Croton's seasonal workers will see a pay bump to $16 an hour starting January 1, and landlords will now pay $25 to register rental units with the village, following actions taken by the Board of Trustees at their December 17 meeting.

The board voted 4-0—with Trustee Nicholson absent—to set the new minimum wage for part-time village employees, including camp counselors, lifeguards, and laborers. Village Manager Bryan Healy noted that future increases will be tied to the rate of inflation. The decision follows the state's scheduled minimum wage increase, though the village opted to follow the lower $16 rate applied outside of Westchester County rather than the $17 county rate.

The new rental registry fees, also approved 4-0, charge $25 per unit on a triennial basis for standard rentals and annually for short-term rentals, capped at $500 per property. Late fees of $100 and $250 kick in after 30 and 60 days, respectively. Resident Ed Riely objected to charging landlords for the registry during public comment.

On the infrastructure front, the board authorized a $701,000 intermunicipal agreement with Westchester County to fund long-sought drainage improvements along Brook Street and Terrace Place. The village also took a major step on the Half Moon Bay Bridge rehabilitation, authorizing a formal consultant agreement with Tectonic Engineering. Trustee Stacey Nachtaler clarified that despite confusing contract language, the project will maintain one lane of travel during construction. A public Zoom information session on the bridge project is scheduled for January 5 at 6 PM.

The board also approved a $2.67 million contract with Remus Industries of Ossining for the Van Cortlandt Manor entrance project, subject to state Department of Transportation approval. Healy explained the village is acting as a municipal pass-through for federal grant funding, and that Historic Hudson Valley will eventually assume maintenance of the roadway south of the Shoprite entrance—saving the village future maintenance costs.

In a routine but notable move, the board rejected all eight bids received for plumbing, HVAC, and electrical trade services after finding the responses too incomplete to evaluate. Healy said the village will re-bid with clearer specifications.

Residents looking to weigh in on cable service should mark their calendars: a public hearing on the proposed 10-year franchise renewal with Altice (formerly Cablevision) is set for January 21, 2026, at 7 PM in the municipal building.