[Adopted 11-20-2023 by L.L. No. 14-2023 (H-2023)]
There is hereby established a commission of the City of Albany to be known as the "Commission on Monuments and Public Art."
A. 
The Commission shall consist of five members, three of whom shall be appointed by the Mayor and two of whom shall be appointed by the Common Council. At least one of the members appointed by the Mayor shall have a professional background in history, historic preservation, and/or art history.
B. 
Members shall serve for three-year terms. However, in order to effectuate staggered terms of membership, one initial member appointed by the Common Council shall be appointed for a one-year term, and two initial members appointed by the Mayor shall serve two-year terms. Members shall continue to serve beyond the expiration of their terms until a new member is appointed or such serving member is reappointed. A vacancy occurring in the membership of the Commission for any reason shall be filled by the appointing authority for the vacated seat for the duration of the seat's unexpired term.
C. 
Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation.
D. 
The Commission shall meet as often as necessary to discharge its duties in a timely fashion, but no fewer than four times a year.
E. 
The Commission shall hold no fewer than three public meetings in three separate locations throughout the City to hear and compile public comment on the report and potential steps that may be taken by the City and other entities to more broadly represent and honor the diverse history and residents of Albany in such monuments and other locations.
F. 
The Commission shall elect a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from its membership at its first meeting in each calendar year.
The Commission shall have the following powers and duties:
A. 
To catalog and keep an inventory of existing monuments, markers, and works of public art on City-owned property;
B. 
To propose new monuments, markers, and works of public art to be placed on City-owned property, to develop a procedure for accepting applications for new monuments, markers, or works of public art on public property, and to receive such applications from members of the public;
C. 
To afford the public an opportunity to provide comment on proposed actions and, having provided such an opportunity to the public, to approve or deny those proposed actions. The Commission shall then communicate its decision to the Mayor who shall then respond within six weeks of the decision what action, if any, the City shall take with regard to its proposal and the reasoning behind it;
D. 
To work in coordination with the Mayor's office and any necessary municipal departments and commissions to supervise the establishment, erection, or installation of any approved monument, marker, or work of public art, in accordance with all applicable laws;
E. 
To review the appropriateness of existing monuments, both overall and in the particular context and location of a given monument. If the Commission finds that a particular monument, marker, or work of public art is not appropriate, the Commission shall have the power to re-contextualize such monument, marker, or work of public art, or to direct its renovation or removal in accordance with all applicable laws;
F. 
To serve as a forum for residents of the City to engage in civic dialogue regarding monuments, markers, and public art in the City;
G. 
To establish online resources through which Albany residents and others may submit information regarding existing public monuments, comments and recommendations;
H. 
To develop various communication tools that are publicly accessible which will provide background information on the monuments, including such information as the Albany history connected to each monument, the purpose of the monument as originally intended, its relevance in current times, and other information as the commission determines appropriate; and
I. 
To conduct community educational events as needed for the purpose of educating the public about the public monuments currently located in the City of Albany.
The Commission shall provide an initial report within one calendar year from the date when the full committee has been sworn in. Such report shall list and briefly describe all public buildings, historical monuments, statues, historical markers and other physical structures or representations (collectively referred to here as public monuments) that are named for or otherwise honor any individual or group and are located on property within the City of Albany that is owned by the City of Albany, the City School District of Albany, Albany County, the State of New York, the United States Government or other public entities. The committee shall thereafter annually provide a report to the Mayor and Common Council by January 31 of each year, summarizing its activities during the preceding calendar year as well as listing any changes to public monuments within the City, including monuments that have been created, taken down, or moved. The Common Council may, by resolution, extend the deadline of the report by up to two months.
The Mayor or their designee will coordinate with the Commission to provide access to City owned property and information relevant to public monuments or the work of the Commission.