Kingston Common Council approves $63.3 million city budget for 2026

KINGSTON, N.Y. — City lawmakers on Tuesday approved a $63.3 million budget for 2026 that increases spending by approximately $3.4 million from last year and raises the tax levy for the second straight year, this time by 5.745%.

The Common Council voted 7-2 in favor. Casting no votes were Michael Tierney, D-Ward 2, and Teryl Mickens, D-Ward 5.

After amendments on the floor on Tuesday, the total budget was increased to $63,383,672, a $31,910 increase over the $63,286,136 budget first released by Mayor Steve Noble in October.

The extra money will go toward raises in the Corporation Counsel’s office. Corporation Counsel Barbara Graves Poller will see a $35,159 raise, including a $28,550 bump in her salary and an additional $6,609 in benefits. Noble’s budget called for Graves-Poller to make $252,880 in total compensation. With the raise, she’ll make $288,039

The Assistant Corporation Counsel’s office will get a $30,002 iraise, including $24,362 in additional salary and a $5,640 increase in benefits. Matthew Jankowski and William Piersa are both listed under the Assistant Corporate Counsel lines as making $148,749 and $125,986 in total compensation, respectively. Lawmakers did not specify if it will be Jankowski or Piersa who will receive the raise, or if it will be split between them.

The amendments came after the council’s Laws and Rules Committee discussed the raises in an extended executive session on Monday.

At the same time, lawmakers agreed to decrease the Corporation Counsel’s consultant fees line by $33,251. Altogether, that reesulted in a $31,910 increase. Majority Leader Reynolds Scott-Childress said it will be paid for by an appropriation from the city’s fund balance.

Scott-Childress added that the raises will not lead to a tax increase for city residents.

Michele Hirsch, D-Ward 9, and Tierney voted against the Corporation Counsel raises.

The budget plan calls for the residential property tax rate to increase 91 cents, from $9.87 to $10.78 per $1,000 of assessed value. The spending plan represents a $3,438,387 increase over the $59,847,749 budget for 2025.

That would work out to $18.66 more a month in taxes for a home assessed at the citywide average of $185,000, Noble has said. For non-residential properties, the tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value would increase $1.64, from $15.12 to $16.76, he added.

Mickens said this tax increase led her to vote against the budget, offering an apology to city residents for the tax increase they now have to bear on top of increased costs for food, utilities, and insurance.

“A $63 million budget for a population of 24,000, that’s about $3,140 for every man, woman, and child and $12,500 for a family of four, for context,” Mickens said. “My fear is if these tax increases continue, residents will be voting with their feet.”

She added that tenants will also bear the brunt of this increase as landlords pass the increased costs onto them.

“With increasing taxes, families will disperse,” she warned. “When large numbers of working-age adults leave, it affects the tax base, school enrollment, housing markets, and workforce ability in key sectors. We see schools throughout Ulster County closing for a lack of students.”

Mickens said she wanted to see the raises for Noble and the Common Council eliminated, a policy requiring non-union city employees to increase their contributions to their healthcare, a review of positions, and looking into shared services with neighboring communities and Ulster County to avoid duplication and increase efficiency. She added that she also wanted to see an analysis of increasing user fees, permits, and licensing fees.

Tierney said he voted no because of the raises granted to Noble and council members and a continued underestimation of sales tax revenue.

Noble will see a raise under the proposed plan. However, it would be $2,500, not the $5,000 as he proposed after the council’s Finance and Audit Committee voted on Monday, Nov. 24, to halve his raise.

With the reduction, Noble will make $102,500 in total base salary and $130,539 including benefits. Under his proposal, Noble would have made $105,000 in total salary and $133,039, including benefits.

Councilmembers ultimately decided in favor of Noble’s phased raise plan for the council that would see their salaries go from $10,000 to $15,000 over four years. Common Council President Andrea Shaut has said the raise would only lead to an increase of just over $12,750, equaling a just under 50-cent increase for city residents on a per capita basis.

Robert Dennison, D-Ward 6, defended the plan, saying he felt the city is not in a position to reduce services or lay people off.

“I think we’re holding the budget as things get more expensive,” he said. “The federal government is wavering; it’s important that we maintain our budget strength and deliver services.”

Scott-Childress said while the council is acutely aware of the problem of raising taxes, he added that the plan already eliminated 20 unfilled city positions without resorting to layoffs of current employees.

“I know of three departments working with the minimum number required for their services,” he said. “It’s very difficult to cut into any of those positions.”

Sara Pasti, D-Ward 1, said while the tax increase is not desirable, she ultimately concluded that the budget will allow the city to move forward with public safety, city services, and necessary investments in city infrastructure.

“I think the budget is about as pared down as possible,” Hirsch said. “Next year, I will be committed to being diligent about what the council approves month to month. We need to be prudent with any bonding going forward next year, making sure it’s absolutely needed.”

Charter review

The budget will set aside $100,000 from the city’s general fund to help offset expenses for a charter review commission.

Earlier this month, the council voted 8-0 in a special session to override a rare veto by Noble that threatened to derail the charter review process. Noble’s veto came after the council voted unanimously in October to create the commission.

Scott-Childress has said it was important to ensure the charter review process is done no later than summer 2027 to allow for any proposed changes to appear on ballots for a required vote by city residents in that fall’s election.

Few changes to police and fire budgets

The budget plan calls for no major changes to the city police and fire department budgets.

City police asked for a $305,911 increase to bring its 2026 budget line to $15,485,502. Police Chief Egidio Tinti told the council’s Finance and Audit Committee earlier this month that the increases are mainly related to contractual expenses and higher benefit costs. Tinti highlighted health care as one of the sharpest increases the department has faced.

Capital expenses in 2026 will take a large drop from $1,626,903 to $80,000, with the department limiting purchases to one new patrol car and new bulletproof vests totaling $80,000, after purchasing eight new Chevy Equinox fully electric vehicles for the department’s detective division last year, as the department works to shift away from gas models, Tinti said at the time.

The 2026 budget includes $67,734 in opioid settlements. Tinti has said that this money has been used to offset overtime expenses.

The city proposes spending $12,494,431 on the fire department in 2026. That includes $9,793,452 for the fire department side and $2,700,979 for the department’s ambulance service.

The proposal calls for the ambulance service to collect $1,900,000 in billing revenue from private insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid, an increase of $400,000 from 2025.

Fire Chief Chris Rea has said the big capital expenses item will be a new SUV to serve as a “fly car,” replacing a 2013 vehicle. The department has already obtained the specifications for the Dodge Durangos from the Kingston Police Department, Rea added.

Rea explained during a recent budget presentation to the council’s Finance and Audit Committee that a “fly car” is a fully advanced life support (ALS) equipped vehicle that can go out when Ulster County makes a mutual aid call outside the city. He also said the car will be staffed with one paramedic who will meet with a volunteer or basic life support to provide ALS services to the patient.

Ulster County handles the billing on those ambulance calls, with the city getting the fee, Rea has stated.

Rea also said the city will not go out on a mutual aid call unless a full ALS ambulance is available in the city.

Rea also said the system has been implemented as part of Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger’s $4.7 million regional ambulance plan, which was approved by the Ulster County Legislature in May.

Lodging tax plan

Lawmakers have unanimously expressed their support for Noble’s plan to implement a 3% lodging tax for those staying in hotels and short-term rentals in the city by late 2026. The city bed tax would be assessed on top of the 4% Ulster County bed tax assessed on all hotels, motels, and short-term rentals in the county.

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