2021 -2025 Council Investments

Like 94.1% of Hudson residents, I am encouraged by the direction the city is going and would like to keep it going in that direction! Great ideas and potential projects are in strong supply in Hudson, the real question is what we should do next.  

By combining healthy tax revenue with fiscally responsible spending, we've delivered unprecedented investment in infrastructure and city services. I always enjoy the discussions about our priorities and then figuring out how we can provide the most for all our residents.  

--- Fair warning on financial details here, so not everyone will appreciate this section...

We committed to and invested in our critical infrastructure, but what did that change look like beyond just words?

A 36-month average of capital improvements was $7-8M from 2015 to 2019. This figure increased to $13M in 2021, $15M in 2022, $16M in 2023, $17M in 2024, and is now $16.8M in 2025. While city tax rates remained unchanged, spending shifted and was refocused on critical city infrastructure.  

Roads, sidewalks, and stormwater projects make up a significant portion of the city's investments. In 2019 and prior, spending on stormwater was approximately $100-200K annually. In 2021, the shift of investment focus resulted in $ 1.3M. In 2022, it was $2.6M, down in 2023 to $500K, but back to $2.5M in 2024, and 2025 projected to be $3.3M.

It's not just WHAT we deliver, but also HOW we deliver it that is vital to me. Solid planning and a fiscally responsible approach lead to more lasting results without increasing the burden on taxpayers and improving the city's financial situation.  The beauty is that Hudson City Council made these investments and accomplished these projects, while bringing down our rolling debt-to-revenue ratio from about 12% to 8% and maintaining our healthy carryover. 

So, how are we set financially to deliver in the next four years?  We are in a very strong position, as you can see. There will always be challenges, such as the loss of a major employer. Still, a council equipped with the right skills and focused on factual analysis and delivering results for all our residents will continue to deliver great results.

We are not stopping smart investments or expenditures, but we're doing it in a way that doesn't increase the burden on the tax payer whenever possible. Another example of leveraging real-world business experience was the current Fiber to Home rollout. The initial deployment of Velocity Broadband, which cost the city $5M in debt ran a negative revenue for its first 3 years.  The subsequent plan to expand needed a $22M tax levy for the city and our residents. That's nearly $3000 per household. Instead, the current council's planned Fiber to Home expansion initially to utilize debt, but also generate revenue to pay down the debt as it is deployed over the next year, making it cost-neutral to taxpayers.  This solution, the result of nearly 2 years of research and planning, saves the people of Hudson $22M. Real-world experience translates into reliable results.  

While both Karen Heater and I are running for reelection, this is also why I am such a strong advocate for Will McGinley as an At-Large Councilman,  www.electmcginley.com. His practical operational and financial management background from business, academia, and government will bring the skills necessary to continue on this path of engaging our residents, fiscally responsible spending, and delivering results!