At a glance
The Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) held its annual organizational meeting to appoint officers and committee members for 2026. Dominic Morante was reappointed as chair, with Ronda as vice chair, Mohammed Rooney as secretary, and Mayor Ferris as treasurer. The board approved continuing with UHY as their auditor, extended Logan Dutton's contract as administrative coordinator, and received one response to their request for information on selling remaining Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency properties. The agency manages the Housing Trust Fund, which supports the Hudson Roots eviction prevention program and the housing justice director position.
Roll Call and Organizational Appointments
The board conducted roll call and made organizational appointments for 2026. Mayor Ferris appointed Dominic Morante as chair, and the board elected officers and committee members.
Key points
- Board members present: Ferris, Rooney, Smith, and Morante, with Bogle expected to arrive later
- Dominic Morante accepted appointment as chair, Ronda continued as vice chair
- Mohammed Rooney appointed as secretary, Mayor Ferris as treasurer
- Three standing committees established: governance (Ferris, Rooney, Morante), audit (Ronda, Rooney, Smith), and finance (Ferris, Ronda, Smith)
- Board deferred Housing Trust Fund committee appointments to February meeting to allow time for letters of interest
All board members must complete online ethics training within three or four months and submit certificates of completion. The training is valid for two years.
Meeting Schedule and Operational Policies
The board approved the organizational resolution establishing meeting times, official newspaper, banking relationships, and agency policies. They moved regular meetings from 5 PM to 6 PM to accommodate member work schedules.
Key points
- Regular meetings moved from 5 PM to 6 PM on the third Thursday of each month
- Register Star designated as official newspaper
- Bank of Greene County ratified as authorized depository
- All existing agency policies approved, including conflicts of interest, procurement, whistleblower, and ethics policies
- Board encouraged to review and update policies as needed, particularly those noted in prior audit recommendations
Property Request for Information
The board discussed one response received to their request for information on selling remaining Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency properties. The finance committee will review the response and report back in February.
Key points
- Deadline for property RFI was 4 PM that day, one response received
- Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency seeking to sell properties to generate revenue, the agency's only remaining asset
- Finance committee (Ferris, Rooney, Smith) will review the application and make recommendations
- Board later extended deadline by one week after public comment from interested developer who learned about RFI too late
- Logan Dutton will notify all parties who requested the RFI about the extension
The finance committee will evaluate RFI responses and present recommendations at the February meeting.
Audit Engagement and Financial Approvals
The board approved the engagement letter with UHY for the 2026 audit and authorized payment of current invoices. The audit process will run through March or April.
Key points
- UHY approved as auditor, providing continuity from previous years
- Audit committee (Ronda, Rooney, Smith) will meet 30 minutes before regular meetings during audit period
- Board approved invoices including Logan Dutton's coordinator fee, legal counsel RCMP, Hudson Roots program ($10,000), and housing justice director salary reimbursements for Q3 and Q4 2025
- New treasurer and chair must visit bank to sign updated signature cards
- December reconciliation still needs to be completed once new signatories are added
Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency operates two accounts: a general fund covering administrative costs (coordinator, legal, audit) and the Housing Trust Fund for housing-specific programs like Hudson Roots and the housing justice director salary.
Housing Authority Lead Agency Consent
The board ratified its consent for the planning board to serve as lead agency for environmental review of the Housing Authority's property acquisition project.
Key points
- Resolution relates to the 2021 option agreement between Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency and Hudson Housing Authority for property purchase
- Agreement was extended and amended in April 2025
- Planning board designated as lead agency for State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) purposes
- Commissioner Smith recused from the vote due to conflict of interest
- October 2026 closing deadline for Housing Authority project
Board member mentioned HHA has a closing deadline of October 2026. The board planned to invite HHA director Jeff to February meeting to brief new members on project details.
Housing Justice Director Contract Extension
The board tabled approval of the 2026 service agreement for the housing justice director position because exact salary and fringe benefit numbers were not yet available from the city.
Key points
- Position funded through Housing Trust Fund, with city providing the service and Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency reimbursing costs
- Agreement has been amended annually since original 2021 contract
- City has not yet provided updated 2026 salary and fringe numbers needed to finalize the contract
- Resolution will return to February agenda once numbers are available
- No 2026 billing has occurred yet, so delay does not affect current operations
Administrative Coordinator Contract Renewal
The board approved continuing Logan Dutton's contract as Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency administrative coordinator for 2026 at the current salary level.
Key points
- One-year contract extension from January 1 to December 31, 2026
- Salary remains at current level
- Role includes meeting coordination, financial reconciliation, transcript preparation, and grant administration support
Housing Trust Fund Overview
Michelle provided background on the Housing Trust Fund for new board members, explaining its flexible mission, current programs, and role in housing policy.
Key points
- HTF funded by 2021 state grant, kept separate from general budget with flexible use for low to moderate income housing needs
- Hudson Roots rental assistance program helped 53 families avoid eviction last year through early intervention with landlords
- Fund budget reduced from $50,000 to $20,000 annually due to budgetary constraints
- HTF committee members bring specialized expertise to support housing rehab grants, zoning recommendations, comprehensive planning, and policy development
- Housing justice director has secured over eight grants in recent years for various housing and planning initiatives
- Some HTF money held in five-month rolling certificate of deposit (next maturity April 19), remainder in general account for ongoing expenses
Michelle offered to meet one-on-one with new board members in coming weeks to discuss HTF programs and answer questions. She will send a comprehensive information packet.
The HTF committee completed studies on community land trusts, overlay zoning, and vacancy that fed into policy recommendations for council and the mayor's office.
Public Comment
Two members of the public commented. One asked about the property RFI process, and a sustainable design company owner requested and received a one-week deadline extension after learning about the RFI late.
Key points
- First commenter asked how many RFI responses were received (one) and for which properties (not yet determined)
- Amber Lashak from a sustainable design build company just moved to Hudson, learned about RFI on deadline day
- Her company specializes in additional dwelling units and micro-communities, aligned with Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency mission
- Board voted unanimously to extend RFI deadline by one week to allow her submission
- Logan Dutton will notify all parties who requested the RFI about the extension and update website
About this page
FUTURE HUDSON is an experiment in civic engagement: every public meeting of the City of Hudson since January 2026, transcribed and made readable, so any resident can follow what the city is deciding without attending every meeting. This page covers one meeting; see the full archive.
How it was made
The meeting video was transcribed automatically; the transcript was then organized into sections and summarized. The raw transcript is above, every claim can be checked against it.
What to be skeptical of
The transcript is automated and contains speech-recognition errors; names and numbers may be wrong. This page has not been reviewed by a human. Nothing here is an official record, the city's official minutes are authoritative.