Sidewalk District Legislation Moves Ahead

As predicted, the legislation to establish a Sidewalk Improvement District which would encompass all of the city was the single topic of discussion at the Legal Committee meeting last night. The legislation would initiate a fee to property owners for the repair and maintenance of sidewalks throughout the city. As Crystal Peck, counsel to the Council, explained, the proposed law follows Ithaca's sidewalk law. A significant difference is that Ithaca has five Sidewalk Improvement Districts; Hudson will have just one: the entire city, "with specific parcels excluded." Peck defined those specific parcels are "municipal-owned properties used for municipal purposes, the school district, things of that nature."

Peck explained that Ithaca had a "three-tiered approach" to establishing fees. There was the annual maintenance fee, which was a flat fee, and additional fees based on the square footage of a building and on building frontage. Peck reported there had been some discussion of eliminating the square footage fee, because "it might not make sense for the City of Hudson," and changing the frontage fee to a slightly higher amount. What is currently in the proposed law is an annual maintenance fee of $70 for low foot traffic lots and $140 for all others, and a frontage fee of $0 "for all low-foot-traffic lots and double low-foot-traffic lots," and, for all other lots, $30 for each 55 feet of frontage or portion thereof. The width of a standard lot (i.e. street frontage) in most of Hudson is 26 feet.  

The proposed legislation--not yet amended as discussed at the meeting--can be found here. The video recording of the Legal Committee meeting can be viewed here. 

The legislation will be taken up by the full Council at its meeting on Tuesday, December 20. After the Council has received the proposed legislation, there will be a public hearing, which has not yet been scheduled. As Peck pointed out last night, the legislation is subject to a permissive referendum, which means that the public can force a referendum by getting the required number of signatures on a petition requesting that there be a referendum.

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