Members of the Common Council want to establish a capital reserve fund and initiate a lodging tax. The mayor brags that the fund balance has grown during his administration and congratulates himself for holding the line on taxes. Property owners grouse about the increasingly heavy burden of property taxes, much of which is represented by school taxes. Where's the truth? Is the City of Hudson comfortably solvent, or does it need new sources of revenue?
John Mason spoke with Heather Campbell, the city treasurer, who should understand the city's financial state better than anyone, and reports what she had to say in today's Register-Star: "Treasurer: City needs to plan for big ticket items."
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I just read the article.
ReplyDeleteEnough with the parking garage!! $10-$15M? That's completely crazy. Hudson doesn't need a parking garage. Such a passé idea from the 70s and 80s. Develop more public transportation and encourage people to walk and bicycle.
Why is the Ferry Street bridge repair the city's problem? Send the bill to Amtrak and CSX or Albany. That's the least that could be done for having all the oil trains, gravel trucks and big box store tractor trailers barreling through and around our city.
Don't forget to factor in the cost of lawsuits for the city's negligent policy-making (re: sewers).
ReplyDeleteAbout the Ferry Street Bridge, in a 2013 letter from the NYS DOT the city learned once and for all who owned it. CSX owns the bridge and Amtrak leases it. But that knowledge didn't stop city officials from later pretending they still couldn't identify the owner whenever that was useful thing to say.
But CSX and Amtrak aren't required to spend a dime on the bridge thanks to the "Rail Reorganization Act of 1973," which absolved all future owners from any responsibility to repair the bridge, let alone replace it.
Thanks for the thorough clarification.
DeleteSo if the city repairs or replaces the bridge then at least it should own it thereafter and then lease it back to CSX and Amtrak if possible.
Ha! you said it.
Deletemake it a toll bridge
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