Documents › Board Of Trustees, 2026-10-21

minutes 16 pages

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY, 1 held on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, in the Georgianna Grant Meeting Room at the 2 Stanley Kellerhouse Municipal Building, Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 3 10520. 4 5 6 1. Mayor Pugh called the meeting to order at 7:00pm and led everyone in the 7 Pledge of Allegiance. 8 2. APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS 9 Trustee Simon made a motion to approve the following Fiscal Year Vouchers, 10 dated October 7, 2026, Claims numbered 27001742-27002162. The Motion 11 was seconded by Trustee Nachtaler and approved with a 4-0 Vote. 12 General Fund $969,491.89 Water Fund $48,475.93 Sewer Fund $3,827.60 Capital Fund $240,629.58 Trust Fund $7,021.39 13 3. Greetings from the Honorable Ralph Becker, Jr. Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah 14 92008-2016), and President, National League of Cities (2014-2015). 15 https://play.champds.com/crotononhudsonny/event/1206 (00.01.22). 16 4. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY EMAIL: None 17 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS: 18 Chester Edwards, 96 Hawley Avenue, Port Chester, NY, President of the 19 Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 49, and a member of the Westchester 20 County Veterans Advisory Council asked the Board to move forward on Local 21 Law Introductory #17 to amend Chapter 204, Taxation, in the Village Code to 22 add a full tax exemption for the primary residence of qualifying Veterans. Mr. 23 Edwards also asked that the wording in Croton’s Local Law be reflected that 24 it is purely for a permanent and total disability, not 100% service connected 25 because the rating does not matter, the service distinction of being permanent 26 and total is what qualifies the Veteran. 27 Mayor Pugh Trustee Simon Village Manager Bryan Healy Trustee Nachtaler Village Attorney Lori Lee Dickson Trustee Slippen Village Treasurer Genette Toone Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 Village Attorney Dickson thanked Mr. Edwards for bringing this to their 1 attention and stated that we can certainly change the language in the 2 proposed local law so that it is drafted correctly. 3 Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, thanked the Mayor of Salt 4 Lake City, Utah, for sharing his experiences and thoughts. Mr. Riely asked if 5 Salt Lake City was a member of “Agenda 21” which was an action plan of the 6 United Nations with regard to sustainable development. Mr. Riely also 7 expressed his concerns that Croton has been influenced by New York State in 8 terms of our planning and housing plans which looks to take away our local 9 zoning rights; in a State where local communities struggle with so many State 10 mandates, we are lucky to have local governments and local leadership and 11 we should be resisting any State and Federal mandates that want to take away 12 our local zoning, he also talked about the failure of our educational system 13 throughout New York State, and thanked the current administration for 14 cleaning up the Veterans Administration. 15 6. REPORT FROM THE VILLAGE MANAGER: 16 Lounsbury Road water main re-lining update: on Monday he, along with our 17 Water Foreman, John Spatta and Superintendent of Public Works, Frank Balbi, 18 met with a contractor and walked the site to show them what we would be 19 hoping to accomplish once we have everything lined up to start the project, 20 the contractor stated that they would be available to mobilize within two weeks 21 once we have the approvals, we are continuing conversations with our Attorney 22 about documenting the need to make this an “emergency” project, our 23 engineering firm spoke with the County Health Department yesterday and the 24 County Health Department had four comments regarding their resubmission, 25 they are working on those changes now and they hope to return the revised 26 plans to the County Health Department by the end of the week, once the 27 County Health Department says that the plans are acceptable, the County will 28 submit the approved plans. 29 Village Attorney Dickson stated that to declare this an “emergency” project, 30 the Board will need to pass a resolution since this is bypassing the Wicks Law, 31 which requires competitive bidding, but this cannot happen until we have costs 32 and a contractor identified. 33 The solar canopy panels at the train station are being washed this weekend 34 and sections of the parking lot will be closed, congratulated Village Clerk 35 Paula DiSanto on being awarded the distinction of “Clerk of the Year” by the 36 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 New York State Association of Village and City Clerks, thanked the Fire 1 Department for putting together a great Fire Prevention program, on 2 Saturday, October 17th, the IDEA Committee will be holding programs 3 celebrating Hispanic Heritage month, on October 17th Fall Family Fun Day will 4 take place at Vasallo Park, and offices will be closed this Monday for Columbus 5 Day and to check the website for changes to the garbage schedule. 6 7. CONSENT AGENDA: 7 On Motion by Trustee Simon and seconded by Trustee Nachtaler the Board 8 approved the Consent Agenda. Motion was approved with a 4-0 Vote. 9 a. CORRESPONDENCE TO THE BOARD: 10 1. Membership Letter from Randolf Scott, Acting Commissioner of 11 Westchester County Dept. of Senior Programs & Services, announcing 12 Robert Anderson as a 2026 inductee into the Westchester County Senior 13 Hall of Fame 14 https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026- 15 10/47ea8942f09499d198b50e62092b6ddc9781476b.pdf 16 2. Membership Changes from the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department. 17 https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026- 18 10/6748d94a0c8757f1a9261f05903a464f41f3f2e3.pdf 19 b. RESOLUTIONS: 20 Resolution #244-2026 21 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NACHTALER, the following 22 resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, 23 New York with a 4-0 vote. 24 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby 25 undertakes the following actions: 26 1. Filing for the record the notification from Randolf Scott, Acting Commissioner of 27 Westchester County Dept. of Senior Programs & Services, announcing Robert 28 Anderson as a 2026 inductee into the Westchester County Senior Hall of Fame 29 2. Accepting the membership changes in the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department. 30 31 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 Resolution #245-2026 1 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NACHTALER, the following 2 resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, 3 New York with a 4-0 vote. 4 WHEREAS, New York State has recently enacted legislation that allows municipalities 5 to provide a full tax exemption to veterans of the Armed Forces who have a 100% 6 service-connected disability; and 7 WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees discussed this tax exemption option at a 8 work session held on September 9, 2026; and 9 WHEREAS, Local Law Introductory No. 17 of 2026 has been drafted for such 10 purposes, 11 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby calls 12 for a Public Hearing on November 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM in the Georgianna Grant 13 Meeting Room of the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building to consider Local Law 14 Introductory No. 17 of 2026 to amend Chapter 204, Taxation, of the Village Code to 15 add a full tax exemption for the primary residence of qualifying veterans with a 100% 16 service-connected disability. 17 Resolution #246-2026 18 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NACHTALER, the following 19 resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, 20 New York with a 4-0 vote. 21 WHEREAS, the Village Board authorized the installation of the Harmonic Landing 22 sound art project at Croton Landing earlier this year; and 23 WHEREAS, the project was designed by the late Bruce Odland, resident of Croton- 24 on-Hudson, and installed for many years at the Massachusetts Museum of 25 Contemporary Art; and 26 WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works incurred costs related to the installation 27 of electric conduit, concrete pads and various sound equipment; and 28 WHEREAS, these costs were not included in the 2026-2027 General Fund budget, 29 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Board hereby authorizes the 1 Village Treasurer to make the following budget transfer in the 2026-2027 General 2 Fund budget: 3 GENERAL EXPENSES 4 Increase 5 A7110.4140 Parks & Playgrounds – Equip. & Grounds $5,262.46 6 A7110.4200 Parks & Playgrounds – Supplies $4,413 7 8 Decrease 9 A1990.4000 Contingency $9,675.46 10 11 Resolution #247-2026 12 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NACHTALER, the following 13 resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, 14 New York with a 4-0 vote. 15 WHEREAS, in July 2026, the Department of Public Works listed various materials and 16 pieces of equipment for auction; and 17 WHEREAS, on July 31, 2026, all bids for the auction were closed, resulting in a total 18 bid amount of $20,306; and 19 WHEREAS, the Superintendent of Public Works has requested that these funds be 20 made available to purchase newer vehicles and equipment, aiding the fleet 21 maintenance program by reducing future funding requests and enabling mid-fiscal 22 year purchases, 23 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Treasurer is authorized to make 24 the following budget amendment to the 2026-2027 General Fund and Capital Fund 25 budgets as follows: 26 GENERAL FUND REVENUES 27 Increase 28 A1000.2665 Sales of Equipment $20,306 29 30 CAPITAL FUND EXPENSES 31 Increase 32 H5110.2010.27565 4x4 Pickup DPW $20,306 33 34 c. Approval of Minutes 35 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 Motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on 1 September 30, 2026, was made by Trustee Simon. The motion was 2 seconded by Trustee Nachtaler and approved with a 4-0 vote. 3 8. PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS: 4 Resolution #248-2026 5 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NACHTALER, the following 6 resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, 7 New York with a 4-0 vote. 8 WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees desires to update the language in the 9 Village Code to provide clarification in the review of land use applications for 10 consistency with the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan; and 11 WHEREAS, under the direction of the Village Board, the Village Manager has worked 12 with the Village Attorney and the Village Planner to develop language that will 13 provide for the Waterfront Advisory Committee to comment on land use 14 applications that come before the Village Board of Trustees, Planning Board, Zoning 15 Board of Appeals and/or Water Control Commission; and 16 WHEREAS, Local Law Introductory No. 14 of 2026 has been drafted for such 17 purposes; and 18 WHEREAS, on August 19, 2026, the Village Board of Trustees declared itself Lead 19 Agency for SEQRA purposes; and 20 WHEREAS, on September 30, 2026, the Village Board of Trustees undertook the 21 process and review described in detail in Parts 2 and 3 of the Short EAF 22 “Determination of Significance” attached hereto; and 23 WHEREAS, the Village Board held a public hearing to consider Local Law 24 Introductory No. 14 of 2026, which was opened and closed on September 30, 2026; 25 and 26 WHEREAS, the Village Board has received a recommendation of consistency from 27 the Waterfront Advisory Committee with the Village’s Local Waterfront 28 Revitalization Program; and 29 WHEREAS, the Village Board must make its own determination of consistency with 30 the LWRP policy standards and conditions; and 31 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 WHEREAS, on September 30, 2026, the Village Board reviewed the LWRP policy 1 standards and conditions, 2 NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED as follows: 3 The Village Board of Trustees makes the following findings regarding the applicability of the 4 LWRP policies and the consistency of the Proposed Action with those policies and conditions of 5 the LWRP which it found applicable: 6 7 POLICY 5A: When feasible, development within the Village should be directed within the current 8 service area of existing water and sewer facilities or in close proximity to areas where 9 distribution lines currently exist. 10 11 POLICY 6: Expedite permit procedures in order to facilitate the sitting of development activities 12 at suitable locations. 13 14 POLICY 7E: Runoff from public and private parking lots and from storm sewer overflows shall 15 be effectively managed so as to prevent oil, grease and other contaminants from polluting surface 16 and ground water and impact to the significant fish and wildlife habitats. 17 18 POLICY 7F: Construction activity of any kind must not cause a measurable increase in erosion 19 or flooding at the site of such activity, or impact other locations. Construction activity in the 20 Croton River and Hudson River spawning areas shall be timed so that the spawning of 21 anadromous fish species and shellfish will not be adversely affected. 22 23 POLICY 7G: Construction activity of any kind must not cause significant degradation of water 24 quality or impact identified significant fish and wildlife habitats. 25 26 POLICY 7H: Habitat-related policies identified in the Indian Brook-Croton Gorge Watershed 27 Conservation Action Plan will be considered in actions proposed for these areas (see Appendix 28 C). 29 30 POLICY 11: Buildings and other structures will be sited in the coastal area so as to minimize 31 damage to property and the endangering of human lives caused by flooding and erosion. 32 33 POLICY 12: Activities or development in the coastal area will be undertaken so as to minimize 34 damage to natural resources and property from flooding and erosion by protecting natural 35 protective features including beaches, dunes, barrier islands and bluffs. 36 37 POLICY 13: The construction or reconstruction of erosion protection structures shall be 38 undertaken only if they have a reasonable probability of controlling erosion for at least thirty 39 years as demonstrated in design and construction standards and/or assured maintenance or 40 replacement programs. 41 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 1 POLICY 14: Activities and development, including the construction or reconstruction of erosion 2 protection structures, shall be undertaken so that there will be no measurable increase in erosion 3 or flooding at the site of such activities or development, or at other locations. 4 5 POLICY 18: To safeguard the vital economic, social, and environmental interests of the State 6 and of its citizens, proposed major actions in the coastal area must give full consideration to 7 those interests, and to the safeguards which the State has established to protect. 8 9 POLICY 19: Encourage the linkage of open space from upland areas to and along the Hudson 10 and Croton Rivers in the form of a trail or walkway system. 11 12 POLICY 19B: Increase public access to areas that offer physical and visual connection to the 13 Hudson River or Croton River and Bay 14 15 POLICY 23: Protect, enhance, and restore structures, districts, areas or sites that are of 16 significance in the history, architecture, archaeology or culture of the State, its communities, or 17 the Nation. 18 19 POLICY 25: Protect, restore, or enhance natural and man-made resources which are not It is 20 for the reasons contained in this memorandum that the WAC issues its recommendation of 21 consistency. 22 23 POLICY 25A: Establish and protect identified public viewsheds of the Hudson River, including 24 but not limited to the public views of the Hudson River from the western shoreline of the Village, 25 and the Croton River and Gorge. (The following scenic areas were noted in the LWRP as having 26 local and regional significance: (1) Distinctive and scenic views of the Croton Point, (2) Views 27 of the Hudson River from South Riverside Ave and Route 9 corridor, and (3) Vegetated slopes 28 and undisturbed ridgelines particularly those in the viewsheds in the Croton Gorge, River, and 29 Bay areas.) 30 31 POLICY 27: Decisions on the siting and construction of major energy facilities in the coastal 32 area will be based on public energy needs, compatibility of such facilities with the environment, 33 and the facility’s need for a shorefront location. 34 35 POLICY 30: Municipal, industrial, and commercial discharge of pollutants, including but not 36 limited to toxic and hazardous substances, into coastal waters will conform to State and National 37 water quality standards. 38 39 POLICY 33: Best Management Practices will be used to ensure the control of stormwater runoff 40 and combined sewer overflows draining into coastal waters. 41 42 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 POLICY 33A: The flow of stormwater discharge shall be controlled to limit the flow of pollutants 1 from street and parking areas, etc. directly into the rivers and water bodies. 2 3 POLICY 37: Best management practices will be utilized to minimize the non-point discharge of 4 excess nutrients, organics and eroded soils into coastal waters. 5 6 POLICY 37A: Control of the development of hilltops, and steep slopes should be exerted in order 7 to prevent erosion and minimize runoff and flooding from new construction. 8 9 POLICY 38: The quality and quantity of surface water and ground water supplies will be 10 conserved and protected, particularly where such waters constitute the primary or sole source of 11 water supply. 12 13 POLICY 39: The transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid wastes, particularly 14 hazardous wastes, within coastal areas will be conducted in such a manner so as to protect 15 groundwater and surface water supplies, significant fish and wildlife habitats, recreation areas, 16 important agricultural lands and scenic resources. 17 18 POLICY 44: Preserve and protect tidal and freshwater wetlands and preserve the benefits 19 derived from these areas. 20 21 POLICY 44A: Wetlands, water bodies and watercourses shall be protected by preventing 22 damage from erosion or siltation, minimizing disturbance, preserving natural habitats and 23 protecting against flood and pollution. 24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that based upon the above, the Village Board of Trustees 25 confirms its determination that the Proposed Action clarifications in the review of land 26 use applications for consistency with the Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, 27 complies with the policy standards and conditions set forth in the Village’s LWRP; 28 and 29 30 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby issues and 31 adopts the EAF Parts 2 and 3 Determination of Significance attached hereto and 32 adopts a Negative Declaration in connection with this action; and 33 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby adopts Local 34 Law Introductory No. 14 of 2026 to amend Chapter 223, Waterfront Revitalization, 35 to provide clarification in the review of land use applications for consistency with the 36 Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan, which upon adoption becomes Local Law No. 13 37 of 2026. 38 Resolution #249-2026 39 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NACHTALER, the following 1 resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, 2 New York with a 4-0 vote. 3 Authorizing the implementation, and funding in the first instance 100% of the 4 federal-aid eligible costs, of a transportation federal-aid project, and appropriating 5 funds, therefore. 6 WHEREAS, a Project for the NY-17 Half Moon Bay Bridge (BIN 2270050) 7 Reconstruction Project, PIN 8763.05 (the “Project") is eligible for funding under Title 8 23 U.S. Code, as amended, that calls for the apportionment of the costs such program 9 to be borne at the ratio of 95% Federal funds and 5% non-federal funds; and 10 WHEREAS, the Village of Croton-on-Hudson desires to advance the Project by making 11 a commitment of 100% of the non-federal share of the costs of Construction. 12 NOW, THEREFORE, the Village Board, duly convened does hereby 13 RESOLVE, that the Village Board hereby approves the above-subject project; and it 14 is hereby further 15 RESOLVED, that the Village Board hereby authorizes the Village of Croton-on-Hudson 16 to pay in the first instance 100% of the federal and non-federal share of the cost of 17 Construction work for the Project or portions thereof; and it is further 18 RESOLVED, that the sum of $1,526,316 is hereby appropriated from capital account 19 H5110.2106.15287 and made available to cover the cost of participation in the above 20 phase of the Project; and it is further 21 RESOLVED, that in the event the full federal and non-federal share costs of the 22 project exceeds the amount appropriated above, the Village Board of the Village of 23 Croton-on-Hudson shall convene as soon as possible to appropriate said excess 24 amount immediately upon the notification by the Village Manager thereof, and it is 25 further 26 RESOLVED, that the Village Manager of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson be and is 27 hereby authorized to execute all necessary Agreements, certifications or 28 reimbursement requests for Federal Aid and/or applicable Marchiselli Aid on behalf of 29 the Village of Croton-on-Hudson with the New York State Department of 30 Transportation in connection with the advancement or approval of the Project and 31 providing for the administration of the Project and the municipality's first instance 32 funding of project costs and permanent funding of the local share of federal-aid and 33 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 state-aid eligible Project costs and all Project costs within appropriations therefore 1 that are not so eligible, and it is further 2 RESOLVED, that in addition to the Village Manager, the following municipal titles: 3 Superintendent of Public Works, Village Engineer, and Village Treasurer, are also 4 hereby authorized to execute any necessary Agreements or certifications on behalf 5 of the Municipality/Sponsor, with NYSDOT in connection with the advancement or 6 approval of the project identified in the State/Local Agreement, and it is further 7 RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be filed with the New York State 8 Commissioner of Transportation by attaching it to any necessary Agreement in 9 connection with the Project, and it is further 10 RESOLVED, this Resolution shall take effect immediately. 11 Resolution #250-2026 12 On motion of TRUSTEE NACHTALER, seconded by TRUSTEE SIMON, the following 13 resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, 14 New York with a 4-0 vote. 15 Authorizing the implementation, and funding in the first instance 100% of the 16 federal-aid and State "Marchiselli" Program-aid eligible costs, of a transportation 17 federal-aid project, and appropriating funds therefore 18 WHEREAS, a Project for the NY-17 Half Moon Bay Bridge (BIN 2270050) 19 Reconstruction Project, PIN 8763.05 (the Project") is eligible for funding under Title 20 23 U.S. Code, as amended, that calls for the apportionment of the costs such program 21 to be borne at the ratio of 80% Federal funds and 20% non-federal funds; and 22 WHEREAS, the Village of Croton-on-Hudson desires to advance the Project by making 23 a commitment of 100% of the non-federal share of the costs of construction and 24 construction inspection. 25 NOW, THEREFORE, the Village Board, duly convened does hereby 26 RESOLVED, that the Village Board hereby approves the above-subject project; and it 27 is hereby further 28 RESOLVED, that the Village Board hereby authorizes the Village of Croton-on-Hudson 29 to pay in the first instance 100% of the federal and non-federal share of the cost of 30 construction and construction inspection work for the Project or portions thereof; and 31 it is further 32 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 RESOLVED, that the sum of $1,600,000 ($2,000,000 minus the previous $400,000) 1 is hereby appropriated from capital account H5110.2106.15287 and made available 2 to cover the cost of participation in the above phase of the Project; and it is further 3 RESOLVED, that in the event that the full federal and non-federal share costs of the 4 project exceeds the amount appropriated above, the Village of Croton-on-Hudson 5 shall convene as soon as possible to appropriate said excess amount immediately 6 upon the notification by the Village Manager thereof, and it is further 7 RESOLVED, that the Village Manager of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson be and is 8 hereby authorized to execute all necessary Agreements, certifications or 9 reimbursement requests for Federal Aid and/or Marchiselli Aid on behalf of the Village 10 of Croton-on-Hudson with the New York State Department of Transportation in 11 connection with the advancement or approval of the Project and providing for the 12 administration of the Project and the municipality's first instance funding of project 13 costs and permanent funding of the local share of federal-aid and state-aid eligible 14 Project costs and all Project costs within appropriations therefore that are not so 15 eligible, and it is further 16 RESOLVED, that in addition to the Village Manager of the Village of Croton-on- 17 Hudson, the following municipal titles: Superintendent of Public Works, Village 18 Engineer, and Village Treasurer are also hereby authorized to execute any necessary 19 Agreements or certifications on behalf of the Municipality/Sponsor, with NYSDOT in 20 connection with the advancement or approval of the project identified in the 21 State/Local Agreement; and it is further 22 RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be filed with the New York State 23 Commissioner of Transportation by attaching it to any necessary Agreement in 24 connection with the Project. and it is further 25 RESOLVED, this Resolution shall take effect immediately. 26 9. PUBLIC COMMENT - NON-AGENDA ITEMS: 27 John Sasso, Morningside Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that prior to Tax 28 Assessing moving to the Town he spoke with Village Manager Bryan Healy and 29 was told that his increase would be minimal, but at the last meeting it appears 30 that he misspoke when he said that his increase was ten times that amount 31 or more, but upon checking thoroughly he realized he was incorrect and 32 wanted to publicly apologize. Mr. Sasso went on to say that according to data 33 recently published by the New York State Comptroller's Office, the Village of 34 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 Croton has recorded the lowest tax levy growth among all reporting 1 Westchester County Villages for the years between 2016 and 2025, where the 2 majority of Villages were seeing tax levy increases of 30% or more over a 10- 3 year period, the Village of Croton was 1.78% during that time, this is pretty 4 incredible and wanted to publicly say he spoke in error. 5 Debi Braddick, 23 Young Avenue, Croton on Hudson, thanked the Board for 6 approving the hours for Joanna Straub in the Recreation Department which 7 enables the Recreation Department to expand their programming for seniors, 8 stated that she is concerned about the signage for the new dispensary and 9 does not want to see signs coming into the Village advertising the dispensary, 10 asked when the Board will be continuing the pigeon discussion, and expressed 11 her concern regarding the timing of the appointment for a new Trustee. 12 David Lowell, Farrington Road, Croton on Hudson, expressed his 13 disappointment that the Village has not acted in the best interest of public 14 health with respect to gas-powered leaf blowers. Mr. Farrington gave a timeline 15 dating back to 2020 when the Village issued COVID emergency restrictions, in 16 2020 the Conservation Advisory Council received multiple positive comments 17 to extend the restriction year-round, the Conservation Advisory Council 18 sponsored a gas-powered leaf blower public forum and the Environmental Law 19 firm McCullough, Goldberger and Staudt LLP drew a road map to drafting a 20 successful law and the Conservation Advisory Council revised their plan to 21 phase in a full year ordinance by January of 2023, but on January 2022 the 22 Board approved that gas-powered leaf blowers would be restricted seasonally 23 and with multiple exemptions, hardly what the Conservation Advisory Council 24 suggested, the Conservation Advisory Council has had this now for five 25 months, even with all the research done in 2020, the Board’s delay tactics 26 have worked, but now we are waiting again for the Conservation Advisory 27 Council’s recommendations and asked that the Board not lose sight of the 28 health and safety of our citizens. 29 Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that he lives at a 30 junction of five neighborhoods surrounded by public parks and he has heard 31 zero leaf blowers in the last two weeks, electric leaf blowers, which he 32 purchased, are incapable of clearing his gutters and sidewalk because of the 33 accumulation of mud and believes that gas-powered leaf blowers are not 34 responsible for global warming. Mr. Riely stated that the appointment of the 35 Assistant Village Manager is terrible, it should be a nonpartisan person, and 36 believes it puts the Village Manager in a very bad position, understands that 37 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 two Trustees were upset about the recent ICE arrests in Croton, and suggested 1 they look into why they were arrested and this be made public, asked that the 2 Village Manager report on any effects from moving the assessor functions from 3 the Village to the Town, asked what they are using to wash the solar panels 4 because this is a sensitive conservancy area, stated that the October 7th attack 5 on Israel is one of the world's biggest atrocities, with a mass murder of 1500 6 people, it is his opinion that what Israel did was appropriate, just like how we 7 responded after Pearl Harbor, and addressed the boycott of CVS on the sale of 8 abortion drugs. 9 Village Manager Healy stated that the cannabis sign will not be coming back to 10 the Village Board, the Planning Board will be making that decision and those 11 who are interested should check the Planning Board agendas on the Village’s 12 website, with regards to the animal law, the Board is continuing to work on 13 that law, and we should have some substantive changes, with respect to the 14 solar panel cleaning, this is a company that specifically does this work, they 15 are not using anything caustic, we have also spoken to them about the 16 drainage system, part of the issue is that the seagulls drop seashells on the 17 solar panels and we want to make sure that the seashells don't get washed 18 into the drainage pipes and potentially clog them up and we have had 19 extensive conversations about this work. 20 10.REPORTS: 21 Trustee Slippen congratulated Bob Anderson for being inducted into the 2026 22 Westchester County Senior Hall of Fame, supports the Veteran’s disability 23 legislation and looks forward to the public hearing; the Harmonic Landing 24 Sound art project is priceless and is now going to become a part of the fabric 25 of Croton, and while it seems expensive, she is grateful that Croton is on the 26 receiving end of this piece of museum quality art, and thanked the Arts and 27 Humanities Committee for all their hard work, The Advisory Board on the 28 Visual Environment made some recommendations regarding the signage for 29 the cannabis dispensary and those recommendations have been sent to the 30 Planning Board, looking forward to a community conversation regarding gas- 31 powered-leaf blowers, this weekend was filled with great events and gave a 32 shout out to everyone who worked on the Fire Fair and Oktoberfest, was 33 fortunate to be able to tour the Harmon Train station and suggested that this 34 be open to students, congratulated Brooklyn Embodied Pilates on their recent 35 opening, and the Police Advisory Committee is working on the survey that will 36 be going out to the community shortly. 37 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 Trustee Nachtaler thanked everyone for making Oktoberfest a huge success, 1 attended the Brooklyn Embodied Pilates opening on October 3rd, attended 2 the Waterfront Advisory Committee meeting on October 6th where they 3 reviewed the cannabis law, on October 13th there will be a Planning Board 4 meeting, the IDEA Committee is holding Hispanic Celebrations at the Croton 5 Free Library on October 17th, and the League of Women Voters candidate 6 forum for Trustees will be held tomorrow night. 7 Trustee Simon thanked Ralph Becker for coming to our meeting this evening, 8 met with our seniors and updated them on additional funding for senior 9 programming and staffing, thanked the Fire Department for putting on a great 10 Fire Fair, last night he had the opportunity along with the Mayor to participate 11 in an October 7th Remembrance Ceremony held at Temple Israel in White 12 Plains, it was a moving experience where most of our political leadership was 13 there, we had the rare opportunity to hear from one of the hostages, it was 14 terrifying to hear his story but inspiring how he came through it, we also heard 15 from a young woman who was in the middle of the attacks, the Harry Chapin 16 Memorial Run Against Hunger will be held on October 18th, thanked our 17 Business Association for working with the Blaze in getting our shuttle up and 18 running for the Blaze and directed everyone to their website, 19 https://www.allbizcroton.com/ for the shuttle schedule. 20 Village Attorney Dickson thanked Mayor Becker, not only for his very helpful 21 remarks, but for his love of municipal government, advised that she will be 22 attending, as a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State 23 Bar Association, the Fall Conference of local and state government officials 24 Friday through Monday, and looks forward to providing the Board with a 25 wealth of materials when she returns on Tuesday. 26 Mayor Pugh advised that he will be appointing Matthew Berger as Village 27 Trustee to fill the unexpired term of Nora Nicholson, Matthew has previously 28 served as the Chairman of the Advisory Board on the Visual Environment and 29 currently serves as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and he is 30 grateful that Matt will be working with us in this new role. 31 There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion to close the 32 meeting was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Nachtaler 33 and approved with a 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 9:40pm. 34 Respectively submitted, 35 Village Board of Trustees October 7, 2026 Judy Weintraub, Board Secretary 1 __________________________ 2 Paula DiSanto, Village Clerk 3