Documents › Board Of Trustees, 2026-05-20

minutes 11 pages

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY, held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in the Georgianna Grant Meeting Room at the Stanley Kellerhouse Municipal Building, Van Wyck Street, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520. 1. Mayor Pugh called the regular 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 26005668-26005861. The Motion was seconded by Trustee Nicholson and approved with a 5-0 Vote. $386,252.77 Water Fund $28,972.71 Sewer Fund $4,855.25 Capital Fund $283,132.81 Trust Fund $1,551.20 3. PUBLIC HEARINGS A motion to open a Public Hearing on the Local Law Introductory No. 6 of 2026 to amend Chapter 204, Taxation, of the Village Code to add/update various real property tax exemptions, was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Nicholson and approved with a 5-0 vote. Village Manager Healy explained that there were a number of new Legislative actions that were approved by the State Legislature that now allows the Village to extend certain tax exemptions to qualifying individuals, the two new exemptions that the Village is offering are for active duty military members and for surviving spouses of Police Officers killed in the line of duty, the Village also amended two existing exemptions for surviving spouses for volunteer fire fighters and ambulances workers who were killed in the line of duty and for senior citizens who meet certain income restrictions. May 6, 2026 To view the exemptions in more detail you may click on the following: https://play.champds.com/ATT/crotononhudsonny/2026- 02/e84dd6d139615fe5e673646c6d601b1d2d84d01f.pdf 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 Nicholson and approved with a 5-0 vote. Resolution #90-2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 5-0 vote. WHEREAS the New York State Legislature adopted a number of bills during 2025 which established new real property tax exemptions, including for the surviving spouses of police officers killed in the line of duty and members of the Armed Forces currently serving in combat zones, and WHEREAS the New York State Legislature also adopted bills which amended existing real property tax exemptions, including the senior citizen tax exemption and the volunteer firefighter/EMS worker tax exemption, and WHEREAS these new exemptions and updates to existing exemptions were discussed at a work session held on February 11, 2026, and WHEREAS Local Law Introductory No. 6 of 2026 has been drafted for such purposes, and WHEREAS a public hearing on Local Law Introductory No. 6 of 2026 was opened and closed on May 6, 2026, and WHEREAS the Village Board has determined that the adoption of Local Law Introductory No. 6 of 2026 to be a Type II action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act, requiring no environmental review, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED the Village Board of Trustees hereby adopts Local Law Introductory No. 6 of 2026 to amend Chapter 204, Taxation, of the Village Code to add/update various real property tax exemptions, which upon adoption becomes Local Law No. 6 of 2026. 4. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY EMAIL: None Village Board of Trustees May 6, 2026 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS: John Corwin, 68 Young Avenue, Croton on Hudson, suggested that the Village extend “DPW Week” to two weeks and also include National Dam Safety Awareness Day. Margaret Conner, 36 Grand Street, Croton on Hudson, asked if the Village would be responding to letters regarding the Dog Park. Village Manager Healy stated that he received an email that asked him to reconsider his decision regarding the hours of the Dog Park and advised that he has responded. Mayor Pugh explained that this is not an agenda item and that it can be addressed under Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items. 6. REPORT FROM THE VILLAGE MANAGER: Village Manager Healy advised that the developer of LOT A has provisionally secured the “Affordable Home Ownership Program” (AHOP) Funding, the Village, developer, Metro North Railroad and the New York State Department of Transportation have all collaborated to finalize the site development plans with respect to storm water drainage on the site and we anticipate to be able to close on the property over the summer, Con-Edison continues their work along Old Post Road North as part of their gas main replacement project, they are also starting repairs of the underground electric system on Amber Drive, we received an update from Westchester County regarding the Quaker Bridge project advising that the Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is progressing and the permit for the work will follow once the agreement is finalized, we anticipate the Special Use Permit for the mixed use building at 325 South Riverside will be coming back to the Planning Board at the end of May, Con-Edison continues to review the “as-built” design drawings for the train station solar project, a detailed design for the Half Moon Bay Bridge has been submitted to the Department of Transportation for their review, as well as utility agreements to both Verizon and Con-Edison and the draft Railroad Agreement has been sent to Metro North for their review, we continue to look at the issues that were raised regarding Kaplan’s Pond and we will respond once we are able to do so. 7. CONSENT AGENDA: May 6, 2026 On Motion by Trustee Simon and seconded by Trustee Nicholson the Board approved the Consent Agenda. Motion was approved with a 5-0 Vote. The Board congratulated Planning Board Chair Robert Luntz on being recognized by the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation and thanked Eva Thaddeus for her work on the Planning Board. 1. Letters from the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation announcing a 2025 Planning Commendation for the South Riverside Rezoning Project and a Citizen Planner Award for Planning Board Chairman Robert Luntz. 2. Letter of Resignation from Eva Thaddeus, Planning Board member, effective May 13, 2026. 3. Announcement from the New York Power Authority and Canal Corporation regarding the 2026 Supplier Diversity Expo on May 14, 2026, at Sleepy Hollow Hotel. 4. Announcement from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on the 2026 Service Academy Information Night on May 28, 2026, at Pace University. 5. Notice from the Westchester Rent Guidelines Board on upcoming public hearings and meetings. Resolution #91-2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 5-0 vote. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: that the Village Board of Trustees hereby undertakes the following actions: 1. Accepting with regret the resignation of Eva Thaddeus from the Village Planning Board effective May 13, 2026. 2. Filing the following items for the record: letters from the Westchester Municipal Planning Federation, announcement from the New York Power Authority and Canal Corporation on the 2026 Supplier Diversity Expo, announcement from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand on the 2026 Service Village Board of Trustees May 6, 2026 Academy Information Night and notice from the Westchester Rent Guidelines Board. Resolution #92-2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 5-0 vote. WHEREAS Westchester County has provided the Village with an Inter-Municipal Agreement to partially fund youth employment for 2026; and WHEREAS the county has provided funding for youth program staffing in previous years; and WHEREAS the total funding of $5,000 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 #93-2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 5-0 vote. WHEREAS the Department of Public Works has recently completed the replacement of the boiler at Washington Engine Firehouse; and WHEREAS the new boiler does not use heating oil, which allowed for the removal of the oil tank on the property; and WHEREAS the oil tank was found to be leaking when it was being removed, which requires certain remediation efforts to be undertaken; and WHEREAS the cost of this work was not budgeted in the 2025-2026 General Fund budget, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby authorizes the Village Treasurer to make the following budget transfers: May 6, 2026 Increase A3410.4600 Fire – Buildings & Grounds $22,419 Decrease A1990.4000 Contingency - Contractual $22,419 Resolution #94-2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 5-0 vote. WHEREAS there are more than 750,000 law enforcement officers serving in communities throughout the United States, including the dedicated members of the Croton-on-Hudson Police Department; and WHEREAS since the first recorded death in 1786, more than 24,000 law enforcement officers in the United States have made the ultimate sacrifice and been killed in the line of duty; and WHEREAS the names of these dedicated public servants are engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC; and WHEREAS this year, 363 new names will be added to the memorial, including 109 officers who were killed in the last 12 months and 254 officers killed in previous years; and WHEREAS the Village of Croton-on-Hudson will be recognizing the members of our Police Department at a service being held on May 9, 2026, at the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby declares May 10 through May 16 as National Police Week in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson and publicly salutes the service of law enforcement officers in our community and throughout the nation; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the flag of the United States of America at the Stanley H. Kellerhouse Municipal Building shall be flown at half-staff on May 15, 2026, in observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day. Resolution #95-2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 5-0 vote. May 6, 2026 WHEREAS public works professionals focus on infrastructure, facilities and services that are of vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities and to the public health, high quality of life and well-being of the residents of Croton-on-Hudson; and WHEREAS in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, the Department of Public Works (DPW) is responsible for municipal building maintenance, highway maintenance, parks maintenance, repairing of village vehicles, sanitation and recycling, and the public water supply; and WHEREAS without the dedicated public works professionals in the DPW, these services could not be provided; and WHEREAS it is in the public interest of the residents and civic leaders in Croton-on- Hudson to develop and maintain an understanding of the importance of public works in our community; and WHEREAS the year 2026 marks the 66th annual observance of National Public Works Week in the United States, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Board of Trustees hereby declares May 17 through May 23 as National Public Works Week in the Village of Croton-on- Hudson and urges all citizens to pay tribute to our public works employees and to recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our health, safety and quality of life. c. Approval of Minutes Motion to approve the minutes of the Regular Meeting held on April 8, 2026, was made by Trustee Simon. The motion was seconded by Trustee Nachtaler and approved with a 5-0 vote. Motion to approve the minutes of the Executive Session held on April 15, 2026, was made by Trustee Simon. The motion was seconded by Trustee Nachtaler and approved with a 5-0 vote. Motion to approve the minutes of the Executive Session held on April 16, 2026, was made by Trustee Simon. The motion was seconded by Trustee Nachtaler and approved with a 5-0 vote. 8. PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS: 9. Resolution #96-2026 Village Board of Trustees May 6, 2026 On motion of TRUSTEE SIMON, seconded by TRUSTEE NICHOLSON, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York with a 5-0 vote. WHEREAS the Village issued an Invitation to Bid on February 19, 2026, for the federal aid project known as Paving in Downtown Croton (PIN 8763.03), and WHEREAS the project involves the paving of Cleveland Drive from Gotwald Circle to Gerstein Street, as well as the paving of portions of Old Post Road South, Wood Road, and Gerstein Street, and WHEREAS seven bids were submitted by the deadline of March 20, 2026; and WHEREAS the lowest responsible bid received was from ELQ Industries of New Rochelle, New York, in the amount of $702,461.48, and WHEREAS Frank Balbi, Superintendent of Public Works, has recommended moving forward with the low bidder, and WHEREAS the New York State Department of Transportation has reviewed the bid documents and concurred with the recommendation, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Village Manager is hereby authorized to award Bid No. 1-2026 to ELQ Industries of New Rochelle, New York, in the amount of $702,461.48, and BE FURTHER RESOLVED that the Village Manager is authorized to execute any and all necessary documents to enter into the contract with ELQ Industries. Trustee Simon stated that this is a great project and encouraged everyone to review the back-up materials. Village Manager Healy explained that the Village received Federal funds in 2009 to raise the train station parking lot, but because the Village did not want to wait for that funding to come through, the Village decided to undertake the project on their own, the Federal funding that was issued on 2009 was frozen, but the Department of Transportation reached out to the Village asking the Village to submit a request to repurpose those funds and the Village decided to use those funds for resurfacing projects and thanked Superintendent Frank Balbi for all his hard work in securing these funds. May 6, 2026 10.PUBLIC COMMENT - NON-AGENDA ITEMS: Judy Lewis, 49 Sunset Drive, Croton on Hudson, requested an extension for the Dog Park hours from 4:00pm to 6:00pm on weekends and read a letter from Judy Reyer in support of this, having the dog park available to more residents would be helpful and while she understands that the neighbors are sensitive to noise, she believes that the dog owners try to limit their dogs from barking. Margarete Conner, 36 Grand Street, Croton on Hudson, stated that she believes that the Dog Park should be open from dawn to dusk, schedules are changing and asked that the Dog Park be treated like our other parks. John Corwin, 68 Young Avenue, Croton on Hudson, suggested that the Dog Park have summer and winter hours. Mr. Corwin stated that he is concerned about the dam at Kaplan’s Pond and asked that a meeting be scheduled to discuss the 2004 renovation. Mr. Corwin stated that Kaplan’s Pond has become a major storm retention center and has become a Class C Dam and the Town of Cortlandt should be responsible for taking care of it. Mr. Corwin read a letter he submitted to the Board which can be heard by logging onto the following: https://play.champds.com/crotononhudsonny/event/1154 (00.27.42) Steve Krisky, 49 Sunset Drive, Croton on Hudson, stated that considering the wonderful repaving of Cleveland Drive, he hopes the Village will include sidewalks from Gerstein Street to Loconto Street. 11.REPORTS: Trustee Slippen stated that during the Dog Park discussions she believes it was determined that it is the Manager’s decision to set the hours of the Parks, thanked Mr. Corwin for all the research he has done on several bodies of water within the Village and looks forward to continuing discussions regarding Kaplan’s Pond, the raising of the Police Flag will be held this weekend, next weekend the Peace Pole dedication will be held, thanked everyone who participated in the Earth Day events, the Library held their annual book and bake sale, the leaf blower topic will be reviewed by the Conservation Advisory Council, expressed her concerns about bike and pedestrian safety and the ease of which electric bike riders will have on the Senasqua pathway and emphasized that we need to have a lot of outreach to make everyone aware Village Board of Trustees May 6, 2026 of the changes in the use along the pathway, happy to see that New York State Tourism has included the Dam in its promotions and encouraged the Village to collaborate with the Town of Cortlandt and County on traffic safety along Route 129. Trustee Nachtaler thanked Mr. Corwin for addressing the issues at Kaplan’s Pond, looking forward to Police Week and the flag raising, thanked everyone for participating in Earth Day and announced that Croton resident Bob Anderson will be celebrating his 80th birthday, Trustee Nicholson thanked everyone for putting together a wonderful Earth Day celebration, spoke with “Clean Croton” who asked that our existing Gas Leaf Blower ban be better communicated to residents and local landscapers, thanked the friends of Croton Parks for their contributions to our parks, thanked Mr. Corwin for addressing the issues of Kaplan’s Pond, and attended the annual meeting of the Library. Trustee Simon advised that on April 24th he met with representatives in Rockland County to talk about our Maple Commons project, April 26th the Sustainability Committee met and discussed EV chargers at the train station, and the food scrap recycling program, April 27th he attended an “Open Space Institute” event at Croton Landing where they talked about their involvement in the creation of Croton Landing, April 28th the Fire Council met where we briefed them on our budget, thanked Cheryl Wong for putting together our new textile recycling program, Project Mover is planning on holding another training session and they plan on using some of their funding for bike safety signage and infrastructure, on May 3rd the 3rd annual Comic-Con was held and thanked the 3rd Universe for putting this together, the Rotary’s DPW event will be held on May 20th, and attended a mixer earlier this evening with the Association of Businesses in Croton. The Mayor and Board of Trustees thanked Eva Thaddeus for her service on the Planning Board, and congratulated Planning Board Chair Robert Luntz for being awarded the Citizen Planner Award from the Westchester Planning Federation. Mayor Pugh advised that on May 17th a celebration of Lorraine Hansberry’s Birthday will take place at 2pm at Bethel Chapel. RESOLUTION: May 6, 2026 On motion by Trustee Simon and seconded by Trustee Nicholson the Board of Trustees approved the following appointments. Motion was approved with a 5-0 vote. Seyed Hosseini Planning Board Term expires December 2026 Genette Toone Village Treasurer 2 Year Term Rachel Sibrizzi Deputy Village Treasurer 1 Year Term Seyed Hosseini There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion to close the meeting was made by Trustee Simon. Motion was seconded by Trustee Nicholson and approved with a 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 8:13pm.