Proposal to merge Croton's village court with another municipality. Studied, debated, and ultimately tabled after public opposition.
2026-02-11
Board of Trustees Work Session
=== HEADLINE ===
Trustees push back as village court study sparks consolidation debate
=== SUMMARY ===
Croton's Board of Trustees sparred over a proposed $36,500 study of the village justice court, with several trustees arguing the consultant's prop…
=== EXECUTIVE BRIEF ===
• Village manager directed to revise the CGR court study proposal to broaden its focus beyond consolidation
• Revised scope must include police department input, public defender and DA perspectives, and a public participation …
The study has a tight timeline because state law only allows village courts to be considered for consolidation at the end of a justice's term. That window closes this year and won't reopen until 2030. If the board moved toward dissolution, a final de…
2026-02-18
Board Of Trustees
Yes. That's correct. Sorry about that. I wanted to, congratulate one of our DPW employees, Andrew Recipio, who has been promoted to motor equip equipment operator as of this week. So that's, filling a vacancy that was created when, one of our former …
I'm not accusing Hansberry of anything other than being a communist or very close to being a communist. And I'm not saying she was a violent person. I I don't believe she was. She wrote one of the most beautiful plays, probably the 10 best plays in t…
2026-03-11
Board Of Trustees
I wanna express my opposition to the proposal to move the village court to the town of Cortland. While this move is intended to save cost, projected savings, minimal, compared to the significant inconvenience this would cause for both our residents a…
Good evening. If there's anyone from Croton one hundred still here, I'd like to just let you know I have a whole bunch of quilting fabric. I'd be happy to donate if you folks could use it. I'm Joel Gingold. I live at 55 Nordica Drive. Let me begin by…
I'm Paul Doyle. I live at 121 Old Post Road North. I've lived in Croatan for forty nine years. I served on the planning board in the early nineteen nineties. I served on the comprehensive planning committee, which produced a 2003 comprehensive plan, …
Gary Eisinger. 210 Cleveland Drive. Mister mayor, your willingness to chip chip away at the fabric of village life astounds so many of us here. The walkability, the sense of community, and the ignoring of broad based support that goes against the ech…
Mister mayor, trustees, my name is Louis Montana. Live at 5 Ackerman Court. Four years ago, I came before you and opposed the, proposal to shift the judicial duties to the town of Cortland. I come here tonight to restate that. I come here also to opp…
evening. My name is Ira Lipton, 55 Old Post Road North. I've been a resident of Croton for thirty years. I'm rarely in this space, but I was here four years ago. Got a call from Sam last night saying that this issue was back on the agenda, which real…
Good evening. My name is Regina Montana. I live at 5 Ackerman Court. I wasn't planning to say anything tonight, but when I heard mister Lipson speak about the day that he was in front of mister Watkins, judge Watkins, regarding a speeding ticket that…
My name is Hannah Robbins at 6 Fox Road. I've been a resident of the village for eight and a half years, and I've been a practicing attorney in front of the village court for nearly six years at this point. So I'm both a resident, and I experience in…
Yeah. You know, mayor, the the word table, I think, is you know, some folks interpret it different ways, but I think it's our intent to to put this aside for for a period. And how and under what circumstances we return to it, I think, is at this poin…
I just wanna say I I feel like this is a proud moment. Number one, you know, I was completely moved by this whole evening. I we need some tissues here for future meetings because starting with a quilt that was just I was blown away, art with purpose,…
Yeah. I have some quick comments. First, I wanna thank my colleagues for their very thoughtful statements, and I wanna thank everyone that came out here tonight to speak their minds. You know? And I appreciate that some people were here, four years a…
"We would lose all revenue from fines," Watkins told the Board. "I do not believe moving the Court to the Town of Cortlandt will save any money, and I do not believe that the Town of Cortlandt Justice Court will have the same compassion as our local …
Village Prosecutor Casey Raskob noted that the court accounts for two percent or less of the Village's overall budget and actually returns money through fines. "No consultant will be able to change this fashion to get a different result," he said. "O…
Trustee Katharine Nachtaler said she was "never in favor of court consolidation." Mayor Pugh, who first explored consolidation during the pandemic's fiscal crunch, said flatly: "I do not foresee proposing any study in the future."
2026-03-11
Board of Trustees
=== HEADLINE ===
Residents flood meeting to block village court study
=== SUMMARY ===
Croton residents packed the March 11 Board of Trustees meeting to oppose a proposed $30,000 study on dissolving the village justice court, prompting Mayor Brian Pu…
Village Justice Sam Watkins, elected nearly 20 years ago, reminded Pugh and Trustee Leo Simon that they were both on the board four years ago when 73 of 74 speakers opposed a similar court consolidation plan. "Fifty-two letters were against. One was …
A short documentary about Croton's clean energy leadership, "The Little Village That Could" by Archipelago Films, is expected to premiere during Earth Month in April.
**What to watch for:** The tabled justice court study could return to a future age…