Kyriacou presents annual State of the City address
In his third State of the City address, Mayor Lee Kyriacou on Monday (March 3) listed Beacon’s accomplishments in 2024 and recounted its long-term transformation “from a tired factory city to a reimagined one, with a reinvigorated historic Main Street and a quality of life that attracts newcomers, investment and visitors — a beacon for other communities to follow.”
Financial discipline
Beacon’s finances, he said, remain “the best it has been in decades.” Property tax increases remained modest while the city in 2024 completed construction on its $14.7 million central fire station and continued to invest in infrastructure upgrades.
Kyriacou said the residential tax rate in the 2025 budget is the lowest it has been in a decade, and half of what homeowners pay per $1,000 of assessed value in Poughkeepsie and . Revenue from a tax-sharing agreement with Dutchess County was a record $6.1 million last year — equivalent to 10 percent of the city’s property tax revenue — while new construction and renovations added $37 million to the tax base, and $178 million over five years, he said.
Two revenue sources were added to the 2025 budget: a 2 percent tax on hotels and short-term rentals that goes into effect in April and a share of the state cannabis tax from Beacon dispensaries.
Public safety
Kyriacou lauded the on-time and on-budget completion of the fire station as the greatest municipal accomplishment of 2024. With geothermal heating and cooling, the all-electric facility is environmentally sustainable and its brick facade should last for decades at the gateway to Main Street, he said. The obsolete Beacon Engine and Mase Hook and Ladder buildings will be sold to help pay for the new station but with provisions requiring protection of the historic structures.
In addition, the Police Department welcomed a new chief, Tom Figlia, and the City Council implemented bonuses and salary increases to counter a shortage of officers that is being seen nationwide. The city also provided a second year of funding for the Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corps and advanced life support services from Ambulnz, he said.
Infrastructure
The city took on millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements, the most significant being a project carrying over into 2025 to rebuild Fishkill/Teller Avenue and its sidewalks. Planning for that project dates to 2001, said Kyriacou, who praised City Administrator Chris White for prioritizing right-of-way acquisitions and other details to finally get it started. Elsewhere in the city, more than four miles of roads were repaved and dozens of ADA-accessible curb ramps installed.
An effort to upgrade water meters began in 2024 and construction began on a West Main Street pump station, another in a series of sewer upgrades, he said. The wastewater treatment plant’s primary settling tanks were replaced, and a former incinerator building on Dennings Avenue was repaired.
In 2025, the city will begin projects to replace the Mount Beacon water supply tank and the wastewater dewatering system and aeration blower. City Hall will also be repainted indoors and out.
Quality of life
Kyriacou praised increased spending on the Recreation Department, which he said has more than tripled in a decade and in 2024 exceeded $1 million for the first time. He credited new construction that adds to the property tax base and provides recreation fees.
Last year saw the reconstruction of the Wee Play Tot Park in Memorial Park; 2025 will bring refurbished tennis and basketball courts and public bathrooms at South Avenue Park, while Memorial Park will see upgrades to the skateboard park, fencing replaced by the softball fields and parking improvements.
The city in 2024 celebrated the centennial of the Memorial Building on Main Street — the only municipal building in the region built and maintained to honor veterans. The mayor noted that the city secured grants to modernize the building and predicted more events there to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.
Kyriacou also noted the continued work of the volunteer Fishkill Avenue Concepts Committee, which is envisioning how Route 52 could shift over time from largely commercial and industrial uses to more mixed residential and retail uses.
In his speech, the mayor said Beacon had encouraged Dutchess County to develop part of its DMV lot on Main Street to include affordable housing. The state has recognized the city as a “pro-housing community,” opening up funding options, and Metro-North is reviewing proposals to build housing at its north parking lot, with 10 percent of the 300 envisioned units to have below-market-rate rents. In addition, New York State announced last month that Beacon qualified for homeowner grants to build accessory dwelling units.
Climate
Beacon was one of the first, and one of only 15 local governments in New York, to become a silver-certified Climate Smart Community, the highest available status, which opens the door for grants to fund sustainability efforts.
In 2024 the city planted 55 trees and launched a program allowing homeowners to purchase trees at a significant discount, Kyriacou said. Beacon’s pollinator footprint also expanded via a 2,500-square-foot pollinator patch in front of the Hiddenbrooke rural park.
Solar panels are scheduled to be installed atop the Highway Garage in 2025, he said, while the municipal fleet of all-electric and hybrid vehicles will grow through Climate Smart grants. Electric vehicle charging stations were installed in 2024 at the fire station lot, and this year chargers will be installed at other sites in Beacon.
Good government
Finally, Kyriacou noted that the city in 2024 signed a three-year contract with the Civil Service Employees Association, which represents half of the municipal workforce. Accounting for inflation, it provides a “sizeable salary increase,” he said. In 2025, the city will negotiate new contracts with the police and firefighters’ unions. He noted that the city added a planning consultant in 2024 and the full-time human resources director continues to improve workforce policies, training and support. Bryan Murphy was hired Monday as the new building inspector, and first-responder hires are expected to come.
Beacon records, livestreams and airs on cable all City Council, Planning and Zoning board meetings. City news is shared regularly at beaconny.gov, with the media and through social media and YouTube, the mayor said, making the city a leader in the region for accessibility and transparency.
What a whitewashed lie. Beacon is not working for most residents. There are not enough full-time jobs; the cost of living is through the roof, creating gentrification; there is too much pollution and no political diversity.
The pattern of development has made no sense except for the few benefiting. Houses/commercial properties take two-plus years to finish. Water and infrastructure issues are years behind schedule. None of this has led to a better quality of life. We are suffering for it, not benefiting from it. [via Instagram]
All too often we take certain departments in Beacon for granted. But this past winter gave us the opportunity to appreciate the Highway Department. Keeping our 59 miles of roads clear of snow was no easy task, yet Michael Manzi’s crews stepped up to the plate (as usual) to make driving as safe as possible. We are fortunate to have such dedicated employees working to make our lives just a little bit better and safer.