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minutes 20 pages

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY, held on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in the Georgianna Grant Meeting Room at the Stanley Kellerhouse Municipal Building, Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520. The following officials were Absent: 1. Mayor Pugh called the meeting to order at 7:00pm and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. Trustee Simon made a motion to approve the following Fiscal Year Vouchers, Claims numbered 24254034-24254277. The Motion was seconded by Trustee Politi and approved with a 4-0 Vote. $128,567.72 Water Fund $16,872.99 Sewer Fund $6,892.68 Capital Fund $43,498.40 3. PUBLIC HEARING a. Motion to open a Public Hearing on Local Law Introductory No. 14 of 2024 to add Chapter 8, Assessments, Real Property Tax, to the Village Code and consolidate the Village’s assessing unit with the Town of Cortlandt was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Politi and approved with a 4-0 vote. Village Treasurer Tucker explained that after the Board adopts their Budget, a Tax Levy is established and the Assessment Roll is used to calculate individual property tax bills and if the Board chooses to adopt this law, the Village will no longer create its own Assessment Roll but rather rely on the Town of Cortlandt’s Assessment Roll for this Mayor Pugh Trustee Simon Village Manager Bryan Healy Trustee Politi Village Attorney Joshua B. Subin Trustee Slippen Village Treasurer Daniel Tucker Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 calculation. Village Treasurer Tucker explained that the Town’s Assessment Roll is already being used for Town, County and School Taxes, and because there are some variations between the Village and Town Assessment Rolls, most properties in the Village will experience some type of change. Village Treasurer Tucker also emphasized that this is not a revaluation of properties and the Board will still maintain independence of its own Budget and Tax Levy. Village Manager Healy stated that this is a culmination of a multi-year process that began in 2012. Village Manager Healy stated that approximately 70% of Villages in New York State have already turned their assessing function over to their Town, and thirteen Villages in Westchester County have done this as well, the State does not allow new Villages to create an assessing unit unless they specifically adopt a Local Law to do so. Village Manager Healy added that the State is discouraging duplication of services and in the era of the Tax Cap, being able to consolidate this service is helpful. Village Manager Healy stated that the financial aspect is only one consideration, because our Assessor is housed in our Engineering Department, our Engineering Department staff has been the support staff for the Assessor and a lot of the work falls on them because the Assessor is only in the office one day a week. Village Manager Healy advised that the Village undertook a study of our Engineering Department, and that study indicated that if we continue to keep the Assessing functions in the Engineering Department, additional support staff would be necessary. Village Manager Healy stated that after doing some research and looking at some individual property cards, it appears that a lot of the larger differences came about in the 1990’s when the Town of Cortlandt’s Assessor conducted field inspections and looked at individual properties to make sure that these properties matched what they had on their property cards, in many cases they didn’t because homeowners had either done work without getting permits or they had gotten permits and never closed the permits so the end result of the work was not reflected on their assessment, so when the Town made those field inspections they increased the Town’s Assessed Valuation and because the Village had not done those field inspections, the Village did not increase their Village Assessment. March 12, 2025 Trustee Simon encouraged everyone to watch the Webinar if they have not done so and review the FAQ’s. Trustee Simon added that this will not take effect until 2026, and those that have concerns will have time to evaluate their assessments and bring those discrepancies to the Town. Village Manager Healy emphasized that if homeowners believe their assessed valuation by the Town is too high, they should grieve it now as that value is being used to calculate a majority of a property's tax bill." COMMENTS: Michael Mamone, 19 Young Avenue, Croton on Hudson, stated that he believes the Village of Briarcliff Manor is attempting to get their Assessor back, and since we have everything in place, why fix something that is not broken. Mr. Mamone stated that the Village only has 2,500 properties and we want our own Assessor closer to home rather than an Assessor who is not familiar with Croton. Village Attorney Joshua B. Subin stated that he is also the Village Attorney for the Village of Briarcliff Manor, and he is not aware of any effort or movement on the part of the Village of Briarcliff Manor to take back it’s of assessing responsibilities. Rich Kingham, 38 Elmore Avenue, Croton on Hudson, stated that his home has a $100,000 discrepancy between his Village and Town Assessment, which is pretty alarming. Mr. Kingham stated that when he completed the construction on his home, they closed their permit and everything was done correctly and, if this is passed, the Village should reach an agreement with the Town for properties with large discrepancies to use the lower of the two numbers so there would be some equity built into the procedure. David Goldman, 76 Young Avenue, Croton on Hudson, stated that he is very concerned because his property will receive a 55% increase in taxes, but he also wants to maintain personalized government. Mr. Goldman stated that he also read an article about some of the complaints that the Village of Briarcliff Manor is having because of a lack of response from their Town and urged the Board not to pass this. Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that this is a bad idea, and believes that one of the principal reasons for doing this is Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 to be able to use staff to do more inspections on multi-family housing. Mr. Riely stated that what people like about Croton is that we have excellent services, and now the Board wants to surrender the Assessor functions that cost $32,000 a year and ship it off to an inconvenient location, if this is the trend, then the Village should surrender Village government if we are going to surrender authority on some of our Village functions. Mr. Riely stated that he also suspects there is a wave where Towns, Villages and Counties want to do a revaluation to raise property taxes. Mr. Riley emphasized that if he wants to make complaints about his Assessment or any other issue, he wants to make it to this Board, not to the Town of Cortlandt. Gary Eisinger, 210 Cleveland Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that as a matter of principle any necessary tax reform should be done as part of a holistic plan that nets a real broad based benefit to the Village, and all residents, and any tax reform should be fair and equitable for everyone, this proposal will raise taxes on over 1,200 homeowners, while lowering the property assessment for approximately 1,300 homeowners, some will get a Village property tax break while other vulnerable populations will have to shoulder tax increases, over 200 residents will pay at least $1,000 more per year under this plan, too many seniors face double or even triple percentage tax increases, yet there are million dollar properties that will enjoy triple digit tax decreases. Mr. Eisinger stated that he believes this change will reduce revenues by $132,000 and indicated that the Mayor and three Trustees will see a reduction in their Assessment. Hannellie Kratchman, 161 Maple Street, Croton on Hudson, stated that she will have a significant increase because her discrepancy is around $100,000 and while she understands that she can speak with the Assessor and try to dispute this increase, in the past she has gone through the process in both the Village and Town and it has not worked very well. Ms. Kratchman talked about the unfairness of the process and does not believe that anyone will be successful in getting their assessment reduced. Sherry Horowitz, 119 Maple Street, Croton on Hudson, stated that she does not believe that enough property owners participated in the Webinar, economics are pretty chaotic right now and she does not think this is the best time for us to be messing around with people’s taxes Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 even though these taxes will not go into effect until 2026, her taxes will go down but she is thinking about her neighbors and this is a very bad time. Ms. Horowitz stated that when she was on the Board we tried to do away with the Village Court and residents did not want it, and residents have made it pretty clear that they are not interested in farming out our services. Vic Conte, 40 Grand Street, Croton on Hudson, stated that he completed his home last year and it was recently assessed, the Town is now assessing it 39% more, this seems like a significant difference in just one year. Kelly Nein, 221 Grand Street, Croton on Hudson, thanked staff for answering her questions but she is concerned because a number of her neighbors are elderly and they will be seeing substantial increases and asked how that information is being disbursed to those that may not be using technology the same way. Domna Candido, 1299 Albany Post Road, Croton on Hudson, stated that she does not believe this is the right time because there are too many lose-ends with respect to the Assessment Roll and believes there are going to be severe inequities with tax money coming in from a smaller portion of property owners. Susan Skrelja, 56 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, supported the comments made by one of the speakers regarding her issues trying to grieve her taxes, and while that process is in place and people have the right to do it, the likelihood of being successful is extremely low. Ms. Skrelja stated that her house will see a fairly significant decrease but this is because they did an addition to their home and they were recently assessed and while she does not see some mischievous thing the Board is looking to do in regards to personally benefitting from this, the optics do not look good, residents living here are used to paying the taxes they pay and if this goes through, it will be a burden to a large number of residents who have lived here a long time and are on a fixed income and the Board needs to revaluate this and not jump the gun. There being no further comments to come before the Board, a motion to close the Public Hearing was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Politi and approved with a 4-0 vote. March 12, 2025 Resolution #44-2025 – Resolution Held-Over WHEREAS the Village Board of Trustees is considering the adoption of Local Law Introductory No. 14 of 2024, a local law to add Chapter 8, Assessments, Real Property Tax, to the Code of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson to consolidate the Village’s assessment unit with the Town of Cortlandt, and WHEREAS New York State law authorizes villages to consolidate their assessment status and have towns provide this service, and WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson has been discussing this possibility since at least 2012, and WHEREAS consolidating the Village’s Assessment Roll with the Town would provide a financial savings to the Village and provide residents with one assessed valuation for the entirety of their tax bill, as opposed to the current system of one valuation for Village taxes and one valuation for town/county/school taxes, and WHEREAS the Village previously held a Public Hearing on Local Law Introductory No. 14 of 2024 on November 20, 2024, and WHEREAS a second Public Hearing was opened and closed on March 12, 2025, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby adopts Local Law Introductory No. 14 of 2024, to add Chapter 8, Assessments, Real Property Tax, to the Code of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson to consolidate the Village’s assessment unit with the Town of Cortlandt, which upon adoption will become Local Law No. 5 of 2025. Village Manager Healy emphasized that there is no impact on revenues, whatever the Budget sets as the amount of tax revenue that is needed to operate the Village, that amount is going to be distributed among the 3,300 parcels in the Village based on their assessment and by using the Town’s assessment, the Village of Croton will not see any revenue losses. Village Treasurer Tucker explained that taxes are determined by the Budget and the Assessment Roll is how the tax bills are assigned. Village Attorney Subin explained that a resident can challenge their Assessment for a misclassification of their property, an unlawful assessment (the property should have been exempt), or excessive assessment/unequal assessment. March 12, 2025 Village Manager Healy stated that it is not fair to say that the Board never reduces assessments; when the Village Board met as the Board of Assessment Review last month, the Board did agree with some homeowners that came before them and lowered their assessment. Village Manager Healy advised that we are considering this now so that residents have the maximum amount of time to review comparisons in their neighborhood as well as reviewing their property files and emphasized that the Village plans to do a vigorous outreach campaign to every resident who will be getting an increase. Village Manager Healy stated that the New York State Office of Real Property supports the consolidation of assessing functions because communities cannot afford the rising salaries of Assessors, we are paying our Assessor $30,000 a year which is the going rate for a part time Assessor. Village Manager Healy stated that the Town has a full-time Assessor, along with an Assessment Clerk and an Office Assistant that are available to the public five days a week. Mayor Pugh stated that he appreciates the comments made this evening and he is recommending that the Board hold-over the resolution. Mayor Pugh stated that he has supported consolidation of our assessment function even before he owned property in the Village, and since his own personnel circumstances were mentioned this evening, he has already stated that he would donate his savings back to the Village. Trustee Slippen stated that she is in favor of holding the resolution over, we have a responsibility for more communication and outreach and believes if more people knew what was going on, especially from those that will be paying more, they would have reached out, just because there are benefits to consolidation, she feels a responsibility to make sure that the community understands what is going to happen. Trustee Politi emphasized that it is not about the $30,000, but rather an efficiency that will be achieved by consolidation, her taxes will increase significantly but that is not why she supports holding the resolution over, she supports it because it is important to look at how we are communicating this information with our residents. 4. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY EMAIL - none. PUBLIC SERVICE ADDRESS BY POLICE CHIEF regarding Immigration Status. To view the Police Chief’s address and comments by the Board, you may log onto the following: March 12, 2025 https://play.champds.com/crotononhudsonny/event/1025 (section 1.09.51) 5. PUBLIC COMMENT - AGENDA ITEMS Michael Mamone, 19 Young Avenue, Croton on Hudson, suggested getting in- house staff certified to do the assessing functions, does not believe the Village needed to repave Oneida and Olcott Avenues and Cleveland Drive nor replace sidewalks at Gotwald Circle, objects to spending money on the Gouveia property, and objects to looking at getting funds from the State for Clean Water Infrastructure projects and believes we can handle this on our own. Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that if we are just moving the assessing function to the Town, there should be no changes and no one should see an increase or a decrease since we are just moving the function from one place to the other and if there is, there must be another component to this, additionally, no one has addressed moving it back to the Village if this does not work out and he does not believe this is going to save us money but rather just cost shifting. Mr. Riely stated that historically the Town has done little or nothing for Croton and the Board needs to decide if they want to be a Village Government or a Town Government. Mr. Riely stated that he does not support renaming the Gouveia property. Gary Eisinger, 210 Cleveland Drive, Croton on Hudson, continues to believe that there will be a $132,000 deficit. Mr. Eisinger stated that the 2,500 parcels he was referring to were just residential homeowners. Resolution Approving the Consent Agenda On motion by Trustee Simon and seconded by Trustee Politi the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson approved the Consent Agenda. Motion was approved with a 4-0 vote. 6. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. Email from Brian Godleski, Croton Little League Secretary requesting to hold the 2025 Little League Parade on Saturday, April 5th. 2. Membership Changes from the Croton-on-Hudson Fire Department Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2025- 03/8ffbea5a9f5fe8976b8e295a4f9a91045b72b858.pdf b. RESOLUTIONS: Resolution #45-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON and seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS Westchester County has provided the Village with an Inter-Municipal Agreement to partially fund youth employment for 2025, and WHEREAS the county has provided funding for youth program staffing in previous year, and WHEREAS the total funding of $4,438 will be used to support youth employment at the Village’s summer camp programs, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to execute the Inter-Municipal Agreement with Westchester County. Resolution #46-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson has been awarded a grant in the amount of $100,000 from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) for the purpose of purchasing a dump truck for the Department of Public Works, and WHEREAS the funding has been granted under the Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology (CREST) Program, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby authorizes the Village Manager to sign the Grant Disbursement Agreement with the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York and to execute any additional documents necessary for the acceptance and administration of the grant funds. Resolution #47-2025 Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS Sections 5-504, 5-506, and 5-508 of New York State Village law set forth certain procedures and dates for the adoption of the annual Village budget, and WHEREAS in accordance with Section 5-504 the Village Manager, as Budget Officer, will file the tentative budget in the office of the Village Clerk on or before the twentieth day of March, and WHEREAS Section 5-508.3 provides that a public hearing shall be held upon the tentative budget, as changed, altered or revised, on or before the fifteenth day of April, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby schedules a Public Hearing on March 26, 2025, at 7 p.m. at the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building, located at 1 Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, New York, to consider the 2025-2026 Tentative Budget. Resolution #48-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village would like to update Chapter 116, Environmental Review, of the Village Code to provide for the listing of additional Type II actions under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), and WHEREAS the Village Board is considering the adoption of Local Law Introductory No. 3 of 2025, which has been drafted for such purposes, and WHEREAS the Village Board has received comments back on the law from the Village Planning Board and the Waterfront Advisory Committee, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby schedules a Public Hearing to be held on March 26, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Georgianna Grant Meeting Room of the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building to consider the adoption of Local Law Introductory No. 3 of 2025, to provide for the listing of additional Type II actions under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). March 12, 2025 Resolution #49-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village Justice Court maintains an annual operating budget with contractual expenses tied to services and hearings as needed, and WHEREAS in fiscal year 2025, the court experienced an increase in stenographic and interpreter services expenses, and WHEREAS the Justice Court Clerk has submitted a budget transfer request in the amount of $8,120 to cover the court dates scheduled through May, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees authorizes the Village Treasurer to make the following transfers in the 2024-2025 General Fund budget: A1110.4000 - Justice Court Contractual $ 8,120 Decrease A1110.1100 – Justice Court-Pers Srvcs PT $ 3,000 A1110.1200 – Justice Court-Pers Srvcs OT $ 1,000 A1990.4000 – Contingency-Contractual $ 4,120 c. Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes, as amended, of the Regular Meeting held on February 12, 2025, was made by Trustee Simon. The motion was seconded by Trustee Politi and approved with a 5-0 vote. Resolution #50-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS one vacancy in the Croton Police Department currently exists for the position of Police Officer, and Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 WHEREAS Chief of Police John H. Nikitopoulos has interviewed several candidates for the position and recommends the hiring of Joseph Cunningham for the position of Police Officer, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Joseph Cunningham is hereby appointed as a Police Officer in the Croton-on-Hudson Police Department as of March 13, 2025, at an annual salary of $71,876.58, pending the passage of medical exams and approval from the Westchester County Department of Human Resources, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the official start date on payroll for Mr. Cunningham shall be determined by the Chief of Police upon completion of the above-stated exams and approvals. Resolution #51-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson purchased portions of the parking lot at the Croton-Harmon Train Station from the New York Central Railroad in the 1960s, and WHEREAS the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company (“Metro-North”) is the successor railroad to the New York Central, and WHEREAS included in the purchase and sale agreement with New York Central was the right to repurchase the property for railroad purposes, and WHEREAS the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted to terminate these rights at their October 2022 board meeting, and WHEREAS the Village has a number of property maintenance agreements with Metro-North regarding the sidewalks, parking areas and planting areas adjacent to the railroad tracks, and WHEREAS, the Village has agreed to maintain the sidewalk in front of the station house in exchange for the termination of the repurchase rights, and WHEREAS it is in the best interest of both parties to consolidate these agreements into one Property Maintenance Agreement, and Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 WHEREAS Metro-North has sought permanent and temporary easements from the Village related to railroad operations and construction, and WHEREAS the Village Engineer and Superintendent of Public Works have reviewed these requests and do not anticipate any issue arising from the granting of the easements, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees authorizes the Village Manager to execute the following agreements, subject to the final approval of the Village’s Special Counsel: Property Maintenance Agreement, Release of Right to Repurchase, Permanent Easement Agreement and Temporary Easement Agreement. Resolution #52-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS until 2024, cities, villages, and towns across New York State had not received an increase in unrestricted state aid, known as Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM) funding, for 15 years, significantly impacting their ability to provide essential services to their residents, and WHEREAS after a prolonged period without financial support, local governments finally received an increase of $50 million in unrestricted state aid; and WHEREAS the State has referred to this new aid as Temporary Municipal Assistance, suggesting that such an increase may not continue, thereby jeopardizing the sustainability of crucial municipal programs and services, and WHEREAS increased and ongoing state aid for local governments is vital for maintaining infrastructure, public safety, housing, and other municipal services, and WHEREAS, the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) has circulated a letter for all municipalities to join as signatories in support of increased funding, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village of Croton-on-Hudson Board of Trustees authorizes the Mayor to join as a signatory to the letter circulated by NYCOM. March 12, 2025 Trustee Simon stated that this was the number one issue on the minds of most of the attendees at the New York Conference of Mayors conference, the collective work on the part of all the municipalities yielded an increase last year after many years of it being held flat and we are hopeful that these combined efforts once again can bring about some increases in the funding. Mayor Pugh stated that this is revenue sharing from the State that has until very recently been held flat even while State Aide to other entities has grown and he believes a modest increase in funding is more than warranted because the State unlike the Village has access to many revenue sources. Resolution #53-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson operates a municipal water system for residents and businesses in the community, and WHEREAS the system is in need of continuous improvements to ensure high levels of water quality for all users, and WHEREAS Local Progress, a grassroots organization in New York State, has drafted a letter to Governor Hochul for elected officials to join as signatories, and WHEREAS the letter requests that the governor increase funding for clean water infrastructure projects in the state budget by $100 million, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village of Croton-on-Hudson Board of Trustees authorizes the Deputy Mayor to join as a signatory to the letter circulated by Local Progress. Trustee Simon started that he had the honor to participate in a meeting with all of our Westchester County delegation members in Albany, as well as labor unions that deal with environmental infrastructure and our regional and environmental organizations and we all had the same purpose, to request additional money to help us keep pace with our growing needs. March 12, 2025 Mayor Pugh stated that the rising costs of construction consistently outpaces inflation so this investment is what is needed to keep us ahead of rising construction costs. Resolution #54-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS on January 31, 2025, Con Edison filed a petition with the New York Public Service Commission to increase electric and gas rates as of January 1, 2026, and WHEREAS under this petition electric rates would rise by 18% with residential delivery charges increasing by 25.1%, and natural gas delivery rates rising by 19.1%, and WHEREAS this Con Edison rate hike proposal comes after an increase of 20% in rates over the past three (3) years and any further significant increases would have negative financial impacts on residents and businesses within Westchester County, and WHEREAS the Public Service Commission is currently reviewing Con Edison’s petition for an electric and gas rate increase, and WHEREAS it is in the best interest of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson to be represented in this matter to ensure the concerns of local governments and its residents are adequately addressed, and WHEREAS Joel R. Dichter of Dichter Law LLC has the necessary experience and expertise to represent the interests of the participating municipalities in this case and has submitted a proposal dated February 13, 2025, to represent participating municipalities, and WHEREAS the proposal includes intervening in the rate case, conducting discovery, retaining expert witnesses, preparing briefs, and attending all hearings and any settlement negotiations at a total cost that shall not exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000) which would be split equally among all of the participating municipalities that accept his representation in this rate case, and WHEREAS such representation will only proceed if at least twenty (20) municipalities agree to be represented by Joel R. Dichter of Dichter Law LLC, Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village of Croton-on-Hudson Board of Trustees hereby authorizes the hiring of Joel R. Dichter of Dichter Law LLC as special counsel to represent participating Westchester municipalities in Con Edison’s Electric and Gas Rate Case before the Public Service Commission, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Village’s share of the legal fees shall be determined based on an equal division among all participating municipalities, with the total amount of such representation not to exceed $100,000, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that this authorization shall only take effect if at least twenty (20) municipalities agree to be represented by Joel R. Dichter of Dichter Law LLC in this matter, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the Village Manager is authorized to execute any and all documents related to the hiring of Joel R. Dichter of Dichter Law LLC. Resolution #55-2025 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE POLITI the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on- Hudson, New York with a 4-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson wishes to have the legal authority to lease certain sports field fences for advertisements, and WHEREAS the authority would be granted to the following locations: Dobbs Park, Duck Pond Park and Firefighters Memorial/David J. Manes Fields, and WHEREAS Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg has introduced bill A810 in the State Assembly to permit the Village to lease certain sports field fences for advertisements, and WHEREAS State Senator Peter Harckham has introduced companion bill S5525 in the State Senate regarding same, and WHEREAS the Village is required to formally submit a home rule request to the legislature, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby requests permission to lease certain sports field fences in the Village of Croton-on- Hudson under the state’s home rule authority; and Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this home rule request be sent to State Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg and State Senator Peter Harckham. 8. PUBLIC COMMENT – NON-AGENDA ITEMS: Michael Mamone, 19 Young Avenue, Croton on Hudson, suggested that some residents watching from home may not have been able to hear the meeting, and it was also difficult to hear comments that were made on Zoom, stated that he believes that Con-Edison is losing a ton of money because there are so many solar panels on homes, asked that the dog ordinance and reckless driving rules be enforced, asked that people attending Planning and Zoning Board meetings be allowed to speak for 5 minutes, suggested giving the historical society a better location at Village Hall, and suggested that the Board ask the public what they would like to see at the Gouveia property. Ed Riely, 110 Truesdale Drive, Croton on Hudson, addressed issues related to abortion, residents may log onto the Village Website to hear Mr. Riely’s comments: https://play.champds.com/crotononhudsonny/event/1025, (section 1.53.09). 9. REPORTS: Trustee Slippen thanked everyone for coming out this evening to share their comments, thanked the County Board of Legislators for their efforts in collaborating on Con Edison rates, thanked DPW for working on our fields, Kayak rentals open this week, and camp registration opens next week. Trustee Slippen announced the passing of Tony Gagliotti and Carol Shanesy and thanked them for all they had done for our Village. Trustee Slippen stated that we have been talking about the Gouveia property over the past ten years, an AD Hoc Committee was formed to come up with ideas of what to do with the property and is pleased that we are moving forward with those plans, the building is not ADA compliant and we are required to make it accessible to all our residents, the decisions that have been made have been fairly well documented and she is very proud of the work that has been done to get us to this point and knows that when completed, we will have a beautiful park that will be usable to everyone in the Village. Trustee Politi stated that we are all shocked by the anticipated rate increases by Con Edison and is glad that we will be working with other municipalities on this issue, attended her first WAC meeting where they reviewed Zoning Code amendments, attended the Business Meeting this past Monday where Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 representatives from Neighbors Link spoke on how these new immigration rules can impact businesses, we also had a representative from the Blaze who talked about how they can better partner with our local businesses. Trustee Politi addressed some of Mr. Riely’s comments regarding abortion which can be heard by logging onto the following under Reports: https://play.champds.com/crotononhudsonny/event/1025. Trustee Simon stated that the Gouveia property has had a tremendous amount of public involvement over the last few years, and we have had ample opportunity to discuss thoroughly the recommendations that Trustee Nicholson and Trustee Slippen brought to us. Trustee Simon stated that he has it from a good source that the sound for this evening’s meeting is working just fine, yesterday he toured the Village with Police Chief Nikitopoulos and DPW Foreman Scott Marsh focusing on where the hubs should be for our bike share program and is pleased to advise that we also received 200 responses from the community on the various proposed locations, we continue to have discussions with the Blaze and our Business community to expand on ideas of how we can promote our local businesses, attended a ribbon cutting last Saturday for Croton Grill, and another ribbon cutting for Croton Children’s and Family Counseling Center will be held on Saturday, on March 4th the Planning Board met and they are continuing to work on the LOT A, 1 Croton Point Avenue Site Plan, met last week with Croton 100, where they talked about their second quilt that will focus on our train station solar array, on March 19 we will be working collectively on our legislative document to Albany. Trustee Simon stated that in addition to all the things that Carol Shanesy did in our local community, she was a pioneering woman for IBM and her professional career was outstanding, he also got to spend time with Chief Gagliotti at Fire Department and Senior activities. Trustee Simon stated that the location of our Historical Society is a lovely space and is a vast expansion from the space they previously were in. Village Attorney Subin stated that protesting at hearings is not generally a valid means to challenge actions taken at a public hearing, and while people have a right to protest and a right to their voice, they do not have a right to overturn any actions undertaken at a public hearing or at a public meeting. Village Attorney Subin stated that he is aware of no issues with respect to a deficiency with the Notice and everything has been done correctly. Village Attorney Subin stated one of the things that exist via law is your Zoning Board, and they are considered constituent agencies and constituent agencies are constrained by Local Laws that are passed by the Board of Village Board of Trustees March 12, 2025 Trustees, the setting of a SEQRA TYPE 2 list is completely within the purview of this Board and there are specific limits set in the Environmental Review Law that do not allow Board’s go past a certain point in setting that list and if the Zoning Board wants something on the TYPE 2 List, they should feel free to communicate with the Board of Trustees and Village Manager and we can consider that for the list. Mayor Pugh addressed a comment with respect to the location of the Historical Society and explained that because of requirements under the “Raise the Age Act” which required the Village to provide new protections for juveniles who are interacting with the Justice System, we had to make modifications to Village Hall which prompted moving the Historical Society to its new location. Mayor Pugh stated that the potential of moving the Recreation Department’s administrative functions to Gouveia will open up more programming space at the Municipal Building and whether or not that space will be used for the Historical Society will be a decision we can consider in the future. Mayor Pugh stated that while we cannot guarantee an outcome with respect to Con-Edison rates, the investment on the part of taxpayers is modest and the upside could be tremendous. Mayor Pugh emphasized that he does not believe Con-Edison is running out of money because of solar panels, and we are asking the regulators to scrutinize this carefully and minimize the amount of money they are asking to be taken from our residents. Mayor Pugh advised that the Conservation Advisory Council held a Clean Up day this weekend where 400 pounds of garbage was collected, on April 6th the Scouts will also being doing a clean-up at 3pm, and on March 18th the Green Living Series will talk about Butterfly Gardens, 7pm, at the Croton Library. Mayor Pugh congratulated Nora Regis on her recent appointment to the Bicycle Pedestrian Committee and thanked her for attending the meeting this evening. Before closing the meeting, Mayor Pugh asked for a moment of silence in memory of Carol Shanesy and Tony Gagliardi. There being no further comments to come before the Board, a motion to close the meeting was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Slippen approved with a 4-0 vote. Meeting adjourned at 9:36pm. March 12, 2025 Respectively submitted, Judy Weintraub, Board Secretary __________________________ Paula DiSanto, Village Clerk