Author: Aidan Cahill

The Saratoga County Board of Supervisors has voted 17-4 to ban the sale and distribution of the substance Kratom in Saratoga County. 

The measure was passed on Oct. 20 during the Board’s monthly meeting in Ballston Spa. Under the law selling or distributing Kratom products would result in a $1000 fine for the first offense and a $1,500 fine for subsequent offenses. 

Notably, the ban applies to both synthetic and natural Kratom products sold in Saratoga County but doesn’t restrict the sale of Kratom by individuals. It also allows for the sale of any Kratom product that receives approval from the FDA. 

The ban comes a year after New York State passed a law restricting the sale of Kratom to individuals 21 and older and requiring warning labels on Kratom products sold in the state. 

During the meeting, three members of the Board of Supervisors spoke out against the proposed ban and advised their colleagues to vote no on it. 

Town of Stillwater Supervisor Edward Kinowski was one of the three who voted against the measure. In the discussion prior to the vote, Kinowski argued that the ban didn’t do enough to address the root causes of social issues and said that Kratom was another substance that came from nature which man had perverted.

“Synthetic creations of Mother Nature’s list of hopeful remedies should all be regulated, but let’s not ban the miracles of so many of Mother Nature’s gifts like Kratom because of man-made creations.” Kinowski said. “If you vote yes to ban, then you should make the same rational decision to ban all alcoholic products, tobacco and vaping products, and all legal and illegal drugs, for they cause far greater harm to society, and all have laws governing their use.”

Saratoga Springs Supervisor Minita Sanghvi also spoke against the measure, arguing that while synthetic derivatives needed to be banned, the law went too far in its outright ban of natural Kratom. She instead argued that the Board of Supervisors should instead pass a law strictly regulating natural leaf Kratom as it does have legitimate medical uses. 

“Let us honor the families who have suffered by taking real decisive action against the dangerous synthetic chemicals that are caused by these tragedies,” Sanghvi said. “But let us do so with the precision of a scalpel and not a sledgehammer, protecting our communities from dangerous lab drugs without abandoning the 1000s of responsible adults who rely on the natural botanical leaf to live a functional, pain-free life.”

Wilton Supervisor Toni Sturm backed Sanghvi and argued that banning natural leaf Kratom was like “throwing out the baby with the bathwater” and that a distinction had to be made between the two substances. 

Ultimately, the measure passed 17-4 with Waterford Supervisor David Ball joining Sturm, Sanghvi and Kinowski in opposing the law. 

The law goes into effect upon filing with the New York Department of State, with a 30 day transition period for sellers of Kratom to dispose of their inventory.

Much of the discussion surrounding Kratom has resulted from the death of a county employee. In 2024, County Sewer District worker Nickolas Scribner died due to asphyxiation while taking the substance to deal with insomnia. His mother, Cari, pushed for more regulations after his death and her efforts lead the state to pass regulations in 2025 and she spoke in favor of the law banning the substance during an Oct. 14 public hearing.

 In a statement Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman, Phil Barrett praised the measure. 

“We have seen the devastating impacts of kratom, which have tragically included local deaths, and we have heard from many of our county residents who support this measure,” Barrett said. “Clearly, more clinical research and ingredient labeling standards on kratom products are necessary to better inform people about the use of this product.  By removing these products from easily accessible retail locations in Saratoga County, we’re taking an important step toward safeguarding our families and communities.” 

Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford has announced that proposed changes to the Unified Development Ordinance concerning demolition in the city’s architectural review and historic districts won’t move forward. 

The decision was announced in a press release issued on Oct 13 and comes a week after the first public hearing regarding the new changes which have generated a great deal of concern from residents and preservation experts in that they went too far and didn’t do enough to preserve Saratoga Springs’ historic character. 

“Throughout this process, we have heard from residents, preservation advocates, property owners, and members of our land use boards who care deeply about the future of Saratoga Springs,” said Mayor Safford said in the press release. “Good government means being willing to listen, evaluate concerns, and adjust course when appropriate.”

Under the now retracted proposal, if the Design Review Board (DRB) found historic significance in a structure, they would have been required to make a recommendation to the City Council to designate the structure as a landmark or part of a historic district.

In the past, Mayor Safford had argued that the changes were necessary because the DRB had been too broad in applying historic standards to buildings in the architectural review district.  

The Oct. 13 press release reasserted these arguments stating that the existing procedure “raises questions about whether demolition restrictions based on historic significance are consistent with the Architectural District’s stated purpose and the authority delegated to the Design Review Board.”

Safford said in the release that the city had applied for a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office to update the city’s historic resources survey to identify historic resources prior to changing demolition review. 

The proposed changes to demolition had been opposed by both the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation and the DRB who argued in their advisory opinions at the mayor’s office that the changes went too far.

While the demolitions portion of the proposed UDO changes won’t move forward, the press release identified several changes to the UDO that will be considered including: 

• “Clarifying the respective responsibilities of the Planning Board and Design Review Board for height-related decisions in the Historic District, as guided by SHPO.”

• “Strengthening the Ordinance’s procedure for ‘Designation of Landmarks and Historic Districts’ as previously recommended by SHPO. The City’s zoning ordinance has always provided that the City Council has the legislative authority to designate historic resources, which is consistent with the SHPO Model Law. “

• “Distinguishing the applicable review standards of districts and allowing more flexibility of materials in the Architectural District.”

• “Adding an economic hardship appeal, which will allow the DRB to consider specific hardship criteria. This is consistent with the SHPO Model Law and previously recommended by SHPO.”

• “Adding an appeal to the City Council, with limited grounds for review based on factual errors, procedural errors, or incorrect interpretation or application of the UDO. This is consistent with the SHPO Model Law.”

• “The amendment also updates and clarifies provisions governing legally nonconforming properties and structures, including the applicable reference date of June 1, 1980.” 

The discussion over the proposed amendments to the UDO on going since April 2026 when the City Council, lead by Mayor Safford voted 4-1 to begin considering changes to it. Since then, the proposed changes have lead to multiple community organized meetings and many had spoken out against the changes during City Council meetings. 

A second public hearing on the proposed changes is set for Oct. 20.

A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for a new permanent Code Blue Shelter in Saratoga Springs. 

The ceremony, which took place on Oct. 1, marks the official start of construction for the new shelter. The new shelter is located at 116 Ballston Avenue, directly across the street from Market 32, in the city of Saratoga Springs. 

The new shelter will open in 2027 and offer 75 beds during the Code Blue months. It will be operated by Shelters of Saratoga. It will also offer amenities such as a hot meal to anyone who comes in and uses the shelter. 

The shelter will be the first permanent Code Blue shelter in Saratoga County since the opening of Shelters of Saratoga’s first Code Blue Shelter in 2013. In 2016, an executive order was issued requiring social services at the county level to provide shelter to homeless individuals when the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The lack of a permanent Code Blue shelter location had been a challenge faced by Shelters of Saratoga and Saratoga County since the initiative began, with the shelter moving to several different locations over the last 13 years. The new shelter will solve these issues, according to several officials who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony. 

“Our permanent building will allow us to finally operate a shelter out of a facility that’s actually designed for its purpose, which might sound silly, but to us, it’s everything,” Stephanie Romeo, Executive Director of Shelters of Saratoga, said. “We’ve been in seven different locations in 12 years, and not a single one of those locations was built for its purpose, and it has showed in many ways.”

This was backed up by Saratoga County Board of Supervisors chair, Phil Barrett who thanked Shelters of Saratoga for their work on the project and highlighted how the project will provide a long-term solution for the county moving forward. 

“We will have a permanent location and erase all that doubt that we had over the years as to where this Code Blue shelter might be in the next year, in the next five years, so having a permanent location erases that doubt,” Barrett said. “It makes it more cost effective going into the future, knowing that we have a permanent location that we can invest in, operate, and we won’t have to move.” 

In a press release, Shelters of Saratoga said they have a fundraising goal of $8 million, of which, $4.3 million has been raised. Those looking to help support the project can do so by visiting codebluesaratoga.org or by scanning the qr code.