Croton's volunteer firefighters came out of this spring's budget season with "pretty much everything" they asked for, in the words of one of the department's chiefs. Deputy Mayor Len Simon told the Fire Council on April 28 that the village had adopted its budget about a week earlier with the help of the fire chief. According to the minutes, the plan carries operating figures of $665,356 and $740,563. Two ice machines were approved, with the addition starting June 1. Fire chiefs had flagged the need to village trustees earlier in April, when only one ice machine was still working — at Harmon — and Grand Street had none. The budget news drew blunt satisfaction from one of the department's chiefs, who told the council the department "did good with the budget and pretty much everything we asked for" — and said the department would be getting what it sought, echoing the deputy mayor's briefing. Simon, the meeting's guest, was filling in for the village's top officeholders: the village manager was on vacation, and the mayor was driving back from Albany, a long trip that meant the mayor might have joined later. Fire Council President Chris Colombo was among those excused, and one of the department's chiefs called the meeting to order. Simon worked through a spread of other village business. The village can use occupational preferences in connection with its affordable housing, Simon said, and the governor has put out a law concerning additional stipends. A question about fire department members buying into the village's health insurance prompted talk about how much it would cost. The starkest item was the Quaker Bridge. The news there, Simon said, was no good: the project will not make its June cutoff because of the Army Corps of Engineers. Westchester County is running the bridge replacement, and village officials reported in early July that the county was set to begin the work on July 7, with construction anticipated to take about ten months. Asked whether there were plans to put solar on the Harmon firehouse, Simon said the solar idea came first but could not move ahead because the roof was in such bad condition. The roof is now in the upcoming capital budget. The department's own updates were busy. Trainings have been going well, one chief reported, but members need to take the time to sign up — a group was headed to New Haven that weekend, with more training on the calendar. Summerfest is approaching, with space reserved in front of, across the street from, and behind the Grand Street firehouse for demonstrations for the public, and parade season is close behind. A touch-a-truck event was set for that Sunday at Sprout Westchester on Route 129. Call volume has ticked up slightly, Engine 119 should be back soon, the tanker is heading out for repairs, and two new chiefs' cars may be in the works. Around the firehouses, work is stacking up. The chemicals room project at Grand Street is complete. Washington Engine's exterior lighting is done, with blacktop expected in the next couple of weeks. Downstairs at Harmon, the day room remains blocked by EMS gear stored across roughly four rooms; the chief is to set a date for an inspection and an officers' meeting. The department's two small boats are serviced, while the big boat still needs work before it can go in the water — hopefully in time for Memorial Day weekend. A two-day Recruit NY push drew two people, with two applications taken and others stopping by just for information, and the village chipped in a brochure for the effort. The training committee, meanwhile, noted that with so much training scheduled, companies cannot get rig checks done, and suggested the department might ease up on the drills a bit. Fundraising machinery is also in motion. Big Bucks tickets are out, with a permit from the gaming commission still about two weeks away, and companies were told to line up their documentation for the 2025 2% money. FASNY announced its scholarships and reported that the department's dues had not been received; that matter was passed to a member to handle. For Summerfest's entertainment, the council chose the Tarrytown veterans' band at $1,000 over the Yonkers Military Band at $1,100 after the Tarrytown group raised its price. The Yonkers band's contract for three trophy parades — in Montrose, Yorktown and Ossining — arrived for signature, and the region's firefighters have Westchester/Rockland Day at the Home on the calendar for Sunday, July 19. In membership moves, the council ratified a member's shift from active to social status, approved by the member's company on April 13; corrected the prior month's minutes to reflect that a member who moved out of the area had gone social rather than resigning; and tabled a transfer vote the company had favored pending the proper paperwork. A lingering equipment complaint also returned: the department's IAR system is not working correctly, with messages coming through doubled. A chief attributed it to a radio or computer issue that still needs to be looked at. Next up is the holiday itself. Memorial Day will follow the usual format at 5 Corners, and the council asked companies to turn in their Big Bucks money on May 26 — the day after Memorial Day — with the big boat, if repairs wrap in time, back in the water for the weekend.