ALBANY - City residents and business owners will now have 24 hours to clear their sidewalks of snow before being subject to a fine.

The Albany Common Council on Monday night approved the ordinance — first introduced by Councilwoman Leah Golby — which removes an extra 24-hour window given to those who haven't cleared sidewalks of snow. It takes effect Dec. 1.

Council members Frank Commisso Jr., Judd Krasher and Mark Robinson voted against the measure.

Golby introduced the legislation last month aiming to improve the safety of those who use the sidewalks no matter the weather. It also ensures the shoveled sidewalks are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Delmar resident Nancy Benedict, a frequent public transportation user in Albany, applauded the measure during the public comment period prior to the vote Monday.

"Forty-eight hours is much too long to allow people to shovel snow from sidewalks," she said.

Local law currently dictates sidewalks must be cleared within 24 hours after snowfall has ended. If someone complains about a stretch of sidewalk not being shoveled, the city gives property owners another 24 hours to comply before citing them.

If sidewalks still haven’t been cleared of snow, the city Department of General Services is authorized to clear the sidewalk, charging for the services, and fines can be issued. Fines start at $100 for the first offense, and increase to $200 and $300 for the second and third violations within a three-month span. The actual cost of the snow removal also is passed on to the property owner.

Each violation after the third within a six-month period is an additional $300 fine.

The council decided to table a vote on the sale of 363 acres Albany owns in Coeymans pending discussion of additional provisions in a contract that would provide benefits to city taxpayers should the buyer turnaround and resell the property at a profit.

CM Recycling LLC, a subsidiary of Carver Companies owned by Carver Laraway, wants to buy the property for future expansion of the Coeymans Industrial Park, for $620,000, a price well under what many city officials had hoped to receive. However, initial interest by the state Department of Environmental Conservation prompted appraisals by both the city and state – which came back with the six-figure value, far less than its current $3.6 million assessment by the town.

Albany officials in May sought an 83 percent reduction in the assessed value of the property, which it pays about $100,000 annually in property taxes to the town, county and local school and fire districts. But the Coeymans’s Board of Assessment Review denied the city’s grievances, which the city is appealing to the state Supreme Court.