After that article was published (and Gossips posted the link to it), Rob Perry, Superintendent of Public Works, issued this statement about what happened and how it happened. The statement is shared here with his permission.
Street Lighting (5182.46) is the budgetary account for the 891 streetlights in the city, and it averaged $200,000/year before 2024. There were annual fluctuations with the lowest being $188,288 in 2016 and the highest being $208,058 in 2022. These variations were purely a matter of energy cost and any other charges approved by the NYS Public Service Commission (PSC).
Within the annual bill was $8,000 per month for "equipment lease." That was a charge that National Grid assessed the City for every arm, pole and light fixture. While National Grid owned everything, they would change bulbs, migrate arms & fixtures from old poles to new poles and also reattach arms & fixtures to new poles if one was broken by nature or accident. $8,000 per month (or $96,000 per year) would never go away, unless the City agreed to acquire all the assets.
Although several acquisition discussions took place from 2017 to 2023 at DPW & Finance committees of the Council, at full Council, and with every mayor, nothing moved forward until the City contracted with an agency of the State, the New York Power Authority (NYPA). With the assistance of NYPA, the City was able to purchase the Street Light assets from National Grid in May 2024. After acquisition, NYPA presented a contractor, Guth DeConzo, to perform two tasks:
- Task 1: install DISCONNECTS between the light fixture and the power supply from the pole. A requirement from National Grid, and
- Task 2: remove every High Pressure Sodium (HPS) fixture and replace with energy efficient LED fixture with Smart Nodes.
Guth DeConzo began this work in July 2024 and completed their work in December 2024.
Even though the City legally took ownership of the assets in May 2024, we were billed for the lease of assets for months after assuming ownership. Eventually we began to receive credits to reimburse those overcharges in 2024. Our 2024 invoices = $128,533.
The next and last step was for Guth DeConzo to prepare a quantitative report that identified the old and new condition of each fixture. That is, they had to detail all 891 fixtures by what the previous light fixture was, AND what the new fixture is. And National Grid had to amend their billing to represent the delta between old and new. Did this take 18 months from the date of transfer? Yes. But Guth DeConzo had to actually perform the work first (6 months), then audit and certify and submit. Then National Grid had to audit and certify, internally.
In the meantime, whatever happens in the nebulous realm of National Grid . . . invoices were generated, credits were issued and according to Grid . . . replacement invoices were sent, but none received.
The City and its leadership were well aware that our annual costs for street lighting would decrease at the close of this project. We knew the "lease price" would no longer apply. And we knew our energy costs would decrease as the average light was 150 watt HPS and was replaced by a 75 watt LED. What those exact numbers would be was a factor of National Grid rates that are approved by the PSC.
Meanwhile, we continued to receive energy bills for streetlights in 2025. Some had high balances and some had high credits. The City paid EXACTLY what balance was due. For 2025 that was just over $15,000. Was this amount reasonable? No. But we aren't in the habit of overpaying bills because we think it's too low. We wait for the vendor to correct their error.
The DPW 2026 Budget request for streetlights was $120,000. BEA [Board of Estimate and Apportionment] conversations are unknown to me, but at some point the budget was reduced to $30,000.
The resolution before the Council this month uses surplus funds in twelve (12) individual accounts to cover what is outstanding for 2025 charges. It also used Fund Balance to make the 2026 streetlight account "whole" for what we now believe are actual costs.
The resolution Perry references can be found here.
Sigh. The combined stupidity and incompetence of Johnson and DiPietro haunts us still.
ReplyDeleteWas this a similar technical issue as last year when the Senior Center / Youth Center utility invoice went to the private email inbox of a former City of Hudson employee? Also unpaid, or paid late?
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see what other Kamal/Tom era landmines still trip in the coming years.
Kudos to Rob for engaging directly and sharing his perspective, even over the weekend.
The change in the responsibility of our streetlights and arms was a huge undertaking that was taken too lightly by City Hall, including Rob Perry. There should have been someone overseeing the transition and beyond, someone other than Rob Perry, whose plate is always too full. Apparently, we will still need that person.
ReplyDeleteIf the city would like to get back at National Grid for this and all the buffoonery they’ve caused in Hudson (remember the horrendous job they did replacing the gas lines around town?)… and help clean up utility blight… AND raise some revenue…
ReplyDeleteHere’s a free tip from Union Jack to the council (I know you all read the comments 💅) :
Pass a Double Pole Law (also known as Zombie poles). As National Grid has replaced old utility poles with new ones they’ve left the old ones up, making Hudson look pretty crappy. They have no respect or concern for this and need to be compelled to finish the job. The Town of Wallkill pioneered this type of legislation and is the model law that other municipalities copy and paste. This would not be controversial with Hudsonians and an easy win for the council:
Town of Wallkill (Orange County) — Model law used statewide:
This is the most cited and influential example.
https://ecode360.com/31125532
* Local law: Chapter 101 – Double Utility Poles, Removal of
* Requires utilities to:
* Remove attachments within 30 days of notice
* Final utility must remove the pole shortly after
* Enforcement teeth:
* Up to $1,000–$2,000 fines per violation
* $250/day for failure to remove equipment from damaged poles
* $1,000 per month for failing to remove a double pole
* Each day can count as a separate violation
👉 This law is explicitly cited by state officials as a template:
* State Senator James Skoufis has encouraged municipalities to adopt similar laws with fines to combat “zombie poles”
Town of Pine Plains (Dutchess County)
A more recent Hudson Valley–relevant example.
* Local law mirrors Wallkill almost exactly
* Requires:
* 30-day removal windows for each utility
* Final removal of pole after attachments cleared
* Penalties:
* Up to $1,000–$2,000 per violation
* $250/day for failure to remove equipment
* $1,000/month for failure to remove the pole
https://www.pineplains-ny.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Local-Law-Double-Utility-Poles.pdf
UJ -- Your suggestion presumes one thing that would not allow this to happen in Hudson. Someone would need to enforce the law.
DeleteIt is now beyond obvious that Hudson City Hall has a deadly serious management and enforcement vacuum. There is no management or enforcement. There is no communication. There is no coherence. There is little to no accountability. There is nothing but a dysfunctional mess. Yes, Hudson needs a double pole law to end the stupidity and the ugliness of the old poles. But, no, Hudson is not ready to make it happen. It may never be. Not unless the rot permeating City Hall is removed and we start over.
How’s the Harry Howard Closure coming and will there be light?
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but Rob Perry's rambling explanation is bizarre. Is Roib blaming National Grid for this fiasco? Guy DeConzo, whoever he is or was? Himself? No one? Everyone?
ReplyDeleteCity Hall never seems to learn from its mistakes, and mayors are unable or unwilling to get involved to prevent this nonsense. If mayors don't see themselves as managers, then what good are they?