Intermunicipal cooperation on the upswing
The Cold Spring Village Board, at its Wednesday (Aug. 28) meeting, approved a law that adds a 4 percent occupancy tax to Chapter 118 of the Village Code. The meeting also served as a public hearing on the tax.
The state Legislature approved legislation in 2022 that enabled the village to impose a tax on hotel and motel room stays of up to 5 percent.
Guests at the Cold Spring Hotel, Hudson House River Inn, Pig Hill Inn and West Point Foundry Bed & Breakfast, which collectively have 33 overnight rooms, will have the 4 percent tax added to their bills.
During the public hearing, Vera Keil, owner of the Pig Hill Inn, questioned why only patrons of those four businesses would be subject to the tax.
Mayor Kathleen Foley said the tax will apply to short-term rentals, as well, such as those booked through Airbnb and VRBO, but “we’re starting with the small number of hotels and B&Bs, as defined by New York State law.”
Foley said all revenue raised by the tax will go into the general fund, which pays for the bulk of village operations. “These dollars aren’t earmarked,” she said. “We can use them for everything in the general fund, including infrastructure,” which she said is the priority.
After the public hearing closed, Trustee Eliza Starbuck spoke in favor of limiting the tax to 3 percent until after short-term rentals are added.
Trustee Aaron Freimark agreed. “We have more freedom starting small than starting large,” he said. He suggested the tax be set at something less than 5 percent. “I’d be OK with 4 percent but happier with 3,” he said.
Trustee Tweep Phillips Woods supported 4 percent. “It’s a reasonable rate,” she said, noting that it could be increased or decreased once short-term rentals are included.
The board voted 3-1 to approve a 4 percent tax (Trustee Laura Bozzi was absent). Foley, who supported 5 percent, was the “no” vote.
“We should be optimizing this opportunity” to shift the financial burden of tourism from village taxpayers to visitors, she said, noting she wanted her view on the record but that she would not have voted against the motion had the compromise depended upon her vote.
Working together
At the beginning of the meeting, Foley highlighted recent repairs to a collapsed stormwater culvert and a “very old brick catch basin” on Fishkill Avenue and praised an intermunicipal partnership with the Town of Kent Highway Department and the Putnam County Public Works Department that enabled the work to be done.
The project cost the village about $5,000 for materials; Kent and Putnam provided labor and vehicles at no cost. In exchange, village crews will assist Kent and Putnam on future projects.
Foley said intermunicipal projects have been made easier by a county-wide association of highway departments established by Kent’s superintendent. “It’s a win-win for taxpayers across Putnam,” she said, adding that County Executive Kevin Byrne is also assisting municipalities “in ways not seen in many years.”
In other business….
■ Billy Fields and Robert Ferreira were appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals with terms ending in 2025 and 2027, respectively.
■ The board awarded a contract to Wind River LLC to dispose of 350,000 gallons of sewage sludge from the Fair Street treatment plant, as well as the annual cleaning of the pump wet wells. Though Wind River’s bid of $63,350 was $2,000 higher than Fred A. Cook Jr. Inc., which currently provides the service, Cook’s bid was not accepted because the village said the company failed to provide on-time service on multiple occasions. The village also received a third bid of $91,000.
■ The board voted to reject the two bids received for the replacement of three tanks and three filters at the water treatment plant on Fishkill Road. The project is funded by pandemic relief funds, including $200,000 directly from the American Rescue Plan Act and $200,000 through Putnam County. Foley said one bid was much higher than preliminary cost estimates and the other from a company that lacks experience on similar projects. The project will be rebid to refurbish one filter and replace another.
■ Sun Run Solar, which had applied for a permit allowing the solar panel company to solicit door-to-door in the village daily from September through December. The board approved a permit that limits solicitation to two weekdays per week from noon to 6 p.m. and one Saturday a month from noon to 4 p.m. The village will receive $1,000 in permit fees.
■ On recommendations from the Tree Advisory Board, trustees awarded two contracts based on the lowest bids: $5,600 to Garrison Tree Service for pruning and $3,350 to Philipstown Tree Service for removal.
■ The board granted approval for a small wedding at Dockside Park on the first weekend in October. Because the couple is eloping, they asked that their names be withheld.
■ Update: In a brief meeting on Sept. 4, the board gave Netflix crews permission to film in the village on Sept. 5 and 7 or 8, weather permitting, for its Knives Out film series. Cold Spring police will control traffic. The village will receive about $50,000 in fees.
