TROY, N.Y. (WRGB) — Patience is running thin among some residents in Troy as they demand the city to speed up their efforts to replace lead service lines, questioning why millions in grant money has gone unspent.
On Thursday, they voiced their concerns to the city council.
“A year and a half later and I’m still as confused, frustrated and disappointed that the city has received funding specifically to replace lead replacement lines and the money has not been spent,” said Jona Favreau, a mother in Troy, to the council.
Earlier this year, city officials announced millions in state and federal aid to help rid the city of its lead service lines.
“A huge press conference by Mayor Mantello in May with Schumer just saying that ‘we received this money, we can’t wait to spend this money, this is really going to push this movement forward,’ and yet no action is being taken,” said Favreau.
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However, city officials say spending grant money is a complicated and lengthy process.
“You don’t get direct funding. We actually have to bond money or find money in the budget to front the money and then get reimbursed by the state,” said Troy Mayor Carmella Mantello.
The second issue is that the lead service lines that need replacing are on private land, but using taxpayer money on private land violates the state constitution.
“So, here we are wanting to replace the lead lines to private homes, to eradicate the lead, to make it safe for our residents, but the state constitution prevents us from doing that on private property,” said Sue Steele, Troy City Council President.
“We need the state to allow us to use the money for private land in bonds,” said Mantello.
“So we’re waiting on the state, other municipalities are waiting also,” the mayor added.
In the meantime, Steele says the council can work on passing a bond ordinance, something that other cities including Syracuse and Rochester have done.
“I would definitely support a resolution that would position us to bond when this state gives us that kind of authority,” said Steele.
“At this point in time, other communities that have passed similar resolutions have not yet actually gone out for a bond because there is still a question of the constitutionality of that,” explained Steele.
As a taxpayer and resident of Troy, Favreau says she doesn’t understand why the city has to jump through all these hoops to spend money it was awarded.
“If the federal government didn’t think it was an issue because they were issuing these aid monies in the first place, why would they be doing that if we can’t spend it? That’s what’s confusing to me as a resident,” Favreau said.
Although residents want to see faster progress made, Mayor Mantello says Troy has already inventoried more than half of all lead service lines in the city, and is one of the cities in the state leading the way in those efforts.
“We’re ahead of the curb. Some municipalities are like three years behind us. We are leading the charge statewide when it comes to replacing lead pipes,” said Mantello.
