Public Hearing on Proposed 2026 City Budget

1. 1:08Good evening. This public hearing for November 19, 2025 on this proposed 2026 City of Hudson budget is now in session. Please use the signin sheet if you would like to give public comment. The notice of the hearing must be published in the city's official website on November 13 and 14. First I have on the list is uh Peter friend. Thank you mayor. I live at 346 Union Street. I also start with friends of Hudson youth which supports our local youth department. Every year I pay close attention to the city budget and to what people are saying about it online. I know that budget talks bring up strong feelings but this year I think things cross the line. We seem less less able to engage in civic dialogue respectfully. In Hudson, it's sadly made far worse because we have no reliable source of information. One of the things that saddens me most is that over the past several years, Mayor Johnson and a number of members of this council have been repeatedly harassed and threatened. People have been scared. It's caused
2. 2:15real emotional harm. It's gotten so bad that in some cases, elected officials have needed lawyers to send cease and desist letters and get restraining orders. This is no way for a company to work together. Last week was another sad example. Margaret Morris was harshly criticized for simply doing her job as a council member, asking questions about the budget. No one serving our city should face this kind of hostility, and everyone in our community should be able to ask reasonable questions without being tapped. Council members have a responsibility to look closely at everything that comes across their desks, and we should encourage that, not punish it. When we attack people for asking questions, we hurt more than just those individuals. We shut down the important conversations our community needs. We're always going to disagree about priorities. That's normal. But we can still treat each other with decency. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next up, Kenny. Kenny Peter. Thank you. Thank you. That needed to be said and it is an issue and it's an issue across the board. Okay. I will tell you I've been the recipient of
3. 3:24untime harsh treatment by various se sectors. Okay, I guess I might be the new, you know, the new subject of victimization because of conceptions that people have. Last year when I was suspended from the senior center and I asked for some sort of explanation, I didn't get it. I mean, I just was speaking to having the library return to services that they existed back in 2019. And when I go before the library board, I I made that fears. Now, I've made various intreaties to the common council to invest one to investigate the situation of how I was treated and suspended. I was actually looking at bringing suit last year. I kind of softened up on that. Still within the statute of limitations. So I would advocate that we all find our better angels because it exists. It exists across the board in different cohorts whether you realize it or not.
4. 4:35And it's ugly. It's ugly. I was kicked out of a bar two weeks ago because someone had No, I'm just I'm speaking to I will give you the budget. So, I'm just one minute. So, Peter, thank you. I think it's an issue. I think we all need to look at it. And in terms of the budget, I've been going to the budget meetings. I've seen the work that that the BEA has put in and what they've had to do. They have a ways to go. I would personally like to see the revenues, the expenses be less than the revenues. So, I don't know where we need to go, what we need to get there, but I certainly am not anticipating increasing taxes. We're hopeful that we we would be increasing taxes. So, maybe we can get the expenses back down. Margaret had a point about sending it back to the departments and seeing if they could make cuts. All right. But again, to your point, Peter, I think we all need to figure out how to treat each other decently. Thank you, Lord.
5. 5:45All right. Next up, I have Justin Weaver. Uh, first I just want to say thank you to at least one person from the council for being here to represent the council in addition to our common council president. Council did not have to be here. Department heads have to be here. So, I want to put that out there. council can be here if they choose to. So, I want to thank Dominic for being here and Tom. Um, this was dropped off in my office and asked uh to be read aloud. Hello, common council member and all in attendance. I'm writing this letter regarding the budget and the impact it will have on our Hudson Youth Center. I'm in full support of our youth center remaining open and feef free. The boys club was established in 1860 and then included girls in 1990 which proves the positive influence it carries even to this present day. It is a place where children feel safe and supported where goals can be thought about and shaped. It serves as a place to try activities. athletes, male and female, actors and entrepreneurs who are grateful for all of the mentors they encountered and
6. 7:10benefited from. These children are our future. There are future caretakers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, nurses, etc. Look around. Ain't none of us getting any younger. Want me to say invest children? It's the right thing to do. As far as the fee right now in this country, people are struggling everywhere. So asking parents to come out of pocket is shameful. Shameful signed Mrs. C. Um for those who have just walked in, there's a sign in if you want to speak here. I'm in the chair in the front. The next speaker I have is Akira Rosher. Hi, my name is Akira and I'm coordinator at the center. Um, so I just wanted to speak in regards to like where I am. Um, I'm pretty much here tonight. Thank you all for being here. But also I'm here tonight just to pretty much advocate for youth, the families, the community and whatnot because I myself came up to the
7. 8:21youth department and I feel as though too often they get lost in the shuffle of everything. People forget about the youth which are the people of our future and we want to support like a fruitful Hudson. I feel like we should be in support of extending our budget because there are lots of things I talk about here at the time and I feel like it's not beneficial for anybody there. Um I challenge you guys to look at it from a parent standpoint. I'll have a um so I challenge you to look at it from a conservative cultivation standpoint if you will. Pretty much if you don't know what conservation act is, it's essentially a parenting style where parents allow their kids to explore many different opportunities, experiences and such like by getting them involved in a whole bunch of different things. And so I feel like the youth center service has that purpose for a lot of our youth that otherwise don't have opportunities elsewhere. I was one of those people. Um I would not have been
8. 9:31able to experience camping or circus arts or karate anything like that. So I just wanted to let you guys next. Good evening. My name is Joan Hunt. I'm the executive director of the Greater Hudson Neighborhood. My commitment to Hudson's young people and their families began more than 20 years ago when as a senior in high school, I started a music program at the Boys and Girls Club, now at the center. That experience shaped the direction of my life. It showed me what becomes possible when young people have a safe place to go, people who care about them, and programs that speak to their interest. It is the reason I chose a career in social work and nonprofit. I'm here tonight because I'm deeply concerned about the proposed budget cut for the HUD Center. As a nonprofit leader, I understand the importance of balance budgets. I understand the frontier that municipalities face, but I also know the vital importance of the people and resources it takes to run programs that support youth in all the
9. 10:37ways they need to be supported. Eliminating key positions in the youth department would strain a team that is already vulnerable. it would weaken the backbone of an organization that our families depend on. There has been a lot of chatter recently, mostly online, about the abundance of youth programs in London. We are incredibly fortunate to have so many wonderful organizations and opportunities for young people. But let me be absolutely clear, none of them, including the organization I run, can take the place of the Hush Department. The youth center is unique. It provides accessible, recreational, and enriching out of school time and summer programming free of charge to the young people who need at home. In 2012, the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood convened youth serving. Since 2012, the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood has convened youth serving organizations in Hudson and beyond through our co-host collaborative. Despite the vast number, there are about 30 members of co-host. Um three provides consistent year round programming that fills the essential child care gap for working families. Those three are the youth department, the Hudson City School District's after school program and the Greater Hudson family chamber. Well, this myth about
10. 11:47there being too many programs in the area, kids not addressing the vital childare needs. Until every single young person in Hudson has access to a safe place after school that ignites their spark, nurtures their potential, and strengthens their sense of belonging in this community. We have no business taking one penny from youth program. We can and must do better for our families. Cutting funds from the youth department is not just a budget decision. It's a decision that cuts into the potential of our young people. It is a decision that makes it harder for them to discover their talents, their passions, and their path in life. Our youth deserve more, not less. Crystal Hines. Yes, Crystal Hines first board and I also have a business here on Mor Street. Um I have concerns about this budget. Um last year it was proposed that we use 89 $89,247,000 from the fund balance. We ended up spending 1,667 357 as as a a mandate. Um that is a difference of $858,10.
11. 12:56My primary concern is what happens when we're getting into the fund balance and we need to do so more than we budgeted as we do year after year. And we're already if we pass this budget, we'll already be below the state's recommended level for the fund balance. And I think it's just irresponsible to continue to use that as a as a a way to fund the city operations. I think we need to find revenue sources. I think that there's a a big misperception in here and unfortunately it starts with leadership. Nobody spoke about cuts to the youth department. The last time I was here, nobody um you know I think that there's a perception that it's the lowhanging fruit and that may be but I would encourage us as a community to look for ways that we can raise money to support that organization. I see that there's a line for concession stand in here and it's been blank for the last I don't know since 2022. like why don't we come up with some greater ways to bring some revenue in so that we can continue continue to use these programs that benefit our kids to the community. Um I'm also curious as to why we're tapping into the reserves or the tourism board and the firehouse, what balance that will leave us. Again, I think we're tapping into money sources that we shouldn't be tapping into. We should push our council and the BEA for a
12. 14:06balanced budget. We always go over budget anyway. it will leave us tapping into the fund budget a balance even with a balance budget. So, I encourage you all find that balance budget, find some revenue sources, whether it's grants, whether it's a convention stand, whether it's something else. But as we talk about the affordability here in this city, we don't like to talk about taxes and 3.9% tax increase. It's going to be passed along to renters and it's going to make everything more expensive for all of us. So again, I encourage the city to find some revenue sources if they want to keep the spending as they have projected. Thank you. Thank you, Janessa. Maggie. Hi. Um, now I haven't looked at any numbers in regard to any budgets myself, but I have seen online mention of budget cuts to the Hudson Youth Department. I worked for the Hudson Youth Department at Oakdale back in 2015. I grew up going there. Not always, but there were nights I can remember just popping in there cuz we that was all there was to go. The only place I can imagine being told, "Oh, you can't commit if you don't buy
13. 15:16two bucks or something like that." I can't imagine I just can't imagine that. Now, I'm not saying we need to keep cutting into stuff. Again, I haven't looked at any numbers myself. I just can't imagine turning away children because they don't have a $150 or because they don't have whatever the fee might be. Um I just don't feel cutting into things that have been going on for decades is necessary. Um again, if that wasn't mentioned, I don't know why it was posted in such a way that it was. Um but I don't feel that that's a fee for children. I don't feel is necessary. a cut to anything in regard to the Hudson Youth Department or any program for children I feel is unnecessary when they're vital parts of our community. Thank you. I just want to clarify something quickly before we go to the next speaker. There are already two cuts to the youth department that um happened during the PDBA process. It was also
14. 16:24talked about many times that um the the cleaner should be cut as well as the secretary. Um it brought up in multiple meetings. I have all the transcripts here if anyone would like to take a look at them including last week's meeting. Um, so there has been talk about cuts specifically to the new Senate. Um, there's a lot of people here tonight who can testify to the power of the department and I want to make sure they have time for that. I also want to speak like Joanie as another leader of a youth organization in Hudson often gets mentioned when talking about um youth services and I also want to make it very clear that we absolutely cannot fill any gap left um by any reduction in services to the youth department. All of our organizations have grown to support the gap the existing gap what the youth department already serves. there are still young people who are not getting served by any organization. We're all
15. 17:37working together to make a broad enough net to support all of them and the needs of their interests from babies all the way up to young adults. So I just want to make that very very clear. And then and then another thing is I I would like there to be some clarity about the original cuts and if that was a mistake that was made and process um and if and what the mechanics are of us being able to change the original budget proposal. Can it be rejected by the council? Can the budget re be resubmitted with those lines corrected? because I think that eliminating two positions was the mistake that was made already and I think the council needs to ask answer for that as well as leadership if you guys can help us understand what are we pushing for if you support youth center budget you know by supporting youth center budget in full how can we get that original budget cor and keep those full-time positions um one thing I want to make sure to add which you know in
16. 18:45all these years of defending the youth department. We continuously have to mention the youth does not only serve youth, it the entire Oakdale area. It is very unusual and maybe unheard of for a small city's youth department to be responsible for many acres of land in a lake, two buildings, and the space of the library. So, when you talk about a custodian, they're not just cleaning the floor of a room, they're maintaining an entire multiple acres. um and a lake which benefits all of the public. We spend every day there in the summer. Anyone can spend time there. Lakehouse, the um lifeguards. This is a huge public service. And I think perhaps we need to rename these department to include recreation and public space to just remind everyone that this is so it would be enough for us to fund the department, but it is also so much more that serves everyone. and cutting um any any part of the center budget would would be a detriment to the general public as well.
17. 19:52Thank you. I'll just clarify. Um so the two positions that were cut were due to us instilling a hiring freeze. Um the athletic director position was a new position that was suggested in this um proposal from youth center and the assistant director uh position right now is cut cannot be filled unless the council the mayor of youth center. Uh the next person is zer. Hello everyone. My name is Gabrielle. I'm 20 years old. I've been working with Kness for eight years since 2017. I started with K at 12 years old as a participant in SJLA and became a youth staff leader in 2019 at 14. Just as I worked my way up, just as I worked my way up to leadership, so did many staff at the youth center beyond the years. And sad that the youth center serve as much of a purpose to our city as our police and social workers, but for some reason the needs of the youth are always
18. 21:04put last or disadvantaged or funds are taken away from the bare minimum they already receive. Firing workers from the youth center and wanting to implement a fee for entry when the youth center is the only recreational center for the youth is distasteful. I feel that firing the people that built the environment that uphold the relationships created in the space is not only disastable for the reason that you would be taking away the only guaranteed income that they have right now knowing the depressing state of H's job market right now but also because of the fact that this can be detrimental to the energy of relationships already formed. The youth center serves as a second home for some. A space to unwind, a guaranteed meal or a warm space to have fun with, guaranteed safety. The youth center youth center would not be the youth center we all know and love if it wasn't for the staff. I think it stands true that just as you represent and make contributions to your organization, so do the staff. A study of New York City's summer youth employment program linked to New York State's criminal records
19. 22:14found that participation decreases the chance of any arrest during the program summer by 17% and felony arrest by 23%. Convict convictions also go down. The study reports a 31% reduction in summer convictions and 38% fewer felony convictions among participants. According to the most recent data available 2016, 26% of juvenile crimes occur between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Frequent offenses include assault, theft, and drugrelated crimes. These are after school hours. The choice between safe fund and possibly being caught up in the wrong place or time and falling victim to the school to prison pipeline should always come free at no cost. You can guarantee that if the working families of Hudson have already started if the you can guarantee that the working families of Hudson have to start paying fees for the kids to attend the right center when they are already struggling to keep their housing and food on their tables. They will stop going. The only ones the ones who don't will have to come to terms with what is more important every month. their child
20. 23:22their child's childhood and socialization are making sure they can have hot water, access to heat, food, and other necessities and rent. Nine times out of 10, the kid will come last. In a result, we will either see a vise in juvenile crimes or the loss of our city's youth population because parents will get tired of choosing between providing to survive and robbing their kids of a comfortable, enjoyable environment, adding to our already decreased youth population. The city of Watson has already lost 30% of its youth from 2012 to 2020. Thank you. Want to remind anyone who's just come in that the signin sheet to speak is in the chair. Also want to acknowledge that there will be no vote tonight. That is going to be happening on the 26th. Next up is Stephanie Kamal. Yes. Can you hear me? Uh yes, this is Margaret Morris first
21. 24:28ward. Uh I just want to assure the members of the public that uh while there are very few members of the council present in the room tonight, this is the mayor's meeting. uh attending remotely uh are Dwan and Ronnie from the second ward, Jenny and Vodo and Rich Vodto from uh fourth and Vicki is attending from the fifth. Dom is in the room. So I just want you to know that we are here, we are listening and we are hearing what you have to say. Thank you. Thank you, Margaret. I'm Stephanie from the Mlesson Family Circus and I I'm so glad that we actually got to hear from a young person who has a vested interest in community and also with somebody who shows up is a really powerful part of how it's in the future. And I also want to um reflect some thoughts that came from youth that I get to work with who don't feel comfortable speaking up in front of a room. So I hope you'll forgive me for putting for sharing their
22. 25:35words, but View Center is a vital place for young people to to socialize together in a safe environment that is quite different than the environment that they often receive in school, which can be punitive, alienating, and separating. You center has a culture and a staff that represents the nature of the community of Hudson which is welcoming and warm and sees the potential and each of each individual that participates there. Youth have unlimited energy and creativity and as was pointed out if that is not channeled in a place that is safe and productive then lots of other things can happen. So that's something that um you have raised and the other thing is the exposure to skills and car brought this up as well. The exposure to all kinds of life experiences, creative experiences and
23. 26:42community building that happens in the youth center programming and right now the youth center is at the apex of its leadership. It has never been such a powerful positive place in the city of Hudson. And it would it is really important for folks who are not have not raised children here or have not been embedded in our neighborhood in our community to see that the it's a vital resource. It barely contains it's barely big enough to do what it's supposed to do. Um, last I just want to say that the City of Hudson Youth Center serves far more than just the city of Hudson Youth. This Hudson City School District is full of children that have no, as I've said, cannot afford to live here anymore and so are bust in after school, although they live in Greenport, in Livingston, in Stockville, in Stockport, in in other as far out as Villmont, and they are able to participate. families are at the lowest they've been in terms of support, in terms of job opportunities, in terms of expenses. To suggest the idea of encouraging families outside the city of Hudson to pay for use of the youth center is
24. 27:55beyond imagination in terms of what's happening in our community right now. And um yeah, thank you. Thank you. Next up, Madilla. Thank you. Now, I've heard from Yodi so much that I saying you're saying it's such important information put together, but I want to bring it to a very very personal level. We first came here was a family from that were from central Africa and the way we were were seen here before we discovered that he said in school the kids were bullied because of their names and it made us feel like we were not welcome in the city of Hudson in the beginning you hear Hudson the friendly city you see that everywhere but we weren't feeling it was friendly we were feeling like we were ostracized because we were Africans and because we understood our ancestral culture that we were wearing our hair natural and our
25. 29:00wings were tradition. So I want to stick to this sheet so I won't go too far because I can see myself going very deeply into how it was. We did not feel welcome until we discovered in the department of education they called the boys and girls. My children grew up in that club. They found fellowship. They found camaraderie. They found friendship. And that friendship they found there has covered them through this level of 1997 until now. So they learned that this is a place you can drive, you can grow, you can develop, you can prosper. And I've noticed also the buses coming across the street from my house when were few children getting in the bus at first in high school. one bus not even pass now have several buses full of children the middle school had one bus full now it's two and I think a third bus comes in after we make sure the last one so the city's grown exponentially so many more children more adults too families and we think about the one resource that they have that's big enough and elaborating us having you have gym for them have programming I had
26. 30:10I mean so many dad workshop we had our first traditional you know original theatrical production that you said they transformed it into a theater that's going to bring educational information through theatrical production there. They have been circuit fantastic work with the education of people and teach them values physical and emotional values. It's just fantastic. They cook real food there. They have people coming in learning computer skills and storytelling and you know they have people who can become authors through their storytelling workshops and and you know creating space for others to come in and elaborate what they can learn. They collaborate with all different organizations which means that it makes the place even larger than what just the one space and then job opportunities. People can go there and find either the workforce or other opportunity to find work and make themselves productive. The idea of helping people come in productive is it's such a very great gift that that one s that one space that could find so much in that one area. People can mostly easily get to it. They can't walk by
27. 31:20from the library. There's a bus other organization will give them transportation to support them. There's a nice collaborative effort. the staff I met there all seemed and really dynamic and and elaborately engaged with the children talking to them with the sense of you know we're close not just strangles we're not somebody who's just serving because they have to you can tell there's a devotion involved you can tell that there's a consideration of love and honor and respect for those people that when you see that happening and you hear about funds being cut that's a horrific thing to understand after you see the cris You see the productivity? You see how it's elevated a new confidence in themselves. Why would anyone consider that to be the next step to take away from that great event and that great accomplishment when if anything we should be raising the funds allowed to that organization and then it be even stronger even more powerful significant service better as it's growing youth center the department of youth should also be provided and and accepted and encouraged to grow as well
28. 32:28and give them the kind of understanding that we realize and appreciate all that's going on there. All that's being given to the whole community, not just you said all the understand that you all can see it is a benefit to doing whatever you can to raise the funds not even consider. Thank you. Hello, my name is I used to volunteer at Boys and Girls Club. We had a sewing club for two years where we taught the children how to hand sew and then someone donated sewing machines to the club. But really what I want to say that boys and girls is like a giant one schoolhouse. The little ones learned from the bigger ones and the older children were so willing to help the young children and then when the food came everybody participated and when we would leave that's when we would hear the basketballs from upstairs. I said this place is running you know 24/7 in its
29. 33:36own way. So why are we taking you know that's B at its ultimate there are so many other places there are a lot of nonprofits here why don't they donate some some time this is you know the young children here they know the poison club they know their elder sister and brother went there maybe their mother and father went there maybe even their grandmother This is an organization that's part of Hudson. Maybe it's not the new image of Hudson, but it's part of Hudson. And if we let go of our roots, the tree cannot grow. May Hi, my name is Maya Reed. I live at 14 State Street. So many beautiful, beautiful and perfect and true factual things have been shared by so many
30. 34:41people here. I'm so grateful. Um, I until August served 5 and a half years as youth commissioner under Johnson, our mayor. And I will speak to having been had the the privilege and honor to work with three incredibly passionate, committed youth directors. The first youth director, NAPO, that I worked with, worked tirelessly and I worked in support of developing a very good administrative structure that could support then the ch the people who were working on the floor with our children and we got it there. And then I worked with our youth director, Liz York, who benefited mightily from having an assistant director and a cleaner and a secretary. And it became like this incredible group of people overseeing, running, thinking, growing, developing what the youth department could be for the children and the young citizens of our
31. 35:53community. and then had the honor very briefly to watch Calvin Lewis move from administrative assistant director to director of the youth center. And the hope was that Calvin would have somebody to step into his place to support his work. His work was on the floor every afternoon being the overseer, the support system for our full-time rependants and our part-time rep attendants. Many of our part-time rependants were students and children who came up who were becoming learning how to be a professional person working with young people. It is so distressing to me to think that that could come tumbling down. We've gotten ourselves to a place, as many have said, of an incredible stability. And when you walk into the center and you see and feel the joy and the
32. 37:01children all engaged in different things, having choice, moving out into community, having opportunities, getting to go to Hudson, sharing programming with other programs and promised neighborhoods. We are raising the next generations as a community, as a municipality, as residents, as taxpayers. We get to do that. And we should do that because we have so many people in this room who rose through if not our youth department, another youth department, and are serving on Lake. I'm going to stop now, but thank you very Yeah. Carla. Yes. Thank you. Um, sorry for not being able to be there.
33. 38:11Um, the state for the record. Thank you. Carla Satov, a resident of Hudson. Um, every single person that has spoken so far has given compelling reasons for not touching the youth department's budget. And the youth department's budget is part of a bigger budget. And each each budget has to get scrutinized and and look and provide the necessary due diligence to be able to govern properly. And I'm I'm speaking from a business perspective, not an emotional one. And I and but I do have an emotional component. I'm thinking from an emotional component as well. Every organization that I know of, every company, every corporation, every city has to navigate their budgets. If this budget
34. 39:18if there if this is so compelling and people are so concerned that the budget may get cut then what's the work that's being done to look at what if certain things have to be cut from the the amount of money that has to get cut from the youth budget where can where can it get picked up from the other bud from the other departments to look from the whole and not individually just the youth department because there's a finite there's this is really a rhetorical question it's just a statement but there's a finite number in the piggy bank and everybody has a budget so if in fact the the need for for this particular budget to not be touched and it's over budget or it's there's there there's not enough or there's a request to look then to look from also at the other budgets. Thank you.
35. 40:26Thank you. Is there anyone else online who would like to speak? Um, sorry. I just want to speak again. Um to take care of anybody who didn't see me. Um I just wanted to mention that like I feel like too often like people are like sitting and trying to question like okay why are we going so hard for the budget for the department and I feel like unless you live the experience then you don't really have to sleep on it. Um um and I understand like you know everybody has to abide by certain budgets and whatnot within cities, municipalities and organizations and such. fully understandable, but also I feel like there are many times I know sometimes people mention results that we like show and there are many events that the youth group puts on
36. 41:37whether it be open houses um at summer camp or beach party. We have opened it up to community members all over the place, people on common council, and I feel like it's we always see the same people there all the time. And I feel like that's very telling because these are people who have actually were side by side with us or had kids that have come to our program or have just attended anything with us. So I feel like feel free come into the space. You can always come visit. Come chat with me. I can tell y'all will be the warmest welcome you will come into. Yeah. But but like that's what I'm saying. I feel like unless you live the experience, it's kind of hard to but say what you feel works or doesn't work for the youth in this case. I'll leave us with um you want to I wanted to say something
37. 42:49Roberts I used to attend I used to call the boys and girls club. Now my grandkids attend and they love it. I think that um the after school program is is an awesome program. It probably gets to be helping parents work late their kids are you know if they're not there they're somewhere safe. Um so taking that having kids who will live here and having their parents have to pay for their attendance it's going to put a burden on them who are already struggling. Also, I want to point out that the youth center is um providing employment for our youth in Hudson as you can see because a lot of these local businesses are not. I crystal I just wanted to add one thing. I I am one of the people that has suggested in the past that we look to other municipalities to contribute to the services that they share in the city. And it seems like there's a misperception that that those of us that think that other municipalities that use our services should pay. I I've never
38. 43:56suggested somebody should collect at the door, but instead if greenboard's using the youth department like they kick into a library, they should kick in the money for the services that they're using here. The same with other communities. So it wouldn't be individual that would be asked to pay at the door. It would be the town of Greenport, the town of Stockport that would contribute so that no students could come here and you know we would be it would be a shared service and a shared expense. I think it's unfair to look to the just the taxpayer to provide services to kids that are in Greenport and are in Stockport and the other municipalities that people mention here. Um you know it seems like there's a tax base in other municipalities which should tap into that tax base. Again, I'm not suggesting any one thing. I'm just suggesting this is clearly something that's super important for the community. Then let's community look for ways that we can keep this going to the level that it's bigger. But if we're just going to say, well, it should be on the taxpayers of Hudson. We should allow everybody in the county to come. Doesn't seem like it's going to be something that's going to last to the degree that it has been and that you won't want it to continue. That's all.
39. 45:07Um I'm currently speaking to me. Um frankly I think the proposal or the the the cuts that have happened are absurd um and unacceptable. I think from my view as a partner organization that does serve youth and I've been in the community and I've served um unhoused families prior to um there are points already made here about Hudson families being displaced and so the people in bring etc etc those are young people that already have had with Hudson in the city of Hudson and it's bad enough being displaced and that's to be displaced from your community that you play and recreate and learn and grow and maybe be employed by like to have
40. 46:16that separation is also like ridiculous. Um, so I just want to reiterate some of those points that already have been made by these beautiful people in this community that have already stood up. Um, yes, budgets need to be budgeted. We can look at creative ways to do that. I think the youth center hopefully has a voice in this process to look at the budgets and make decisions for their own selves on prioritized and including the youth and um I have other points too but I go blank off um yeah I just really it it's absurd I think to cut the youth one of my points was I already know they overflowed. That big building is already overflowing. And to look at these other organizations, Promise, Clubhouse, Kite, all do amazing things, but we don't have a capacity to hold the number of children that the
41. 47:25youth center holds. We don't. And we're also displaced and struggling for uh housing uh spaces within the city of Hudson. So if you take the youth center away, I mean what that's an enormous space and there's a basketball court. There's place there's things there that no other organization could. So I just want to say that out loud like can we put the money towards where it needs to go our youth future the youth center serves a vital purpose here and these are something I I was speaking the senior center collects fees and we could stop doing that some of the programs it's only $2 but fees are being collected at the senior center and even the county program where they do lunches for the students. If someone comes in that's a guest or something, they want $4. So when you provide a service, you know, if I was providing a service,
42. 48:36I would just do it myself and not nickel and dime the participants just seems, you know, something. So, and in addition, I want to speak to the good work of the BEA because they actually scrutinize the most over and painstakingly painstakingly right Tom find ways to bring the revenues, you know, the expenses within the revenues. So I would recommend for the viability of the youth department that people get serious about exploring different revenue options. I know there's another 290 that was available from the state. I think greater promise got that not in the newspaper. Right. So there are revenue sources. there are grants and if if people would get energetic about finding some of these grants then maybe we wouldn't have this this this issue here today. So I would encourage people to look at it. Again, I want to thank Ma um
43. 49:44Heather department that chipped in and then if you had to be there, you had to be there to actually appreciate the amount of of um scrutiny and finding ways to make the budget come into balance. And I think personally it's important that the budget comes into balance. I think it's someone who hasn't spoken. Yeah, I just want to just make that last point. I think it's it's important that the budget be in balance and that we live within our means. Thank you. Or should I get out the fridge? Are you making a comment? Is she making a comment? I don't think so. Okay. Um, hi guys. My name is Jenna Castillo. I am the secretary of the department and I also live in the board. Um, I want to thank everyone
44. 50:54and nice memory of the department. Um, I just wanted to speak to the youth department bring in revenue because we that I mean we uh have building rental revenue. We have fulfilled summer camp revenue. We do charge fees. Um and we are you know revisiting that. We work diligently to revisit the fee schedule every year to make sure that we are trying to help with our budget and bring in some revenue so that we don't have to make you know these hard cuts. Um just this round her budgeting is you know breaking down the infrastructure within our staff and our department as other people have stated and assistant around her is very pivotal to our operations at the department. Um as I said Calvin was in that role and I worked side by side with him and Liz when she was director and I feel like without that role it's um hindering our operations to support the child centers. So, I know that, you know, that being said, I would hope that the council could understand why we're advocating so hard for
45. 52:09So, I want to speak on my own we have um and that's to talk about the use of the fund balance to balance this funding. Um, we've done that since I've been mayor and I can't remember a time before I was mayor where it hasn't been done. Um, our fund balance is healthy. It is not dwindling. Um, we do have more funds that are coming in with the sale of the Dunn warehouse whenever that takes place. Um, we are not in debt in any way. Uh, this balance that we are proposing to the public is a good budget. Um, the reason that people are here is because they have been paying attention and every time there's a budget process, the youth center is at the forefront of that. It's the only department where people knew the exact amount of positions. It's the only department where people talked about how people outside of our city use their services. I was at the dog park today. There was no one questioning anyone that was from all over the place using the dog park or the or the riverfront. Our tax dollars going to all um so I just
46. 53:23wanted to make that statement on behalf of myself. Um I want to thank everybody for coming tonight and um I want you to remember who's here in person to defend their comments and who was not. So thank you. Thank you.

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