Tomorrow afternoon, the Tourism Board goes before the BEA (Board of Estimate and Apportionment) to request funding for 2022. At its meeting in September, Tourism Board member Chris McManus proposed that the board ask the BEA for $209,845.
Wallace's proposal identified eleven events that he described as "Heritage Programs": Black Enterpreneurs Market, Black Arts & Cultural Festival, Juneteenth, Bangladeshi Cultural Festival, Latinx Festival, Halloween Parade, Winter Walk, Flag Day, Hudson Pride Parade, Waterfront Wednesdays, Pocket Park Initiatives. Wallace proposed that $100,000 be budgeted for those eleven events.
Wallace spoke about corporate sponsorship for events, mentioning specifically such national chains as Pizza Hut and Starbucks, neither of which has a presence in Hudson since chains and formula businesses are banned from the city.
The Tourism Board was originally funded by the percentage of revenue from the lodging tax. Council president Tom DePietro pointed out that the revenue from the lodging tax has decreased as revenue from sales tax has increased and suggested, "If the old standard were still in effect, how much would you have gotten?" His suggestion seemed to imply that the Tourism Board might use that number to help them determine how much to ask for 2022. McManus credited the Tourism Board with the shift in tax revenue, saying they had "gone after daytrippers."
It will not be known until tomorrow if the Tourism Board will present the $130,000 budget proposed by Wallace or will seek more funding. What the board did agree on last night was that the cost of Warren Street Shared Usage in 2022 will be charged to those businesses that participate in the program. Tourism Board member Kate Treacy reported there were thirty-seven participants this year, which, assuming a cost of $42,000, meant that each participating business would pay $1,135 for the season or about $50 a week to utilize the parking spaces in front of their establishments.
COPYIGHT 2021 CAROLE OSTERINK
You hit it on the head, Gossips: Hudson is a compelling place to visit. And the idea of "national chain" sponsorships of events here is just off the rails and flies in the face of what has and will always make Hudson compelling: we take a pass on the chains -- we are sui generis. I hope and expect Mr. Wallace will be a corrective for the apparent nepotism that has driven the Board's past decisions. But I equally hope that none of his sponsorship ideas come to fruition.
ReplyDeleteI like that they seem to be clamping down on the free for all, but also think they should just be honest and change the name/mission/law to a Arts & Culture Board. I went to Waterfront Wednesday’s. I liked them. They were a great way to engage locals and utilize the waterfront for community recreation - but let’s be honest, this is not tourism. Nobody but locals go to these things. People from NYC aren’t saying “hey let’s hop on the next business class train out of Penn, get a $800 room at the Maker, and go to that folksy family event next to the gravel barge, where we can watch a drum circle and take a sunset cruise with a bunch of elementary school kids.” To say the city got sales tax out of these events is crazy. Heck, I’m sure many of the small food and trinket vendors at these events probably don’t register and pay sales tax, not that I’m worried about it. Why do we have to make silly stretches of the imagination to just call these community events? Tourism is another ball game. The unique art, architecture, food and shopping is what drives tourism to Hudson and it pretty much sells itself. What the city can do to encourage growth (and the tax revenue) is stop being hostile to tourism and stop doing things like banning Airbnb’s, so that people with moderate incomes can still visit. Not just the $800 a night folks (they’re welcome too).
ReplyDeleteSponsorships are not a bad idea, but I think they need to think smaller and more local. The Pizza Hut one is hilarious though. Why not Radio Shack or Blockbuster?
Banning Airbnb's! Ridiculous! Easier to ban than regulate. Sure there are issues but why bother addressing them. A dysfunctional entity wouldn't know what to do first. Clever, cater to the wealthy and their tax revenues, punish the rest. All the talk in this town about equity is just another ploy for politicians on the campaign trail. The folks in the middle never get a break. The Airbnb business has been driven into Greene, Ulster and Columbia's countryside. Good for them of course but if the middle class isn't permitted to lodge in the city, that means more cars endlessly looking for parking rather than directly walking from their lodging to any of the various city offerings. Walkability is a driving force to tourism. Park that car for 4 days and enjoy using your own engine.
DeleteAirbnb's are not banned in Hudson, they are, in fact, regulated now. To operate an airbnb, it is required that you live there. A simple requirement, that speaks to the original intent of the platform.
DeleteThat's pretty restrictive. I am not in the hospitality field but have partaken in various experiences as a lodger over time. One of the most memorable is staying a few days at an interesting house on the Oregon beach for a very reasonable fee. Which if not for the affordability, would never have been experienced. This was a VRBO property. The owner did not reside on the property. All went as smooth as could be. There were rules to sign off on and the owner was nearby. To expect the operators to reside at the property is unrealistic especially taking into account the nature of buildings in a city setting. There were many voices concerned about this detail when the restrictions were passed. It shuts down affordable stays in Hudson. It kills the business model as intended to augment owners' revenues and to maintain and upgrade properties. Not a great move for the city's well being and certainly not encouraging visitors. Can you imagine NYC without the selection of lodging? Can you imagine NYC without tourists? All you have to do is look at the numbers of closed businesses throughout the city due to the pandemic and the city's pain. That's what happens when the tourists stay home. For Hudson, it's the $800/night fee for the select few. Well done.
DeleteThe “original intent” of Airbnb was couch surfing and crashing on an air mattress, hence the name. People don’t want to sleep on a couch or sleep in a guest room of someone’s house and play checkers with them. When I think regulated I mean: registered with the city, pay lodging taxes, make sure up to fire safety code, and have recourse if guests disturb neighbors. The law Hudson passed will just force places to go underground like in NYC and other cities. No taxes, no oversight. Enforcement will be nonexistent, unless you count Rebecca Wolff trolling for listings on Instagram
DeleteLoving it, Rebecca Wolff trolling Instagram! Is there a better use of elected officials' time! Yep, that's what Hudson lodging is reduced to, not much. I bet anything we are underground. Agree with you what regulated means. Pretty standard, not too complicated, common sense. Too bad Hudson drove all that business out of town. Remember the original B & B's? Amazing breakfast, aiming to please, sweet accommodations and hosts looking forward to meet you. Afternoon cookies! Perhaps we're poised for a nostalgic return! Didn't think so. So where will the family and friends stay that doesn't require emptying the bank account - guess they'll stay home. The Hudson welcome mat is for the 1%. Thanks for the equity. You did it again.
DeleteIndeed, Hudson IS a compelling place to visit - not much to do with or because of the new Tourism Board, although I do think Waterfront Wednesdays is a good new idea. The idea of sponsorships from chains is apalling and goes against the grain - the national and even international publicity which comes from the public relations generated by entrepreneurs on Warren Street, has grown substantially in the last 15 years at an increased pace, and is aided by the pandemic. Budget for the Festivals, fine, better ideas like Waterfront Wednesdays for the other seasons, good idea. I think the budget needs redoing.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks to any corporate sponsorships. What the hell is Wallace thinking?
ReplyDeletecertainly not "integrity"
DeleteI also attended the Tourism Board meeting last night, and my read on Mr. Wallace's argument was that local businesses like Bank of Green County or Ginsberg's might be willing to underwrite tourism-based initiatives. He only used the example of national brands as an example. I do salute him for taking a more conservative approach and thinking outside the box in terms of funding.
ReplyDeleteMcManus's conclusion that the Tourism Board has driven the growth is sales tax revenue stinks of bullshit that he pulled it out of the ether with no data to back it up. People moved from NYC to Hudson starting in April of 2020, construction and remodeling have seen a bounce, and a number of new shops, hotels, and restaurants have opened that cater to weekend visitors in communities throughout the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Putting your own kid on the back of a truck with piano accompaniment has done nothing to drive tax revenue or help local businesses. (BTW, memo to the Board, locals going to restaurants and shops isn't called tourism, it's called *shopping*.)
Could the Tourism Board have made an impact in terms of tax revenue? I guess, hypothetically, but they've done as terrible a job of tracking efficacy of their projects as they have of managing the community's money. However, there are a number of other factors (migration from the city during Covid, demographic shifts as income levels have increased, new businesses that cater to this clientele) that have clearly contributed more to , and they have nothing but their own reputations to fall back on, which means they have nothing.
In this board's history, the only thing that comes to mind that has attracted tourists has been the first year of Open Streets, which was working fine (mostly-I know, I know) until the Tourism Board decided to take it over in 2021 and turn Warren Street into a hazardous maze filled with ugly concrete blocks that presented a hazard to divers, blocked available parking, and forced local businesses to throw good money after bad.
I would also like to salute Dominic Merante for holding the Board's feet to the fire regarding the lack of Accessible port-a-potties in the pocket parks during recent events. It was part of the approved resolution through the Common Council, and it's shameful that they weren't installed. We should be welcoming tourists of all abilities to the City of Hudson, and I'm glad someone was there to stand against this shameful omittance.
I recommended years ago that the Tourism Board fund a study to track overnight guests and their spending patterns to recommend projects that would increase revenue and fill beds midweek and off-season, providing more money for the City and a more steady income for people who work in the Tourism and hospitality industries, with the added benefit that these projects could also have improved infrastructure. They've done such a terrible job I wouldn't trust them now with a dime of Hudson's money.
Thanks for the clarification, John. Local business sponsorships are different animals altogether from national chains. I support that type of public/private partnership as long as it doesn't amount to leasing the public sphere.
DeleteGiven, as you mentioned, the proclivity to nepotism this body has shown, and the extremely sloppy execution of projects (above re: ADA accessibility, the Warren Street debacle this summer, the general lack of marketing to encourage tourism, which, I mean...) I think any local business would be foolish to give this group money rather than create a separate subcommittee under the HDC or Hudson Business Coalition.
DeleteAs someone who has obtained grants, sponsorships and donations for Hudson events, each event organizer can apply. Locally Stewarts offers sponsorship funding. Also my other sponsors offer in-king donations to events and should be acknowledged. It can be frustrating to find grant funding as there is often a large time lag from application to notification. The City could help to include these events on their website, thus promoting what cultural events happen here and when annually.
ReplyDeleteIt's also worth mentioning at this point that Tom DePietro, himself a member of the BEA, assured the Tourism Board members last night that the number they turned in for their budget need not be the final number, and they could always approach the Common Council for more money into 2022, which makes me think that A) Tom just doesn't seem to understand how important budgeting and planning are to help a municipality remain fiscally solvent, and B) the Tourism Board rank and file have done a sloppy and incomplete job planning their budget out for the coming year.
ReplyDeleteThe Tourism Board has to go.
Sarah Dibben submitted this comment:
ReplyDeleteI went to several tourism board meetings earlier in the year and suggested sponsorship from larger businesses like Etsy and stair gallery. My suggestion was specifically for things like public bathrooms. (Halfway through the summer after the City Hall opened up to the public they closed their public bathrooms.) Sponsorship for community needs is a good idea. And I’ve been yelling this from the roof for over a year. I was told no-one wanted to take on my idea. I was told the mayor did not want public bathrooms.
The mayor, the council members — none of them want to do work. They are only interested in “optics” and insulating themselves from the electoral ramifications of their collective lack of both leadership chops and the ability to do actual executive and legislative tasks.
DeleteYou are not alone, Sarah. Public facilities seem like a no-brainer for consideration, though the Tourism Board wouldn't be able to slide that money to friends or family, so it's no wonder the idea failed.
DeleteDuring the early part of the pandemic, Rich Volo asked for some seed money to get Trixie's List off the ground, and was rejected. (Trixie's list has been a great tool for local businesses new and old to connect with locals and visitors alike.) Hannah Black had the audacity to complain that her business, Lil Deb's, didn't appear on the site (they weren't open at the time). I guess Lil Deb's didn't think the pandemic was something to take seriously.
I'm not sure if this was before or after the Lil Deb's sponsored stage got $15K of Tourism Board funds, but it was about the same time.
But remember how popular and over-subscribed the Lil Deb's stage shows were? All that great music and theater? Me either.
DeleteI remember the City-owned stage moving up to Troy (not sure how much revenue that produced) and being inaccessible to other organizations who wished to utilize it.
DeleteSide not I also remember Tom on Monday opining the Board didn't need to worry about finding grants before because they had their 'own money's to spend. By which, presumably, he meant taxpayer dollars.
These people keep hoisting themselves by their own petards.
Good Morning -
ReplyDeleteYes, Stewart's across the state, has proven time and again, to be a generous community partner, even when the company is vilified, the Development Representative treated rudely, and the customers mocked for their choice to shop there.
A nice shout out, Mr. Weckler.
Susan