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May 15, 2020 - In This Issue:
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A Message From Mayor Steve Noble:
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We are keeping updated on Coronavirus and doing our best to share this information widely.
What you need to know today:
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We have 98 confirmed "active" cases in Kingston as of today. The County's
Covid-19 dashboard, now features active, total confirmed, recovered and fatalities per City. You can also see how we are doing as a region in meeting the Phase 1 re-opening criteria.
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The Rite Aid pharmacy on Flatbush Ave in Kingston is now taking appointments for free drive-through COVID-19 testing.
- Tomorrow, Saturday, May 16, is Shop Ulster Saturday. I encourage you to support your favorite local businesses, if you are able.
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City of Kingston Parks & Recreation has cancelled all summer programming, including summer camps, sports leagues and all group classes. More details
here.
As always, we are asking
everyone
to abide by the guidelines of staying home if you are sick, distancing yourself from others even if you are well, and washing hands and surfaces often. We have seen your efforts pay off and are seeing signs that the spread of the virus is slowing. Keep it up!
Please continue to stay safe and take good care.
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City of Kingston Enters Phase 2 of Economic Recovery Plan
Mayor Steve Noble has announced the second phase of the City of Kingston Economic Recovery Plan will go into effect starting Monday, May 18. Mayor Noble presented details of Phase 2 to the Common Council at its Finance and Audit Committee meeting on Wednesday, May 13.
Phase 2 of the plan includes temporary layoffs of 10 part-time and 9 full-time staff through July 31, 2020 across eight City departments, including the Assessor's Office, Building Safety, City Clerk's Office, Civil Service, Comptroller's Office, DPW, Parks & Recreation, and the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Per an agreement with CSEA, impacted employees will retain their medical and other benefits during the layoff period. Layoffs will predominantly affect positions whose duties have been curtailed or restricted as a result of COVID-19.
"We have worked hard over the years to place the City in a strong fiscal position, which has allowed us to weather the initial financial impact of this pandemic." said Mayor Noble. "Now is the time to make hard decisions to overcome this unprecedented challenge and embark on our path to economic recovery. To date, we have been able to maintain all essential City services, but the full extent of the pandemic's impact has not yet been realized. It is critical that over the next few months we continue to exercise strong fiscal oversight and advocate with our federal representatives for funding for Kingston and its sister cities across the country."
Due to the necessity for local businesses to close in compliance with NYS PAUSE and to protect the health and safety of Kingston residents, the City has collected significantly less sales tax revenue than budgeted in 2020. The first two sales tax payments received this week are down 27% (March) and 38% (April) from 2019. Additional income sources such as investment interest, parking revenue, fees, permits and others will also be impacted. With available data, the City Comptroller, John Tuey, is now projecting that the City of Kingston will have revenue decreases between $4,00,000-$6,000,000.
Mayor Noble has already implemented departmental budget cuts, a hiring freeze, overtime pay reductions, and the allocation of $1.6 million from the City's Fund Balance. The temporary layoffs are expected to save the City approximately $75,000 in payroll expenses. At the end of July, the Mayor and City Comptroller will have updated data on the extent of overall revenue losses. If revenues continue to decline and the federal government does not announce a financial relief package for states and local governments, the City will need to consider permanent layoffs and potential service reductions.
"The challenges we are facing, while unprecedented, are not unique to Kingston," said Mayor Noble. "I am in regular contact with municipal leaders across our region to share data and best practices and advocate for the federal funding we need during this difficult time."
Mayor Noble will continue to provide regular updates to the Common Council and public on the progress of the City's recovery efforts.
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Mayor Noble's Daily Update
Mayor Noble is live on the City of Kingston's Facebook page and at Radio Kingston at 5:00pm daily from Monday to Thursday.
Submit your questions for the Mayor on Facebook and he will try to address all related questions and concerns. Then tune in to hear the day's news and updates.
Click below to hear Thursday's update.
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First Round of Paving in 2020
This week, the City began paving on
Tietjen Avenue,
Teller Street,
Deyo Street,
Colonial Dr. (pictured below),
Sheehan Court and
Stuyvesant Drive.
Roadwork is scheduled to be completed by May 22, weather depending.
The next round of paving is expected to be announced in the next couple of weeks.
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Climate Adaptive Design Project Survey
The City of Kingston would love your feedback on preliminary designs for an adaptation project at Kingston Point Beach. The Kingston Point Climate Adaptive Design project has been evaluating sea level rise scenarios and its effects on the Point, and developing an overall plan with engineering concepts that balances opportunities for ecological health, resiliency, and recreation. Through community feedback, a demonstration project will be identified for preliminary design.
Please check out the City's new public engagement website,
Engage Kingston to see a short presentation of three possible designs and then take a very brief survey to provide feedback. The survey will be open until Monday May 25. Results of this survey and your feedback will inform future planning at Kingston Point.
Additional projects will be added to
Engage Kingston regularly, including many of the City's portfolio of grant-funded transportation and water infrastructure projects, planning documents, housing initiatives, parks and sustainability programs, and more.
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City of Kingston Historian COVID-19 Project
The Friends of Historic Kingston and City of Kingston Historian Taylor Bruck have started an initiative to collect and archive COVID-19 related photos of Kingston. We welcome and encourage all to participate and document this historic time in our City's history by sending photos to [email protected].
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Kingston 311
The
Kingston 311 app, website and phone
system allow residents to quickly and easily report issues and submit service requests. The Kingston 311
app, available for
Android
&
iPhones
, is a fast and simple way to connect to City officials in non-emergency situations.
This system is a valuable resource to submit service requests for streetlight replacement, roadwork, City signage, traffic calming measures and other concerns. Issues with snow removal and reporting of vehicles and sidewalks not in accordance with the Snow Emergency restrictions can also be submitted via Kingston 311.
Photos can also be attached to illustrate service orders. Dial 311 from any phone within City limits to reach us.
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