Hein, Noble work out plan for shared services, sales tax sharing

KINGSTON – The stalemate over sales tax revenue sharing between Ulster County, the City of Kingston and towns appears to be nearing an end.
County Executive Michael Hein and Kingston Mayor Steven Noble announced in a joint statement late Friday that they have come up with “a framework that can both improve services for the citizens of the City of Kingston and throughout Ulster County through multiple shared service initiatives and resolve any outstanding issues regarding sales tax distribution.” Both officials expect to release details of their plan next week.
The men said they are all “dedicated to arriving at a mutually beneficial resolution consistent with the vision of ensuring a thriving community both in the City of Kingston, and across our beautiful county.”
The agreement would be subject to approval of the county legislature, Kingston Common Council and state comptroller.
Kingston officials had wanted the county to freeze the sales tax sharing
percentages for another five years at the previous levels.