Executive Summary 

The COVID‐19 pandemic that waged war throughout the globe had a direct and devastating impact on so 

many  local  governments,  including  Albany  County.    Indeed,  to  battle  back,  and  to  build  back  better, 

stronger and smarter, it will take all of us working together in a partnership to accomplish this herculean 

task.   

To be sure, this shall be a defining moment in our history that shall impact future generations over the 

next century.  As such, the importance of making prudent, educated, cautious and calculated decisions 

cannot be overstated.  In processing our decisions and developing plans, we must: 

 Coordinate efforts 

 Consider all ideas  

 Champion diversity 

 Be responsive to the public  

 Be reflective of the past  

 Recognize the future; And above all,  

 We must be bold and we must be brave.  

This all has to be considered in the context of our fiscal responsibility to our taxpaying citizens. 

President Biden, in partnership with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and all of Congress, approved 

the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.  The destruction from the pandemic is unprecedented; and as such, 

the response to recover from the most devastating health and fiscal crisis needed to be greater than ever 

before, it needed to be bold and it needed to provide the resources to build back our communities and 

our economy safer, healthier, smarter and stronger.  Indeed, the American Rescue Plan does just this.  

With the understanding of the above, we must have a two‐phase approach.  Phase I shall focus on the 

direct fiscal impact to our county government revenues as a result of the pandemic.  In 2020, we had $89 

million dollars in lost revenue.  Such a loss in a single year could be absolutely crippling to the operations 

of government.  Fortunately, during  the eight years preceding  the COVID‐19 pandemic, Albany County 

Executive  Daniel  P. McCoy  set  forth  prudent  fiscal  policies  that  created  increases  in  the  County  fund 

balance.    Further,  during  the  pandemic,  Albany  County  developed  key  strategies  to  curtail  spending, 

including the implementation of a hiring freeze and a committee to examine the filling of vacancies, and 

the establishment of an Early Separation Payout (ESP) program.  All of these actions were necessary in our 

response to COVID‐19.   

While we cannot recoup all $89 million of our lost revenue, the American Rescue Plan provides for Albany 

County to recover $27.25 million of qualified revenue losses.  This shall occur in Phase I of our plan during 

2021. 

Through all of our efforts before the pandemic, and our vigilance and prudence in 2020 and 2021, together 

with the receipt of the critically needed federal funds, it is projected that the finances of the County shall 

be in a positive fiscal environment that is sustainable and strong, and one that provides opportunity for 

continued  economic  growth.    Setting  forth  and  completing  Phase  I  is  imperative  to  the  viability  and 
successes planned for Phase II.  A strong fiscal foundation is the key to future success in a growing and 

thriving economy.   

With our strong fiscal position, in 2022 the County shall begin Phase II of our recovery plan.  In beginning 

this phase, we must  reflect upon what we learned  through COVID‐19.  As we have navigated our way 

through this pandemic, we have: 

1. Reimagined our operations and workforce; 

2. Developed a better understanding of the health disparities in our communities and the need 

to address these; 

3. Seen the progression of growth industries and introduction of clean, green energy sources 

and the necessity to foster development of technology and infrastructure; 

4. Made a commitment to economic development and are cognizant of the fact that the 

strategic location of some projects can be the catalyst to strengthen communities; 

5. Developed an understanding that investment in our communities does not begin and end 

with economic development; but rather, requires our continued partnership and investment 

in businesses, not‐for‐profits and stakeholders to bring a sense of pride, ownership and 

community to our neighborhoods; 

6. Recognized the intersection of health, mental health and recreation for our youth and the for 

the public as a whole and the need to break down barriers and created broader opportunities 

for all citizens; and 

7. Seen the internet/broadband challenges that exist in both rural and urban areas, and the 

significant hindrance this has on our students. 

In Phase II, we shall use ARP stimulus relief, together with Albany County resources to address many of 

the issues bulleted above, and further explained below.  Through outreach efforts, and inclusion of ideas 

and  strategies  from various  partners and  stakeholders,  the  specific  investments  for each  project  shall 

evolve over time, and as such, a supplemental and revised Phase II plan shall be published.   

While Phase II is only possible with a strong and secure fiscal base, as referenced above, more is necessary 

to  be  truly  successful.    For  ultimate  success,  it  requires  strength  ‐  strength  in  leadership,  strength  in 

partnerships, strength in our communities, strength in our compassion and caring, and strength in our 

experiences and successes.  And  finally, success will require us to have hope.  Hope that is not blindly 

following an idea or ignoring the challenges that we face.  Hope is more.  It is not accepting that there is 

only one path to success; but rather, having the courage to reach out beyond our comfort zone and to 

accept the changes needed and to take the actions required to create a better world for our future and 

the future of our children.  In Albany County we have the strength and we have the hope, and as such, we 

confidently submit this plan as a pathway to our success.  

County COVID‐19 Response 

The COVID‐19 pandemic challenged the County to be adaptable and innovative in its response. Albany 

County prioritized addressing inequities in its response, developing strategies related to testing, care 

coordination, supportive resources, data and surveillance, vaccination, and communication challenges 

for historically underserved populations. Ultimately, it took all of Albany County government and our 
community partners coming together and working in concert to respond effectively. When gaps in 

services were identified, the County and partners responded in due course by creating programs in a 

timely fashion to fill those voids. Many of these programs were created from scratch, and as feedback 

on the effectiveness of those services was received, they were adjusted. Highlights of the County’s 

response effort include: 

1. Mobile Community Testing. At the outset of the COVID‐19 pandemic it became evident that 

accessible and timely testing was critical to successful mitigation efforts and that lower income 

and minority communities faced significant challenges in accessing testing services. The County 

successfully advocated for New York State to establish a drive‐through testing site in Albany 

County; however, this and other early sites were located primarily in suburban areas, limiting 

access for at‐risk urban residents without personal transportation. Recognizing this access issue, 

the County partnered with Whitney M. Young Jr. Health Services, a federally qualified health 

center, to implement multi‐site mobile COVID‐19 testing services targeting low income and 

minority communities. The goals of the mobile program included: operating a free mobile 

COVID‐19 testing unit; fostering community involvement in the decision‐making process; 

providing culturally and linguistically sensitive COVID‐19 health education; and identifying 

individuals at risk for COVID‐19 in Albany County. One crucial factor contributing to the success 

of the program was the collaboration between Albany County, Whitney Young, the City of 

Albany, and numerous community‐based organizations in recognizing the barriers to COVID‐19 

testing and designing a program to overcome them. Fiscal support from the County, 

philanthropies, health insurers, and the CARES Act, combined with Whitney Young’s operational 

experience providing mobile health care services made the program a success. To reduce health 

inequities, the mobile COVID‐19 testing service was operated free of charge and located in 

communities characterized by lower income and/or minority demographics, removing barriers 

due to lack of fiscal or transportation resources. The immediate public health impact of the 

mobile COVID‐19 testing program was to expand COVID‐19 testing to underserved populations 

in Albany County.  

2. Mobile Community Vaccination and Pre‐Registration System. The FDA’s emergency use 

authorization of a COVID‐19 vaccine in mid‐December 2020, began a historic and 

unprecedented effort to mobilize the vaccination of Americans as quickly as possible. As 

vaccines became available to New Yorkers in early 2021, demand for the vaccine vastly 

overwhelmed supply, and numerous logistical challenges arose, including that residents who 

were both interested in a vaccine and either eligible or not‐yet‐eligible had no place to register 

their intent in being vaccinated. In response, Albany County and a host of other partners built an 

IT system to meet the technical challenges presented by the rollout of the vaccine. This IT 

system was then used to invite interested residents to register for community‐based vaccine 

clinics near them. A public‐facing website allowed residents to “pre‐register” for a vaccine. Users 

entered their contact information, demographic data, and eligibility‐related information into the 

form and received confirmation they had successfully pre‐registered and would be contacted 

when vaccine became available. This tool built a virtual queue for residents, allowing them to 

feel seen and that they had “a place in line.” Over 45,000 county residents successfully pre‐

registered on the site. For those residents who pre‐registered, communicating with them in a 

regular and action‐oriented manner was the goal, and roughly 93,000 messages were sent to 
connect pre‐registrants to vaccines. By the time the system was taken down, 88% of all pre‐

registrants had successfully been vaccinated. 

In order to best serve residents, it was deemed critical that community‐based pop‐up clinics be 

established to bring vaccine appointments directly into their neighborhoods, meeting residents 

where they live, work, and play. Working together with a group of non‐traditional providers 

such as EMS agencies and pharmacists, nearly 50 pop‐up clinics were held across the county, 

representing nearly 9,500 vaccinations. These pop‐up clinics were held in public housing 

buildings, public libraries, senior centers, churches, legion halls, congregate living settings, rural 

town halls, fire stations, local schools, cultural centers – all trusted places for residents to 

become vaccinated. Clinic locations were selected based on data being produced by the pre‐

registration system, so where there was demand, clinics were organized. These clinics were 

much smaller than the mass vaccination sites, handling anywhere from 75‐800 vaccines per 

clinic, meaning there were no more than 25‐30 individuals being vaccinated at one time, 

providing comfort and peace of mind for those who did not want to attend a large mass 

vaccination event. 

3. Food Distribution to Quarantined Persons. Through a partnership with the National Guard and 

the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, the County was able to deliver 5,600 boxes 

of food (each box contained around 35 pounds of groceries) to quarantined families in need 

during the first two months of the pandemic. At the time, grocery store supply chain issues, 

limited store‐to‐door delivery infrastructure, the cost prohibitive nature of grocery delivery and 

access to delivery services being dependent on internet, were realities residents faced. These 

disparities were even more pronounced in communities of color. In response to the need, an 

emergency food delivery program was established. By taking care of people’s immediate dietary 

needs –– the County likely depressed its infection rate by helping ensure compliance with 

quarantine orders. The relaxing of NYConnects eligibility criteria also kept some of the most 

vulnerable, older residents in the County at home and gave them access to home delivered 

meals. Once the immediate need subsided, the County transitioned this service to the Food 

Pantries for the Capital District, who continue to provide grocery delivery to quarantined 

persons in need today.  

4. Mental Health Hotline. Early on, it became clear to Albany County that any extended economic 

shutdown and quarantine would have serious implications on the mental wellbeing of residents. 

Accordingly, within the first week of identifying the first cases of COVID‐19 locally, the County 

deployed its disaster mental health support line to help those struggling with anxiety, 

depression and anyone who needed a compassionate listening ear. Over 470 crisis calls to the 

County’s Emergency Support Line were received. The County had experts on the other end of 

the phone assuring residents that they were never alone during this crisis.  
Recovery Efforts Underway 

COVID‐19 forced Counties to rapidly innovate and shift the way they operate and provide services. Over 

the  past  18 months  Albany  County  has  taken  dramatic  but  necessary  steps  to  continue  to  be able  to 

provide  essential  and  supportive  services  at  a  high  level.  Some  examples  of  these  efforts  that  are 

completed or currently underway include:  

1. Looking at the future of the County Workforce.    

Strengthening Albany  County workforce with a vision  of  forward thinking  progression and  the 

development of higher skilled personnel through the creation of a comprehensive and intuitive 

action plan that implements robust strategies and incentivizes employees, management and labor 

toward  the  unified  goal  of  delivering  services  at  a  higher  and  more  effective  level  while 

maintaining efficiencies through good government and best practices.   

2. Developing Day Care Services at Shaker Place, our County nursing home. The County of Albany 

is  seeking  to  contract with a New York State OCFS licensed  day care center operator who will 

establish  a  child  day  care  center  in  our  existing  building  that  is  on  the  site  of  Shaker  Place 

Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. The physical structure is attached to the Nursing Center and 

has a separate entrance with approximately 7,000 square feet of building space with adjoining 

outdoor areas to accommodate outdoor activities.  It is anticipated that this will help retain and 

attract RNs, LPNs, and CNAs to work at Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center

.

3. Summer Youth Programs. Recognizing that there was, and continues to be, a great need to 

provide opportunities for the youth of Albany County, the County provided funding to five 

summer programs in 2020. The programs varied, from basketball programs that provided 

mentorship to programs that focused on character development and community service. The 

County also provided opportunities to children in the County to participate in sports and crafts 

at Lawson Lake County Park. The County continues to provide various summer youth programs, 

especially to those in the more rural areas of Albany County 

4. Small Business COVID‐19 Recovery Grants. In partnership with the Albany County Legislature, the 

County used  $500,000 in local  funds  to support our local small businesses with grants  to help 

them survive the negative impacts of the pandemic. 

Phase I ‐ Revenue Loss Recovery 

Due to the crippling economic impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic, Albany County experienced a loss of 

over $89 million dollars in 2020 compared to the previous year across all revenue streams.  Under the U.S. 

Treasury guidelines for the American Rescue Plan. $27,244,378 of the stimulus money received to date 

can be earmarked against allowable losses.  As per these guidelines, we have compared actual revenues 

from 2016‐2020 and their year over year percentage changes.  The average rate of growth for the years 

2016/17,  2017/18 and  2018/19 is  calculated and  then  compared  to  the  4.1% allowable growth  factor 

determined by the Treasury.  The higher number between the actual average growth versus the allowable 
growth factor is then applied to 2019’s actual revenue to determine a reasonable expectation for 2020 

which is then compared to the actual for 2020.  The difference between this expectation and the actual is 

the loss that may be taken. 

Sales tax receipts represent the most significant loss in revenue by far.  Albany County received $284.7 

million in 2019 sales tax revenue.  The average rate of growth in this category from 2016‐2019 is 3.42%, 

so we take the 4.10% allowable growth factor which amounts to an expected revenue of $296,404,963 

versus  our  actual  receipts  of  $265,005,385  for  a  full  sales  tax  loss  of  $31,399,577.    The  County  has 

agreements in place to distribute 40% of this money to the municipalities in the county so the allowable 

share for this revenue stream is $18,839,746. 

Outside of general sales tax, the biggest impacts came to our revenue streams tied to the tourism and 

entertainment industries as this sector of the economy was especially hard hit.  For example, our loss in 

revenue for our portion of the local Hotel Occupancy Tax is $1.938 million.  The lost revenue calculated 

for our share of Casino Revenue from the Rivers Casino is $1.477 million.  Our County owned arena, the 

Times Union Center, gave no revenue back to the County in 2020 compared to an expected revenue of 

$1.938 million using the Treasury calculation.  That is on top of a $643,015 loss in revenue at the parking 

facility attached to the arena.  Other losses in this category are from Off Track Betting at $192,337 and 

$30,218 in lost revenue at our County owned recreation facility. 

Impacts to revenue affected other County operations as well.  Our Water Purification District calculates 

an allowable loss of $335,737 in revenue from private sector drop‐offs of septic waste.  Other notable 

losses were at our Departments of Public Works, General Services, and Management & Budget and at the 

County owned and Operated Shaker Place Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.  Additionally, the County Clerk 

and Sheriff also showed allowable losses of $351,901 and $652,588 respectively. The graphs below will 

help to visualize the scope of these losses and the impact that they had on the County’s finances.  

 (150,000,000.00)

 (100,000,000.00)

 (50,000,000.00)

 ‐

 50,000,000.00

 100,000,000.00

 150,000,000.00

 200,000,000.00

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Annual Change in Total County Revenue
Sales Tax 

$18,839,747

Tourism & 

Entertainme

nt Related ...

Shaker Place 

Private Pay 

$584,074

Water 

Purification 

$335,737

County Sheriff 

$652,589

County Clerk 

$351,901

Other General 

Government 

Revenues 

$773,932

LOST REVENUES

Revenue 

Replacement, 

$27.244MM

ACCORD, $500k

Albany STAT, $250k

Advance Albany 

County Alliance, 

$500k

Broadband 

Initiative, $1MM

Crive Victims 

Respite Facility, 

$177k

American Rescue Plan ‐ Phase I Obligations
Albany County planned early on to follow a two‐phased approach in the distribution and utilization of its 

American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds.  With a focus significantly centered on financial stabilization and the 

replacement of lost revenues, phase one will utilize funds received in calendar year 2021 almost entirely 

these purposes.  By managing these allocations in this way we will build a stable foundation in 2021 that 

will allow for a robust and creative process in Phase II to determine how the 2022 allocation can be 

utilized.   

Phase II ‐ Investing in our Future 

Public Process & Community Engagement 

Beginning in 2022, the County will gather key community, business and non‐profit stakeholders to begin 

the process of examining where the greatest need exists in the community.  The task force will focus on 

several general categories that will include, but not be limited to, Parks and Infrastructure, Neighborhood 

Stabilization, Public Health & Human Services, and Economic Development.  Since this process will also 

include  community  engagement  events  and  focus  groups,  the  categories  will  need  to  be  flexible  and 

dynamic as more is learned  from  the County community about needs, priorities and goals.  Task  force 

members will represent a broad coalition of County sectors to property represent the many facets of the 

community.  This group will draw upon its collective experience and understanding through this pandemic 

to develop an accurate representation of COVID‐19’s impacts on the County community, especially those 

populations  within  the  community  that  have  been  historically  adversely  impacted  socially  and 

economically.  The culmination of these efforts will be the development of a needs assessment to inform 

the equitable distribution of ARP funds.   

Investing in our Economy  

The economic impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic were devastating and our community will be feeling the 

impacts  for  years  to  come.  The  ARP  represents  a  once‐in‐a‐generation  opportunity  to  learn  from  the 

lessons  of  the  pandemic  and  make  targeted  investments  that  will  accelerate  a  robust  and  equitable 

economic recovery. We will do that in five major ways:  

1. Continuing to invest in our economic development capacity. In December of 2020, Albany County 

launched the Advance Albany County Alliance. This new economic development organization was 

developed to coordinate economic development efforts in Albany County, including the economic 

recovery  from  COVID‐19. The  first initiative  of  the  Alliance was a Small  Business Grant  Program 

targeted  at  microbusinesses,  and  particularly  MWBEs,  that  were  negatively  impacted  by  the 

pandemic. The Alliance is also utilizing EDA CARES Act  funds  to assist in  the economic  recovery. 

Continuing to support and grow this organization so it has the capacity and resources needed to 

steer our economic recovery is a priority for the County.     

2. Small Business Assistance. Small businesses, and particularly MWBEs, were among the hardest hit 

by COVID‐19. The County used $500,000 in local funds to support these businesses with grants and 

there is still a need for additional support. This can take the form of grants, a revolving loan fund, 
and/or  technical assistance. Small businesses are  the backbone of our economy and investing in 

them is the quickest way to get our residents back to work.   

3. Shovel Ready Sites. Attracting new business to the County and providing existing County business 

with locations to expand has been identified as one of the most pressing needs to help bring new 

jobs and economic activity to our community. The above‐mentioned Alliance is conducting a shovel‐

ready site analysis  to determine  the County’s most attractive sites as well as  the sites  that need 

investment to become marketable. Supporting these efforts, including investments in water, sewer, 

broadband, energy and other site‐preparation efforts is a top priority for economic development 

investment. Several County‐owned sites, such as the vacant Ann Lee Home (a former Nursing Home 

located on 13.7 acres of land) will be considered as part of this effort.       

4. Tourism and Hospitality. Tourism and hospitality were among the hardest hit sectors of our local 

economy. The local tourism and hospitality market is driven largely by state government and in‐

person conferences and conventions. Consequently, actual occupancy in 2020 was down 42.6% in 

2020. This had a direct impact on the hotels, restaurants, and arts venues like our County‐owned 

civic center and had a secondary impact by reducing County income from hotel occupancy tax. With 

the increase in Delta Variant cases, financial and/or programmatic support is needed to sustain and 

revive this important economic driver for our County. 

5. Workforce Development. The COVID‐19 pandemic accelerated and further exposed structural shift 

in the economy and the jobs to skills mismatch that currently exists. For that reason, strategically 

Investing in workforce development to train our residents to so they are prepared to working in our 

emerging  industries.  In  Albany  County  those  industries  include:  (1)  Advanced  Electronics/Semi‐

Conductors; (2) Offshore Wind/Clean Energy, (3) Biotech/Lifesciences, (4) Software/IT/Gaming, and 

(5) Advanced Transportation and Logistics. During the pandemic the County partnered with local 

trades on the launch of a pre‐apprenticeship program in Albany’s South End focused on the offshore 

wind industry and will continue to work with partners like Capital Region BOCES and Hudson Valley 

Community College  (HVCC)  to  further  these efforts. In addition,  the County is collaborating with 

HVCC and the Albany International Airport to create a new Aviation Maintenance Technician School 

(AMTS).  ARP  funds  will  help  advance  these  and  other  transformative  workforce  development 

initiatives   

Investing in Our Communities  

COVID‐19 was harmful to our economy and our communities. Bringing our neighborhoods back to life and 

supporting all of our communities is important to our overall recovery.   

1. Land Bank.  The Albany County Land Bank plays a significant role in returning vacant, abandoned 

or  tax‐foreclosed  properties  back  to  productive  use  throughout  Albany  County.  Since  it  was 

established  by  Albany  County  in  2014  the  Land  Bank  has  been  supporting  neighborhood 

revitalization efforts with  a  focus  on addressing  the  tremendous  racial  housing and economic 

disparities that affect County residents who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID‐19. 

Prior to effects of the global pandemic many individuals and families were still suffering from the 

legacy  of  discriminatory  and  inequitable  housing  and  lending  policies  and  practices  such  as 
redlining, as well as the predatory lending practices and economic fall out of the 2008 Foreclosure 

Crisis. Through increased investment in and collaboration with the Land Bank we will leverage the 

Land  Bank’s  existing  programs  and  partnerships  and  multiply  their  impact.  This  approach  will 

serve as a catalyst for more investment into rehabilitating vacant buildings, creating permanently 

affordable  housing,  transforming  vacant  lots,  increasing  affordable  homeownership  and 

eliminating blighted structures that plague neighborhoods. These investments help to reverse the 

cycle of disinvestment, support equitable redevelopment of entire neighborhoods and increase 

economic  opportunity  but  putting  more  people  to  work,  providing  more  jobs  for  minority 

contractors  and  creating  new  pathways  for  more  people  ‐  including  underserved  youth  ‐  to 

become involved in skilled labor. For too long these neighborhoods have been overlooked and 

left behind. By working together and investing in proven, existing approaches we can transform 

vacant properties into assets that rebuild neighborhoods and strengthen Albany County. 

2. Supporting Community partners (non‐profits). COVID‐19 highlighted how important the County’s 

partnerships with non‐profits within the community are. Relationships with non‐profits in Albany 

County were strengthened and also allowed the County to form partnerships with lesser‐known 

or new non‐profits in response to COVID‐19. Partnerships with organizations such as United Way 

were vital in the County’s fight against COVID‐19. Moving forward, the County will continue to 

support community partners who provide vital services in our communities. One such example is 

partnerships with organizations assisting in the resettlement of Afghan refugees.  

3. Programming for youth/educational. COVID‐19 had a monumental impact on universities as well 

as underrepresented high school students who may not see higher education as a path available 

to them. In an effort to address both issues, Albany County is currently exploring avenues through 

which  underrepresented  local  high  school  students  can  experience  college  life  while 

simultaneously bringing more students on campus. The aim is to provide high school students the 

opportunity to attend college classes while also being exposed to campus life and connecting with 

other high school students they may not have necessarily interacted with before.  

Investing in our Health  

COVID‐19 highlighted both the importance of public health agencies and the ongoing health disparities 

that exist in our communities. To continue to address these issues the County will focus in several areas: 

1. Addressing health disparities. COVID‐19 has once again laid bare  the disproportionate  rate at

which  our  minority  communities  are  impacted  by  chronic  disease  and  health  challenges.  

Concerted efforts to focus on majority minority communities during the pandemic were made to 

provide  testing  resources early  on  in  the  pandemic  and  vaccination  opportunities  later  in  the 

pandemic, both with mixed results.  These communities continue to be impacted by higher rates 

of infection coupled with lower rates of vaccination.  Furthermore, continued efforts to increase 

vaccination rates are commonly met by suspicion and resistance.  And the disparities continue 

across a broad range of health conditions, including, hypertension, diabetes, asthma and even 

rates of lead poisoning.  Frequently  these conditions are compounded by the lack of access to 

heathy  food  and  affordable,  approachable,  healthcare.    This  feeds  into  higher  rates  of  teen 

pregnancy, premature birth and negative birth outcomes.  In this regard, it is obvious that a new 

and  novel approach  considering all  these  connected  factors  be  developed  to more effectively 
combat the underlying issues that are the real root causes of these persistent health disparities.  

For this reason a focus on data analytics must become the dominant guide for how we provide 

out services to the community.  

2. Health Emergency Preparedness. Albany County’s health emergency preparedness posture was 

tested  by  the  COVID‐19  pandemic.  One  of  the  biggest  lessons  learned  during  the  COVID‐19 

pandemic was the need to bolster the County’s capacity to respond to all types of health‐related 

hazards including infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and CBRNE events. The County 

will advance its planning efforts and prioritize outreach efforts to continue to build relationships 

with  community  partners  in  advance  of  the  next  disaster.  Investments  will  also  be  made  in 

logistics, operations, and  supplies. The COVID‐19 pandemic has depleted  the County's existing 

stockpile  and  has  revealed  limitations  in  asset  management  capability;  personal  protective 

equipment and emergency medical countermeasure stockpile will also be strategically reviewed 

and resupplied.  

3. Mobile Dental and Vision Services: Oral and eye health affects lives in ways that are often taken

for  granted.  However,  two  significant  obstacles  prevent  people from  receiving  care:  cost  and 

access. In Albany County,  there are several dental providers  that accept Medicaid, but  they’re 

physically  located  within  the  City  of  Albany  –  leaving  residents  geographically  isolated  from 

accessible dental services. Albany County seeks to break down these barriers by bringing dental 

treatment  directly  to  the  places  where  people  need  care  via  mobile  dental  treatment.  By 

partnering with community agencies and providers, the County seeks to identify populations and 

areas with the greatest need and gaps in services. The mobile dental initiative seeks to treat those 

living in poverty, people with disabilities, the elderly, people experiencing homelessness, migrant 

workers,  recovering  addicts,  veterans,  etc.  The mobile  dental  services model  will  offer  dental 

exams, education, and dental sealants; it’s not anticipated that root canals or oral surgery will be 

offered. This effort would expand on and be complimentary to the school‐based dental services 

efforts  already  underway  through  our  local  federally  qualified health  center.  Additionally,  the 

County  will  work  to  integrate  mobile  vision  clinics  with  the  vision  screening  efforts  already 

underway at schools, as well as other locations and populations where there is need and gaps in 

payees and service providers. 

4. Alternative Mental Health Crisis Response: The framework of a multi‐faceted plan to change the 

way law enforcement  responds  to  certain  crises  is  under  development in Albany  County. In a 

partnership  between  the  Department  of  Mental  Health  and  law  enforcement  agencies,  a 

response  unit  is  being  piloted  to  respond  to  certain  incoming  non‐violent  911  calls  for  crisis 

assistance. The Albany County Crisis Officials Responding and Diverting (ACCORD) program pairs 

newly hired social workers, as well as those from the County’s mobile crisis team, with EMTs from 

the  Sheriff’s  Department  to  respond  to  situations  where  a  law  enforcement  presence  is  not 

paramount and the situation may be more appropriately handled by mental health professionals 

and/or paramedics. These unarmed responders would be dispatched to non‐violent mental illness 

and substance use disorder events, among others.  

5. Albany  County  “Stat”  and  the  Development  of  a  Data  Driven  Approach. Albany  County 

government is the largest provider of social services in the county and delivers key social safety 

net programs to thousands of county residents each year. These programs are both  federally‐, 

state‐, and locally‐funded through a variety of funding mechanisms. Ultimately, these programs 
are intended to aid residents in need and move them to self‐sustainability and economic mobility. 

In  order  to  best  do  so,  the  County  is  developing  a  plan  to  restructure  the  underlying  data 

infrastructure across various departments and programs in order to best serve residents. The key 

objectives of this work is to (1) provide senior leadership at the organization with better business 

intelligence regarding  the populations being served by the County’s programs  (2) better target 

specific programs at appropriate recipients (3) better understand the impact and ROI of programs 

and  (4)  enable  the  County  to  innovate  higher‐intensity  programming  for  residents  who  need 

additional  support who are  currently  high‐utilizers  of  county  programming  for long  periods  of 

time. 

Concurrently with  this effort  the County is undertaking  the gradual creation  of a data division 

within its Department of Management and Budget.  This unit will focus not only on the reactive 

effort  to examine existing programs and services with  the goal of improving effectiveness and 

efficiency,  but  also  the  proactive  goal  of  using  data  to  develop  new  programs  with  built  in 

evaluation capabilities to guarantee rapid feedback on how effective our efforts and resources 

are in effectuating positive change on their intended target.  The creation of this team will extend 

into  each  department  through  the  Comprehensive  Workforce  Development  Plan  and  will  be 

centralized into the management unit within the Department of Management and Budget.  This 

will provide the specific expertise and specialization within each department to know the granular 

detail of each department’s duties and responsibilities while also preserving the more general and 

overarching county‐wide goals that frequently cut across departmental responsibilities.   

Investing in our Infrastructure   

The  American  Rescue  Plan  recognizes  the  importance  of  infrastructure  investments,  with  a  particular 

focus on water, sewer and broadband  

1. High Speed Internet/Broadband. The pandemic highlighted and exacerbated inequities related 

to connectivity and internet access. In 2020 the County partnered with local providers to increase 

availability to students who were forced to work remotely but lacked connectivity. Despite these 

efforts, it was clear that a more comprehensive approach was needed. The County Executive is 

in  the process of engaging a consultant  to conduct a Broadband Study  that will include a gap 

analysis  and  recommended  investments  to  increase  the  availability  and  affordability  of 

broadband throughout the County.      

2. Wastewater. The County of Albany operates a centralized wastewater treatment system  that 

includes an extensive collection network and two wastewater treatment facilities. Both plants 

have  been  in  continuous  operation  since  1974  and  require  significant  capital  investment  to 

maintain their level of service. The County is exploring potential opportunities for consolidation 

to  reduce  or  eliminate  the  use  of  incineration  at  its  southern facility,  which  is  located  in  an 

environmental justice community. 

3. County Parks. The COVIND‐19 pandemic led to an uptick in outdoor recreation and the County 

is reinvesting in outdoor activities that include Lawson Lake, Slingerlands Trail Head and Ann Lee 

Pond.    At  Lawson  Lake,  several  upgrades  to  the  infrastructure  like  installing  bathrooms  and 

potable  water  need  to  be  completed  to  give  youth  programs  an  opportunity  to  explore  and 
appreciate the lake and its surrounding area.  The Slingerlands Trail Head is developing into an 

attraction that all people come to enjoy.  The beautification of the area and improving this space 

provides residents the opportunity to enjoy the multi‐use path throughout the year.  Some of 

the next steps are rehabbing a former train depot building and creating a picnic area.  The Ann 

Lee Pond area is being rehabbed to turn it into an attraction for residents and visitors.