Board of Trustees Meeting
Good evening. Welcome to our regular meeting of the court on Hudson Board of Trustees for October 7. I'm mayor Brian Pugh. Please join me in the pledge of allegiance.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Alright.
Hi. Good evening. For the general fund, we have $969,491.89. The water fund is $48,475.93. Sewer fund is $3,827.60. The capital fund is for $240,006.29 58, and the trust fund is for $7,021.39.
Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Alright. We are... Next item of business will be to welcome a special guest, the honorable Ralph Becker, former mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah, and former president of the National League of Cities.
To introduce him will be, trustee Len Simon. Thank you very much, mayor. One of the fun parts of living here in Croton is when great friends from around the country, come to visit, and that's especially true tonight. We're joined here, as mayor said, in our audience by the honorable Ralph Becker, mayor of Salt Lake City from 2008 to 2016 and president of the National League of Cities, our our advocacy organization in Washington from 2014 to 2015. I had the great pleasure of working with mayor Becker for that entire time as Salt Lake City's federal affairs staff in Washington DC. And as you'll see from, the dates of his service, his mayoralty essentially overlapped, with the presidency of, Barack Obama. It's no exaggeration to say that mayor Becker was one of president Obama's favorite mayors, and our collaboration with the White House on climate change, homelessness, public transportation, immigration, and so many other issues was really an extraordinary experience. Ralph ran for mayor as the blueprint man and true to his background as an urban planner accomplished so much in his eight years in city hall. Among his greatest accomplishments was his work on l... LBGTQ plus rights, in addition to laws enacted striking down a number of, discriminatory aspects of the Salt Lake City code. When a federal judge struck down Utah's ban on same sex marriage, Ralph swung into action within hours, marrying as many gay couples as he could before the judge's ruling could be stayed. All that wearing a bright red sweater vest because it was casual Friday in City Hall that day. After leaving the mayor's office, Ralph's good work continues, throughout Utah and the Rocky Mountain West on issues of fair reapportionment, clean air, and so many others. Mayor Becker,
his wife, Kate Kupinski, is also with us. Welcome, Kate, whose focus is on international affairs. And, we're so we're so glad they're both visiting with us in Croton. I should say just, as a footnote, in addition to, to Ralph, e Becker junior being a great great mayor and a great American, He is the son of ambassador Ralph Becker senior who believe it or not was the moving force behind the creation of the Kennedy Center in the nineteen fifties and nineteen sixties and wrote this amazing book about all that called Miracle on the Potomac, which I I recommend to everyone as as the story of how the Kennedy Center came about. So with with that, I am just very delighted to ask mayor Becker to join us at the podium for some greetings and thoughts on on on municipalities today and and anything else he wants to tell us. Mhmm.
Len, thank you. That was way too much. And all of the things that you could have said, I'm glad you didn't. But, no, it's... Len and I really became... And and with Linda and my wife, Kate, who's with me here visiting, really became great friends through that time. And you all know Len and know that his abilities are just extraordinary. And we benefited as a city from all of that. So much of what we were seeking, and as Len said, it had the benefit of of paralleling the time that president Obama was in office. There's just no way we would have gotten half of it done if it hadn't been for Len and his work. So I'm sure you all know know... Notice that and feel it with your... You know, with with Len's contributions here. He he tells me stories, you know. And I... We all know the stories are always right, but he... I know he's been working really hard and loves living here. He is so proud of this town. And when I visited here a couple years ago for some meetings I was having, he gave me a bit of a tour, and it really is a great place you live in. But, you know, I'm happy to try to answer questions if you want. I'm glad the Kennedy Center hasn't been demolished yet, referencing that that my my father and my brother worked on for decades.
And I just had a great experience, I've gotta say. Until I became mayor, I always thought the best job I ever had and probably would ever had was as a firefighter. I did that for a number of years, and it's really fun when you're a kid to do that kind of work. But mayor... The mayor's job, and before that, I was in the legislature for several terms, that opportunity for public service and to try to help your community, help your constituents, try to look out for the best interests immediately and thinking long term was so satisfying and rewarding. And I know probably you all feel that in your, you know, in your service too. So I'm happy to try to answer questions. I appreciate Len you introducing me to all of you, but I'd be happy to try to answer questions if you want. But, you know, I know you have really important things on your agenda tonight, so I don't wanna... Mayor......
Oh, our parks. Well, we have a great park system. I mean, we don't have a Croton Dam and a Croton River, but we have a Jordan River. Yep. And and we have, of course, the Great Salt Lake. But the the sort of thing that everyone recognizes who isn't from the area, you know, are the Wasatch Mountains. And they unofficially serve as Salt Lake's greatest park. We have in our in our Pioneer Park downtown. We have bocce courts, and we would set up bocce around town at places because, you know, it's a lot of fun. But, anyway, we have a we have a really nice park system, but Utah and Salt Lake call themselves a crossroads of the West. And part of it is because our access to the mountains and the deserts and the canyons of the West, we're hit at a completely sort of central place, which really is what attracts so many people there and, and keeps so many people there.
Mayor, if I could, you know, just ask just, reflecting on your experience as president and active member then president of the National League of Cities. Of course, our our affiliate here in New York State for NLC is, got kind of a funny name, New York Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials. So it kinda takes everything into account. What's your perspective, you know, having been having been out of office now for a few years, but also very involved in lots of things locally and other places about what's what's happening with our municipalities, these days?
Well, I'm I'm not as close to it, obviously, as I used to be, but I'm I'm still very actively involved in the community. And like all of you, I'm sure follow follow what's happening. We really had kind of a golden era when president Obama, who is our first and really only truly urban president... I mean, he came out of cities. His whole orientation was towards municipalities, and that was reflected in his priorities. And it was it was a great time in part because he he tried to reorient the federal government to be responsive to cities, which I don't think we had ever seen before. Having, you know, departments and secretaries of different agencies work together to actually respond to cities' needs rather than trying to figure out the morass of a bureaucracies... Of all the bureaucracies. Today, know, I think we're all face at the local level incredible frustration. And in a place like Utah, was sort of unique because municipal... We're nonpartisan at the municipal level in Utah. And so, you know, we... That helps us sort of look at things in a completely nonpartisan way. But that's not the way the state is. It's obviously not the way we we operate nationally. And I think it... It's really a difficult time because that sort of basic foundation where we provide services for people and help provide guidance and and infrastructure development for people, it's it's kinda gets lost in the shuffle of all the ideology that people bring to the table. And so I think it's a... You know, it's fortunate that we have local governments. And, you know, I've traveled around enough and worked with... In other countries where local governments don't have much authority. And I think we're lucky, relatively speaking, here that, you know, we we have some control over our own finances. We have inability to to be not only available but respond to our local communities. And so we can still try to do a lot, you know, without kind of the overlaying partisanship that is just, I think, so destructive today.
I love that. Yeah. Thank you so much for coming and for speaking to us. I have a question. I've, been to Salt Lake City. It's it's a great city. I've gone to ski, and and I've seen explosive growth happening there. I'm wondering, you know, how you manage through the tensions of explosive growth but still maintaining the beauty nature and the charm of what makes Salt Lake City so special. Did you have any unique committees like an architectural committee or any, you know, any unique groups that we can learn from that, you know, as Croton grows, you know?
Yeah. I mean, that's a a great question, and I wish there was an easy answer to it. Salt Lake has been facing explosive growth, and Utah has. I mean, it's like, you know, we got discovered, and it it has never slowed down during the great recession. It never slowed down during COVID. It's not slowing down now. And and I actually... Sort of my own sense of it is it takes strong and sometimes bold leadership. That isn't always the most popular thing to do at times to be able to anticipate, you know, what the needs are to maintain the quality of life as you grow. And, you know, you've got a great... You have such a greaTeatown here, and I know it's been growing. And I guess the... You know, if... In Salt Lake, I've seen all of the ups and downs based on leadership. And I think it takes private and public leadership. It's not like governments, you know, and and now more than ever, but government doesn't come in and solve things. It takes partnerships. It takes partnerships with the private sector. It takes partnerships with others in the region Right. And and the relationships it takes to do that. Yeah. And all of that takes effort, but
but if there can be a well defined sort of vision for what you want Mhmm. And then working in the realm to build sort of... Build consensus Mhmm. Around that, and then build the relationships so that, you know, you don't face it as much here, I don't think, as we do in Utah where Salt Lake is considered this weird sort of liberal place in the midst of a very conservative state. Mhmm. But we never had anything overturned by our state while I was in office. And before and after, it is the norm Mhmm. For the state to come in and preempt things that the city wants to do. And the lack of kind of respect for as a local government is like, hey, we're we're trying to help our community and our citizens based on, you know, what our needs are and ways that our community wants to do it. And so my my sense is that it's a it's a whole mix of things, you know, whether it's having a strong plan or vision of what you want. Mhmm. And, you know, those of us in elective office, it's easy to, I think, fall into a situation where we're just reacting all the time because the constituents and others are just always throwing their problems and crises at you. And keeping in mind, it's like, well, where do we wanna be as a community and continue to work on those things? Yeah.
I think we need to figure out how we can have those meaningful discussions together as a group because we're under the open meetings law, and we're not allowed to meet unless it's a legal matter or an HR issue. So, you know, I'm I'm like, I would love to... I come from the business world. So, anyway, I would love to have those meetings where we brainstorm a vision and, you know, and really, you know, collaborate well. But it's it's just challenging.
It is. It's possible. And, and, actually, my own sense is as sort of messy as the public process is that that there's always ideas and things come out of that public process that ends up... Gives you... Ends... You end up with a better result. You end up with better solutions. Yeah. For sure.
Mayor, I'll just, know, ask you because I I know I know it's probably on people's minds. Whenever I say that... Tell people I've worked for Salt Lake City, the first question they wanna know is about the church, the LDS church. And yet you're clearly a progressive, and yet you had a very productive, positive, close working relationship, with with the church in in your years in office, both, both in the legislature and in in in city hall. And how do you... Reflecting on that, is that is that sort of, a a hint of of how how different sides can kinda come together for a common purpose?
Yeah. I mean, almost every community has two or three giant players who tend to play a disproportionate role, or at least they think they should. You know, they feel pretty especially entitled. And not surprisingly, in Utah and in Salt Lake, it's the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mormons, you know. And it's hard for me to spill all that out, but that's what they like, you know, the terminology they wanna And just just in case people... You are not... Happen to I'm not not. No. Not... Never have been, never will be. But, you know, essentially, I think it goes back to a time before I was in office. I was on the Salt Lake City Planning Commission for several years, and they're the biggest, not only property owner, but obviously the biggest institution in Salt Lake. And and I would say a lot of it was just relationship building. And we all have different styles. My predecessor who had been raised LDS Yep. And left the church, his favorite thing to do was to stick his finger in the eye of the LDS church. And so in a way, I benefited that way from that and that I... That wasn't my approach to things. And I mean, I...
Every time I'd walk into the leadership of the LDS Church, which is pretty regularly, or they would come to me, was usually me going to them. The first question that was asked was, how can I help you? Yeah. Now, you don't find that, right, with big players in a community normally, but they really meant it. So I learned. I came in with a list. You know? And and even where we had significant differences, it never got in the way of us getting things done Mhmm. You know, that would help help the city and the community and and major contributions. So, you know, I I know from all those stuff I did with communities around the country that, you know, listen to the stories of these big players that would, you know, sort of dominate a community and sort of almost take advantage of and almost abuse a community. I know it's hard to believe there are bullies out there, but and I'd hear those stories, and I thought, we are we are... In Salt Lake, we were incredibly lucky. Because that was not... That is not the attitude of the biggest institutions, and for that matter, even the businesses, the the larger businesses in the city. So in in a way, made it, from my point of view, easy. But it it also meant sometimes, to your point, trustee
Nachtaler. Yeah. Excuse me. To your point, you know, a lot of it was it... To to have them trust them. They could talk to me about stuff privately, and I wouldn't go out and hold a press conference on something I disagreed with them about. Mhmm. You know, we'd have our disagreements, but they weren't they weren't personal. Thank
Glad you're here. You never will be, but this is the highest taxed county in The United States and one of the highest taxed states. We've seen more than a million leave the state in the last four years. What recommendation do you have to the state that has to overtax its people because it's driven so many
Well, I guess, I would say there are always people who feel they're being overtaxed, to begin with. I mean... We are the most heavily taxed. I... But I'll just...... Undisputable. No. I'm I'm just saying that as sort of a a precedent. One of the things I learned in my... You know, I had my own business for over twenty years, so I totally got the need to be really careful about about how I, you know, spent money as obviously as well as what we needed to do to to sustain ourselves as a business. But Utah, I'd say, I learned in the legislature has an amazing fiscal discipline in the way that they deal with their finances. They make sure they get enough revenue and to take care of, I'd say, their basic needs. But when there are good times and there was more money come in, they would put it into rainy day funds or into different funds. Then when the tide turned economically, so revenues were down, before they did anything else, they would tap that funding so that, you know, it just leveled out Mhmm. The financial needs so that when a, you know, fiscal crisis hit,
they didn't... They could do a a a number of adjustments to keep to keep that from really requiring a tax increase right away when something happened. You know, one of things they did that... I mean, I was... You know, that I was... Felt I learned from was when they were cash rich, they would pay for their capital infrastructure with cash. And then and then what they would do when when it was when it was tough times, they convert the... Those capital projects and bond against them. Well, that immediately freed up some money to be able to sort of off... So it's... You know, anyone who's been in business knows, you know, you you always have to figure out how to balance your books so you're not gonna stay in business and and be able to pay your employees and yourself. And... But I... You know, it's a... I think it's a challenging thing, and I think an awful lot of places and certainly the federal government now that that that's built up, it's it's an abomination. It's like how how can we let ourselves... You know, we we can't do it in our own households. Right? So how can we let our government... There are times, certainly extraordinary times, when you're gonna have to spend more. Mhmm.
Because of your role, in Salt Lake City, but also working with other municipalities, I wonder if there's a way when you visit different places. Are there certain things that signal to you that something is... A place is running well? And there... Is there... And are there things that signal to you right away because of the perspective you're bringing in, areas for... Opportunities for growth. Are there are there certain things that you see consistently regardless of size and and, geographic location, etcetera?
I'd say it's regardless of geographic location or size is my sense of it. I mean, we we deal with the same issues as communities, kind of whether we're small or large, geography. I'm not saying geography doesn't play a big It does. But I had a really interesting and and fun experience after I left office. I got a fellowship for a year, and I had to pick a topic. My topic ended up being, what are the traits and characteristics of affected affected elected leadership? So, you know, we do one thing to get an office, except here where you probably just get a call and say, it's your your time. But... I know it doesn't work that way. And you have an election going on now. But but... And I I ended up... Because I'd been around the country a lot, and I saw leaders who I thought were particularly effective leaders. I ended up sort of both studying, but then going to three completely different communities in different... All all different parts of this... Of the country and spent a week in each place trying to evaluate what were the traits that made that leader effective? And and, you know, one of was Gary, Indiana, you know, which is a legacy community and, I mean, their streets are barely paved. Another one was Austin, Texas, which was exploding, continues to grow really fast and has challenges between, needless to say, the the the local government and, you know, in the state. And then a third was Louisville, which is sort of a different kind of community, but, you know, has some real challenges as an old city and was trying to emerge in in today's world. And and the traits were... You know, there's four or five things. It was people who had a vision for what they wanted their community to be.
It was working to build a consensus around getting those things done. And it was about finding really good people to get those things done, both inside and outside of government. And in all of those instances, it seemed to me those leaders who were particularly effective did those things well.
I I think we'll need to proceed to the remainder of our regular meeting, but thank you very much, mayor. Thank
Just for the record, mayor, I I want everyone to know I I gave mayor Becker the option to leave at this point. He said, oh, no. I wanna stay. Well,
you asked for it, sir. Alright. Responses to questions submitted via email. No no questions, Barry. Alright. Very good. We proceed to public comment on agenda items. Anyone wishing to comment on any agenda item? This is your opportunity.
Good evening, mister mayor, trustees, attorney, manager. My name is Chester Edwards. I am a, veteran advocate, president of VVA, Vietnam Veterans of America chapter forty nine, and a member of the Westchester County Veterans Advisory Council. I'm here today to ask you to move forward on your, local law introductory number 17 to amend chapter two zero four taxation in the village code at full tax exemption for the primary residence of qualifying veterans with a 100% service connected disability for no... To November 4 for a vote. First thing I just would wanna correct the wording here. It is not a 100% service connected. It's purely permanent and total disability. The the rating doesn't matter. Fortunately, don't qualify for this and I hope I never do. But when I had a heart attack and I was in the hospital for three weeks, I was a 100% service connected for those three weeks. So that's temporary. I would never qualify. So it has to be... It doesn't matter what else is on that, award letter that serves, you know, that that service distinction of being permanent and total is what qualifies on this on this tax. It's not something you have to figure out. The, VA provides documentation. And it has to be an official VA letter, which every veteran receives at the beginning of each year identifying their personal disability. And I believe you should probably have most of those already as there are two or three other, taxing exemptions within the four five eight law for veterans. Combat veterans, I believe, are up to 50% at this point. So we're looking at what their... The differential is between their current, exemption to a 100%. So it's not even, you know, a 100% of what they have. As you know, the provision allows each county,
city, school, village, town, not only allows it but mandates that if they want in, they have to opt in for it. So that's what we're asking for is that you move forward with that. It is the residency of the... Primary residency of that veteran. They have to live there. If it's a multifamily home, I believe they only qualify for the portion of the house that they live in. There are four essential points to remember. First, the exemption applies to veterans who meet the law's specific eligibility requirements, and it is not an exemption for every veteran. Second, property, as I said, must be the primary residence. Third, the veteran must have that documentation identifying them as permanently and totally disabled. Fourth, it's your local jurisdiction to provide this relief for these veterans. Many are older. The average Vietnam veteran now is in their mid late seventies. Korea and World War two are still out there that are further. Most of them are on, fixed income and are having struggles staying in those homes they've worked seventy or eighty years to be in and stay in. So you have the opportunity to help them stay in those homes longer. In the circumstance, they don't really affect the veteran. Remember, you're affecting the veteran and their families. The families support the veterans throughout their entire careers, lives. They live with these disabilities as do the veterans, caring for them, providing for them, living with the PTSD and the anger management and and the self medications that they go through.
It's... It it... To see them all on the verge of losing their homes and being out on the street... And there are many veterans that are homeless, homeless staying at the dormitory at Montrose and other places or living on the street or shelters. If we can keep one or two or 10 of them in their homes comfortable with this tax relief, that's something I think you really need to work on. So, I would ask that you move this forward, to the next effective date. If you can move it forward earlier than that, I would appreciate it. Either way, I will be here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
Ed Riely from, Truesdale Drive. Like to, thank the mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah to... From... I must be a city of 200,000, maybe 300,000. Come all the way there to the little village of Croton on Hudson. 8,500 people. Perhaps the urbanization of Croton is part of that principle along with pigeons and a few other things. But, I'm glad he's here, and he's and he's taught he's he's taught me a few things while I was listening. I wish I had the following chances to ask him this question, so I'll just throw him out there. Maybe I'll ask him later since he's part of the agenda. He's an agenda item. This village along with 40 villages, roughly in Croton, in, Westchester was a member of agenda twenty one. There are only 400 throughout The United States, cities, towns, villages, and states. Agenda 21, now I understand it's an agenda 30, which is a blueprint set up by a German organization headquartered in Bonn, Germany or or The Rhineland as to establish whaTeatowns, villages, cities, and states should look like. Maybe it's part of our urbanization planning for our our city, our 850, 8,500 citizen city. But I I was wondering whether Salt Lake City was part of agenda 21, which is basically a international agency plus a tiny minority of national cities and states setting a blueprint... Oh, let's get down to it. A vision. Remember the bible? Without the vision, people perish. Setting the vision for Croton. And then I was interested in that the mayor was also a state legislature, so we've seen it macro and little bit less macro because it's it's a big city, where we are influenced top down in this state. We've been influenced top down in terms of our planning
and our housing plans and deals to take away local zoning in exchange for buying into a state housing plan for mass transit housing. And then we have conflicts of interest with people who serve on this very board between county county duties, state employment, and village leadership. And then it's also hard to struggle in a state which has so many mandates, and I and I agree with the mayor 100%, is that we're lucky to... We should have a lot more local governments and local leadership resisting state mandates and federal mandates as often as possible. And then as a city, I had two other questions for him. Is how's your education system? Typically, the education systems of a state in New York suck. They're terrible. The, failure rate in basic literacy and mathematics and and English, is going down. And now the state education department is hiding the scores from national rating services like US News and Reports, so you can't get a report on, state education at, on a macro and a minor level. So I didn't get to ask those questions. Maybe some other point he'll answer. And, of course, I wanted to ask this other question. There's two basic anniversaries that came close together. One is among the assassination attempts of many people in The United States, usually by a left wing. One was Charlie Kirk in the state of Utah, totally unexpected out of nowhere. And I would've loved to get his reaction reaction to what happened in that state and in that area because that is a pretty tight knit state. But I didn't get a chance to ask that question. And then I I just came from a driver's course, which was fascinating when he talked about the additional fees and registration costs, etcetera, that the state has added on to drivers plus the plans for increasing ticket prices, if you can call that. And lastly,
I would like to thank the current administration for cleaning up the Veterans Administration, which we discussed today. We used to have a saying that if you got sick in the army, never go to an army hospital unless you were shot. And if you're a veteran, never go to a VA hospital. Thank you to the last ten years in a VA. Time's expired. That is no longer true. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Others wishing to comment? Alright. Seeing no one else wishing to comment, we proceed to reports from the man... Or a report from the manager.
Thank you, mayor. So I don't have too much to report since our last meeting last week, but I did wanna give an update on the Lansbury Road water main relining since we talked about that, in some detail last week. So on Monday of this week, myself, the water foreman, John Spada, and the superintendent of public works, Frank Balbi, met on Loudounsbury with, a contractor to, you know, walk the site with them, show them, you know, what we would be hoping to accomplish, you know, potentially this fall if we can get everything lined up. You know, it was a good, a good site walk. The contractor is available to mobilize within two weeks once we have the approvals that we need. So, you know, I... We're gonna have a continuing conversation with the attorney about, you know, documenting the need to, make this an emergency situation. Our engineering, firm also met, or had a Zoom, I I I should say, with, the county health department yesterday. And, the county health department had four comments regarding the resubmission, which they are working on right now. They, they hope to return, the revised plans to the county health department by the end of the week. And once the county health department says that the plans are acceptable, they will submit, the, wet sealed plans, you know, with the, with the raised seals and the signatures and that sort of thing for, you know, for the county. And so, at that point, the engineer says he's not sure when the county will provide the official letter saying that we're good to go. That's where I think we'll have to go back to our appropriate county leaders to ask them to help us. But, you know, we are looking to move it forward as quickly as possible.
Can I ask a question? I'll I'll I'll stop there for questions. Yeah. So I think at some point you said we need to declare an emergency so that we can... Did you already... Yeah. That's what I was saying. I'm gonna work with the attorney to... You know, so we can appropriately document the reason for the emergency.
Okay. I just wanna make sure that, like, I don't want that to be what's holding us up. No. No. It it it won't be. Yeah. Because we need to... Until we get the revised plans...
I should say until we get the officially officially approved plans from the county, we can't get a proposal from the contractor because, you know, if the plans change, the proposal may change. So we have to get we have to get the plans approved first, then get the proposal. Because then when we declare the emergency, we're saying... We're declaring an emergency, we're bypassing the bidding, and we're accepting
this proposal. Right. Great. So can we declare... I have two other questions. Can we declare an emergency at a work session or does it have to be at a public meeting? Like as long as we're meeting... They're they're public meetings. It could be it could be a work session meeting.... What's holding us up. Yeah. And then the other thing is how are you... I'm sure you have a plan for this, but how are you letting those residents who we... Both we heard from last week and whoever you're communicating with,
know? Because this is good news. No, it is. Move this along very far Yep. You know, in seven days. So I appreciate that, but I wanna make sure that... Yeah. I will I will draft something and send it out to them by the end of the week. Okay. Yeah. I just... I had just heard the update today from WSP, our engineering
firm, so we'll get the news out to them. Okay. Great. Thank you. Yep. Yeah. And I just wanted to add, I know this complicated, situation, obviously, with a lot of moving parts, but I did wanna thank our county legislator, county legislator, Ulai, for her, intervention, with with the administrative folks, within the county that are working on this and, and and, at least communicating to them how, eager we are to see a quick resolution with us.
legal document go out? That has to be a resolution because what you're doing is basically bypassing the, the WICS law, which requires,
competitive bidding. So Right. The that would be a resolution that... They, what, a next meeting?
If... But it can happen until you have an estimate and a total and a contractor identified.
Yeah. So it could... It can happen at any board meeting, work session. We can call a special meeting if for whatever reason there's not one scheduled. Right? I mean, it's... That that will not be...
That will not delay it. Right. So once we once we have...... Need a bid and a... Well, you need you need the estimate. Yeah. Okay. You need the proposal from the engineer and then really the key, like, the key to anything is to make sure the record is in place that you have followed all the steps to that point. Yeah. So it would qualify as an emergency special meeting because it is the declaring of an emergency situation. Yeah. So we're monitoring it closely, and, I'll certainly assist Brian in any way to get this on an agenda. Thank you. Thanks. Okay.
And then, moving on to the rest of my report. We are gonna be having some work, at the solar canopies at the train station this weekend. The owner of the canopy system is going to be, washing the panels themselves, the modules. And so, sections b and c will be closed on Saturday, and then section d, e, and f will be closed on Sunday. And so we're gonna be sending out communication to the to the permit holders, the weekend permit holders, and the general public because it impacts permit parking, weekend parking, and handicap parking. Mhmm. So section b and c are just regular permit parking. So those people can just park in other areas of the parking lot if they happen to be going somewhere on Saturday. And then on Sunday, the handicap parking is gonna be relocated to Section C. Okay. And the weekend parking will be relocated to Section B and then whatever is available in c that's not handicap. Okay. So... Thank you for that, Vanessa. So it's a little... You know, unfortunately, you know, this is complicated, but I told them that this had to be done on a weekend because it would be 10 times worse if it was during the week. So
So they're gonna be working south of the cell tower on Monday and Tuesday, and that area is people largely don't park in. So that's not as big a concern. And there are less trains on holiday.
Yeah. So this this was the best... I mean, you know, it had to be done, so this was the best timing to get it done. So there will be some more information going out on that probably tomorrow. I neglected to bring this up at the last meeting, I apologize, but I did want to formally congratulate our village clerk, Paula DiSanto, on being awarded clerk of the year Mhmm. By the New York State Association of, Village and and City Clerks. That award was presented, the week of September 17 at the New York Conference of Mayors annual... Or... No. The New York conference of mayors fall training school meeting. And so, you know, there's over 500 cities and villages in New York state, so to be That's great. To be picked as clerk of the year is definitely an impressive award. So I just wanted to congratulate. Can we applaud for Yes. Sure. Quality.
Very good. Thank you. Okay. And then I did just want to recognize, and I'm sure trustee Simon may bring this up in his report, but this week is fire prevention week. Yes. And, our fire department did... Had a great, fire fair this past Sunday. And, you know, there is some... There will be some information in the newsletter that's going out this week about fire safety. This year's theme is, I forget what exactly it's called, but it's how to safely charge your Charge to safety. Yes. Yeah. It's how to... To your electronic devices. So there'll be some good information on that. And then, just to highlight that, on Saturday, October 17, I know the idea committee has some programming which trustee Nachtaler will be talking about, but we also have fall family fun day scheduled at Visalo Park. And so, there'll be pumpkin painting and a touch a truck event, being hosted by the rec department, so have that on your calendar. And then lastly, we just briefly touched on it, but Monday is, Columbus Day, and so the offices will be closed, and garbage, pickup will be delayed. For Monday, garbage pickup will be delayed till Tuesday for, those who get... Normally get picked up on Monday. So, that is it, and I'm happy to answer any questions.
K. Thank you, manager. You're welcome. Alright. We proceed to the consent agenda. Do I have a motion on the consent agenda? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. Discussion?
I just would like to respond to our Honorable Veteran. The service the phrase service connected is just the title in the title so we certainly can change that. The language in the code in the proposed law itself is clear that it's 100% total disability and complete disability. Reassured So that it's drafted correctly. It's the title so we can fix that easily. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you for bringing that up. Yes and I just want to acknowledge,
and thank you for, submitting Bob Anderson for this fantastic 2026 inductee into the Westchester County Senior Hall of Fame. I, you know, I know I really appreciate it. I know how excited he is to have gotten the award. He's a Croton resident for fifty years. He was a teacher, dedicated teacher in Henhud School District, tennis professional at clubs, worked at IBM, but but very well known for his presidency of the Lions Club and vice presidency of the Croton Seniors Club currently. And he's just incredibly engaged in the community, and you can find him out on the streets always helping citizens and residents whether it's anything. It's amazing how I just see him everywhere helping people. So thank you.
And, yes, I am... I do also appreciate this 100%, veterans disability legislation or legislation opportunity in public hearing. I think if if Croton can help, veterans that are permanent and, totally disabled, I think that would be a great honor.
I I guess I just wanna make a comment about the Harmonic Landing art installation. I'm... Was gonna talk about this during my comments, but I had the rec advisory committee meeting and the arts and humanities committee meeting this week. So the topic came up because it's a piece of art in a park. But I did just wanna pass along
one of the comments specifically from the Arts and Humanities Committee meeting last night. The... This is what seems... What could feel like a large dollar amount for an art installation.
But as one of of the the members of the committee said last night, she really was grateful that Croton was going... Is on the receiving end of this piece of museum quality art that she views really as priceless that now is gonna become a part of the fabric of Croton. So it is a big... As someone who has voted against things of similar size on the agenda, I did just wanna acknowledge that this $10,000... Almost $10,000 I thought it was 19. No, it's not. It's 9,000. Right? Am I getting that right? So 9 thou... You know, this this almost $10,000 Okay. Investment is, you know, is it it's not a small amount of money to us, but it is a really great investment in Croton. And the arts and humanities committee was very grateful even though they didn't, you know, they helped, you know, they supported it. They didn't... Bruce came to us with the project, but there was a lot of support from them on it. So I did just wanna acknowledge that because I think people do have question a question about the fact that we were getting something donated to us that cost us money and time from the DPW. But, yeah, I'm glad to see it moving forward. Mhmm. Or hopefully, it will hopefully, it will move forward. I don't...
There's been no vote yet. I'll just I'll just point out that, you know, in meeting with Bruce, while this was in the planning phases, right, it had been stationed in Mass Mocha for close to thirty years, and he had basically said there was minimal maintenance costs associated with it. So while it may seem like there's a significant upfront estimate, you know, the the residents of... I forget exactly whaTeatown that's located in, but the residents of Western Massachusetts got thirty years out of it. So, hopefully, we'll be able to do the same.
Yes. Manager, the item number four, c four, the general fund budget to allocate 20,000 from a quick equipment auction sales toward the purchase of new vehicles. Is that something that we anticipated in the budget? Or
No. The... This is not... This funding is not in the budget. That's why that's why you're amending the, the budget. So norm... Every year, we sell surplus equipment, but we don't know how much money we're gonna get from that, so we don't budget for it. And then when the sale is done, that's when you amend the amend the budget.
But this is to allocate 20,000 from auction sales, and we're putting that money toward the purchase of new vehicles. Or is the purchase of new vehicles that we're planning to buy already in the budget? Did we... Is...
Is not... This is... This would be additional... I mean, I don't really know. I don't think we're gonna be able to get too many vehicles for $20,000, but this would be Right. This would be additional equipment that DPW may need during the year so that they don't have to come to you and ask for it out of contingency.
Yeah. So it's revenue reflecting revenue. Get that. I just didn't understand if... Are we gonna be over budget on a new vehicle purchase line? No. Or... Okay. No. No. I mean, we should not be. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. You're welcome.
All in favor? Aye. Aye. Okay. Alright. We proceed proceed to proposed resolutions. Okay.
Whereas the village board of trustees desires to update the language in the village code to provide clarification in the review of land use applications for consistency with the local waterfront revitalization plan. Whereas under the direction of the village board, the village manager has worked with the village attorney and the village planner to develop language that will provide for the waterfront advisory committee to comment on land use applications that come before the village board of trustees, planning board, zoning board of appeals, and or the water control commission. Whereas local law introductory number 14 of twenty twenty six has been drafted for such purposes. Whereas on 08/19/2026, the village board of trustees declared itself lead agency for secret purposes. Whereas on 09/30/2026, the village board of trustees undertook the process and review described in detail in parts two and three of the short EAF determination of significance attached here too. And whereas the village board held a public hearing to consider local law introductory number 14 of twenty twenty six, which was opened and closed on 09/30/2026. Whereas the village board has received a recommendation of consistency from the Waterfront Advisory Committee with the village's local waterfront revitalization program. Whereas the village board must make its own determination of consistency with the LWRP policy standards and conditions. Whereas on 09/30/2026, the village board reviewed the LWRP policy standards and conditions. Now therefore be it resolved as follows. Excuse me. The village board of trustees makes the following findings regarding the applicability of the LWRP policies consistency of the proposed action, which those policies and conditions of the LWRP which it found applicable. Policy 5A, policy six, policy 7E, policy 7F, policy seven gs, policy seven h, policy 11, policy 12, policy 13, policy 14, policy 18, policy 19, policy 19 b, policy 23,
policy 25, policy 25 a, policy 27, policy 30, policy 33, policy 33 a, policy 37, policy 37 a, policy 38, policy 39, policy 44, and policy 44 a. Be it further resolved that based upon the above, the village board of trustees confirms its determination that the proposed action clarifications in the review of land use applications or consistency with the local waterfront revitalization plan complies with the policy standards and conditions set forth in the village's LWRP, and be it further resolved that the village board of trustees hereby issues and adopts the EAF parts two and three determination of significance attached tier two and adopts a negative declaration in connection with this action, and be it further resolved that the village board of trustees hereby adopts local law number 14 of 2026 to amend chapter two twenty three waterfront revitalization, provide clarification in the review of land use applications for consistency with the local waterfront revitalization plan, which upon adoption becomes local law number 13 of 2026.
Well, mayor, I I think, trustee, Nachtaler would concur that... And as as a resolution does that our waterfront advisory committee worked very diligently on on this. And I just wanted to emphasize that the the large numbers of policies that are indicated in the resolution, really underscores that the the WAC approved these as both applicable but also consistent with our policies. So there's no there's no question that the proposed local law, despite or in addition to the emphasis of these policies is is consistent with our local waterfront revitalization plan.
Whereas the project for the M Y 170.5 Moon Bay Bridge reconstruction project, pin eighty seven sixty three point o five, is eligible for funding under title 23 of the US code as amended that calls for the apportionment of the cost of such program to be born at the ratio of 95% federal funds and 5% nonfederal funds. And whereas the village of Colonel Hudson desires to advance the project by making a commitment of a 100% of the nonfederal share of the cost of construction. Now, therefore, the village board duly convened does hereby resolve that the village board hereby approves the above subject project. It is hereby further resolved that the village board hereby authorizes the village of Croton And Hudson to pay in the first instance 100% of the federal and nonfederal share of cost of construction work for the project or portions thereof, and it is further resolved the sum of $1,526,316 is hereby appropriated from capital account H5110 dot 2106 dot 15287 and made available to cover the cost of participation in the above phase of the project. And it is further resolved that in the event the full federal and nonfederal share costs of the project exceed the amount appropriated above, the village board of the village of Croton and Hudson shall shall convene as soon as possible to appropriate said excess amount immediately upon the notification by the village manager thereof. And it is further resolved that the village manager of the village of Cortlandt Hudson be and is hereby authorized to execute all necessary agreement, certifications, or reimbursement requests for federal aid and or applicable marshalli aid on behalf of the village of Croton And Hudson with the New York State Department of Transportation in connection with the advancement or approval of the project and providing for the administration of the project and the municipality's
first instance funding of project costs and permanent funding of the local share of federal aid and state aid eligible project costs and all project costs within appropriations, therefore, that are not so eligible. And it is further resolved that in addition to the village manager, the following municipal titles, superintendent of public works, village engineer, and village treasurer are also hereby authorized to execute any necessary agreements or certifications on behalf of the municipality and sponsor with New York State DOT in connection with the advancement or approval of the project identified in the state and local agreement. And be it further resolved that a certified copy of this resolution be filed with the New York State Commissioner of Transportation by attaching it to any necessary agreement in connection with this project, and it is further resolved this resolution shall take effect immediately.
Do I have a motion? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. Discussion manager, would you like to provide any additional context? You mean translated the same? Yeah.
My my my... What was the name of that? I just wanna ask. My my sole comment... Bet you did. Yes. Yeah. My sole comment was gonna be that, I think this is good news for the 0.5 Moon Bay Bridge project. Can the manager please tell us why? Yes. So this this resolution and the one that's following
were written by the DOT, so that's... It's obvious. Yeah. You get paid by the word. But basically, all this all this resolution is doing is codifying the 1,450,000 that we got additional money for the bridge earlier this summer. So it's codifying that and it's basically saying that it's reimbursable.
So we have to outlay the money first, and then we submit a reimbursement request to the state, and then they pay us back.
Yep. So we have to just put it in our, financial accounts that we will put out the money first, and then we get reimbursed. So
Yes. It's a it's a... It will be signed by both parties, us and the DOT. Right. Thank you. Yep.
Do we have another timeline? So in the next in the next agreement, right, we're we're moving funding into the construction and construction inspection phase. So I think once this agreement goes to them, we should be very close to getting the official letter to move into that phase because now we're moving the funding there. Alright. Excellent. Yep.
That's that's still the goal. Yep. Starting the work. Starting the work. Yeah. Okay. Yep. Thank you.
Take a breath. Yeah. Whereas a project for the m y seventeen half moon bay bridge reconstruction project pin 8763 point o five is eligible for funding under title 23 of the US code as amended that calls for the apportionment of the cost such program to be born at the ratio of 80% federal funds and 20% nonfederal funds. Whereas the village of Cortlandt Hudson desires to advance the project by making a commitment of a 100% of the nonfederal share of the cost of construction and construction inspection. Now, therefore, the village board duly convened does hereby resolve that the village board hereby approves the above subject project, and it is hereby further resolved that the village board hereby authorizes the village of Cortlandt and Hudson to pay in the first instance a 100% of the federal and nonfederal share of the cost of construction and construction inspection work for the projects... Project or portions thereof, and it is further resolved the sum of $1,600,000, 2,000,000 minus the previous $400,000 is hereby appropriated from capital account H5110 dot 2106 dot 15287 and made available to cover the cost of participation in the above phase of the project. And this further resolved that in the event the full federal and nonfederal share cost of the project exceeds the amount appropriated above, the village of Cortlandt Hudson shall convene as soon as possible to appropriate said excess amount immediately upon the notification by the village manager thereof. And it is further resolved that the village manager of the village of Cortlandt Hudson be and is hereby authorized to execute all necessary agreements, certifications, or reimbursement requests for federal aid and or marshalli aid on behalf of the village of Croton And Hudson with New York State Department of Transportation in connection with the advancement or approval of the project and providing for the administration of the project and the municipality's first instance funding of project costs
and permanent funding of the local share of federal aid and state aid eligible project costs and all project costs within appropriations, therefore, that are not so eligible. And it is further resolved that in addition to the village manager of the village of Cortlandt Hudson, the following municipal titles, superintendent of public works, village engineer, and village treasurer are hereby authorized to... Are also hereby authorized to execute any necessary agreements or certifications on behalf of the municipality or sponsor with New York State DOT in connection with the advancement or approval of the project identified in the state and local agreement. And it is further resolved that a certified copy of this resolution be filed with New York State Commissioner of Transportation by attaching it to any necessary agreement in connection with this project, and it is further resolved this resolution shall take effect immediately.
this agreement is moving the money from one phase of the project to the next phase, which is the construction and inspection phase.
And so, it's my hope that once this agreement is signed and, you know, countersigned by the DOT, we will be that much closer to getting the official go ahead. That's great. Yep. Thank you. All
Can you just remind me where the... I know that this lives somewhere on the projects page. Yeah. So if you click on the projects page and then click on, public works projects It's on the pub... Public... Yeah. It's on public works projects.
Okay. That brings us to public comment on non agenda items. Anyone wishing to comment on anything? This is your opportunity.
John Sasso, 87 Morningside Drive. I couldn't wait to get here tonight. I'm glad that the meeting is only ten days ago where I spoke from here at this podium. And I talked about the fact that when the village... The tax assessor's office was moved from the village to the town, I had... Many citizens had these issues about it. And I called, spoke to the village manager, and what he told me was that my increase would be minimal. And I stood before you ten days ago and said that it was 10 times that amount or more. Well, upon checking thoroughly, which usually I am pretty thorough, I have egg all over my face, and he was correct. And I wanted to publicly apologize to everyone here, and I wanna state that I did send you all an email on You did. The September 30. Yes. And I'm glad I did because on the fifth of of October, this statement appeared in my email. According to data recently published by the New York State Comptroller's Office, the village of Croton On Hudson has recorded the lowest taxing levy growth among all reporting Westchester County villages for the years between 2016 and 2025, ten years. Majority of villages seeing tax levy increases of 30% or more over the ten year period. The village of Croton was 1.78% during that time. That's pretty incredible. And so since I made that statement publicly, I wanted the residents... And hopefully, nobody listened then, but I know they did. Mhmm. I just wanted to say publicly that I spoke in error. And I'm really... To Bryan Healy, I'm volunteering to replace him in the dunk tank at the fair.
The boxer players are lining up tonight as they they heard that. So my apologies. Thank you. Thank you, John. Thank you.
Debi Braddick, Young Avenue, Croton. I have a couple of things. First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you who approved the hours for Joanna Straub and the recreation department. Recently, we have been able to open up three three programs for the middle school students, which we haven't done in a number of years. So that was wonderful. And all the things she does with the seniors. I've been trying to go to the seniors every now and again. I saw you come in and run out last Friday. And, you know, she's so well respected and part of the senior program, and obviously now, it'll be the middle school program. So thank you. Second one is at the corner of the wonderful area of Harmon is a new dispensary that's gonna go up. And my only concern, everything is approved. I know it's going and it's ready. But I just don't want bright signs coming into the village of Croton saying dispensary, dispensary. When I was concerned about it in the beginning, Len told me to go to Sleepy Hollow and look at the place. And, you know, I said, well, as long as they don't take my picture, you know, going in and out. But they have a very lovely entrance. I know you don't agree with me. They have a very lovely entrance to the pro... You know, to their building and they're the same people that bought Proton. So when that ever comes to you, I will be here and ask again, but if you could keep it in mind when when that comes to you as a resident of that area for too many years. Anyway, the next the next thing I have is
I'm hoping you know where the pigeon program is or, you know, the... We all came to a meeting and they misquoted me in the papers saying I didn't want pigeons. I said the family had had pigeons in the past and I'm hoping that it hasn't died somewhere because I keep looking and I don't see anything. And I'm still concerned for somebody who is moving to Croton and has birds, and we all have birds, and we all get our car washed. And I don't ask them what their name is and where they came from. I just deal with it. And the last is I was very happy to see the chair is there, and I know there's an open position. And I've read the whole thing and that people had to apply, and it said it was due. And correct me if I'm wrong, on the September 29, you know, the resumes for people who wanted to fill the open board seat. And I'm just hoping that all that prep and organization and review, has taken place and that prior to the election that that announcement would be made. I could care less. I am sure it's done properly. I just wanna make sure there's no craziness with people saying, oh, look, you know, they waited till the last minute. You know, this is another... You know, we we want open government. So I'm just hoping that when when all of you make your final decision about who would fill that position, that it's prior to November... What is it? Third? Yeah. So... And that's all I have. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Deb.
Hi. Dave from Farrington Road. Thank you for this time to speak. I've said before that this mayor and board have not acted in the best interest of public health every year since the first recommendation from the CAC in July 2020. That's not entirely accurate, so let me apologize and correct. Only this mayor and deputy mayor voted to pass the current fossil fuel farce of a law we have now. The three newest members of our board have a chance to show them what real progress looks like. Here's the timeline of events as I understand it. In April 2020, the village issues COVID emergency restriction on all leaf blowers. Based on this, the CAC received multiple positive comments and requests to extend the restriction restriction year round. June '20, CAC sponsored a gas leaf blower public forum in which the comments for year round restriction totaled two to one in favor of four, Two to one. July '20, environmental law firm, McCullough, Goldberger, and Stott LLP draws a road map to drafting a successful law, which includes noise ordinances and public health. Also, in July '20, the CAC recommends full year prohibition beginning in January 21 and landscaper registration so that nobody doing business in Croton can say they did not know about the ordinance. That's a five month phase in, and it took the CAC three months to do the work. But this board and mayor called for a longer phase in time. So in October '20, CAC revised their plan to phase in a full year ordinance by January '23. That's a two year phase in. But what happened to landscaper registration? Well, the government did not enact that plan either. Instead, on 01/18/2022, the law we have now one on the books in which gas leaf blowers are restricted seasonally during six calendar months and with multiple exemptions,
hardly what the CAC suggested should happen. This led to three years of zero enforcement followed by two years of minimal enforcement and many, many, many disgruntled residents. The public you are elected to protect have gained none of the CAC's recommendations, none of the health benefits, no full year ordinance, no proper enforcement, and no landscaper registration. This mayor and deputy mayor chose not to act in the best interest of public health with all of this science handed to them on a silver platter by the CAC. And since that law, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, White Plains, Irvington have passed us by and enacted full year ordinances. The more I researched other towns with year round ordinances, the more patterns emerged. The CAC recommended the same measures in 2020 for Croton that worked in other towns, but you chose not to act. And all those other towns have acted with the same measures measures in place and are happy as clams that they did. And not one of them went back to allowing these relic machines. So, again, in May 2026, you asked for another recommendation with a list of topics designed to to delay and keep them busy for months. The CAC has had this now for five months even with all the research done in 2020. Your delayed tactics have worked. So what are we doing here anyway? Alright. We're waiting for the CAC recommendation. But why put so much value in sending it to them this time if you didn't heed their warnings for the health and safety of our citizens of our children the last two times? Do you only act on the recommendation if you like what they say? You can no longer ignore this public health threat or science or Mount Sinai. Did you read the letter from Mount Sinai?
Did you read the letter from Irvington, the sustainability director? Did you pass those along to the CAC? It's time. It's past time to do the right thing. Gas leaf blowers are bad for our health in June, but not May. Doesn't make any sense. Let's not lose sight of what this is all about. This is about keeping residents safe, residents who put you up there. It's about public health. You chose big business last time. Hopefully, you choose kids' lungs and ears this time. Stand up for something like I am now. Stand up and protect us. Thank you.
Thank you.
Anne Riley from Truesdale Drive. Just on a personal note, I live on a junction of, five neighborhoods. It's where I'm located. The neighborhoods are stacked. Two guys sideways surrounded by public parks, whoever decides to claim and and actually monitor them. I've heard zero zero leaf blowers in the last two weeks. I have used my leaf blower today, which is an electronic leaf blower, which I paid a lot of money for, which is incapable of clearing my gutters and sidewalk because of the accumulation of mud, which will... I will apply water. I will fix that. And leaf blowers are not responsible for global warming and had nothing to do with the fires in Canada. Onto the subject at hand. I am still... Not me. It really doesn't matter. I'll I survive. The Nicholson appointment to be the assistant village manager was a... It was a terrible event. It makes this administration look like mud. It put the village manager in a very bad position, and the trustee herself should have been... Somebody should have given her a nudge and say, you know what? As my former employee used to say, this don't look good. This looks bad. And having a politician trustee as a underling, I don't mean that in a negative fashion, as an... As a person working under a manager, a nonpartisan person, I don't believe it can happen. I don't believe it'll work out. I believe it's a stepping stone to something else, stepping up or stepping across. And we will pay 30,000 or $40,000 more per year until she gets promoted or leaves than we would if we had the typical understudy come in at a lower salary. It's a disgrace. And the closing the barn door afterwards, which so many have tried to do,
That don't get it. That's what... Everything runs around here. Close the door after the horse is gone. Item two. I had two trustees who were very upset about the ICE arrest in Croton. One at ShopRite and one down here at Brook Street, very early in the morning before school buses. What I have heard, and you should foil this, is what these two men were accused of. And you should foil that and find out, and that should be made public instead of mumbling behind everybody's back. Foil it, find out, and tell us. The other thing about Nicholson is how secretive it was, just like the pot shop, which is a policy of this administration and a policy of this board secrecy. So we don't know what's going on. I would like, a report from the village manager to say what the net effect of changing the assessor from the village, our own assessor, to the town. I'm not talking about the number of changes. I know what the personal effect is. Right? I'll live with it. It's a thousand dollar increase, but I'll live with that. But that's not nothing, but I'll live with it. But I'd like to know the net effect on the village. Did the village gain money or lose money in this process? I don't believe it was a breakeven event. Also, in the washing of the solar panels, I don't know what they wash solar panels with, and I don't know what the debris in the suds and water that washes off the solar panels. That would be interesting. Maybe it's just soap and water for all I But that is a sensitive cons... Conservancy area, which is supposed to be, right, a fish and wildlife area. So I'd like to know about that. What I should have led with is this is the anniversary of one of the world's biggest atrocities, the October 7 attack by residents of Gaza on the Republic Of Israel in a mass murder of 1,500 people, god knows how many people were injured in that. And it was retaliation just like we retaliated after Pearl Harbor. I believe we dropped two bombs.
And we should remember that anniversary and then what appropriate retaliation is. And lastly, I'd like to say that the boycott of CVS, which is the abortion store, the national abortion store, soon to be the national suicide store, continues. And I I just reminded of the story about the Israeli midwives who said no to Farrell. Farrell said kill those kill those boy babies, and if... And the midwives said no. That's what employees at CVS should say. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Hey. Before... Can I just address two comments? Sure. Came up. Yes. So I just wanted to give, some... Just some actual information. So, regarding the, cannabis sign, I just wanted to say that's not coming back to the village board. The planning board will have that. So if you want, just look for the planning board agendas, and that will... You know, you'll see when it will be on on their meeting. Well, they approve it, and then does it come to you? No. The village board plays no part in it. It's it's the planning board. Okay. And then, with regards to the animal law, we do continue to work on that. I believe that there will be some substantive changes. Yes. So, when it does come back to the board, there will be a new public hearing. So it will be... It will definitely be noticed so you won't you won't miss it. Yep.
That's all. Manager, with respect to the solar panel cleaning Sure. Will they have any supervisors down there maybe from DPW or observing
and just... No. We hadn't we hadn't planned on having anyone from DPW there, but they've spoken to them. They know about all of our, you know, the... This is a company that does that. They have... We have insurance from them. We've spoken to them about the, drainage system. You know, part of the issue is that the the seagulls drop seashells on the on the On the solar panels. Solar panels. And so, you know, we wanna make sure that the seashells don't get washed into the drainage pipes and potentially clog them or some... So there's been extensive conversations about about it. Okay. Yep. And
process. No. It's... I mean, it's really... It's it's basically... They're they're gonna be using our water. They're they're just using water basically to, you know, wash the seashells off, wash bird droppings off, you know, just... They're trying to maximize the the output from the from the panels.
And they are paying us for the use of the water. Just wanna. Since I said that, let me just make that clear. Yes. That is a Yes. Good
Alright. Seeing no one... Oh, well, I guess we We did we have respond, so we're shooting that as an extra comment. But Yes. Let's go to reports. Trustee Slopin. Okay.
I just want to address a couple things that were said by residents who thank you all for coming to to speak. The sign... Regarding the signage for the cannabis dispensary, the proposed signage came to the VEB, and there were some recommendations made by the VEB that will be sent to the planning board. Are those recommendations pub... Where... Can that be viewed by the public? Where are that... Is that It's... It it will be on the agenda. Yeah. It'll be back up with the agenda. It'll be on the agenda... The planning board agenda? Yeah. When this when this when this topic is back on the agenda. Yeah. Because there were some comments made at the VEB that were, in line with the things that you are suggesting. So, when it comes on to the planning board agenda, the minutes... Or the let... The correspondence will be there. So you'll be able to see that the Yeah. Your comments were in line with what the VEB was recommending. And then also in terms of next... What's happening with the the community conversation or whatever we're calling it about the leave blowers with the CAC. We do have a date now. I don't know who... Right? I think I... Yeah. Think there's a... We we just literally finalized it, like, an I hour mean, we can... Yeah. We can share it. Yeah. So I think it's November... November 10 November sixth tenth. I couldn't see who... I know that last week or our last meeting you weren't here, but you... I, you know, relayed on your behalf the desire to add a medical professional to the panel. I don't... We don't have a list of panelists yet, but that was... I did say that... So more information about that will come,
but I did wanna let you know that it is... There is now a date for this. Yeah. It's gonna be a Zoom. Right? We literally just... It was just announced today, so it's... I think there will be a lot more promotion around it. No.
Well, wouldn't we... If it resulted in a local law, would have to be a public hearing. Yes.
Right. But, I mean, the the public will be invited to participate on this? Right. Yeah. Okay. Alright. The rest of my, comments are... As I mentioned before, Rec Advisory and the Arts and Humanities Committee met both this week. And at both meetings, I know we talked about this in the past, but it's... Both of those committees have topics that I think they would like to be able to come to work sessions and talk about instead of just, you know, frequently when I'm in my liaison role I'm saying write a memo and we'll put it on. But I do think that both these committees at this point have issues that might make sense to schedule a half hour of work session to just be able to discuss with some members of the committees. I know that we get periodic updates from the committees throughout the year, and I don't know what schedule that's on or when we did it last, but I just wanted to advocate. And maybe other committees feel the same way, so... But I would like to think about doing that sooner rather than later. I know we have some, you know, a robust pipeline of agenda topics, but I did wanna advocate for both of those committees in that way. Maybe maybe it's not even a half hour. Maybe we have a very cons... You know, a concise amount of time that they can come, but I do think a little bit of conversation back and forth with the leadership of the committees versus a memo can be very beneficial. This weekend was filled with great events that I'm sure all my colleagues are gonna talk about, but I do just wanna shout out Fire Fare and Oktoberfest and the tour of the Harmon Yard, the train station, which I'd never done before. And I also, while I was there, I wanted
to... Because my kids went through the Croton schools. That seems like something like every second grader should get to go on a tour of the Harmon. I don't know how we can facilitate that, but I just sort of, you know, the... I know that the classes go... We have nothing... We no control over what the schools do, obviously. But I feel like there's an opportunity there for us to, you know, the MTA doesn't wanna... You know, they can be they can be a challenge. But I feel like this could be a great public service that they could do, so I don't know how we have a conversation with the MTA about maybe liaising with the schools so that it becomes something that every third grader in Croton as, you know, gets to go on this tour. Because what is going on in those huge bright buildings other than frustrating me because of what it's doing to the night sky is pretty amazing. So I don't know how... Is there some way to move that ball down the field? I don't even know how to ask the question other than to ask it.
I mean, guess the first thing... And sorry to interrupt. No, I would like you to. The first thing is maybe we could have a discussion when we next meet with the school and see if it's something that they're interested in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then Probably that's a good idea. Them... If it is, we could try to facilitate it. Yeah. We're meeting with them next week. Yep. Conversation. Yeah. But I think that would be... It would be a great opportunity. If
they need chaperones, I'd love to see it. So... It was it was... And a lot of people from the community went. I don't... Great. Do we... Does that happen every year? Does the... I don't... I just don't remember seeing an invitation for It was... I mean,
but I guess at the risk of turning this into a free for all. A free for all. Yeah. This is what happens. Still where reports are. You know, I don't think it was ever a formal part of the instructional curriculum. It was a time honored and a treasured tradition. It's something that I really enjoyed as a child, and I'm sure I was the only person that in... At some point, it went into abeyance.
But at at... And I'm sure not... I was not the only person to advocate for a return of the Harmon Open House, but it it... It's back, and it's very exciting. Mhmm. It was amazing. And there were... I saw so many community members there. But, you know, Geoff, who I took with me, said, why didn't we ever take the girls to do this? And I was like, I don't know. Probably for most of that time, they weren't offering. Right. Okay. Yeah. So thank you. I have an answer for him. I believe they stopped for the entire time it was under construction and they In before? Yeah. I think. Brought it back they brought it back two years ago. Last year, they had it in New Haven, and now this year it's back here. It's, like, wild to stand underneath the train. I just... I don't mean to keep going on about it, but it was insane. So thank you for passing the invitation along to us. I also wanted to congratulate Brooklyn Embodied Pilates for their ribbon cutting this weekend. It's a great spot. The, it just is beautiful. So congratulations, also to Bob Anderson for his, recognition, or his induction into the senior hall of fame. We have so many seniors that we should and could be celebrating here, so I'm glad that we can add Bob to that list. And then, this is a little
looking ahead. I... The police advisory committee is working busily on the survey that's gonna go out to the community and I do just I I'm going to keep talking about it every week that I have a chair to sit in at this day is to remind people until the survey comes out that the more feedback we get from the community, the better off we are. So I know that we will do lots of promotion around it, but I don't think it hurts to include it in my minutes. In my part of the report in the minutes every week, so thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Yeah. Oktoberfest was awesome. And on October 3, I also attended the Brooklyn Embodied Pilates, their grand opening ceremony. It was great. It's a beautiful space on 18 Old Post Road. I just encourage residents to check it out. They also have a beautiful garden with herbs and it'll be like a community garden. So I think they're a great addition. I... Let's see. On October 6, I attended a WAC, participated in a Waterfront Advisory Committee meeting to review our amended cannabis law against our local waterfront revitalization policies, and, that was a productive meeting. And on, let's see, October 13, there is a planning board meeting or there were... There's supposed to be. So I would just say that's next Tuesday, so check. Those agendas come out Fridays. Fridays. Fridays. So this Friday. So you could see if, mindset will be on the agenda. It'll come out Friday, so check that out. Emily's liaison on both the VEB and the planning board. So...
And on October 16, for Hispanic Heritage Month, the idea committee is doing two great programs. One is, Paper Picado, which is paper flowers at the Croton, Free Library. And that looks like a ton of fun. I just had it up on my phone to... It's for all ages, 02:30 to 04:00 Friday. It's crafts. And then on October 17, they're from 11:30 to 01:30, they're having initiatives that are on the hour, 11:30 and then 12:30, 01:30. So that is Saturday, Croton Free Library. There'll be music, culture, community, art, just a ton of fun, fantastic things. So I think the idea committee did a really nice job on this programming. And then tomorrow night is... This is not a report, but it's just the League of Women Voters candidate candidate forum for trustees in our village, is tomorrow night. And I just wanna wish my colleagues, great luck. Thank you. Len and Maria, and also the, candidate as well, Mary Lynn. I remember not too long ago doing that myself a year ago. So it's not easy, but I wish you all the best. I'm sure you'll do great, great things. So thank you.
Thank you very much. Just a few things. And I think we've, referenced this a little bit earlier, but, I did get a chance to brief the seniors, last Friday on what we had done the previous Wednesday in terms of additional funding both for senior programming, but also for senior staffing. And they were extremely pleased by our actions, and so I just wanted to let everyone know that they're very, happy with with our legislative approach on that. And as we've also mentioned, the fire fair, which I I thought was in addition to being just, you know, pure fun. It is amazing, how each year, they've... The the the leadership of the fire fair focuses on educational activities that are accessible to, to kids. I think we saw this. The mayor and I were there for a good good portion of time in the afternoon. Very great to see all of the, battery, related safety items, you know, being displayed and explained to kids at, from all levels. So thank you, all of our fire volunteers for a great, fire fair this year. Last night, I I had the opportunity along with the mayor to, participate in the October seventh remembrance that was held in Temple Israel in White Plains. I must say it was a moving, moving experience. Most of our political leadership was there, congressman Latimer, congressman Lawler, county executive Jenkins, assemblywoman Levenburg, senator Harcom, county legislator Uli. And and so it was great to see everyone, but also... And, you know, this is a rare opportunity to actually be there with one of the hostages that that was held, in this case, eight months. And to hear him relate, his experience was was both terrifying and inspiring. Terrifying, obviously, in in in what he experienced, but inspiring how he came through it. As well, we we heard from a
young woman who was in the middle of the attacks on on October 17. So it was was good to be there, but also, you know, I think it's it's rare that any of us around here go to any place where a thousand people are present. But this this was the case, obviously, a not a seat in the house and and to see everyone everyone there for a common purpose of, both mourning and resolve for the future, I think, was was was, quite impressive. Just looking down a week or so from now on the, we'll have Harry Chapin on the eighteenth. They are memorial run against hunger, and I hope to see everyone there. It's, lots of lots of different ways to access the five k run, the five k walk, the one k run. So everyone take a look at it, and looks a little something like that if people haven't seen it. But last but not least, I wanted to thank our business association, association of businesses in Croton, and the manager for working with them on getting our shuttle up and running for the Blaze. Best thing to do is take a look at all Biz Croton on Facebook to get all the information. It looks a little something... Well, looks exactly like that. It's got... It's gonna be running every Friday and Saturday in October from four to 10PM. It's got a list of the seven or eight different stops and clearly indicates that that it's it's MTA, Croton Business Districts, and then The Blaze. And and we've had terrific cooperation, I'm told, from our ABC folks, from our friends at The Blaze who are very eager to to see this work. And from from what I'm I'm told, it's so far so good. So we've
talked a lot over the years about having the shuttle in a structured way. We've used it for special events, but for The Blaze for the next month, think it's a fantastic thing, and I'm very, very, glad to see that, it's up and running. That's it for me.
Last but not, I did wanna thank, mayor Becker, not only for his his, very helpful remarks, but for but for his love of municipal government, testifying by him staying here all night. That's right. I can I can guarantee dinner is on its way? Okay.
Just wanted to announce that, Friday through Monday, I'm going to be attending as a member of the executive of the New York State Bar Association section on local and state government. We have our fall conference. I have eleven and a half hours of CLE scheduled over a three day period so I get the wonderful experience of getting up extra early to attend the executive board meetings in the morning but I'll be bringing back all sorts of wonderful research and updates on actions happening in Albany and beyond. So, I look forward to providing you with, the wealth of those materials when I return back to my office on Tuesday.
my colleagues have covered most of the important events of the week, and beyond, but I wanna thank, mayor Becker, as well as, Debi Braddick for teeing up what comes next. So, mayor Becker, you said that, you imagine that typically when someone joins this board, they receive a phone call. That's actually not a 100% correct as trustee Nachtaler indicated. We are having a contested election, and the forum is coming up on Thursday. However, in this very rare instance, that is more or less exactly how it is working. I will be making an appointment this evening. It was... We received a number of applications, very qualified individuals, very talented individuals in this community, and it's really encouraging, to know that such people exist and just as importantly that they're willing to step forward and serve their community. And it was a challenging decision, but I have decided to appoint, Matthew Burger, to fulfill the remainder of the vacant, the the term created by the vacancy of trustee Nicholson's resignation. Matthew has previously served as the chairman of the Visual Environment Board and currently serves as a member of the zoning board of appeals. And going through that experience and then sitting through this meeting, because Matt has been patiently, sitting in the back of this room,
has not scared him off from additional public service. So, we're really... I'm really grateful, that Matt will be, stepping into this role. And, Matt, would you like to briefly introduce yourself to the residents? Please approach the microphone.
I wrote a little little note. Croton On Hudson is a special community as we all know. And having grown up here, being appointed to the board of trustees is a profound honor. I've I've enjoyed working alongside my neighbors on village boards over the years. I'm eager to bring that experience to the board table. I wanna thank mayor Pugh for this appointment, and I am ready to get to work supporting the residents, neighborhoods, and future of Croton. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So
Matthew will be sworn in moment... Not momentarily, but very soon, by the clerk, and at which point he will be participating actively, as a coequal member of our board. So we'll be seeing a lot more of Matt. So thank you. Further items to address. Alright. No more from me. Very good. Do I have a motion to close? So moved. Second. Motion by trustee Simon Simon, second by trustee Nachtaler. All in favor? Thank you. Can Bye. Can we go into