Dear neighbor, Here is the 343rd installment of Decoding Village Agendas to keep Croton residents informed of the actions of the Village Board at their meetings.  I continue to add recipients to this email update on agendas so you may be receiving it for the first time. I enjoy getting your feedback and hope to continue to hear from you.  If you do not wish to receive these periodic email updates from me, please reply to this email and your name will be removed from the email list.

Ann Gallelli

anngallelli@gmail.com

Decoding Village Agendas – November 21,  2016

Regular Meetings of the Village Board

8:00

 (Open to Public  – Televised)

CORRESPONDENCE:

1. Dan Ahouse, AreaDirector of Government Affairs, Altice; re: Notification that effective November 29, 2016, BuenaVision TV will no longer be carried on Optimum en espanol video package.   BuenaVision TV is Spanish language programming.  They have notified Altice that they are unable to deliver their signal to Optimum.
2. Bruce Kauderer, Deputy Chairman of the Village Planning Board; re: The Planning Board’s recommendation pertaining to Introductory Local Law No. 7 of 2016 on zoning code amendment language regarding fences, walls and attached structures.  The Planning Board is recommending some changes in the proposed law.  One would vary the conditions for the height and composition of fences in the three smaller lot zoning districts – RA-5, RA-9, and RB.  As proposed, the law would allow 6 foot fences on side and rear yards.  They also recommend that for new construction which requires a Minor Site Plan review, that the Planning Board be allowed to approve a front yard retaining wall height of up to 6 feet if it is necessary to construct the driveway or primary structure.  The memo notes that the recommendation on the first item was not unanimous.
3. Rhoda Stephens, Chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals; re: The Zoning Board’s recommendation pertaining to Introductory Local Law No. 7 of 2016 on zoning code amendment language regarding fences, walls and attached structures.  The Zoning Board supported the proposed zoning amendments and made some clarifying suggestions to its language.
4. Peter Baynes, Executive Director, New York Conference of Mayors; re: Request that municipalities sign letters of support/opposition regarding three bills that have been delivered to the Governor which could have significant impact on cities and villages throughout New York State.  NYCOM represents the interests of villages and cities in the state government.  As part of their function, they take positions on behalf of villages regarding legislation that may have positive or negative effects on them.  They are seeking supporting resolutions from member municipalities.  Two of the three bills are opposed by NYCOM.  They are an amendment to the Retirement law that would allow police officers and profession firefighters the opportunity to participate in a non-contributory 20-year retirement if their employer elects to do so.  The second one bill would mandate the time and manner in which a municipality mus notify their employees of changes and require at least 90 days prior to the governing board approving a health insurance plan.  NYCOM agrees with the need for advance notification but disagrees that this time frame is appropriate and could restrict a local government’s ability to make a prudent fiscal decision.  The third law, which NYCOM supports, would repeal language in the adopted budget which would allow the MTA to undertake development on MTA-owned property without regard to local zoning.

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS:

1. Authorizing the Village Manager to sign the proposal from Dvirka & Bartilucci Consulting Engineers in the amount of $20,000 for construction and administration services for the Storm Water Management Basin Outlet Structure and Culvert Improvements for the Georgia Lane Storm Water Retention Pond. The proposal includes engineering services during construction, approvals of manufacturers and suppliers; preparation of change orders; evaluation of Village/contractor initiated substitutions and design changes; interpretations and clarifications of control documents; payment requisition review; construction site visits, inspection and project meetings, and project closeout.  The construction contract for this work was awarded in September.  This resolution provides for the necessary oversight of the entire project from start to finish.
2. The Village Board of Trustees has received a Special Permit modification request from Hudson National Golf Club to allow for an addition to the locker room facility on their property located at 40 Arrowcrest Drive.  This request is a Type II action and requires no further review under SEQRA.  The Village Board of Trustees hereby refers the special permit modification request to the Planning Board as required by law for comment back to the Village Board of Trustees.  The proposal is to add an 282 square feet addition to the current locker room on the lower level of the clubhouse.
3. The Village Board of Trustees hereby cancels the interest and penalties in the aounmt of $567.61 associated with the Farribank Homeowners Association, Tax Parcel ID 078.08-003-068.00.  when the four Bank Street affordable housing units were created a communal piece of property was created to be used as a parking lot with the owner of record being the Farribank Homeowners association.  However, the Farribank Homeowners Association was never formed, thus taxes on the property were never paid.  This ultimately resulted in the small piece of property accruing interest and penalties since 2002.   This resolution will clear the books of the tax liability that has accrued and in the future, the Village will act to either exempt this property or reduce its assessment to zero.
4. The Village Board of Trustees hereby authorizes write offs in the General fund, Old Accounts Receivables for fire protection services and insurance recoveries in the amount of $184,875.18.  During the 2015-2016 fiscal year-end audit process the Village Manager, Village Treasurer and auditor concluded that prior year outstanding receivables should be closed out at this time. All monies were received, however, the correct accounting entries to reverse the receivables were not done, leaving open outstanding receivables.  The close out of these accounts follows good government accounting standards.  This action reflects the corrections made to the accounting entries as a result of the 20215-2016 audit.
5. Authorizing te Village Treasurer to amend the 2016-2017 General fund Budget in the amount of $3,539.60 for monies received from Cortlandt and Buchanan for the 9-11 Memorial Ceremony.  Buchanan and the Town share in the expenses related to the memorial which is located in the Village in Croton Landing Park.
6. Authorizing the Village Treasurer to amend the 2016-2017 General Fund Budget in the amount of $754.50 for monies received from insurance to repair damage to the Recreation bus.  This is a budget housekeeping  item.

To the editor,

Thank you to all the Croton residents who supported my re-election to the Village Board.  Representing the interests of all Croton residents is a position that I take very seriously and I truly appreciate the opportunity to continue.

I look forward to hearing from all residents on your ideas, interests, suggestions, and concerns.

Ann Gallelli

Rather than respecting the decision of the voters, Mayor Dr. Schmidt dreams of eliminating his political opponents:

We hope that in the coming term, the Mayor shows great acceptance of the will of the voters.

To The Editor:

Thank you to all those who voted on Tuesday, regardless of party, for participating in our democracy.
As said Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said, “The most important political office is that of the private citizen.”

Election Day may come only once a year, but citizenship is a full-time responsibility and there are countless ways to get involved. From running for office, to serving on a volunteer committee or simply writing to this newspaper regarding an issue that matters to you, there are many ways you can contribute.
Sincerely,

Brian Pugh
914-374-3960

The unofficial results from the Westchester Board of Elections give Trustees Ann Gallelli and Brian Pugh a clear margin of 1,000+ votes.

Thank you to everyone that voted!