Albany City’s Board of Estimates on June 6 approved a slate of 2025 budget transfers to reallocate existing funds for office equipment, training and maintenance, and recorded two grant appropriations including municipal park improvements and a portion of a lead replacement project.

The board approved transfers requested by the common council, the Department of Recreation, the Albany Police Department and multiple city departments to move funds between existing accounts for equipment, training and services. The transfers included $400 from supplies and materials to office equipment and $800 from contracted services to office equipment for the common council; $12,905 moved by the Recreation Department from several fees-and-services accounts into training and conferences to cover summer seasonal employee training and lifeguard certification; and smaller transfers for furniture and equipment in the police department and for central services and the city clerk to consolidate copy-machine services.

The Recreation Department also recorded an increase to its 2025 appropriations after the city received $46,265 from the county’s municipal park improvement grant for park equipment purchases. The board recorded that increased appropriation as a rise on both the expense and revenue sides of the Recreation budget to reflect the incoming grant funds.

Separately, the board recorded grant funds for the Albany Water Board tied to a larger lead-service replacement project. The meeting materials and staff remarks described an increase of roughly $1,500,000 in both expenses and revenues as the Albany Water Board’s portion of a $7,000,000 lead replacement effort; participants described the recognized funds as coming from the “environmental facilities court” as read into the record.

The board’s motions to accept the presented transfers and the interest appropriations were moved by City Treasurer David Shaw and seconded by Council President Evans; members voted “Aye” and the motions carried. The board indicated the finalized agenda and any amendments would be distributed after the meeting.

Why it matters: the transfers reallocate existing city funds to cover immediate operational needs (equipment, training, maintenance); the park grant will finance new park equipment; and the recorded $1.5 million for lead-service-line replacement represents the city’s recorded share of a multi-million-dollar infrastructure project that will affect water system work and associated spending.

Details of approved transfers and appropriations discussed at the meeting (excerpted from meeting remarks):
- Common Council: $400 (supplies & materials → office equipment) and $800 (contracted services → office equipment). The $400 was described as for chairs for council staff; the $800 was described as embossers (city seals) for the clerk’s office.
- Department of Recreation: $12,905 (fees & services accounts → training/conferences) to cover summer seasonal employee training and lifeguard certification; additional $5,000 moved from other equipment/field operations → supplies & materials/field operations for maintenance and rental-area upkeep.
- Albany Police Department: $505 (other equipment/special operations → furniture & fixtures/special operations) for desks for new program technicians; $6,045 (other equipment/emergency service team → contracted services/emergency service team) to adjust a purchase order.
- Budget Department: $12,000 (contracted services/special items → contracted services/central services $10,000 and contracted services/city clerk $2,000) related to consolidated copy-machine services.
- Neighborhood Community Services: $2,000 (contracted services → office equipment).
- Distribution/Transmission-related transfers (department listed as “border” in the minutes): $94,000 moved and split across five internal accounts (contracted services/administration $40,000; supplies & materials/transmission and distribution $50,000; other equipment/Beaver Creek facility $1,000; uniform/tour maintenance $1,000; printing & binding/administration $2,000) to cover future invoices.

Discussion vs. decisions: most items were presented as routine transfers; board members asked clarifying questions on two common-council items (which office purchases each transfer would cover) and staff said the revised agenda would note those clarifications. The grants were recorded (formal appropriations recorded to reflect revenue and expense increases). The motions to accept the transfers and to conclude the Board of Estimates meeting were recorded as approved by voice vote.