While Everyone Is Focused on the Pandemic
People are starting to worry about the effect the pandemic is having on the City of Hudson budget, which included anticipated revenue from sales tax ($1.9 million), lodging tax ($340,000), and parking fees ($170,000). Now with all the shops closed, people prohibited from traveling, and all parking fees waived except in the Amtrak lot, which is empty because no one is going anywhere, that revenue is not coming in. With our local economy at a virtual standstill, there is also concern about property owners' ability to pay property taxes. Taxes for the second quarter are due next week.
There seems to be no such concern when it comes to the Hudson City School District. The Board of Education has held five budget workshops, the most recent one taking place last night as a Zoom meeting, and only one member of the public was present. Despite the number of businesses and individuals suffering financial injury from the pandemic, the proposed budget for the school year 2020-2021 is $50.9 million, a $1.1 million increase over last year.
The budget document presented at last night's meeting helpfully calculates what the increase in the tax levy will be for properties assessed at $100,000, $200,000, and $300,000 in the municipalities that are part of the Hudson City School District. I would hazard a guess that most properties in Hudson are now assessed at more than $300,000, so I have just reproduced the chart for a property assessed at $100,000, and you can multiply by the appropriate factor.
The Board of Education has scheduled a budget hearing for Tuesday, May 5. The annual budget vote, originally scheduled for May 19, has been postponed "until at least June 1."
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Hudson is by no means alone in this regard. I suspect without state and federal intervention, most municipalities will be unable to meet their obligations. We need a wholesale rethink about how we provide and pay for our public services, or we're in deep trouble.
ReplyDeleteI recently heard someone say "if we get this right, we won't go back to normal". Let's hope we get this right.
Say. I thought people in Hudson hated all that tourist revenue - wasn’t that the mood in town?
ReplyDeleteLet’s curse all those tourists that gave us jobs and a livelihood. We want to be poor and broke. Hudson, you may finally get what you wished and asked for.
In life, you should be grateful for your bounty, or like in the Old Testament, a plague may visit you.