Mayor's Message

Mayor Noble's 2023 State of the City

City-wide Redistricting Public Hearing

Kingston Housing Task Force Seeking Applications

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

City of Kingston Job Opportunities

Mayor's Message:

Dear Friends -

Next week, I hope will tune in either in person or virtually to hear about the state of our city. I will be speaking about issues that affect each of us. My speech will discuss some of our accomplishments in 2022 and what plans we have for 2023 as we unite to heal, grow and thrive.

Talk to you Tuesday!

-Steve

Mayor Noble's 2023 State of the City

Mayor Noble will deliver his annual State of the City address on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at the Common Council meeting at City Hall in Council Chambers. The meeting, which is open to all, starts at 7:30pm.

The speech will also livestream on the City of Kingston's Facebook page.

City-wide Redistricting Public Hearing

The Common Council’s Redistricting Subcommittee will host a Public Hearing regarding the proposed redistricting maps on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 6:00pm. The Public Hearing will be held in-person at City Hall in Council Chambers and virtually via Zoom.

Kingston, like other municipalities, must redraw current ward maps to align with 2020 Census data on local population changes. Under the City’s Charter, the Common Council must undertake this redistricting process to make the nine wards more equitable. The Common Council’s Redistricting Sub-Committee has been tasked with overseeing the ward map redrawing for the City of Kingston, and has been working with a consultant who has created three proposed redistricting plans.

The three draft redistricting plans and a Deviation and Demographics Report for each plan are available at Engage Kingston or in person at the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall. Plan A represents the alternative with the least change and makes the fewest possible adjustments to the existing wards while still bringing the City of Kingston into compliance with State and Federal laws. Plan B is an example of a potential alternative that makes more significant changes using the same legal guidelines. Plan C would create new wards based on census data and the City’s communities with less focus on keeping the current ward boundaries.

Redistricting Public Hearing

January 12, 2023

6:00pm

Council Chambers at City Hall or

Via Zoom (Click here. Passcode: 4EJdWd5d)

Written comment can also be sent to [email protected] or to the City Clerk’s Office at 420 Broadway, Kingston NY 12401 until Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 1:00pm.

The Redistricting Sub-committee meeting with the consultants/mapper on December 27 can be viewed here. The Redistricting Sub-Committee also held an informational meeting on November 17. The recording can be viewed here.

The Common Council is expected to vote on the final maps before January 27, 2023. More information at www.engagekingston.com/redistricting. 

Kingston Housing Smart Task Force Seeks Applicants

The City of Kingston joined the Ulster County Housing Smart Communities Initiative in November 2022.

The Housing Smart Communities program provides guidance, technical support, and incentives for local municipalities working to address housing and affordability challenges and encourages municipalities to follow twelve “Housing Smart Actions,” which include establishing a housing community outreach campaign, creating a municipal housing action plan, and implementing other innovative housing solutions.

Kingston’s Office of Housing Initiatives is seeking members to join a Housing Smart Community Task Force to guide and support the implementation of all or some of the Housing Smart Actions. Per the City of Kingston’s commitment in its Comprehensive Plan, the City is committed to developing all levels of housing. Individuals from the public, non-profit and private sector are encouraged to apply. Task force members should live or work in the City of Kingston and should have a background or interest in housing issues.

The task force is expected to meet quarterly at City Hall, with the first meeting held in early 2023. The term for the Housing Smart Community Task Force is two years. The application deadline is January 15, 2023.

The Kingston Housing Smart Task Force application can be found at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/kingstonhousingtaskforce

Mayor Noble's Tuesday Radio Show

Mayor Noble hosts a weekly radio show on Tuesdays at 5:00pm which airs live on Radio Kingston and the City of Kingston Facebook page.

Last week, Mayor Noble spoke with County Executive Jen Metzger to discuss her plans for Ulster County and many joint initiatives with the City of Kingston.

City of Kingston Job Opportunities

The City of Kingston currently has several open positions, including Assistant Director of Building Safety and Zoning, Building Inspector, Fire Inspector, Motor Equipment Mechanic, and Motor Equipment Operator.

There are a number of upcoming Civil Service exams, including Accountant, Spanish-speaking Clerk, and Administrative Account Clerk, among others.

The Firefighter exam has been called for February 11, 2023.

For these and other City of Kingston job opportunities, please visit https://kingston-ny.gov/employment.