Rensselaer City Council to ask AG to probe property misuse allegations

RENSSELAER, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Rensselaer City officials passed a resolution that will allow them to file a complaint with the New York Attorney General’s Office to launch a probe into the alleged misuse of the former Rensselaer Volunteer Ambulance Service (RVAS) building by the mayor.

“The question is, who owns that building?” stated council president John DeFrancesco.

To which Rensselaer City Mayor Michael Stammel said, “There is a viable organization here. That’s all that matters.”

The building on Third Street once housed the RVAS until 2011. DeFrancesco said it became unknown who the building belonged to. “There is no paperwork. We just want to see that this is legit. We have been told that it’s none of our business,” said the council president.

But Stammel claims the RVAS are still a valid entity, “It pays its taxes. It provides something for the community, which is a hall to rent at a reasonable rate. If somebody wants to have a little birthday party for their kids or some sort of other ceremony or even an afterlife event here, we allow them to do that for a very minimal cost.”

Yet the council said otherwise, “There has been no filings of tax, taxes or anything since 2011,” said DeFrancesco.

The mayor said not only is RVAS a valid entity, but it also benefits the city. “The organization overall is happy to pay the lights, the gas, the insurance, the trash, the whole all those things that come with the city building, which don’t come easy.”

Another one of the council’s big concerns was when the Ambulnz company started using the building in May. The council said it does not fit city zoning laws, “It was a volunteer ambulance that was legal. But when a professional company comes in, it becomes illegal. It’s putting a business in the middle of a residential district. And that’s what the zoning board did. They allowed that, and that’s questionable.”

Without many answers the council said they had no choice but to reach out to the AG’s office for a probe into the matter.  Once the paperwork is complete the request will be filed. DeFrancesco said the council is almost ready, “I believe early next week. Somebody’s got to speak up and that’s us.”

When the mayor was asked about absorbing any of the assets from the building’s operations, he said there were, “None whatsoever. No, not absorbed at all, it still belongs to the organization.”