. While some citizens called for the police department to force an eviction, that is not something the Fulton police is expected to do.
“I don’t want to throw our police department under [the bus] because our police department is great, but we’ve asked our police department to go in there and remove these individuals and close this property down because it is unfit,” Michaels said. “If [Police Chief Michael Curtis] was here, he would tell you he said, ‘I’m not going to do it.’ … We have had a great deal of conversations around this, and he does not feel that that’s the direction they want to move with that. They feel they have a different interpretation of what they are able to do as police officers.”
While Michaels spoke of her conversation with Curtis, he is expected to have a public forum Thursday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m. to answer questions that the public may have.
Other complaints surrounding these nuisances included fears for public safety, as Beth Knight of the fourth ward mentioned that she was threatened and a neighbor coming to her defense was also threatened with a knife. Robin Griffin also mentioned instances of people having personal items stolen from their properties and homes.
Due to the issues surrounding these properties, one speaker urged the common council to do more.
“You are an elected official, and as an elected official you also [take] taxpayer dollars. If you are too afraid to do your job, you should resign,” Nancy Belchor said.
Councilor Audrey Avery of the fifth ward rejected the urge for resignation.
“I do beg to differ. I cannot go door-to-door to someone’s house when I don’t know if they are going to shoot me … I don’t know what they are going to do,” Avery said. “That is not our job. We are legislators. We make laws and pass budgets. Nothing in the charter states legislators are to go door-to-door [looking] for coke violations, so excuse me but that really bothers me.”
Earlier in the public hearing, Dave Macob mentioned that as part of Micron’s deal with New York it has to raise $500 million for the community. This prompted the company to create the Micron Community Engagement Committee and a survey on how the funds should be prioritized. He called for people to fill out the form and rank their top five priorities so Fulton can take advantage of the program.
During the meeting itself, all resolutions passed, including the Amendment of Section C152(J), titled “Housing Maintenance; rental permits.” This raises the yearly rental permit fee from $50 to $150. Councillor Douglas Chapman voted against the amendment as it punishes the good landlords instead of just the bad ones.
The following resolutions passed unanimously:
- Resolution to approve the Clerk’s Reports for May, June, July and August 2023
- Resolution to reschedule the November Common Council meeting due to the general elections
- Authorize the Clerk/Chamberlain to advertise for a public hearing on November 11, 2023 relative to override the tax levy
- Approve the sale of properties located at 38 South Fifth Street, 406 Gansvoort Street, 313 South Third Street, 17 North Street
- Authorize the Clerk/Chamberlain to advertise for bids for Gasoline and Diesel Fuel
- Resolution to appoint Caroline Shue as the New Certifying Officer for CDBG Microenterprise Grant
All Fulton Common Council meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of every month. The next meeting will be held on October 17. To view the October 3 agenda, please click here.
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