Tuesday, April 14, 2020

The Common Council Carries On

It wasn't until midday yesterday that Gossips was able to confirm that there would in fact be an informal Common Council meeting last night, and it wasn't until 4:00 in the afternoon that the documents on the agenda for that meeting appeared on the City of Hudson website. One of those documents was a stunner, although it probably shouldn't have been given that Mayor Kamal Johnson cited the project first among his achievements during his first hundred days in office: a resolution to execute a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for the apartment building proposed by the Galvan Foundation for the "Depot District."

The PILOT, which will be in effect for forty years, sets the amount to be paid in lieu of property taxes at $77,000 a year, to increase by 2 percent a year over a period of four decades. (The original PILOT on Hudson Terrace, established in the days of urban renewal, was for thirty years.) Among the justifications for this PILOT given in the resolution is that $77,000 is a "$58,000 increase in revenue compared to the current assessment." The current assessment is on this building.

There wasn't much discussion during the meeting about the resolution establishing the PILOT. Eileen Halloran (Fifth Ward) wanted to know the difference between a PILOT that goes through the IDA and this one, which is being offered by the City under Article 11 of the New York State Private Housing Finance Law. Halloran was told by attorney Christine Chale that "this is a better fit for this project."

When Council president Tom DePietro called for an introduction and a second, Calvin Lewis (Third Ward) moved to introduce, and Rebecca Wolff (First Ward) seconded. Later in the meeting, DePietro said someone had texted him to point out that Lewis works for Galvan and therefore should not have been the one to introduce the resolution because there was the appearance of a conflict of interest. DePietro called for someone else to introduce the resolution. Dewan Sarowar (Second Ward) obliged. DePietro then suggested that Lewis talk with Jeff Baker, counsel to the Council, about whether or not he should vote on the resolution next Tuesday.

Gossips has on a few occasions bemoaned Galvan's efforts to reimagine Hudson according to its own whims. This project is yet another example. The area has been dubbed by Galvan the "Depot District," and this project has been assigned the address "75 North 7th Street." The proposed project is on the east side of the street, the even side. Besides, the address is already taken, by this house on the west side of the street.


Of course, the house is owned by Galvan, as is every other building on that side of the street, from State Street to the Central Fire Station, so they probably think they can co-opt its address.
COPYRIGHT 2020 CAROLE OSTERINK

9 comments:

  1. your first order of business is to keep in lockstep with our national moment of enabling & encouraging plutocrats to pilfer the commons? the shameless audacity of such an idea-during this crisis- is only eclipsed by its fiscal stupidity.

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    1. The more things change the more they stay the same in Pottersville ... or is it Galvinville .

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  2. Yeah, poor Galvan needs a tax break!
    How about Galvan first cleans up its demolition site from a year ago that is directly across the street from this project? It's a disgrace that Galvan leaves it and that Code Enforcement allows them to. City in decay.

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  3. This is going to to end very badly for the taxpayers of the City of Hudson.
    It just keeps getting worse here.
    I'm trapped for now, but ASAP I am selling my house and getting out of here. I do not want to keep paying for all the insanity and stupidity here.

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  4. What opportunities do Hudson residents have -- short of reaching out to Aldermen who may have made up their minds already -- to speak out for or against this proposal? Is there a mandatory public comment period before the vote?

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    1. with it's own agenda, galvan has always made money off poor people and seems to have most of city government into lock-step.
      Prison Alley has it right, RUN!

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  5. PILOTs can be an important tool when working with developers who are supportive of our communities at times they are struggling.

    What proactive steps has Galvan taken to assist its residential and commercial tenants in this time of crisis?

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  6. So much for Kamal's "vision." How unfortunate is this, that his major accomplishment in his first 100 days is taking up with, as David Marston points out, the City's major plutocrat. It's especially unfortunate given his attempt to claim a "progressive" mantle.

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  7. the best heuristic for future behavior is past behavior. do the labor John Kane, the record speaks for itself. paying lip service in lieu of taxes is not progressive or inclusive, at this point, its larceny.

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