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City budget proposal includes 4 percent tax increase
By Jamie Larson
The proposed 2010 Hudson city budget containing a 4 percent tax increase was presented to the Common Council Tuesday night.
Officials from the Board of Estimate and Apportionment said that next year presents the city with both challenges and new opportunities for revenue.
The BEA, made up of Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera, Treasurer Eileen Halloran and Common Council President John Cody, has been crafting the budget over the past few months, and the proposal will be subject to a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the 7 p.m. regular meeting of the Common Council, where the budget will be voted on.
“The extraordinary, unprecedented, financial downturn of the national and state economies spells hard times on the local level as well,” Scalera said. “It’s disheartening to put together a budget with so many uncertainties and little to nowhere to turn for answers.”
In addition to the tax increase in 2010, water bills will go from $47 to $52 a yearly quarter, and sewer bills will rise from $48 to $51 a quarter. These figures are due primarily, officials say, to the cost of construction of the already complete $10 million water treatment plant, and the yet to be completed $13 million to $14 million Wastewater Treatment Plant. Both builds were mandated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
“Our water and and sewer infrastructure was identified at one time to be the most outdated and in need of replacement in the state,” Scalera said, “and we are now paying for it.”
The referendum passed on Election Day, which raised city taxpayers’ contributions to the Hudson Area Library from $48,000 to $120,000 a year, accounted for a quarter of the overall increase.
To keep down expenditures the proposed budget does not allocate raises for any elected officials, though it continues to honor contractual salary raises for city employees.
Treasurer Eileen Halloran said the BAE kept anticipated revenue from the state as flat as possible and did not account for any increases.
The worry remains, she said that the state may cut funding to municipalities, due to its substantial fiscal hardship. While officials hope to at least get the same amount of aid as last year they are bracing for a December budget reevaluation.
“Gov. (David) Paterson said just today that the state will be in a cash flow crunch in December,” Halloran said. “That cash flow has direct impact potential in the city. So for the council, it’s an absolute requirement that we partner like we’ve never done before. Even if everything stays the same at the state level it’s a very tight package.”
Halloran added that while there may be hard work ahead, Hudson is on safe financial footing due to a balanced budget, a healthy general fund balance, and new savings and revenue sources in 2010.
These include the addition of a city run metered municipal parking lot by the train station and eliminating 100 energy using, lease carrying superfluous street lights.
While all three members of the BAE said no official or resident wants to see a tax increase they worked together well to keep it as low as possible.
Scalera even said it was the smoothest budget process he’s experienced in his 12 years as mayor.
Officials from the Board of Estimate and Apportionment said that next year presents the city with both challenges and new opportunities for revenue.
The BEA, made up of Hudson Mayor Richard Scalera, Treasurer Eileen Halloran and Common Council President John Cody, has been crafting the budget over the past few months, and the proposal will be subject to a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the 7 p.m. regular meeting of the Common Council, where the budget will be voted on.
“The extraordinary, unprecedented, financial downturn of the national and state economies spells hard times on the local level as well,” Scalera said. “It’s disheartening to put together a budget with so many uncertainties and little to nowhere to turn for answers.”
In addition to the tax increase in 2010, water bills will go from $47 to $52 a yearly quarter, and sewer bills will rise from $48 to $51 a quarter. These figures are due primarily, officials say, to the cost of construction of the already complete $10 million water treatment plant, and the yet to be completed $13 million to $14 million Wastewater Treatment Plant. Both builds were mandated by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
“Our water and and sewer infrastructure was identified at one time to be the most outdated and in need of replacement in the state,” Scalera said, “and we are now paying for it.”
The referendum passed on Election Day, which raised city taxpayers’ contributions to the Hudson Area Library from $48,000 to $120,000 a year, accounted for a quarter of the overall increase.
To keep down expenditures the proposed budget does not allocate raises for any elected officials, though it continues to honor contractual salary raises for city employees.
Treasurer Eileen Halloran said the BAE kept anticipated revenue from the state as flat as possible and did not account for any increases.
The worry remains, she said that the state may cut funding to municipalities, due to its substantial fiscal hardship. While officials hope to at least get the same amount of aid as last year they are bracing for a December budget reevaluation.
“Gov. (David) Paterson said just today that the state will be in a cash flow crunch in December,” Halloran said. “That cash flow has direct impact potential in the city. So for the council, it’s an absolute requirement that we partner like we’ve never done before. Even if everything stays the same at the state level it’s a very tight package.”
Halloran added that while there may be hard work ahead, Hudson is on safe financial footing due to a balanced budget, a healthy general fund balance, and new savings and revenue sources in 2010.
These include the addition of a city run metered municipal parking lot by the train station and eliminating 100 energy using, lease carrying superfluous street lights.
While all three members of the BAE said no official or resident wants to see a tax increase they worked together well to keep it as low as possible.
Scalera even said it was the smoothest budget process he’s experienced in his 12 years as mayor.
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