Common Council, Regular Meeting

1. 0:55Yeah. Uh this is the regular meeting for July 28, 2026 for the common council now in session. Please rise for the meeting. One nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for our >> president. Council member Hud >> here. >> Hagen >> here. >> Star here. >> Foster >> here. >> Roberts here. Belton >> here. Bolo >> here. President Lee >> here present. Okay. Uh may I have a motion to dispense with the reading agenda of the hearing as place them on fire.
2. 1:59Motion >> sorry >> you all in favor. >> Any opposed? I think the motion carries. Uh the committee report city website as complete. Um so may I have a motion and second to place the committee reports on fire. Uh Lola and second from uh all in favor. Uh so we're going to begin this evening with an update from Katherine Kenga. Catherine's has been involved in this project of the public square some time. You are the leading chair or president of >> co-chair >> co-chair. Uh so uh she has come this evening to give us public update on how things with that and I believe there's a fair amount of activity going on right now. You're waiting for tickets and so
3. 3:00on. So it should be very >> Yes. Okay. Um hello. Okay. Good. Uh just as a reminder, we started uh Friends of the Public Square 5 years ago. So it's taken us quite a few years to get to where we are. Um we started off with community meetings to get input. We did online surveys and um to make sure that we built a plan that was based on what the community was looking for from the park. Um raising money is a real challenge. uh most of it comes from public sources. I would say very little from private uh sources other than um a few foundations. Um so that has led us to uh we've always planned to do it in phases mostly because of money and uh so currently um we are in the process of bidding what we call phase one. I'll summarize that um which uh those bids are due August 11th. Um in fact there was a meeting in the
4. 4:03park today with interested contractors uh along with our landscape architect um Sarah White House. Um so the new the first phase uh envisions not envisions it will be new pathways um a reposition veterans memorial to uh it'll be on Warren Street so it'll be more visible uh more accessible because right now we've actually heard stories of bedrooms falling off the uh you know the tree roots and the sloped um uh position that it's in right Um that also involves moving the um flag pole that's there. You probably don't even notice most of the time. Uh there's additional lighting um that will be uh to add to safety in the park. Um exactly the same kind of lighting, just more poles. Um and that is through the generous grant of Michelle Henchie. Um there will be some landscaping done,
5. 5:09not very much. Um but wherever a tree comes down we will be replacing with trees. Um for instance uh because there pathways coming in from the corner where there's a veterans memorial right now. Um there's a tree there. Um actually there might be more than one tree there and um so those will be replaced. Um and then new seating all new site furnishing. So benches um we also have uh involved um uh sorry um historic preservation committee has to approve various things. So they've approved the site furnishings which will be similar to the benches down at uh permanent hill. Um so that is where we are right now. So, August 11th, we're hoping to um choose a contractor and um get that going as soon as possible. Um we're currently working this week on
6. 6:12a um consolidated funding um application grant for um to New York State Parks for the fountain phase of the project. So, we're asking for the maximum, which is $675,000. Um, if successful, um, we would expect to, it takes a whole year to get these grant the grant paperwork done. So, if we got it at the end of 2026, it really, we really wouldn't see any activity on that until 2028. Um, so that is due this Friday. Okay. So, we've been working on that. Um the Riley money that you've heard of is um that's 250,000 for the fountain phase of the project. That also will take some time. That's through housing and urban development and they haven't even issued the um guidance book for that for um those monies. And then uh some additional
7. 7:18Hinchi money is um for block stone seating of 125,000 also goes into the fountain phase of the project. Um all grants are on a reimburseable basis. So I think there have been some things online about the money that we have and where is it etc. It's it's with the various grantors. Um it's all reimburseable. So we have to spend the money to get the money. Um I would also say that the grants are all for very specific design elements. So they can't be redeployed to do something else. So for instance something is proceeding got to be proceeding otherwise we don't get it. Um it's if it's for um pathways it has to go to those pathways as we presented those designs. So that is the mostly what I had as a summary. Any questions?
8. 8:21Um thank you. Um is there any enforcement of these phases that includes five work? >> Yes, that was um hopefully going to be phase three. >> Not the first phase. Well, it's my understanding that the mayor is um applying for a grant this CFA round for sidewalks around um the public square, >> right, >> to expand them. >> That's on the agenda for this week, >> right? >> There was some conflicting reports that some people thought they wanted included the more street sections. >> No. Um, sidewalks are a big deal because I I I think you have to study like the traffic patterns and stuff like that, but if you go to the park um and you look on the Warren Street sides, very obvious, they're not in alignment with um uh both sorry up and down. I won't say so I think it's west and east. Um anyway, they're not in alignment. So at some point in the past it um the
9. 9:24sidewalk got moved in. >> So you you have that as one the sidewalk piece was part of one of your phases. Right. >> That was we were we were going to tackle that with PA phase three. >> So will you be working with the mayor's office to make sure that whatever is being visioned here fits in with the plans that you all have been working on for phase three. >> Yes. Great answer. We've always worked very closely with um the mayor, >> the previous and current. >> So on phase one, uh once you get everything in and you get your bids and so forth, when will the actual work begin? >> Um I'd like to say the fall. I you know, some of it depends on the contractor. We've asked them to commit to when >> when the work can start, but we'd like to get it done over the call it the fall and winter. >> Because the whole park would be um fenced in, >> correct? >> Any other questions or comments from council members? So, as you're doing that, you are going to fence the the
10. 10:28property out. >> Yeah, we have to for safety reasons. Yeah. and the and what I call the triangle on the other side of the tracks will be also fenced for um that's staging area for contractor equipment. >> Any other questions? Any questions or any hands rambly update? Okay. Um first item on the agenda is the bills. So last week as you know we moved regarding the bills up to be saved at the formal meeting. Um a couple of bills came in very small very small dollar amounts between that meeting and this I reviewed them and there are a couple that have due dates that fall before our next meeting. So uh that's what you have before you right now. Um, so can I have a motion to pay the
11. 11:34>> motion? Long and second Henry. >> Um, roll call. >> President Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Hadad. >> Hi. >> Hen. >> Hi. >> Rooney. >> Hi. >> Sarah. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Hi. >> Roberts. >> Hi Felton. I >> next on our agenda is uh uh may I have a motion and a second for commission fourth motion. President Morris. Council member Had. >> Hi. >> Hi.
12. 12:35>> Ronnie. >> Hi. >> Sor. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Hi. >> Roberts. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> Present. >> Hi. >> Moren. >> Hi. >> Motion carries. >> Okay. Uh, next. uh in register star as our official news paper. May I have a motion and a secondary motion second? Roll call vote. >> President Council member Had. >> Hi. >> Hi Ro. >> Hi Sar. Hi Foster. Hi Robert. Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi, Mar. Hi. Motion carried. And our next is a uh resolution authorizing uh transfers, DPW transfers. Uh this is within the water system. Uh we were
13. 13:37given this last week. So can we have a motion in the second for DW transfers? Re motion second. >> President Morris. Yes. >> Council member Had. >> Hi. >> Fernhagen. >> Hi. >> Rooney. >> Hi. >> Sar. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Roberts. Hi. >> Belton. >> Hi. >> Bolo. >> Hi. >> Cousin. >> Hi. >> Moren. >> Hi. >> Motion carries. >> Thank you. Our next is accepting senior center donations. Have a motion. Second motion. Uh I'm sorry. And second uh roll call. >> President Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Hadad. >> Hi. >> Arhagen. >> Hi. >> Rooney.
14. 14:38>> Hi. Sar. >> Hi >> Foster. >> Hi >> Roberts. Hi >> Felton. Hi Olen. >> Hi Morante. >> Hi. >> Motion carried. The next is um wait which we last last uh week. This is the uh resolution authorizing the mayor to submit an application for New York State Department environmental uh climate smart communities implement implementation. Um and this relates to the what we just mentioned with Katherine the the streetscape around the park. Um this is a uh brand that I believe is a matching brand. Um yes, it's a $32,000 match. Uh and the total amount proposed is 160 with 32,000 match and hopefully this will gel with phase three of the Foxy project um to align those those sidewalks. So may we
15. 15:41have a motion and a second to vote on the resolution. Motion on second. >> Claire, I got you right. >> So roll. >> President Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Hadad. Hi >> Carhagen. >> Hi >> Ro. >> Hi >> Sar. Hi >> Foster. >> Hi >> Roberts. >> Hi >> Elton. >> Hi >> Bolo. >> Hi >> Cousin. >> Hi >> Morante. >> Hi. >> Motion carries. >> Okay. Our next resolution uh relates to um a uh New York State uh environmental grant. Uh this is in order to uh put together a new or revised um LWRP. So as you all know our last one was done in 2011. We had a presentation on this last week. Um the final phases of the LWRP last go round never got to the point of getting to the state to be
16. 16:44approved. Once you go through the full process, there is monies that you're eligible to apply for once you have one on file with the state. So um at this point what we have for I investigated whether there's any possibility of simply uh continuing what we didn't do before but apparently that is not an option because it is too far out of date at this point. So in order to to have an LWRP that we can register with the state this is a necessary rule. So, any questions on this? Okay. And I have a motion to vote on the application for the IW Henry and second Morris. Yep. Council member Hadad. >> Hi. >> Hagen. >> Hi. >> Romy. >> Hi. >> Sar. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Roberts. I roll
17. 17:50>> motion. >> Uh our next resolution is the uh police department out which is August 4th. >> Yeah. August 4th. Uh may we have a motion motion second one. Um and a roll call. >> President Warren. Yes. Council member Haidan. >> Hi. >> Hi. >> Ronnie, >> hi. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Hi. >> Roberts. >> Hi. >> Belton. >> Hi. Rolo. >> Hi. >> Cousin. >> Hi. >> Verante. >> Hi. >> Hi. Uh, next is a motion accepting youth departments. May we have a motion? Uh, Jenny second. Claire and President Morris. Yes. Council member Hadad. >> Hi. >> H. Hi. Rooney. >> Hi. Sar. >> Hi. Foster.
18. 18:51>> Hi. >> Roberts. >> Hi. Bison. >> Hi. >> Bolo. Hi. >> Cousin. >> Hi. >> Morante. >> Hi. >> Motion. Okay. Um our next resolution is a uh authorizing um uh application for um a mitigation collection grant for a mitigation collection system project. Does anyone have any questions on this one? Okay. Uh can we have a motion and a second uh for you on the motion second the roll >> president? Yes. >> Hi >> hi >> Rooney. >> Hi >> Sar. >> Hi >> Foster. >> Hi >> Roberts. >> Hi sorry Belton. Five bolo. >> Hi cousin.
19. 19:52>> Five mare. >> Hi. >> Our next is a uh a resolution a declaratory resolution stating the common council department to authorize uh sale of resection. Uh may I have a motion? Uh Jenny second Rich and A couple Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Had. >> Hi. >> Bagen. >> Hi. >> Rooney. >> Hi. >> Sar. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Hi. >> Roberts. >> Hi. >> Felton. >> Hi. >> Bolo. >> Hi. >> Cousin. >> Hi >> Mar. >> Hi. Okay. Uh next, our favorite uh allowing electronic delivery of laws in primary form. This would be via email. No more paper except for Henry. Um and and we would receive them 10 days ahead of
20. 20:54time. As always, anything also gets posted on the website. So, may I have a motion and a second to vote on this? >> Yeah. Why does this need to be >> excuse me? Yeah. Oh, sorry. Thank you. Uh this in order for this to pass all 11 of us have to agree to accept receiving uh the local laws on our but anybody who wants paper copy can also not uh motion from second. Can we be the second me to vote permanently but that's it. Okay. Jason, is a second. Is there a roll? >> Land. >> President Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Hadad. >> Hi. >> Hen. >> Hi. >> Romy. >> Hi. >> Sar. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Hi. >> Roberts. >> Hi. >> Bellatin. >> Hi. >> Bao. >> Hi. >> Housen. >> Hi. >> Morante. >> Hi.
21. 21:54>> Motion carries. >> Okay. Uh, next is a new uh reservation. uh which our treasurer submitted uh after the meeting last week. Uh and Heather, I'm going to You're online, right, Heather? >> Yes, I can. Can you hear us, Heather? >> She's muted, but she's able to unmute herself. >> Okay. So, Heather, if you could unmute yourself. So in the absence of having been able to
22. 22:57unmute yourself. Um we discussed this in the finance committee. Um there is a uh need to um let make sure I get the it's it's an interest payment loan that is due in August and it relates to the um sewer fund. uh the store fund currently doesn't have sufficient funding to pay this uh this this interest payment that's coming up. So therefore it is necessary to move money from the general fund as loan to the sur fund until such time as for the surro fund generates revenue and then when they generate revenue they will pay back. Oh, she back. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Heather, am I explaining this correctly? >> Yeah, more or less. But I'm happy to to to take the lead. Yeah, my my um unmute was grayed out for some reason. Very
23. 23:59weird. Um but yes, um Margaret's basically right. Um there is a debt service payment due in August 1st forund a little over $167,000. That's an annual payment we have for the wastewater treatment plant. Nothing new there. Um when I went to go make uh the entry for the wire transfer, I realized there was only $177,000 in the bank. Obviously there are other expenditures um that we have to take into account like payroll and you know expenses. So um this would be a temporary interfund loan which the sewer department would pay back once it has enough cash on hand to do so. This happens it hasn't happened recently with the sewer fund but it happens on a pretty regular basis with the water fund. Um, so I've already also reached out to Rob and um said, "Hey, you know, if if there's revenues, if there's sewer fund revenues out there that, you know, maybe aren't coming in on a timely basis, like uh particularly lie, uh, and ask them to take a look for
24. 25:03that." So, um, we're trying to manage it, but in the meantime, we absolutely need this in order to make sure we can pay our debt service and to have enough funds left over to, uh, cover things like payroll. >> Thank you. Any questions? Okay. Can we have a motion and a second or motion is Jason? Second Henry call. President Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Hadad. >> Hi. >> Hagen. >> Yes. >> Romy. >> Hi. >> Sar. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Hi. >> Roberts. Hi. No, >> or anything. >> All right. >> Yes. Um, our next motion, we have a number of feed things that are on the forward this evening. However, uh, last week we had a resolution from, uh, director of the youth department, Calvin Lutus. Regarding fee schedule, I had a couple of questions. Uh, we will update
25. 26:07this. Uh, it's PDF, so it can be updated. Had a couple of questions about periodicity. So he responded back in that information. Uh so basically the fee schedule for the open gym is per day. Um the swim lessons are per session. Sessions last for two weeks. So if you enroll in more than one session that is for each session. Uh and then the youth basketball and youth soccer are uh seasonal. So that this will be updated to reflect the period of that schedule. Any questions? Hey, all new. Yeah, >> sorry. Are these all new or are they changing? >> Um, I didn't get the history. Not all of them. I think some of them are changes. Uh, I believe for some time the um the basketball and youth did not have a fee for time if I'm not mistaken. Um, but that was something this may be new this year, but that was something that was not there before. uh was there a number of years ago and then but now it's is
26. 27:11here. Uh I I can't I don't have the history so I can't answer your question. >> Any other questions? >> Were these uh chosen by you all these different fee schedules? >> No, the the one from the youth department um came from the youth department. All of the other uh fee updates were worked on by the finance. So they're coming from finance. We just reviewed them and finally this evening before this meeting >> I think some right now right now we're just talking about >> just the only we're not voting on anything else too much we're just voting on the uh resolution from the other >> we're going to talk about them okay not voting on No we're not voting um yeah no okay that's good so any other questions on Okay. Do you have a motion and a second vote on the resolution? Uh Gary motion second.
27. 28:19>> Rich, please. >> President Morris. >> Uh yes. >> Council member Had. >> Hi. >> Hi. Romy. >> Hi. >> Foster. >> Hi. >> Robert. >> Hi. Felton. >> Hi. >> Bolo. >> Hi. >> Cousin. >> Hi. >> Okay. So now before we go on into the local laws, why don't we look at the other fee schedules that were they were sent out last week. Uh and I have I got feedback on a number of them. So we can go through each of these. So first office um fee schedule uh feedback on that was um we have we the finance committee got this information from mainly from the clerk's office of what was on fire but the mass gathering permit is currently
28. 29:23at 200. So we need to we will update that to reflect that that's not going to be a change because mass gathering is 200. Um the uh fireworks permit uh does not actually exist. The process for uh fireworks is because it's a volunteer fire department. The reason you don't see anything in the fee schedule is that a donation of $500 is made to the fire department because they have to be present for any determined fire event fireworks event. So we will be removing the the uh per the permit that we added for fireworks. Um, we want to reook at the auction fees. Uh, currently that is set at $25 per day per auction. So, we're going to just set that to a dollar amount per auction. Um, and the most important thing in that is um eliminating the necessity to produce paper. Um we we have to change the code on this but to
29. 30:24produce paper cataloges because neither auction house in town actually produces paper cataloges other than for the they have everything archived it's all online it's all accessible back in one case 15 years and the other since they started business so that's all available in terms of record protection. Um so that's that's the update for the information I got from the clerk's office. Does anyone have any questions about the fees from the fe schedule for u much of this is by the state? So there's not a lot of changes here. >> Some are very old municipal parking permit. >> Excuse me. >> Look at the municipal parking permit 2012. >> Yes. One of the reasons we're doing this is that uh some of these have not been touched for over 10 years. Um there was there were some updates in early 2020. You'll see in some of them local law 2020 addressed some of the uh parking ones, but many of these have
30. 31:29been untouched. Very good. >> Wouldn't something like that be talked about before we approve it? Like what I'm asking can something be done with that number? >> What's happening next? >> Which one are you looking at? >> The very first one. I mean that's >> what's what's next with them? Are we just We increase them. Do you know increased the ability to go to parking? >> That that is a very new rate that's now in the uh parking bureau. They have a new rate for that. >> I service >> thought that they were working on that on the finance department. >> Yeah. So that when you guys speak to property >> the the process needs to move over to the parking bureau, right? >> It's currently still with department. Okay. >> But that I agree with you that that is something that when we move it over should probably be modified. >> Pretty sure we >> as we adjust the fees. Should we not adjust the code language? >> Oh, it has to be. Yes. That's why we're
31. 32:31not voting on each. >> Yeah. Well, some of them require photo some of them do not. >> So, uh, all of the things associated with the fines require photo. everything relating to the auction houses. Some of them are not mentioning them but some of them. Okay. So that's that's just um it goes by schedule and and that's why you know review give me comments we'll come back we have proposed local laws necessary updates as necessary. J um there were uh suggestions made by the um ad hoc arosal um I don't know what happened to them once they made their way to the current >> but we could definitely >> okay >> uh the next one is and this is the one you
32. 33:34should have come to your committee. I believe the next foreign photo we've got. >> I just I just think all of them should be discussed at those committees just because they have a little more insight initially just to make your word a little bit less for Mr. Finance. >> Well, Mr. Mr. Finance just I I for example I think code might have a good suggestion of >> I have I have no I got in from Yeah. Well, actually when when we were developing this one, we sat down with Craig and Craig came up with motiv. And then when Nick came in, I sent it to Nick for his input and he had he wanted to change some of them that he wanted to set back. So >> was referring to the I was going to refer to the parking ticket piece. >> We're going to get to that one. >> Yeah, that's the one I might have a little more insight. >> Okay, hang on a second. Let's see. Let's talk. Got it. So on code um uh the t the things that uh Nick wants to leave as is. He does not want to
33. 34:38change the title search uh plumbing fees. He wants to leave the 300 application for any company outside of Columbia County and remove the exam application and renewal fees. As you know we don't really have board of plumbers and it is typically impossible to take the plumbing exam. So that's kind of a redundant thing. um uh the application fee and the additional fixtures fees relating to uh fixtures. This is something that Craig went through with us to simplify the whole process of of pricing for fixtures. Um building permit fees he agrees with as proposed. So, uh I'll be updating this based on his feedback and he's >> what you said on the plumbing. >> So, the plumbing the old plumbing situation. Yeah. Yeah. >> Oh well. Yeah. So what we have wanted to do with the plumbing um the current uh let me see currently um a non-resident
34. 35:44application fee for plumbing which is somebody who is not uh licensed as a resident plumber in Hudson. >> Uh so you want to use your plumber for a permitive job. you don't want to use one of the ones listed. >> You have to pay $300 per job to use your >> project and we wanted to reduce it to 150 which Frank agreed with. Um but at the same time and the re and the logic for that was we were going to keep the renewal fee for those who are registered. And so if the uh the permitive fee um if that was uh went away, there would be no incentive for the people to continue to renew their their uh listing as resident plants. >> So that was the logic of doing that. Um in reality, a job that requires a permit is one that requires actual plumbing. It's not like fixing a leak or right. It's an actual job. And so 300 is probably in most cases that's probably a
35. 36:48fairly expensive job anyway. So he wants to meet 300. So I think that's fine. But he also wants to eliminate the uh the associated license. So I think that's fine. Uh the picture piece was different but was very competent. Um it was based upon additional fixtures over bending fixtures and so on. This had not been updated since 2011. And what Craig was looking at was well typically you're looking at any kind of job that's more than just somebody putting in a couple of pictures in the house. It's going to be a large number. And so we simplified it to be um up to four was X and then um anything uh up to including 20 is $10 because that just makes it simple. Um any other question? Uh is there any sense of income and are we trying to offset any costs with these are we just
36. 37:51putting numbers in >> in this in this case? Well, in this particular case it was um some of them you see that there were suggesting some increases. Um the one where it's regarded fixtures was really a question of simply buying something that was very >> I mean overall just >> do we do we collect how much do we collect on >> Rich do you want to talk um one of the issues is that especially with like parking tickets after 30 day period there's no increase after 30 days >> I'm talking with how much collect they say what it is >> what is going to take Yeah. >> No. >> And we are we at all concerned about trying to cover some of their costs or is it just this is a drop in the market this year for permits this year. How did this report down? How do we how do we explain that there's so many explain why are
37. 38:55it depends very much on whether there are any big jobs. >> Yeah. to collect >> 10,000 we collect 100,000 people there supposed to be there is supposed to be a connection between what you're taking in thieves and and the actual cost administration it's not supposed to be a profit sector against a tax I mean I think it sounds like your revenues don't even begin to approach your thing so I I think you're fine here but that that is the principle >> the problem with is there is money outstanding ing that we do not have the employee resources to recoup those losses. There are fees that we're not collecting because we simply don't have enough code enforcement personnel to go and seek those fees and put on all of the projects and so we are in fact missing out on revenue because we do not have a sufficient status. Do you know the revenue?
38. 39:59>> I can tell you how many brought in for 25. >> Yeah. And for 2026, we had budget was $5,000. So like just >> Yeah, we just the treasur report we get this every month. Um that's what we need to do. >> I'm sorry. I the plumbing thing is crazy to me. I'm sorry. >> The plumbing permit thing is crazy to me. The the the fact that only plumbers within Hudson don't have to pay a fee. But then plumbers, have you ever tried to get a plumber here? It's impossible. So then you're calling somebody and chatting to come do your house thing. And if they do the right thing, then they're going to pay the city $300 or $150. you get that gets passed on to the customer or the the plumber himself is getting a hit taking a hit. I don't
39. 41:03think that's okay. >> So what what uh what Nick suggested in his email was any company outside of Columbia. >> Okay. >> So the term resident doesn't necessarily mean resident. It's a term that's used to describe the plumbers that have been uh becoming newly resident by the border plumbers. I have a friend that tried to get >> sorry sorry I had a friend who tried to get a plumber >> to come to her home and called someone outside of the city of Hudson and they thought they were going to have to pay this $300 fee and all she wanted to have done is have her her dishwasher hooked up. >> No, it's need a permit for that and she doesn't need to pay $300. >> That's right. You don't need >> You do not You do not need a permit to do a This only This only >> You don't know how to do it, Anthony? >> No, no, no, no, no. You don't need a permit. >> Okay. >> Okay. Permits only apply to actual plumbing. You are putting in mid
40. 42:07plumbing for a bathtub. You have but you want to install a new bath. That's what we It requires a work permit. doesn't >> but the then maybe the cloners themselves don't understand what this entails. >> Okay. So what I'm going to do for the for the uh code enforcement schedules I think should it go to >> on Monday. >> Should it go to your >> We can talk for a few. >> Okay. Great. I think send me an invitation. >> Be Monday at 5:30. All are welcome. >> Okay. Um, >> come on. >> Okay. There wasn't really anything in uh we didn't make changes in planning board and zoning. So that is all as is those were not revised. Uh now I want to talk about parking violations because we did get feedback on this. So the violation excuse me not violation. >> No no these are parking violations. >> No these are fines. So
41. 43:11>> these are not this is not parking how much you pay to park. This is these are >> strictly violations. >> Um so for this finance work very very closely with the police department. >> Excellent. >> Um we look some of these have been updated. The last state of update was local law in 2020. Um, we looked at uh what the incentives were as to whether or not somebody would actually pay the fine because as you know we had a very substantial amount of money and unpaid fines. uh the police department was now making great inroads in solving that problem, but there was very little incentive which you had just mentioned uh to pay a fine if you didn't pay it within 30 days. It went up and then it stayed at that level for all eternity. So what we put in and the police department is parking euro uh is contracting with collections agency. So what goes in now is that after 30 days whatever the fine law was it doubles it
42. 44:13goes it trickles after in the after 60 and then if quadruples after that and after 120 days they go into so this way people are incentivized that's >> I'm sorry it's it's very humorous to me because the city voted this down 15 years ago and did away with incremental with compounding fees which is not right. We should still have compounding fees but it's nice to have it back again. >> Yes. But but also the other thing is that um again a staffing issue uh at the moment uh you get a notice of 30 days and then you never hear about it again. >> Right. >> Right. So that was another problem. Um okay. So when we were going through these what we were prioritizing was making the fine be sufficient that the person would not commit the violation right so wrong parking is currently 15 25 the other thing we really focused on were safety issues um so you will see uh
43. 45:19fire zone uh we increase from 50 to 100 uh recommendation I got from Dantic was to increase that to 125 which I think is fine Um we had uh let me see uh crosswalk we increased to 35. Um no parking zone increased to 35. Alley parking 20 to 50. We do have a significant problem right now with alley parking. That's safety issues for vehicles, emergency vehicles trying to get through the alleys. Um the bus stop one we increased to 25. Again that's a pedestrian hazard and so forth. So that one went from 10 to to uh 25. Um so this was reviewed, approved, etc. in conjunction with the police department. Any any questions, recommendations for other changing up to 50 like some of the other >> crosswalk.
44. 46:20>> Yes, >> you you would recommend 50. >> I'd say 75 even. Why not? >> Looking at the other ones. >> Well, it's like the most egregious. Um, handicap parking. And >> yes, that one. Let's make that 15. I mean, >> handicap parking is free in Hudson. So, if you're parking in one, bang them twice. 150. I don't know. No, I the thing is I think we keep the handicap parking the same because we're by it's free anywhere. Yeah, it's opening that up. So we, you know, so hopefully they're not going to be parking in the handicap park. >> Hopefully not, but that's like even more insult to injury. >> Oh, I I I agree. But I mean when it's up to you guys. I mean magic or >> So here's what I'm going to ask you to do. I would like you to submit to me your recommendations. Dominic submitted a recommendation to increase the uh fire uh parking to 195. Please submit to me
45. 47:25in writing within the next week what your suggestions are. We review them with the police department. The other thing that was part of this discussion was comparing uh of our police our fines to other municipalities because we don't want to be in that drive. So that was part of what went on. But this one um you will have a local law. Uh next week I have next month I have to update the code. This is actually in the law. So I would like to get comments within a week to actually review them with the chief and with Rich and then we can move forward with this. >> Great. >> Okay. Um All right. Uh see I think we are now on to local laws. Am I correct? Y okay. Um our first local law we discussed this is um increasing the dollar threshold for DEA ens budget transfers. Okay. Um so this is has not been updated for a long time. We reviewed this.
46. 48:29increases uh to 2,000 uh for departments and uh up to 5,000 for um two members of the DEA and then after that it comes to the council. Any questions or issues adopted? Okay. And we have a motion and second. Sorry. Motion Henry second call. Logan, did you have somebody with a hand? Okay. >> President Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Had. >> Hi. >> Hi. Rooney. >> Hi Sar. >> Hi Foster. >> Hi Roberts. >> Hi Belton. >> Hi Ola. >> Hi cousin. >> Hi Mar. >> Hi. >> Okay. Our next is similar. Um we had written in two places in both code and
47. 49:32the charter split across both reg regulations regarding government policy and um rather than having it hardcoded as a fixed amount it has been revised and in the charter to be compliant with New York state current law that way if that gets you know we haven't changed it in I don't know 20 years that way if uh New York state increases thresholds that require bids, etc. We will simply be involved. Uh so, um any questions, objections? Can I have a motion and a second? Do I have a motion? Second. Jason is a second. But we have a roll call. >> President Morris. >> Yes. >> Council member Hadad. Hi. >> Hagen. Hi. Ro. Hi >> Sar. >> Hi >> Foster. >> Hi >> Roberts. Hi Elton. >> Hi Ola.
48. 50:34>> Hi >> Motion carries. Okay. Um >> sorry. sold. >> Okay. So on all of those I had introduced a couple of months ago uh that we were going to form a uh commission and you have for discussion a um proposed travel of law uh which establishes uh a charter commission. Uh there are basically three ways to approach uh revisions. Uh the merits can appoint a commission. The uh common legislative body council can appoint a commission or uh a citizen group can form go through a uh process
49. 51:41of their commission sign and so forth. end of the day everything ends up on the ballot for a referendum. So um what I am proposing is that the common council establish a charter revision commission um that uh this would be made up of seven members. Uh when I announced this a couple of months ago uh members of the public approached me and expressed interest. Uh so there are five community members earned willing to do this work. Um I would like to serve as a as not me but the president of the common council as exoticio and I believe this right now it's uh president as exopicio. I would like to amend that to indicate the majority of the common council is also explicio. all members of voting rights um whatever document comes forward we let come back to the council anyway uh and I don't know if you want to give us some um you know overview on that but
50. 52:47first off do we have any general questions about commission >> yes um I would like to see this be a more open and public kind of thing I I would like it to be I I liked Peter Spear's suggestions around this um just because it would involve more people from the community and it would be um more inclusive right and I don't know who these five people are and I don't know you know if they represent our community holy or not that is I know I know what you're having. That's my only concern is that whoever we choose to be on our commission uh it really represents our community. >> So these are all people who rent our homes and they're willing to do the
51. 53:49work. Nobody has been excluded. >> But that's the first point. >> I you know I didn't see this posted on I didn't see it. I I haven't I I announced it a couple of months ago. I've talked about it. Um the mayor made a statement that he was not going to do a commission. Uh it's out there that we need to do a commission. One of the things we talked about in finance a little earlier um was you know a very high priority to me is the fact that the budget and BBA process is out written is not working. So that to me is a big one and I think to understand what's involved in um undertaking provision to a charter and the reason I have not named these individuals publicly is because I first of all need to get the council to agree to and then we can call >> sorry I didn't hear >> sorry first of all the council has to agree to establish our charter it's very it's antiquated it's inconsistent it is
52. 54:54There are things in the charter that belong in the code. Uh you know the charter should not have new related details relating to uh things that are you know then you have to go back and change that are should be just part of the dayto-day administrative business of doing business of running a government. The charter should be a framework. That's not how ours is written. Things get thrown into it. That's done belonging. And the charter still had its language saying that we have um uh uh proportional inclusive voting. It was never updated. Things that I go back to, you know, when you have something that was changed or updated and I go back and check the charter and it never got updated and chartered. So this it's a mess. >> I just agree with Jenny's point though like it it feels the process feels backwards. I feel like if we approved a permission like we agreed that there needs to be charter revisions but not having a pre-seelelected option to like know from the cont it's
53. 55:57hard to fully reflect types in with seven people >> I was going to say how did you come up with just seven people >> uh mainly based on the fact that in order to get work done if you go much beyond Um, but anything over 11 is is crazy. But if you want to actually get work done, you need to keep the team uh focused and relatively tight. And so how this suggest how this would work is that you you work on portions of the child where this month we're going to focus on this section and we're going to focus on this section. People are assignments. They do homework. That's how it works. So as you think I >> I just want to make a suggestion. Um perhaps we should do this in a way that you know each board has two representatives of something like that just and and >> just be Yeah. So that they're not all coming
54. 57:01from the same socio economic background that they are different types of people. Like I I I was very concerned when we got the first attempt at a charter revision or because they were all they all looked the same. >> Okay. the so committee and the and the table and the may uh committee the court board they all had some defined like the mayor appointed one the president appointed one >> right there's a formula >> the formula >> but this is following New York state structure for how commissions are established and a lot of language in here is coming from New York state I sent you all guidance on how And the other document that you have is provisions for adoption. Is it actually following New York State? >> Well, this discretion, >> that's the thing. A lot of it is dictated by the New York state law, but
55. 58:05the number of members and the and the means of making, you know, appointing or designating is within the discretion of of the local law creating it. So, but then once they're in place, they're a lot of it is dictated by state, the time frame. They're supposed to look at the entire thing. They can put it together in multiple proposals. Like there's a lot of >> once they're established as a commission, a lot of what they do is is just New York state laws. I would like to propose. Listen to what you said. I would like to take this send me your comments. I will make revisions. This is a draft, but we need to have a charter commission. I hear what you're saying about having a representative from each ward. So potentially um each ward you get together and you uh try to get a community member to step forward.
56. 59:08actually getting people to step forward and do this work is not that easy because it is in fact a lot of work. >> So that's that's a thing and I was I just I talked to everybody who raised the hand. I didn't I didn't exclude anybody. That's >> I'm not suggesting that. >> No no you're not. But I'm just pointing that out in that um you may not find it as easy to get someone from your board to participate as you >> I have a bunch of rabbit rousers and they would love I'm sure >> um I I don't have the list of the world representation um but I'm I'm not going to get into that right now. Send me your comments. This is a draft. I will work on it as circulated. We look at it again. Uh one possibility is to have uh the six members uh by that except all that I want to appoint uh president of the council and then someone from
57. 1:00:11everyone. That's that's an option. We could do it that way. But just send read the materials, send me your comments and read them carefully. both the document that I sent you that laid out guidelines and the document that was the part for this evening which is provisions for uh 36 mal provisions for adoption of the order of >> are you also kind of narrowing the scope or is this >> well that's going to have the whole >> that's going to have to be the first thing that the commission decides on is to focus on where what can need to be working on like my number one priority which I have said time and again is the budget process it's broken >> and uh >> I'm for at least when we're establishing the commission should we not give them >> some targets >> well yeah that's >> rather than just giving it openended statute actually does specifically say that they have to review the entire thing they have to then they don't have
58. 1:01:14to change on everything they read the entire But I but I I think we need to focus on certain elements of the charter to fit our dysfunction. >> Yeah. And then should we write that into the local laws first and then you have >> I think place for that is privately in the first meeting of the charter commission >> because once it's established >> it's out of our ants. No back to us all have to be the works. So, but you let me let me take on that. >> If they're reviewing the entire chart, >> I can't help you you, you know, let them to come to us and tell us what they think needs to be worked on first. They've just done a total year versus our coming in and saying, "Hey, from the outside hopefully all of you saying we come up
59. 1:02:16we need anything like >> put it there." >> Okay. All right. So, let me take this back. Think about it. Send me your hand. >> I know. Send me your comments. I just want to wrap up this the council piece of this. Uh and I will do more work and get this back to you. Um so Logan. >> Yeah, I got someone Ron. >> Yes. >> Uh yes. Hello Matt McGee and I both have some initial responses to this. I would like to point out uh first of all that there is a what is referred to as a third method of revising a city charter. This is in a pamphlet published by the state called revising city charters in New York State. And just for your information, I'm not necessarily endorsing this, but it says, see if I can find it. It's on page five. A third message of revising a city charter is by direct action of the
60. 1:03:18legislative body under its local law power as provided in section 10 of the municipal home rule law. Although this option is infrequently used, it is possible for a city council, for example, to proceed directly to revise the city charter in this manner rather than by creating an independent charter commission. In this case, the city council in effect constitutes itself as a charter commission and proceeds usually through its own committees to accomplish the amendment of revision of the charter. Whatever changes are agreed upon or then enacted by local law subject to mandatory referendum or referendum on petition if so required by the municipal home rule law uh sections 23 and 24. So I offer that for your information. I also >> Ronald thank you very much for that. Uh for your information that for your information that document has been circulated to the entire council that
61. 1:04:21was part of >> and I hope the council every member of the council has a copy of that document. >> I hope the council has read through the whole thing because it goes on about various issues that you have already touched on here. Now I have you know various other questions about the procedure that's been carried out up to this point. I would be interested to know how many responses you got to your request for volunteers to serve on the commission. Did that have any effect on the the enumeration of seven members for example >> on determining how many were needed? >> Yes. How how many responses how many responses? >> Everybody there are five people who responded that I met with and that I would like to put on the submission. So then only only five responded. >> In the event in the event that more of people than that have responded, I would still favor a very small group because I know the nature of the work that has to be done. >> So it was not >> that's correct.
62. 1:05:24>> Now I I have another question. Did you attempt or at the suggestion of other people try to solicit uh volunteers as it were from among people who had not volunteered? If someone said say I I can't do it but I'd like somebody so and so to do this if they would you know agree. Did you reach out to other people who might have been suggested to you? So, I'm not going to get into that. Ron, thank you for your input. We're going to I'm going to listen to what the council has to say. I'm going to go back and rework this. Um, are there any other hands raised? M >> Matt wants to say something. >> So, yes, go ahead, Matt. >> Yes. Uh, I believe this is an an important issue for the citizens of Hudson. I believe there should be a public hearing on starting up a commission and there also should be a public hearing on vetting
63. 1:06:30people who will be on it and I think a quorum of four is rather low and I don't think you should be trying to accommodate rapid response or conclusions. I think uh this is important enough that there should be a broader consensus. I I really and some of the things in the rules of carrying on the meetings or whatever I find rather dubious. uh section J and possibly I'm sure I'm not sure but E uh are bothersome and I think this really needs public review. There should be a special meeting and everyone should be welcome and I think it should be done with a broader consistent >> local law would local law would require a uh public hearing. Anyway, I agree with you. I think this is a matter of of
64. 1:07:35significance for the city. Uh and I take it very seriously and it was something I have given a great deal of thought to over the last year and a half. As you know, I've discussed it with you at length. Um I will be happy to receive any comments in writing that you have relating to this. Uh and I am going to incorporate what I've heard from the council and we will come back and we will have a revised version of this law to look at. Um any other hands register? Okay. Uh in the room uh comments >> oh boy. So yeah, kind of a hefty document that's in whatever you want to personally feel like these five people should be identified cuz if they were a hot step up they may be just like that prior you know uh effort and uh I don't think that was legitimate in their intentions
65. 1:08:38they had agendas and I think the agenda for you know the the revision of the code the charter should be for the general good. So I mean the last charter effort was just they basically everywhere it said mayor and tried to cut the knees out from the mayor and put in a city administrator building. I think they had something in place to begin with which you know I see somewhat devious in that last effort. So, if it's the same people that stepped up and I would question the choice of those people, but not knowing who they are, you know, I can't really respond. >> You don't think the people that took the time out of their lives to do all that hard work did any good? >> I think in his comment, >> did he put up? You think they had private agendas? Did you ask what I think? >> You ask what I think that mean? Yes, >> please.
66. 1:09:40>> Okay, >> but my point is that >> I've heard your point. We're getting to the two-minute mark here. So, >> um, thank you. Another comment in the room. >> Um, I just wanted to identify yourself, please, by Ward. I'm sorry by name. >> Uh, Diane in two. Um, it sounds like that I feel this myself and it sounds like just in the morning that there's a lot of, you know, people wanting to make sure that this situation or this process is like controlled properly and instructed properly and I just wanted to understand if we do have comments for you that is shaping this going out of the gates when are those comments for them to actually be >> I would like to get anybody wants to kind of know this please respond within a week. >> Okay. because I want to bring a revised version of this law to this council next month um so that we can and I want to clear it out in time so you can think about it. I want to see the documents that that was sent along with the law including the document that Mr. Ki was
67. 1:10:44referencing and page four of that important information about structure commission. >> She was not finished with her. She was >> she wasn't finished with her cont. >> I'm sorry. She wasn't. >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> So, just like by next Tuesday basically we'll have very much >> okay. >> Yeah. >> So, and similar to the last group too also any group of citizens can also go ahead and revise the uh charter as well and then submit it to the council. Um this is just the council's version of the rich reform but there's nothing that stops anyone else from creating their own group and or some person a lot of time to go and do it themselves and then submit it to the council >> these documents also say it'll be open to everything will be open so anyone can can >> okay um let's see what This all we've
68. 1:11:51got now business. Okay. So, uh under do business and uh by the way after we adjourn, we are are we going to have an attorney client session? We're going to have an attorney client session. So, please uh wait for that. Um >> under new business. Um as you know we uh submitted to both um the planning board to the county and to the local planning board the uh suggested revision which is our clarification to the code um relating to uh the dock usage. Um I am giving the local planning board more time to respond whether we do or do not choose to vote on that or to take action on that. Uh I think it would be worth holding a public hearing. Uh probably hopefully within the next two weeks we need to check calendars but I would like to hear directly from the public about this. Um and uh to that end um I would like to schedule if you would
69. 1:12:57check your schedules I would like to schedule a public hearing so that uh that can be put out and people can comment on on what is in the the uh recommended clarification any >> excuse me >> I can't hear you have a special >> yes uh yes the other suggestion but this is general public hearing public hearings, the public come, they make comments. Uh we don't engage. Same rules apply to everybody. However, um I think that it would be useful uh and has been requested that uh Colorado be given an opportunity to present their response to this document uh and to the to the situation as a whole. Uh and to that end uh the most efficient way I think to do that is to have a special meeting immediately prior to the public hearing during which meeting of Colorado uh attorney and or Colorado can present
70. 1:14:00their take on this on the situation under clarification that's proposed and then we can have a publication. So that's if you reject your calendars I will look at some dates. Uh I would like to do this within the next couple of weeks. Jason, um I just like to point out to the council and the public that um our Hudson Water Park submitted a version of the law that was then revised and sent before the planning board. So if any of you thought it was the same, take a look at the document. There were extensive changes, revisions made >> um in May. It was it was uh at the May in the four month meeting because I was at that meeting and that was and it was sent to the local and to the uh county planning boards for the week of May uh 20 months >> and those substantive changes. So essentially we had something that was
71. 1:15:02brought forward by a resident um and based on data from 2010 and what was sent to the and what we presented at that that night we said this is what we're sending that that was the version that went to the planning board that has very significant difference in terms of volume etc compared to what had been submitted by the rest. Okay. So take a look at that. Uh send me uh availability for a public hearing and special meeting and we can proceed. >> Any other questions in class? Okay, we have hand raised in the room. Go ahead. >> Stephen Begley last two clarifications. >> I'm sorry. >> Steven Begley last. >> Yeah. >> Um two clarifications. The public hearing would be public hearing for this board. Would you be for the planning board? No, it was going to be this public be. Yeah. No, it be a common council publicly. >> The submissions to the county planning board to the local planning board are the current version. >> That's correct. They already they
72. 1:16:03already received it. County responded. Local has not responded. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Any hands? >> Okay. >> Yeah. May we have a motion to >> adjourn at the end disapprove. So this is June 16th letter and what you're telling me is that uh they had the updates for May that the county was operating from the May uh informal meeting updates. So they were boycott of all those changes that Jason mentioned and so when the county planning board addressed this issue and in it's in the document of this meeting they dis disapproved they disapproved and then there was some there was some point made at the end of their conclusion that uh the dark operation so the council So overrides disapproval that then there's
73. 1:17:08the right like additional requirements for the county with the specifying it would take seven votes instead of six to pass it. >> Okay. So >> thank you. Thank you for that comment. Do we have a motion to return on motion to return and second? All in favor. Uh so we are going to have a client side. Anybody who uh made a motion or a second, please make sure you sign

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