Glens Falls council unanimously approves agreement allowing firefighters to donate accrued leave to Lieutenant Douglas Hall

The Glens Falls Common Council voted unanimously on Feb. 11 to approve a memorandum of agreement with the Glens Falls Firefighters Union allowing members to donate earned leave accruals to Lieutenant Douglas Hall.

The measure, presented from the floor, was read into the record and approved by a roll-call vote that the city clerk said must be unanimous for passage. Karen, the city clerk, told the chamber, “Yes. It must be unanimous. If anyone abstains, this county doesn't know the motion would fail.” The council recorded affirmative votes and approved the agreement.

The agreement was described in the resolution as a finalized memorandum of agreement between the city and the union addressing the donation of earned accruals to Lieutenant Hall. Council members and the mayor framed the vote as a way to help a long-serving firefighter reach retirement while protecting city finances. Councilman Lambert, addressing Lieutenant Hall, said, “The alarm has sounded. Your fellow firefighters have responded. Your union brothers have responded. Your chief has responded. Your mayor has responded. And the common council here in the city, Glenn's Falls, has responded as well.”

Several council members thanked union leaders and staff for negotiating the memorandum. Councilwoman Palmer’s prepared statement, read into the record by another member, described the negotiation as the result of good-faith, solution-focused dialogue that produced an agreement after two meetings of the Labor Management Committee. PJ Callahan, president of the Glens Falls Firefighters Union, addressed the council after the vote and said the union appreciated the city’s action and thanked those who voted for the measure.

Not all remarks were purely celebratory. One council member said the process had taken “over a year” and criticized the use of executive session and limits on what council members could discuss before the floor vote; that speaker said they were a union member and had concerns about transparency in parts of the process. Other speakers, including the mayor and council personnel and legal staff, said the memorandum underwent legal review before being presented for the floor vote.

The resolution instructed the mayor to execute the memorandum, directed relevant departments to implement its provisions, and directed that a copy of the signed MOA be provided to relevant parties. The resolution took effect immediately upon approval, according to the text read into the record.

The council held a roll-call floor vote rather than a standard voice vote because the resolution, as presented, required unanimity for passage. After the vote, union president PJ Callahan came forward to thank the council and mayor for completing the process.

The measure does not include legislative code citations in the record; it was presented and described as a memorandum of agreement between the city and the union, approved by the council and signed by the mayor.