Monday, December 16, 2024

Meetings and Events in the Week Ahead

It's a pretty busy week, meeting-wise, but this week's meetings are last for the remainder of the year.  
  • On Monday, December 16, the third and final Community Visioning Session for Hudson's new comprehensive plan takes place at The Spark of Hudson, 502 Union Street. The session is a pop-in, happening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. This morning, the following encouragement to attend appeared on the Facebook group "Unfiltered Hudson": "Hudson residents don't let the wealthy classist snobs make the decisions. Get your friends and neighbors to show up en mass and make your voices heard." It is not known if the person posting this message is herself a Hudson resident.
  • Also on Monday, December 16, the Hudson Housing Authority (HHA) Board of Commissioners meets at 6:00 p.m. As always, the meeting may yield new information about the proposed redevelopment of HHA properties. It may also provide insight into why the HHA website can no longer be accessed. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person in the Community Room at Bliss Towers, 41 North Second Street, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
  • On Tuesday, December 17, the Hudson Development Corporation (HDC) meets at 4:00 p.m. The meeting may provide an update on HDC's plan to acquire the abandoned John L. Edwards elementary school building and repurpose it as a community space. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 North Front Street and on Zoom. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
  • Also on Tuesday, December 17, the Common Council Finance Committee meets at 5:15 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
  • At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17, the Common Council holds its regular monthly meeting. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
  • On Wednesday, December 18, the Zoning Board of Appeals meets at 6:00 p.m. The agenda for the meeting includes Mill Street Lofts, but the variances required for the project have been reduced to one: the size of the parking spaces. Both this project and the project proposed for Fairview Avenue are seeking variances to reduce the size of their parking spaces from 10' x 20', which is required by the current code, to 9' x 18'. The meeting takes place in person only at City Hall.
  • On Thursday, December 19, Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) meets at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely. 
  • Also on Thursday, December 19, the Public Works Board meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
  • On Friday, December 20, the Common Council ad hoc Parking Study Committee meets at 6:00 p.m. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
Update: The meeting of the Parking Study Committee has been canceled.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CAROLE OSTERINK

7 comments:

  1. The only “Community Visioning Session” that matters are the ones that happen on Election Day. Unfortunately they don’t serve free pizza at those.

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  2. Spot on Jack!

    πŸ€” So the $200k SurveyMonkey + Community Visioning exercise was marketed by, and hosted at, the Spark of Hudson...

    πŸ’° The Spark is a quasi-private philanthropic entity that occasionally lobbies local government and invests in a certain vision of Hudson via UBI and other social "experiments".

    Ok. Got it. Thank you!

    And there was another session at the local public high school where current Mayor Kamal and his deputies took a political and pro-active role in shaping and guiding the "natural and open" conversation in each breakout group.

    πŸ”„

    ➡️ So then when and where is the Galvan Foundation marketed and hosted session? And is that one at the new Galvan Foundry? Or was it basically Winter Walk?

    Since Galvan invested, and continue to invest, millions into the town and County… decades before Spark… it would only be fair…. Rick Scalera…  did you talk to Mayor Kamal about this? We should treat Hudson's benefactors equally.

    ➡️ When are the Warren Street businesses, that attract visitors and serve locals alike, marketing and hosting their session? Can we do that one at one of the brew houses?

    Fun fact: Monday trivia nights have higher resident turnout, with more diversity, than these community visioning sessions.They also have way better AV than City Hall. 

    The top 3 coffee shops, each, serve more coffees during two weekdays (not tourist weekends) than residents who filled out this survey. Don't believe me, ask them to check their Square POS receipts.

    ➡️ When and where is the Historic Hudson community marketed and hosted session for those folks who first attracted new capital investment and made sure Hudson doesn't look like Westchester or Albany and created hundreds of jobs?

    Can we do that one outside the Bronson House?

    ➡️ When and where is the session for traveling professionals and ambitious people who don't have 5 hours a week to follow local politics but likely pay a disproportionate amount of taxes?

    Can we do that one at Teterboro, Union Square, or at Art Basel?

    ➡️ When and where is the one for the artists, creatives, and designers who rejuvenated this city and keep it edgy? Can we do that one at Basilica or bring back Helsinki for one night?

    ➡️ When and where is the one for hoteliers and other hospitality workers who bring in tourists and weddings that sustain businesses and pay lodging tax? Can we do that one at the new Kitty's complex?

    ➡️ When and where is the session for working families with infants (who don't get subsidized childcare from Hudson) or senior citizens who helped build this city in the rough years and now get priced out with taxes?

    Can we do that one at the Senior Center where they play pΓ©tanque and bridge and at the fully funded child care center?  Oh wait… we only fully fund "youth centers" and inland beaches for teens from Greenport and Hudson.

    One can go on with examples of segments of Hudson, the vast majority, that are neither served nor courted by this survey and this mayor.

    Asking the obvious rhetorical question so that we treat all special interests and under represented communities equally 😜

    And so that at least one reader of this blog can see why, as Gossips reported and the consultants admitted; most of the respondents (roughly 5% of the city) were not representative geographically (wards), economically, culturally, or vocationally.

    The SurveyMonkey / Community Vision exercise cost Hudson more than $200k, or
    - More than a City Manager costs per year
    - More than the Mayor and Mayor's Aide cost per year
    - At least 2 City Clerk OR City Treasurer staff positions, likely more DPW staffers
    - Most of the Code Office (which is revenue generating)
    - 1/4 of the Youth Center
    - 100k Blue Bags πŸŸ¦ πŸ—‘️ 

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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    Replies
    1. The money would have been better spent and better served residents if it went to doing a new reassessment for the city. No other singular thing would help Hudsonians with housing affordability. It would help to fairly distribute the property tax burden that is grossly out of whack since the largest housing market boom in recent history. Other municipalities in the county have been doing their updates and thus Hudson’s state equalization rate will continue to drop - meaning Hudson residents will pay a higher portion of the pie when it comes to shared costs like school and county taxes, and we’ll get a lower share of the pie in state funding and STAR credits. But that’s ok, this administration is fine keeping a policy that is basically a de facto California Prop 13. Property taxes are confusing, while platitudes and virtue signaling works well with the mayor’s facebook constituency. I hope he gets the likes he deserves πŸ‘

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    2. I don't believe neighboring communities' revals have any impact on Hudson's equalization rate: that has to do with the difference between fair market value and assessed value. The reality is that several in-city properties have cut their asks recently -- so there may be some "natural" recalibration of the equalization rate if this continues. Be that as it may, I do agree it's time for a citywide reval to more equitably allocate our rapidly rising cost of governance. Of course, we should also a) vote out these tax and spend (on themselves) leaders, and b) enact a council-manager form of government.

      Oh, and the last time city did a reval it unleashed a political circus unlike any seen in quite a while. The utter lack of understanding and poor grasp of reality among our elected officials was on full display. Can't wait until the next one.

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    3. John, I agree with you 100% on all your points and am familiar with the last circus. And while a reval is sorely needed, I believe this administration is kicking the can down the road for two main reasons: 1) by only doing newly sold property at market rate (welcome stranger assessments) the yearly increase in city spending is somewhat obfuscated to longer tenured residents. 2) thus when a reval can no longer be avoided, the current administration will be long gone and a newer (and possibly more fiscally responsible) administration will get the blame for tax increases of the current administration, once the tax roll balances out. A future administration will also get the blame for when the bill comes due for all the Pilots and exemptions handed out willy nilly to the patrons of the current regime.

      And yes, you’re correct that neighboring communities revals do not impact our equalization rate, but the difference in rates between communities in shared tax districts (like schools) determines how the burden is proportioned.

      A city manager, or any competent chief executive, could make sure the assessor keeps the rolls closer to market rate on an annual basis by using modern trending analytics, like the state advises. Thus ending this political hot potato and swings between revals.

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    4. Too right on school district taxes — good point.

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  3. Indeed Jack and John.

    All rhetorical questions and jokes aside...

    You are right, it does come down to fairness, taxes, and not kicking the fiscal can down the road.

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