=== EXECUTIVE BRIEF === • Directed village attorneys to research adopting a Scarsdale-style tiered penalty structure for zoning violations (first, second, third offense with higher corporate maximums) • Directed village attorney to consult with a downriver judge about whether default judgments can be issued for village ordinance violations • Directed village manager to verify scofflaw procedures are being applied to unpaid parking tickets before pursuing default judgments • No legislation was introduced; all items remain under research
Village Manager Bryan Healy and Mayor Brian Pugh during discussion of consequences for unresponsive village code violators at the Board Of Trustees meeting.
Village Manager Bryan Healy and Mayor Brian Pugh during discussion of consequences for unresponsive village code violators at the Board Of Trustees meeting.
Village Prosecutor Casey Raskob stood before the Board of Trustees Wednesday night and admitted something you don't often hear from someone in his position: "I feel really stupid asking for a warrant for arrest for a dog ticket." 5:57▶ That's essentially the only tool he has right now. Raskob told the board that Croton's village code has a glaring hole. When someone ignores an appearance ticket for a quality-of-life violation—whether it's an unlicensed dog, an oversized commercial sign, or a property left in disrepair after a tree fell on the roof—the system breaks down. The village can't suspend a license. It can't levy a fine. It can't do much of anything except ask a judge for a warrant that nobody wants to issue. "We have a dead letter file with some cases that we can't do anything with, that just fall into this hole," Raskob said. "There's no way to run a railroad." The irony? Nobody from the public showed up to comment on a proposal that could directly affect how the village handles neighbors who don't clean up their properties or corporations that ignore fire code violations. Raskob was careful to emphasize that Croton's approach has traditionally been to "appeal to reason, not write big tickets." He described the late building department official Peter Antifiatro's method of simply showing up every day until a problem got fixed. "Usually, that worked," Raskob said. "It was only when that didn't work or you told him something obscene that he filed the complaint." 3:09▶ But for the small percentage of people who simply ghost the village—particularly corporate defendants who can't be arrested—the current $2.50 per day maximum penalty under the catchall provision is meaningless. Raskob recalled a Piney Point case where a contractor removed trees beyond his permitted scope. The maximum fine was around $1,200. "Cost of doing business," Raskob said. "Which is not what we want." Village Manager Janine King presented a model from Scarsdale that tiers penalties by offense number and distinguishes between individual and corporate violators, with first offenses carrying $500 to $1,000 maximums for zoning violations. The village's tree code, updated recently, already allows fines up to $7,500—proof that higher penalties are legally possible for the right categories. The village attorney raised a significant caveat: zoning violations are governed by state criminal procedure law, which may not allow default judgments. The board agreed to have attorneys research whether a separate civil path exists for village ordinance violations, and whether Scarsdale's tiered structure can survive legal scrutiny here. On parking tickets, King revealed that over 3,600 tickets worth more than $400,000 in fines and penalties are outstanding since 2018, though the village's 93% compliance rate is strong. The state comptroller recently flagged another Westchester municipality for failing to pursue default judgments on unpaid tickets. King will first verify that scofflaw procedures—which can suspend vehicle registrations—are being consistently applied before exploring more aggressive collection. No legislation was voted on Wednesday. All three items—zoning penalties, default judgments for ordinances, and parking ticket collection—will return after legal research. Residents should watch for potential public hearings later this spring if the board moves forward with penalty updates. Unpaid parking ticket holders can expect notices if the village launches a penalty-waiver amnesty program through its parking vendor.
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