OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford The Dunkirk Common Council gets ready to meet Tuesday. In the foreground, City Attorney Michael Bobseine (left) chats with Councilwoman Nancy Nichols.

The Dunkirk Common Council unanimously passed a state-backed “Pro-Housing Communities Pledge” during a special session Tuesday.

The pledge failed to pass last week, the council tying 2-2. Republicans on council, David Damico and Nancy Nichols, said they had not had enough time to read and digest the pledge.

They also wanted time for James Stoyle, who was not at last week’s meeting, to look at it. Stoyle wound up successfully proposing an amendment to the pledge Tuesday.

The amendment adds language about support for senior and assisted-living housing in the city.

Citing fears of putting the city behind on grant funding, Council Democrats Martin Bamonto and Natalie Luczkowiak voted for the pledge last week. They and Democratic Mayor Wilfred Rosas’ administration sought Tuesday’s special meeting in part to get the pledge back on the agenda quickly.

“This is a new directive that came from Gov. (Kathy) Hochul to address the shortage of housing that’s available,” said Vince DeJoy, city planning and development director, when the resolution originally came up last week.

He explained the benefit from the pledge that city officials are seeking. “Basically, they go through a certification process and what this would mean is, when there are grant opportunities that have any type of housing component to it, we would be given extra points in grading and a better opportunity to be awarded grant funding.”