Dear neighbor, Here is the 390th 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

Decoding Village Agendas –  January 16, 2018

Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees

 

8:00 pm

(Open to Public  – Televised)

 

 

PRESENTATION/OTHER:

 

 

• Proclamation presentation to John Giglio to honor his years of dedication and service to the Village of Croton.   John Giglio is being recognized for his over 25 years of service to the Village as a member and  20 year Chairman of the Recreation Advisory Committee.  January 16, 2018 is declared  “John Giglio Day”

• The Village Board of Trustees to appoint and swear-in a Chief of Police.   The Village Board will appoint Lt. Russell Harper as  Croton’s 10^th Police Chief.  The Board released the following statement in regard to Lt. Harper’s selection:

 

“Through a process involving multiple interviews and written statements, the Village Board has evaluated the 3 eligible candidates for Police Chief. Eligibility was based both on rank and on passing the mandatory civil service examination. The candidates under consideration were Lt. Russell Harper, Sgt. Aaron Bernhardt, and Sgt. Daniel Turner. The Board examined their professional qualifications, their life and leadership experience, and their goals for the Police Department going forward.

This is the first time Croton’s Village Board has ever had such a process, whereby there were multiple eligible candidates for Chief. We are aware of the importance of this decision, and have taken our responsibility very, very seriously.

The Board has concluded that Lieutenant Russell Harper would best lead the Police Department for the coming years. Based on a review of his past experience and performance, community interactions, proven leadership skills, and knowledge of the Village, the Board is pleased to announce its selection of Lt. Harper as Croton’s 10th Chief of Police.

We look forward to working with Chief Harper as he steps into his new role, particularly in areas of diversifying personnel, updating procedures and policies, increasing efficiency, and developing a more community-based policing policy. This has been a huge learning experience, and we thank all 3 candidates for their professionalism, their contributions, and their continued service.

Mayor Brian Pugh, Trustees Amy Attias, Ann Gallelli, Ian Murtaugh, Sherry Horowitz “

 

 

• Presentation by Dan Welsh, Program Director at Westchester Power, regarding the Community Choice Aggregation Program.  This presentation is part of a series of presentations and mailings on Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) to inform  residents about the program over the coming weeks.  A mailing was also sent to all residents this week with details and FAQs from NYSERDA.

• The Village Board to review Environment Assessment Form Part II and the Village’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program policies to determine consistency related to the  proposed donation by Steel Style Development Corp. to the Village of a parcel of underwater land  located between Half Moon Bay and Senasqua Park.   The Village Board is Lead Agency under SEQRA on the donation of 39+ acres of underwater land to the Village by Steel Style Development,  owners of the HMB Marina.  As such, the Board must review its potential environmental impacts and consistency with the Village’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP).

 

1. The Village Board to review Environment Assessment Form Part II and the Village’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program policies to determine consistency related to a special permit application for a mixed use occupancy building at 25 South Riverside Avenue. The applicant proposes to construct a 2nd and 3rd story with a total of 26 units over a new open parking structure.  As Lead Agency on this special permit application, the Board must review its potential environmental impact and its consistency with the Village’s LWRP.

PUBLIC HEARING:

 

• Public Hearing to consider Local Law Introductory No. 1 of 2018 to amend Chapter 168 Parks and Recreation Areas to change the approval process for sales in parks from Village Board resolution to authorization of the Village Manager.  This amendment to Local Law would allow sales of food, drink and other merchandise in Village Parks at the discretion of the Village Manager.  Currently, these sales are allowed only resolution of the Village Board.  This occurs mainly during the summer at movie and entertainment events sponsored by the Village and currently requires an applicant to wait up to two weeks for a meeting of the Village Board.

 

 

 

CORRESPONDENCE:

 

•  Thomas A. Kaplan, Fire Council Secretary, Croton Fire Department; re: Membership update.  As required, the addition of two new members of the Fire Dept. is noticed to the Village.  Sawyer Aviram and Henry Leech have both become active Fire Dept. members.

• Fabiola Tambini-Mallette, Outreach Coordinator for the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) of Westchester; re: Ribbon Campaign for the NAMI of Westchester, Inc. Honoring Mental Health Awareness Month in May.   The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, is requesting permission to place “ribbons” at selected locations in the Village  as part of their campaign to raise awareness. The Village Board has supported this campaign in past years. As in past years, they propose to put ribbons up on May 1 and remove by May 31.

 

 

PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS:

 

• Authorizing the Village Treasurer to amend the 2017-2018 General Fund Budget in the amount of $ 119.83 for monies received from the Village of Buchanan for their share of the 9-11 Memorial Ceremony.  The Town and Villages of Buchanan and Croton share the annual 9/11 day ceremonies.  This is Buchanan’s reimbursement for the 2017 event.

• The Village Board considers authorizing the Village Manager to sign the Intermunicipal Agreement with the Village of Buchanan to allow their use of 3 Municipal Place for organic yard waste disposal. The agreement stipulates that the Village will be billed by Westchester County, as per current protocol, a certain organic yard waste amount and will then allocate said billing to the Village of Buchanan based on the tonnage amount of organic yard waste materials delivered, plus fifteen percent.  Buchanan had been taking their organic waste to the Town’s facility which recently closed.  The Town is building a new facility in Verplanck.  Until then Buchanan would be able to bring their organic waste to the Village’s site at Municipal Place. The Village’s organic waste is picked up by Westchester County and charged a fee.  Buchanan will be charged commensurate with their quantities of waste play a 15% addition   The Village recently signed a similar agreement with the Town for their organic waste until the new Town facility is ready..

• The Village Board of Trustees considers the adoption of Rules of Procedure for meetings.   The Board is considering formal adoption of rules and procedures covering its public meetings.    Although past Boards have followed rules and standards for conducting meetings and public participation, they have never been formally adopted.

 

1. Authorizing the Village Manager to approve a change order and payment of the voucher in the amount of $1,606.23 for the Corrosion Control Improvement project. This is related to the integration of the Corrosion Control equipment into the Water Department’s SCADA system.  This is resulting from an overage in the cost of the work from what was projected and contracted for.  The overall project was for $121,700.