The county legislature sets aside funds for housing, transportation and tourism

Ulster County Adjusts Hotel Tax AllocationUlster County Adjusts Hotel Tax Allocation In response to growing housing and transportation needs, the Ulster County Legislature has modified the distribution of revenue generated from the hotel tax. The tax, increased to four percent in January, will now allocate: * 25% to housing initiatives * 25% to the Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) public transport system * 10% to the county’s tourism department The allocation to address housing needs and expand UCAT services was proposed by County Executive Jen Metzger. Bypass of Committee Vote Initially defeated by the Ways and Means Committee, the resolution was revived through a petition for discharge. This legislative tool requires signatures from a majority of the minority party and was supported by three Republican lawmakers, giving it the necessary votes to pass. Support and Opposition Supporters of the measure cited the urgent need for housing assistance and the benefits of expanding public transportation. Detractors expressed concerns about diverting funds away from other budget sectors and the sustainability of the funding given the influx of federal Covid relief. Housing Fund Progress The Housing Action Fund, established through a resolution by Metzger, has already received ten applications for funding to support affordable and supportive housing projects. The amounts of subsidies to be awarded are yet to be determined. Emphasis on Equity County Executive Uchitelle emphasized the importance of consistent funding for housing and transportation, viewing them as critical for equitable community development. The resolution represents a significant step in addressing these pressing needs in Ulster County.

After doubling the hotel tax to four percent in January, the Ulster County Legislature adopted a A quarter of the revenue generated by the tax goes to housing initiatives, another quarter to the Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) public transport system and ten percent to the province’s tourism department.
The allocation of hotel taxes to expand the UCAT service and address housing needs was proposed by county edirector Jen Metzger.
“The ten pThe emphasis on tourism was in the old law,” explained chairman and majority leader of the Ways and Means Committee Abe Uchitelle, who used a legislative tool called a petition to reverse an earlier four-to-three defeat in the Ways and Means Bypass the committee. I’ve already spent a lot more, so it’s mainly an accounting concept, and my colleagues were happy with it.”
A petition for discharge requires a number of signatures, a total of three-quarters of the minority group. Originally intended as a counterweight to committees’ undue influence over the minority party, this legislative tool is becoming increasingly attractive to members of both parties who feel stymied in committee. Uchitelle’s was the sixth petitionn to lose so far this year.

Because there are only eight Republicans in the Legislature, Uchitelle only needed six signatures.

Uchitelle’s resolution was helped across the finish line by the support of three of his eight Republican colleagues — legislators, Gina Hansut, Tom Corcoran and Herb Litts. Two Democrats, Joe Maloney and John Gavaris, voted against the measure.
Minority Leader Kevin Roberts, who had voted against the original resolution in the Laws and Rules Committee, also voted against its revived form.

“This is nothing more than … and I hate to use the words redistribution of wealth, but it is true,” Roberts said. “This potentially takes money away from other sectors of the budget. It takes money away from farmers, truck drivers, housewives and teachers and puts it into one segment that benefits a few.”
First-term lawmaker from Woodstock and West Hurley, Jeff Collins, called housing one of the county’s top needs. “We currently spend more than $10 million a year housing people in hotels and motels,” he said. “If we have money that we spend on building homes to get people out of hotels and motels and into supportive housing, affordable housing and middle-class housing, we will save money in the long run. It is a good investment for our community.”
Lloyd lawmaker Herb Litts, who joined most Democrats in supporting the resolution, initially had reservations: “The influx of federal money is not sustainable,” Litts warned. “So we cannot get used to these large budgets, because that money will not be there.”
The last few provincial budgets have been on par with the federal largesse of the Covid years — in 2026, “I believe the county will have to raise taxes at that point,” he reasoned. “When the federal money runs out, we’re going to have to learn to live on what we used to live on. .”
He would have preferred to use a percentage of taxes from tax revenues increasing hotel occupancy into a reserve fund to be used to offset future county tax increases.
For Uchitelle, who first expressed his vision to address housing justice through a dedicated housing fund in a September 2022 resolution, the Legislature’s vote to replenish the fund would annually was a satisfying culmination of years of effort.
The Housing Action Fund was already operational and within a two-month period ending May 10, it accepted applications from people seeking financial incentives to assist in the construction, development, revitalization and preservation of affordable and supportive housing.
Uchitelle reported ten applications for the first round of provincial funding. The quantities The subsidies to be provided are not yet known.
“It is critical that we have a consistent funding stream for housing and transportation,” Uchitelle said. “These are two areas that are really a matter of equity in our community.”