A new experiment in civic engagement.

FUTURE HUDSON is proud to announce the launch of The Weekly Digest & The Public Archive.

This is one experiment, with two parts.
The Digest & The Archive.

The Weekly Digest is a Wednesday morning email sharing what happened in public meetings last week, and what is coming in the week ahead.

The Public Archive is a growing collection of readable transcriptions of every city meeting since January 2026, at archive.futurehudson.com.

Together, they give neighbors in The Friendly City access to the workings of city government.

Bliss Towers clears its environmental review

The Planning Board issued a negative declaration on the Bliss Towers redevelopment at a special meeting May 28, ending the SEQR environmental review process. The vote was unanimous and clears the way for the project to move toward site-plan approval.

Engineering questions raised in the May comment letter, water and wastewater capacity, traffic, and the townhouse setback variances, still need final answers. Those come back to the Planning Board on June 9 and the Zoning Board of Appeals on June 17.

Council halves the county's parking deal

Hudson approved Columbia County's request to reserve 18 weekday parking spaces at the 11 Warren Street lot, but cut the term from five years to two, and required the county to pay, in writing, for moving the displaced handicap parking space to a more accessible corner across the street.

Both amendments came from the floor, after residents said the original deal gave the county a long-term hold on a public lot for less than the public pays.

A lawyer is back about the dock law

Near the end of the May 26 Council meeting, a Whiteman Osterman and Hanna attorney representing what appears to be Colarusso and Son told the Council his client is the only Hudson business harmed by the dock-operations law (§ 325-17.1) the Council introduced at its May 18 informal.

The Council president agreed the law wasn't on the meeting's agenda and committed to a proper public hearing. The attorney urged the Council to get outside counsel before acting. Watch Thursday's Legal Committee for the first signs of how that hearing gets scheduled.

Treasurer reports another $160K hole in Hudson's books

The city treasurer presented Hudson's 2025 books. The bottom line: Hudson's unassigned fund balance dropped another $160,000, far better than 2024's $1.3 million plunge, leaving about $1.39 million on hand. Government-finance guidance says the city should have closer to $2.6 million.

The pattern, smaller losses but still losses, sets up a tight 2026 budget cycle and renewed conversations about which line items can absorb cuts.

Sidewalk Improvement District opens for 2026 applications

The Public Works Board opened sidewalk season with nine fresh Sidewalk Improvement District applications on top of last year's carry-overs and roughly $310,000 in the fund. Members scheduled a Thursday afternoon walk-through with the mayor to weigh priority sidewalk pieces on Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Streets, plus an attachment to municipal buildings, for a Request for Proposals that funds work this summer.

Residents whose blocks are on the list can attend the walk-through to make the case for inclusion in this year's RFP.