Albany City Council adopts Comcast franchise update, utility billing and procurement code changes and approves supplemental budget

Albany City Council on Jan. 24 adopted several municipal code amendments and a supplemental budget in a single meeting session.

Councilors read and adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 3.26 of the Albany Municipal Code to revise the cable-television franchise agreement with Comcast. Tim Goodman, identified as a Comcast director of government and community affairs, told the council the update modernizes language, strengthens coordination for public-works projects and revises insurance and indemnification provisions; he thanked city staff for negotiating the update.

The council also adopted amendments to Chapter 11.01 concerning utility billing, collections and account administration. Staff explained the ordinance shortens the look-back period for billing adjustments from six years to three (matching typical record-retention practice) and shortens the timeline for shutoffs by about five to seven days to encourage earlier contact for payment plans or assistance, such as the city's low-income utility assistance program. The council adopted a related resolution that changes the reconnection-after-shutoff charge and removes references to deposits that are being repealed in the ordinance.

An ordinance amending Chapter 10.01 (sewer utility collections, adjustments, backbilling, credits and refunds) was adopted with similar changes to the adjustment period and procedural clarifications.

Separately, council adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 2.66 (contracts and procurement). Diane Morzinski, the city's contracts and procurement officer, described the amendment as a modernization effort: it updates purchasing and contracting thresholds to match state thresholds, clarifies approval and signature authority, modernizes sole-source and cooperative contracting ("piggybacking") procedures, and reincorporates real-property acquisition and disposal processes. The ordinance also repeals several obsolete ordinances.

Director Joerger introduced a supplemental budget for the 2025–27 biennium affecting six funds; the meeting record shows the total appropriation increase stated in the presentation (documented in the meeting as "3,11,654"). The largest change is an increased transfer from the levy fund to the general fund to offset higher public-safety expenditures. The council approved the supplemental budget by voice vote.

All ordinance readings and adoptions at the meeting were completed by title and passed on council motions and voice votes as recorded in the meeting; no roll-call tallies with individual votes were provided in the transcript.

The council received a quarterly financial report and discussed long-term planning items, including the comprehensive plan and an upcoming transportation systems plan kickoff. Meeting dates and adjournment were announced at the close of the session.

Next procedural steps indicated in the meeting were limited to administrative implementation of the adopted ordinances and standard follow-up on budget and planning tasks.