Mayor's Message

Common Council Passes 2025 Adopted Budget

Kingston Water Department Lead Line Notifications

Repair Cafe on Saturday

New 2025 Fee Schedule

Free 2-Hour Holiday Parking Starting December 14

Kingston Shop Hop on Saturday, December 14

Replace the Parks Returns on Tuesday

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

City of Kingston Board & Commission Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

As we rapidly head into the holiday season, there are many opportunities to give back. City Hall is hosting a blood drive on Tuesday, December 17 between 12:30-4:30pm. Register to donate at RedCrossBlood.org.

If you are able, please consider donating to the City of Kingston’s Santa Paws Donation Drive. We are collecting new pet food, toys, and bedding for our furry friends who are sheltered at the SPCA. Donations can be dropped off at City Hall until December 12. 

I hope to see everyone at the Snowflake Festival in Uptown tonight! I'll be helping to light the tree at 5:45pm. For more details and a schedule of events, click here.

-Steve

2025 Adopted Budget

This week, Mayor Noble signed the 2025 Adopted Budget, which was approved by Kingston’s Common Council on Tuesday. The total adopted 2025 General Fund budget is $59,847,749.

Mayor Noble said, “After I took office in 2016, tax rates steadily declined for eight years. Last year, due to rising inflation, we had a slight increase in our tax rate in order to cover inflationary increases on everything from chlorine for the community pool to the asphalt used to pave our streets. To continue to invest in our vital infrastructure, maintain City services, support staff contract and benefit increases, rises in insurance premiums and deductibles, and operation of the City’s ambulance service, the 2025 Adopted Budget includes a tax rate increase of 8.9%. This budget represents the first time it has been necessary to raise taxes above the tax cap in nine years.”

A few of the key 2025 Recommended Budget key points include:

•  0 layoffs

• Tax levy increases, after 9 years below the tax cap 

•  Amount to be raised by taxes is increased by 8.9% to $19,562,582

•  Homestead rate at $9.87 (per thousand) 

•  Non-homestead at $15.12 (per thousand)

•  Low Fiscal Stress Score (3.3 out of 100) 

•  Investment in retention of employees 

•  Investment in equipment to maintain City infrastructure 

•  Sewer Rate set at $7.82

“After much deliberation, the 2025 Budget reflects a restrained, responsible approach to the City’s finances,” said Mayor Noble. “This budget will deliver on our promise of providing excellent City services, including now operating ambulance service and EMS care to our residents when private companies left us stranded and vulnerable, and investing in the people who stepped up and worked hard to deliver those services to the community, while keeping costs down to prevent overburdening our taxpayers.” 

Mayor Noble’s 2025 Recommended Budget, Capital Plan, and Budget Address presentation are available at https://kingston-ny.gov/budget2025. 

Water Department Issues Notifications of Lead Service Lines

The Kingston Water Department has issued Federally-mandated notifications to homeowners in the City of Kingston whose privately-owned water service lines may contain lead.

As part of this mandatory process, the Kingston Water Department has identified possible lead service lines to private property, and is complying with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead & Copper Rule Improvements to provide this information to homeowners. The Federal law states that all lead lines must be replaced in the next 10 years.

If the service line composition is unknown to the Kingston Water Department, those homeowners were also issued letters. Notification letters for lead service lines were sent to 2,711 households, and unknown letters were sent to 2,056 households. A map of the notified properties can be found here.

“We know that these letters can be alarming, and we want to reassure residents that precautions can be taken to keep your family’s drinking water safe, like flushing your water in the morning before drinking. There are no City-owned water distribution lines with lead and lead doesn’t leach into the water unless it’s been sitting for a long period, like overnight,” said Mayor Noble. “We are hopeful that State and Federal funds will be available for homeowners to access to help with this lead line replacement. If you are concerned about lead levels in your water, we recommend contacting an accredited lab that can conduct testing.”

A service line is the pipe connecting the water main to the building inlet. In the City of Kingston, the property owner owns the entire length of a service line. When any section of the service line is made of lead, it is deemed a lead service line.

Tips for households with lead lines:

• Using a certified filter can reduce lead in drinking water. Read directions to learn how to properly install, maintain, and use your cartridge and when to replace it. Expired cartridges can make it less effective. Do not run hot water through the filter.

• Regularly remove and clean faucets’ screens (also known as aerators). Sediment, debris, and lead particles can collect in your aerator. 

• Use cold water. Do not use hot water from the tap for drinking, cooking, or making baby formula as lead dissolves more easily into hot water. Boiling water does not remove lead from water. 

• Run your water. The more time water has been sitting in pipes, the more lead it may contain. Before drinking, flush your home’s pipes by running the tap, taking a shower, doing laundry, or doing a load of dishes. The amount of time to run the water will depend on whether your home has a lead service line or not, as well as the length and diameter of the service line and the amount of plumbing in your home.

• Learn what your service line material is. Contact the Kingston Water Department at 845-331-0175 or a licensed plumber to determine if the pipe that connects your home to the water main is made from lead, galvanized, or other materials.

• Have your water tested. The Kingston Water Department encourages residents to use an Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP) accredited lab for lead testing, and can recommend Pace Analytical, located at 315 Fullerton Avenue in Newburgh. The Pace Analytical lab can be reached at 845-562-0890.

The NYS Department of Health Department has for more information and resources at: https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/lead/

If those who received an ‘unknown’ letter have records, please contact the Kingston Water Department and provide documentation to water@kingston-ny.gov. Photos of your service line can also be sent to water@kingston-ny.gov and KWD will help determine whether the pipe is made of lead.  

If your pipe is dark in color, very soft, and easy to scratch, and the scratched surface looks shiny and silvery, AND a magnet will NOT stick to it, you likely have a lead pipe.

Kingston Repair Cafe on Saturday!

The Kingston Repair Cafe is back on is Saturday, December 7 from 11:00am to 3:00pm at Redeemer Lutheran Church (104 Wurts St).

Bring your broken but beloved items to the Repair Cafe for free repairs on: electrical & mechanical, wooden items, toys, computers, jewelry, clothes for mending, darning & patching, sewing machine repair, bike repair, and more!

Limit 2 items per person. For more info, visit https://www.repaircafehv.org/.To volunteer, email repaircafekingstonny@gmail.com.

New 2025 Fee Schedule

The Common Council has approved a new fee schedule for 2025 that will affect parking permits, parking fines, and other City of Kingston fees.

In the 2025 fee schedule, which can be found here, parking permits for the City’s municipal lots will be increased to $150. The 2025 parking permits purchased before December 31, 2024, will be $100, and will then increase to $150 on January 1, 2025.

Parking permits are available for sale and renewal at https://kingstonny.cmrpay.com. There will be no physical tags as the permits will be electronically linked to license plate(s). Households will be allowed to assign up to two vehicles to each 2025 parking permit purchased. Only one vehicle will be able to use the permit at a time. If both vehicles need to be parked simultaneously, separate permits will need to be purchased.

Also in the 2025 fee schedule, many fines for parking infractions will increase, including Snow Emergency parking, occupying an ADA accessible space without the appropriate tag/placard, obstructing a fire hydrant, parking in a fire lane, obstructing a sidewalk or crosswalk, and more.

To find the 2025 Fee Schedule, please visit: https://kingston-ny.gov/content/8399/8469/8535/default.aspx. 

Free 2-Hour Holiday Parking

The City of Kingston will offer free 2-hour holiday parking from Saturday, December 14 through January 1, 2025. Parking in municipal lots and at meters will be free for up to two hours.

During this time, City parking staff will focus on meter repair and routine maintenance but will issue safety violations such as blocking fire hydrants, parking in handicap spots, double parking, and expired inspections. Vehicle owners must observe all traffic and parking rules and park in legal spots. Regular enforcement of parking meters will resume on January 2, 2025.

The 2025 parking permits for the City’s municipal lots are now for sale and renewal at https://kingstonny.cmrpay.com. Permits are electronically linked to license plate(s), there are no physical tags. Households will be allowed to assign up to two vehicles to each 2025 parking permit purchased. Only one vehicle will be able to use the permit at a time. If both vehicles need to be parked simultaneously, separate permits will need to be purchased.

Get your 2025 permits now before the price increases in January!

Kingston Shop Hop!

The three Kingston business districts have teamed up to sponsor a citywide Shop Hop on Saturday December 14, from 11:00am-7:00pm.

Shoppers can travel around Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown on a decorated, bike-friendly, 24-passenger free shuttle bus. Get all your holiday shopping done, stop for lunch, grab a drink -- hit all your Kingston favorites along the way!

There will be 4-5 convenient stops in each district. Route map to come.

Replace the Parks Returns on Tuesday

The Kingston Parks & Recreation Department will start the 2024-2025 ‘Replace the Parks,’ a drop-in, indoor playground program at the Andy Murphy Neighborhood Center, which will be open to the public starting on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. The free indoor play space will be open to pre-school aged children from 9:00am to 2:00pm on Tuesdays and Fridays in the AMNC gym. Adults are required to stay with their children at all times.

Replace the Parks is a drop-in program, no registration is required. The program will take a holiday break beginning on December 24, 2024, and will resume on January 3, 2025. The program will run weekly on Tuesday and Fridays until March 28, 2025. When Kingston City Schools are on a 2-hour delay or closed due to inclement weather, the program will be cancelled.

More at https://kingston-ny.gov/replacetheparks.

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Mayor Noble's weekly radio show, "It's the Mayor" airs on Tuesdays at 5:00pm on Radio Kingston.

This week, Mayor Noble spoke with the City of Kingston's Director of Arts & Cultural Affairs about the upcoming City Hall exhibition, FREEDOM! The opening reception will take place tomorrow, Saturday, December 7 from 2:00-5:00pm.

Click below to hear their conversation.

Weekly Roadwork/Infrastructure Update

Clinton Avenue Intersection Improvements– signal work at the intersection is continuing. New signals may be activated late next week.

Central Hudson– service replacements will continue on Washington Ave.

Prospect Street sewer project– partial paving planned for Wednesday, December 11. Water line work near Cedar and Prospect, and sewer/storm and sidewalk/curb work is proceeding on Prospect near St. James Street.

Archtop Fiber-- trenching will continue on Burgevin and Lindeman, then move in the direction of Valentine Ave, Wilkie Ave. and Overlook Dr. Another crew will return to Emerson St, Main St, Lafayette Ave and Janet St, and then move to Washington Ave, and Joys Ln near Lucas Ave soon. Another crew will be trenching on Elizabeth St and Marius St, then moving to Glen St and Josephine Ave.  

Archtop Fiber trenching machine

City of Kingston Commission & Board Opportunities

The City of Kingston has over 25 boards & commissions, and we're always looking for volunteers to serve the community.

The following currently have openings:



• Arts Commission
• Zoning Board of Appeals
• Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission 
• Live Well Kingston Commission
• Complete Streets Advisory Council
• Conservation Advisory Council



Find the application at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KingstonBoards.

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. Photos can be attached to illustrate service orders.



This system is a valuable resource to submit municipal service requests. Examples include:

• Streetlight replacement
• City signage, including overgrowth blocking traffic signs
• Snow removal, reporting parking violations, and other snow-related issues
• Parks & playground repairs
• Report graffiti or vandalism
• Trail issues

Dial 311 from any phone within City limits to reach us, use the app or visit www.kingston-ny.gov/311/