Today, a proposed local law amending the lodging tax law appeared on the agenda for tomorrow's Common Council meeting. The law, if enacted, is the death knell of the Tourism Board. The following is Section 3. Purpose of that law:
By Local Law No. 3 of 2019, the City of Hudson extended the short-term lodging tax authorized by Tax Law Sec. 1202-dd. That law provided for the creation of a Tourism Board and provided a dedicated stream of revenue to the Tourism Board from the short-term lodging tax. The law was amended by Local Law No. 2 of 2020 to provide for the revenues from the short-term lodging tax to be deposited in the City's general fund to meet the other fiscal needs of the City to protect the health, welfare and safety of City residents. The City of Hudson now finds that to allow for better transparency and accounting to the residents of the City of Hudson the purpose and scope of review of the Tourism Board should be transferred to the Common Council for the City of Hudson and/or any committee of the Common Council. This local law abolishes the Tourism Board.
i really wish that we were allowed again to have Airbnbs -- i think it was good for the City in that it generated lodging taxes, and the guests spent money that generated sales taxes.
ReplyDeleteIs the City going to reconsider its misguided resolution to stop Airbnbs ?
Rebecca Wolff is a prime example of " do what i say, not what i do". the City suffered the loss.
The only form of marketing the City of Hudson needs is urban planning & design.
ReplyDeleteDear Peter,
Deletethe founders of Hudson had a pretty sophisticated urban plan for the City, as of 1785.
It has survived that long, and seems to be on the threshold of a renaissance.
I think we should really careful with too much change in scale and character.
the disaster that was "urban planning" in the 1970s practically destroyed the City.
Now we are faced with a new sort of urban planning that proposes out of scale buildings that are 5 to 6 stories high and built full on the lots to squeeze in as many people as possible, much like those developments in the South Bronx.
Hudson was a designed as a small city of human scale. That is its charm and allure. Lets keep it that way and let the city grow along the guidelines that currently exist.
It seems to have worked.
Couldn't agree more!
DeleteThe idea that those furgary shacks were somehow historic was a ploy to disrupt the process of converting the squatter camp into a park. What are you left with is a pile of junk.
DeleteLikewise, the idea of a "Housing Crisis" is another ploy to pad the pockets of developers, construction companies, building suppliers and benefits extractors. What you will be left with is more junk, a ruined quiet neighborhood converted into an island of congested urbanity.
Amen to Peter Spear.
ReplyDelete