Weekly Link Round Up

The weekly link roundup is a collection of links related to Newburgh, revitalization, urban planning and anything else that might inspire change or create dialogue. Photo by George McCarty North.

Newburgh shootings down dramatically [MHN]
N’burgh commercial properties could see big tax hit [THR]
Newburgh anti-poverty efforts getting $570K from NY state [DF]
Backed up: As vehicles on local bridges increase, no relief in sight [PJ]
Newburgh pulls plug on controversial $75M development project [THR]
On-demand clothing manufacturer moves into Newburgh Accelerator [MHN]
Charlotte spent millions on low-income housing, but poor people can’t afford it [CO]

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One Comment

  • “Needs”? More like ‘wants’. The city avoided previous tax increase by passing fantasy budgets. On paper the reductions in compensation for city safety personnel were achieved by the expiration of previously funded positions. In reality, the effect was increased o.t. which was paid for out of emergency funds halfway through the year, the temporary shutting down of the codes dept. and carried over expenses. The former comptroller cautioned the decision makers about this. “Plans” and “teams” created without secured funding, itemized budgets and or basic guidelines. It was all approved by time consuming, short sighted legislation looking to temporarily cork the toxic “ratable” genie (quality is bigotry and all that). The ‘ratables to services’ correlation isn’t a simple parody issue on Newburgh’s balance sheet. It’s an exchange issue that hasn’t been in the tax payer’s favor for decades. A property tax scheme that has enabled deficit spending, drawing as much energy as it can to over come the increased load. Newburgh spent the last six decades operating its RE cash cow as a gov sponsored non-profit tax donkey. It offset annual deficits with increased taxes, grants and borrowing from the future (bonding). It was this deficit spending that juiced its assets’ values…its infrastructure, its properties and its businesses. However, it’s reached a cap on its practical borrowing. Grant funding is becoming harder to acquire. Its cash flow issue is about to become a balance sheet one, creating a negative feedback loop. Will the ‘City actually address its tax disparities and “negotiate better work rules”? I’m not counting on it, everything’s been monetized and or politicized. Imo, the experts will keep ruminating about “ratables”, get creative in accounting, borrow more money from the future all the while pimping an esoteric narrative (“tax levy vs tax rate, yadda yadda yadda…”) A perpetual municipal machine that just keeps running, circumventing its “circuit breakers” and flying over the “rumble strips”… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUiYamjM4GU