At a glance
Hudson's Safety Committee held its first meeting of 2026. Common Council President Margaret Morris outlined a new structure: department reports will now go to relevant committees rather than informal meetings. Henry Haddad was named chair, with a co-chair selected to ensure meeting continuity. The committee heard reports from both the fire and police departments, with particular focus on parking enforcement improvements. Police reported a 17% increase in parking revenue since taking over the parking bureau six months ago, bringing in nearly $650,000 in the second half of 2025 compared to $555,000 the prior year. The committee also addressed public questions about fire hydrant maintenance, handicap parking policy, and data privacy concerns around the new electronic parking system.
Committee Organization and New Meeting Structure
The committee organized itself and President Morris explained the new reporting structure for city departments. Rather than presenting at informal meetings, departments will now report to relevant committees.
Key points
- Henry Haddad selected as chair, with a co-chair to ensure continuity given only four committee members
- Meetings scheduled for first Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m.
- Department reports will go to relevant committees instead of informal meetings, with safety committee covering police and fire
- Rules of order adopted at the organizational meeting apply to committees, including two-minute public comment limits
- Committee composition includes Councilors Haddad, Sarah Morante, and a third member (names partially unclear in transcript)
- Resolutions must go through informal meetings before formal votes, with submissions due close of business the Thursday before each informal meeting
No formal agenda was prepared since the chair wasn't selected until the meeting began. Future meetings will have proper agendas.
Fire Department Report and 2025 Call Summary
The fire department presented year-end 2025 statistics and discussed January 2026 calls. False alarms represented more than half of all calls.
Key points
- 2025 totals: 413 calls, with 256 false alarms (52% of all calls)
- 33 fire calls in 2025, including 11 building fires and 22 other fires (dumpster, cooking, vehicle)
- 13 motor vehicle accidents with injuries, eight vehicle-versus-pedestrian incidents, seven accidents without injuries
- 31 hazardous conditions responses (gas leaks and similar)
- January 2026 started busy with 39 calls: three fires, seven hazardous conditions, one vehicle collision, and 15 false alarms
- Many false alarms at the Riverview hotel due to residents vaping in bathrooms, but detectors are functioning as designed
- Fire department cannot charge for false alarms when smoke detectors activate for legitimate reasons like steam or cooking, unlike county policy
The fire department recently switched from NFIRS to NEARS reporting system, which may affect how future statistics are categorized.
City policy differs from county policy on what constitutes a chargeable false alarm. The county would classify steam and vaping incidents as false alarms, while the city does not when detectors function properly.
Junior Firefighters Program Restructured
The fire department explained changes to its youth recruitment program, which is no longer affiliated with Boy Scouts and operates directly under the fire department.
Key points
- Explorer program replaced with junior firefighters program run directly by the city fire department
- 14 and 15-year-olds classified as juniors, 16 and 17-year-olds as cadets with additional qualifications
- Currently no active junior firefighters or cadets
- Past after-school partnerships with middle school reached wrong age bracket (too young)
- Recruitment challenges widespread across the state and county, not unique to Hudson
- Fire department seeks connections with high school students, offers Tuesday night drill sessions at 6 p.m. for interested youth
- Junior program historically the primary recruitment pipeline for the department
Committee members suggested coordinating with the superintendent and youth services to explore recruitment partnerships targeting the right age group.
Public Comment on Fire Hydrants and Vacant Buildings
A resident raised safety concerns about out-of-service fire hydrants and vacant buildings as fire hazards. The fire chief explained the department's response protocols.
Key points
- Resident reported a fire hydrant on the 200 block of State Street has been out of service for at least two years
- Fire department aware of out-of-service hydrants and has backup plans (Plans A, B, C, and D) for every scenario
- Hydrants failing during use is no different operationally than arriving at a known out-of-service hydrant
- Department treats no building as truly vacant and assumes occupancy until proven otherwise during fire response
- Fire hydrant maintenance falls under DPW authority, not fire department control
- Resident also raised concerns about vacant buildings as fire hazards, though code enforcement handles those issues
Police Department December Report and Awards
Chief Franklin presented December statistics, including use-of-force incidents and arrest totals, and mentioned the annual awards ceremony.
Key points
- Two use-of-force reports from one incident during Winter Walk: subject with knife at downtown store, located at high-rise building
- Officers deployed taser when subject wouldn't drop knife, then transported for mental health evaluation with no injuries
- 16 arrests in December, 10 emotionally disturbed person calls, zero drug overdoses or suspected overdoses
- Annual awards ceremony held December 11, recognizing department members and community residents
- Reports will look different going forward due to new RMS (records management system), with staff troubleshooting to restore previous detail level
- Body camera and dashboard camera reports showed no training needs
The police department recently transitioned to a new records management system. Initial reports may be less detailed while staff works through the new software.
Parking Enforcement: Six-Month Revenue Surge
Captain Miller presented detailed parking statistics showing substantial revenue increases since HPD took over the parking bureau six months ago.
Key points
- December 2025: 1,322 tickets issued, 1,883 paid, 13 vehicles booted, revenue of $101,413 versus $83,630 in December 2024
- Six-month total (Q3-Q4 2025): $649,256 collected versus $555,394 same period prior year, an increase of 17% or $93,862
- January 2026: 1,603 tickets issued, 1,825 paid, revenue of $114,885 versus $102,266 in January 2025
- All backlogged appeals from November 2024 forward have been processed, with decisions made (not all notifications sent yet)
- Cash payments dropped to just $50 for entire month of January citywide, showing shift to electronic payment
- Currently six kiosks operational out of 10 city-owned units, four need solar conversion
- Additional 10 kiosks planned with T2 Systems walkthrough scheduled for Thursday to determine locations
T2 Systems technician conducting site walkthrough Thursday, February 6, to plan placement of six additional kiosks beyond the 10 already owned.
Parking System Benefits and Data Privacy Questions
The committee and public discussed benefits of the license-plate-based system and raised questions about data privacy, particularly for sanctuary city concerns.
Key points
- License-plate-based parking allows drivers to move between spots during their paid time without repaying
- All handicap parking is free anywhere in the city, not limited to blue-striped spaces, allowing universal accessibility
- Enforcement officers report more handicap placards being displayed, likely due to free parking benefit
- Booting capability helps HPD enforce parking overnight without waiting for tow companies
- Committee will create a Q&A document for the public addressing common questions about how the system works
- Public raised concerns about data collection and potential sharing with federal immigration authorities given Hudson's sanctuary city status
- Police confirmed data collection is primarily for revenue and enforcement purposes, but will research contract language about data destruction and third-party access
Committee to investigate contract terms with T2 Systems regarding data retention, destruction timelines, and third-party access, particularly in light of sanctuary city protections.
Side-street parking remains free, offering an option for residents concerned about license plate data collection.
Alternate-Side Parking Enforcement Debate
A resident challenged the practice of enforcing alternate-side parking rules on nights when DPW doesn't deploy street sweepers or snow plows, pointing to Ithaca's model.
Key points
- Resident questioned whether HPD issues overnight tickets when DPW equipment isn't actually on the streets
- Police confirmed enforcement happens regardless of whether street sweepers or plows are deployed
- Alternate-side rule serves multiple purposes: street cleaning, snow removal, keeping cars moving, and neighborhood quality-of-life
- Ithaca announces on its city website when residents can park on either side because no DPW activity is planned
- Rule suspended during summer months but enforced rest of the year
- North Sixth Street doesn't have alternate-side parking, creating inconsistency within the city
- Committee acknowledged the suggestion to research Ithaca's notification model but emphasized following rules of order for productive dialogue
Committee to research Ithaca's practice of announcing when alternate-side parking will not be enforced due to no planned DPW activity.
Parking Signage Adjustments
Brief discussion of feedback about parking sign placement and visibility, particularly signs mounted too high on street lamps.
Key points
- Multiple residents reported parking signs were mounted too high on street lamp posts
- Signs placed high to prevent tampering with QR codes and to avoid conflicting with temporary no-parking signs DPW places during events
- Some signs have been lowered after feedback, particularly on Warren Street
- Additional signage coming from DPW to improve clarity about how and where to pay
- Sign installation delayed by DPW being occupied with snow emergency and removal work
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