City Council Hears Resident on Flooding Concerns
This weekend's rain exposes some problems with city sewage system
This past Monday, the Troy City Council held a relatively long meeting, lasting nearly an hour and a half. The meeting covered a wide range of topics, from community events and infrastructure updates to public safety public records and citizen feedback. Today’s newsletter hopes to provide our readers an overview of the key discussions and decisions made during the meeting, as well as their implications for the city.
One of the primary topics discussed was the approval of alcohol sales for upcoming community events. The council approved a temporary expansion of the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area for the 2025 Troy Strawberry Festival, scheduled for June 6–8, and a separate ordinance allowing for alcohol sales for the Troy Truckyard event on May 10. Both events will include alcohol sales in designated areas. Most council members supported these plans as a way to boost local business and community engagement. The ordinances allowing for alcohol sales were approved, reflecting the city’s commitment to hosting events that attract visitors and support local nonprofits.
Economic development was another key focus of Monday’s meeting. The council reviewed recommendations from the Tax Incentive Review Council (TIRC) regarding tax agreements with local businesses. Four enterprise zone agreements were renewed, while one agreement with ARC Abrasives Inc. was terminated due to non-compliance with job creation commitments. Additionally, the council approved a new tax incentive for “Project Sturgeon,” an expansion project of a current business in the community that is expected to create 166 jobs with an annual payroll exceeding $7 million. This decision highlights the city’s efforts to encourage economic growth while holding businesses accountable for their commitments.
Infrastructure improvements were also a major topic of the meeting. The council authorized several projects, including repairs to sidewalks as part of Phase 16 of the sidewalk improvement program and construction of a new park maintenance building. These projects aim to enhance public safety and improve city facilities. Phase 16 of the sidewalk improvement project will cover the city’s northwest corner, covering most of the Fox Harbor and Kings Chapel neigborhoods.
In his comments, the Director of Public Service and Safety stated that paving work for Phase 2 of West Main Street will hopefully commence soon as local asphalt plants are to open soon. In addition, the project will feature new black aluminum streetlights for this area after receiving community feedback over the wooden poles that were originally placed on West Main Street. The council also took steps to improve internal operations by creating a new project manager position to oversee infrastructure projects more effectively. This decision reflects the growing scope of construction and maintenance work in Troy and the need for dedicated oversight.
Public safety and support for vulnerable populations were highlighted through a presentation by Jennifer Knisley from Isaiah’s Place Child Advocacy Center. The center provides services for children affected by abuse, including forensic interviews, therapy, and abuse prevention training in schools. Knisley reported that over 50% of abuse cases now involve minors abusing other minors—a concerning trend that underscores the importance of early intervention and education. The council expressed gratitude for the center’s work and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting such initiatives.
Citizen concerns played a significant role in the meeting. During public comments, a resident from Westbrook shared his experience with a sanitary sewer backup in his basement after this weekend’s prolonged rain and urged the city to address long-standing issues with the neighborhood’s infrastructure. In her comments, Council Member Susan Westfall stated that other citizens raised questions at a recent At-Large Council Members’ quarterly meeting about topics such as trash cleanup downtown, emergency communication systems, property complaints processes, and annexation policies. It should be noted that 35 residents attended the quarterly meeting; one of the best attended quarterly forums in recent memory.
In conclusion, the council meeting showed an approach to balancing community needs with economic development and infrastructure improvements. While challenges such as flooding and sewer backups tend to require ongoing attention, the council demonstrated its commitment to addressing these issues to investigate current issues and plan for improvements. In addition, by approving ordinances for popular events like the Strawberry Festival and supporting programs like Isaiah’s Place Child Advocacy Center, the city continues to foster a sense of community while prioritizing public safety and well-being.
This meeting also highlighted how citizen input helps shape council decisions. From addressing concerns raised at public forums to responding directly to residents’ experiences with flooding, the council underscored its goal as a responsive body dedicated to the community’s citizens. As projects move forward and new initiatives are implemented, continued communication between city officials and residents will be essential in ensuring that progress aligns with community priorities.
What Do You Think?
Please take a moment and feel free to participate in our daily poll. Also, our subscribers are more than welcome to leave their ideas and insights in the comment section! Finally, this platform is open for all — share your thoughts without the limit of word counts and paywalls. You can provide a submission to pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com
Tell Us How You Feel About Your Community!
Our reader survey for this month is looking for responses! Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on your hometown! You can access the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PF6SPPN
Check out our New YouTube Channel!
Our goal with the Civic Capacity YouTube Channel is to be a centralized location where residents can watch videos of local government meetings in action and also provide comments and insights.
The Troy Chamber of Commerce recently released videos of candidates for office in the May Primary Election. With the chamber’s permission, we have placed those videos on our YouTube channel!
You can check out the channel here!
Thank you to our New Media Partners!
Recently, many of our stories has been showing up on the local news website, www.mymiamicounty.com. We are grateful for the good folks for sharing our work with their audience and we would encourage our readers to check them out at their website!
You Can Help Support This Work!
Our readers and subscribers have been asking for a new way to support the work being done here at Civic Capacity! Some of our readers do not like the idea of having to sign up for another subscription service. Some of our subscribers occasionally want to give more support through a one-time transaction.
Civic Capacity is partnering with “Buy Me A Coffee” to give our readers, subscribers and friends an opportunity to give one-time support to Civic Capacity. Personally, I don’t like coffee, but I will never turn down a nice iced tea. If you feel compelled to support this effort, just click the button below. In other words, this is an online tip jar.
Also, thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter! Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors.
Also, please consider subscribing to our work. If you are a free subscriber, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. For less than $1 a week, you can get timely and conversational updates about the decisions that are impacting you and your community!