Public commenters press Albany PEG Board on missed notices and unpaid invoices; city staff cites ERP rollout for payment delays

Public commenters at the Albany City PEG Board meeting on the evening the board met pressed the board on transparency and contractor payments, while a city staffer explained the cause of recent payment delays.

Keith Irish, who identified himself during public comment, said he attended what he believed would be the April 9 meeting and found no notice or posting; he said he later found notices stating the meeting had been moved to April 23 and called the lack of earlier posting "a definite violation of the open meetings law for sure." He also reported he had not seen Channel Albany carry coverage of the Saint Patrick's Day parade and urged the board to press the Common Council about funding and control of the channel.

Another commenter, who identified themself as Appreciate Supreme Covey and said they serve as a coordinator and board member for the studio entity, raised payment concerns and concerns about public statements made in March. They said delays in invoice processing have affected them personally and financially and asked for better notification when invoices enter the city workflow. "The money will come. My character and reputation can be destroyed by statements that are not true," they told the board, and warned they would take legal action "if any further harassment" continued.

Treasurer Daniel Moritoni reported to the board that a February 25 invoice for $4,009.71 was paid on March 27 and that another submitted invoice, described in the transcript as totaling $2,345, had not been paid. The same treasurer's passage contains a separate reference to "$3.24" that was not clarified on the record; the board did not provide a separate numeric clarification during the meeting.

Brian Jimenez, identified to the board as the staff member handling postings and payment processes, explained that the city transitioned to a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system at the start of the year and changed the payment workflow. He said requests that formerly went directly to the Office of Audit and Control now route through purchasing first and that rollout issues and internal transitions in his office have reduced capacity, causing delays.

Jimenez also described the public-posting process: notices are posted in three-month batches on the city website (overview page and the public education and government access oversight board agenda center) and on the bulletin board outside the council chambers; he said the bulletin board is unlocked and sometimes reorganized by other departments. The chair said he will ask staff to ensure the May meeting is posted promptly and confirmed the board will meet on May 16 for follow-up.