The holidays are definitely behind us, and the regular rhythm of meetings has resumed.
- On Monday, January 12, the Common Council holds its organizational meeting at 6:00 p.m. It is at this meeting that the Council adopts its rules of order for 2026 and the majority leader and minority leader are announced. Margaret Morris, the new Council president, has made known her intention to reinstate standing committees, so those committees and the councilmembers who will serve on each committee may also be announced. 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 Tuesday, January 13, the Planning Board holds its first meeting of 2026 at 6:30 p.m. The agenda for the meeting suggests that this will be an organizational meeting, with opening remarks from the new chair, Ron Bogle, and brief statements about their background and perspective from each member of the Planning Board. The consultants--legal counsel and engineer--will also be introduced. The meeting will be in person only at City Hall, but it may also be livestreamed on YouTube.
Update: Gossips was informed this morning by Planning Board chair Ron Bogle that the Planning Board meeting on Tuesday and all Planning Board meetings going forward will be hybrid--taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
- On Wednesday, January 14, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) meets at 9:30 a.m. Because the makeup of the IDA is primarily ex officio--mayor, Council majority leader and minority leader, Planning Board chair, city treasurer, city assessor--almost all of the members of the IDA will be different for 2026. The meeting is a hybrid, taking place in person at 1 City Centre, Suite 301, and on Zoom. Click here to join the meeting remotely.
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Speaking of "organizational" issues in front of the new council: will there be any discussion about future of Police Commissioner position that has been vacant for a few months, including whether the position will just be done away with altogether? (The most recent commissioner said that he felt there was no longer a need for a commissioner.) In the Hudson City Code, the term "Commissioner of Police" is mentioned FAR more often than "Chief of Police" is. Like two or three times more often. At least on paper, the Police Commissioner is the head of HPD, not the Police Chief! And you wonder why the dozens of responses from the public to HPD's two paid parking "updates" on their FB page are all negative. Practically the entire organizational structure of City Hall is an antiquated, neglected and dangerous mess, just like the walking surfaces of our parking lots, sidewalks and pocket parks are.
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