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Record of Proceedings

Syracuse Common Council Meeting Summary: October 26, 2026 – Consent Items and Hotel Tax

Public Meetings — Monday, October 26, 2026
BodySyracuse, New York
SessionPublic Meetings
DateMonday, October 26, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 6:24

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:41

Any questions?

0:42

No.

0:42

Okay.

Speaker 2

0:43

Thank you.

0:44

Uh item 17 is also ready to go.

0:48

Okay.

0:48

Thank you.

0:49

That's

Speaker 1

0:50

that's uh

Speaker 2

0:50

by myself and the uh and the uh a large counselors.

0:55

Yes.

Speaker 1

0:55

Okay,

Speaker 2

0:56

thank you.

0:56

Counselor Aaron Ray.

Speaker 3

1:00

Thank you, Madam President.

1:02

I have items 18 through 22.

1:06

Um I uh all of them are ready to go unless anyone has questions.

Unassigned speaker

1:12

I

Speaker 3

1:12

don't think we had questions to follow up with, correct?

1:15

No.

Speaker 1

1:16

No, I don't think I mean unless they're just saying now, yeah.

1:18

Okay, a councillor more.

Speaker 4

1:20

Thank you, madam.

1:21

Madam President, I have item 23, and it is ready to go unless anyone has questions.

Speaker 1

1:28

Hearing none, councillor

Unassigned speaker

1:30

is

Speaker 1

1:30

he here.

1:31

That's right.

1:32

Counselor Monta for Councillor Weeks.

Speaker 5

1:33

Thank you.

1:34

President Paniagawa.

1:35

Counselor Williams has 24 through 28.

1:37

Uh, there are any questions on those outstanding?

Speaker 3

1:39

I have a quick question on 24.

Unassigned speaker

1:44

Is

Speaker 3

1:44

Evan here?

1:45

Hi.

Unassigned speaker

1:50

So

Speaker 3

1:51

just in terms of me understanding the sequence of events, we did get this through the state, and now we are basically approving it at this level.

Speaker 6

2:00

Uh good afternoon, council seven lovely budget director.

2:02

Yes, the council passed uh home rule ordinance during the legislative session to say we would like to do this.

2:07

The state passed it and ask a Macdress for final certification.

2:10

Okay,

Speaker 3

2:11

and two percent is what we had wanted in terms of the percentage for the hotel tax.

2:15

Okay.

2:16

And we have less hotels now than we did when we passed the home rule.

Speaker 6

2:21

Could not say off the top of my head.

2:22

I can tell you how much we expect to make in revenue in terms of the actual number of rooms.

2:27

I could not say.

Speaker 3

2:28

Do we have any m new hotel projects coming through that we are aware of in terms of increasing revenue over the years?

Speaker 6

2:37

Couldn't speak to that offhand, but I can get you some information on it.

Speaker 4

2:40

We have a new one going in at the end of how that's thinking.

Speaker 6

2:45

If you want if you want, we can put together some projections.

2:47

This is

Speaker 3

2:47

a flat, this is a flat tax, right?

2:48

It's a two percent percentage, no increases.

2:50

So we would have to do another home rule action if we wanted to increase it in the future.

Speaker 6

2:54

Yes, in theory, if if hotel, either the number of hotel units or the prices of those hotel rooms were to increase, you would generate new revenue.

3:01

If you wanted to generate new revenue with an increased percentage, we would probably look to do that when this is up for renewal.

Speaker 3

3:07

And I don't right now, I just I'm curious about how the process came to be.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Summary of Proceedings

Syracuse Common Council Meeting – October 26, 2026

This summary is based solely on the meeting transcript; no agenda or minutes were available. The Syracuse Common Council moved through a series of consent items, discussed the extension of the city's hotel occupancy tax, and adjourned.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 17 through 23 were presented as ready to go by council members, with no follow-up questions.
  • Councilor Williams had items 24 through 28; item 24 prompted a brief discussion about the hotel tax local law.
  • Councilor Monte had items 29 and 30, also ready, plus two waiver-agenda confirmations for Councilor Jones-Rouser and Councilor Caldwell to the Heritage Syracuse Housing Strategies Corporation Board.

Discussion Items

  • Hotel Tax Local Law (Item 24): Councilor Williams asked about the sequence of the hotel tax action. The city budget director explained that the council previously passed a home rule ordinance during the legislative session, the state passed it, and the action now needed final local certification.
  • The two-percent hotel tax rate was confirmed as the rate the city had requested. The budget director said revenue projections could be prepared, though he could not immediately provide the number of hotels, room counts, or new hotel projects.
  • First Assistant Corporation Counsel Joe Barry explained that the state legislature originally enacted the hotel tax with a two-year sunset. Last spring the council sent a home rule message requesting extension; the state suggested a three-year extension, which passed and was signed by the governor. The city's action amends the local law to conform to the state legislation.
  • Discussion clarified that the two-percent rate is separate from property taxes and was set by the state legislature; the county's hotel tax rate is three or four percent and partly dedicated to tourism, whereas the city, town of DeWitt, and town of Skineapolis have the same version of the tax.
  • The tax is a flat two-percent tax with no automatic increases; increasing the percentage in the future would require another home rule action.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent items (17–30) and the two board confirmations were described as ready for approval, though no separate roll-call vote was transcribed.
  • The hotel tax local law was brought forward for final local certification to conform to the state's three-year extension.
  • A motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the meeting ended after a voice vote.

Meeting Transcript

Any questions? No. Okay. Thank you. Uh item 17 is also ready to go. Okay. Thank you. That's that's uh by myself and the uh and the uh a large counselors. Yes. Okay, thank you. Counselor Aaron Ray. Thank you, Madam President. I have items 18 through 22. Um I uh all of them are ready to go unless anyone has questions. I don't think we had questions to follow up with, correct? No. No, I don't think I mean unless they're just saying now, yeah. Okay, a councillor more. Thank you, madam. Madam President, I have item 23, and it is ready to go unless anyone has questions. Hearing none, councillor is he here. That's right. Counselor Monta for Councillor Weeks. Thank you. President Paniagawa. Counselor Williams has 24 through 28. Uh, there are any questions on those outstanding? I have a quick question on 24. Is Evan here? Hi. So just in terms of me understanding the sequence of events, we did get this through the state, and now we are basically approving it at this level. Uh good afternoon, council seven lovely budget director. Yes, the council passed uh home rule ordinance during the legislative session to say we would like to do this. The state passed it and ask a Macdress for final certification. Okay, and two percent is what we had wanted in terms of the percentage for the hotel tax. Okay. And we have less hotels now than we did when we passed the home rule. Could not say off the top of my head. I can tell you how much we expect to make in revenue in terms of the actual number of rooms. I could not say. Do we have any m new hotel projects coming through that we are aware of in terms of increasing revenue over the years?

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