Dear neighbor, Here is the 473rd 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 2, 2020

Work Session of the Village Board

7: 30 p.m.

 (Open to Public and Televised

 

 

1. Executive Session to discuss matters relating to the employment of a particular person.
2. Review of the report from BFJ Planning responding to items discussed at the November 25th zoning study work session.  At the 11/25 work session the Board identified several issues and questions that they request BFJ Consulting to look into and report back on.  The Board will discuss the BFJ responses.
3. Overview of the day-to-day operations of the Recreation Department.  The supervisor of the Recreation Dept. will report to the Board on the details of the department’s activities.  This is the first of a series of departmental yearly reports that will be made in the coming work sessions.  This is being done both to increase understanding of each department’s responsibilities and activities as well as preparation for the beginning of the next budget preparation.
4. Overview of the day-to-day operations of the Engineering Department.  The Village Engineer and staff will report to the Board on the details the Engineering Department’s activities for the past year.

Dear Neighbors:

 

Last month, the Westchester County Planning Department released a Housing Needs Assessment for the County.  “This is a crisis in every corner of this county. This is not just a problem for the poor in one part of the county, but it’s a problem in every corner of the county,” said County Executive George Latimer upon the release of the report.

 

The County Planning Department’s assessment contained a community profile for each municipality in Westchester.  The assessment found that 25 Village of Croton households (including both renters and owners) lived in substandard housing (lacking complete plumbing or kitchen facilities),  20 lived in overcrowded housing (more than 1.5 persons per room) and 545 spent over 50% of their household income on housing.

 

At Monday’s meeting of the Board of Trustees, I stated my intention to form a citizen task force to study this issue.  This group would be tasked with reviewing the County’s assessment, setting goals for our Village and making policy recommendations about how best to achieve those goals.

 

If any readers are interested in volunteering on this task force, I ask them to send me a brief statement of interest via email to my Village account: bpugh@crotononhudson-ny.gov.  I would like to have this group formed by early January with the hope that it would report back to the Board of Trustees shortly after the adoption of the Village’s budget at the end of April.

 

Thank you,

Brian Pugh, Mayor

Dear Neighbors:

At Monday’s work session, the Board of Trustees met with our independent auditor to review the 2018-19 Village Audit.  As usual, the auditor issued a clean report, meaning that the Village’s financial records are correct and conform to the accounting guidelines.

 

Thanks to the conservative budgeting of our Village Manager and Treasurer, the auditor reported that the Village earned what amounts to a modest budget surplus. Our Village’s General Fund completed fiscal year 2019 with a fund balance increase of $231,243.

 

We did this while funding over $600,000 in capital projects using cash from our Village’s fund balance–avoiding interest payments and issuance costs.  At the same time, we kept total property tax levy growth to less than ½%.

 

This favorable audit is a testament to the professionalism of our Village staff.  I look forward to working with the Board and staff to continue this record of fiscal strength.

 

Sincerely,

 

Brian Pugh, Mayor

 

Dear neighbor, Here is the 473rd 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 2, 2020

Work Session of the Village Board

7: 30 p.m.

 (Open to Public and Televised

 

 

1. Executive Session to discuss matters relating to the employment of a particular person.
2. Review of the report from BFJ Planning responding to items discussed at the November 25th zoning study work session.  At the 11/25 work session the Board identified several issues and questions that they request BFJ Consulting to look into and report back on.  The Board will discuss the BFJ responses.
3. Overview of the day-to-day operations of the Recreation Department.  The supervisor of the Recreation Dept. will report to the Board on the details of the department’s activities.  This is the first of a series of departmental yearly reports that will be made in the coming work sessions.  This is being done both to increase understanding of each department’s responsibilities and activities as well as preparation for the beginning of the next budget preparation.
4. Overview of the day-to-day operations of the Engineering Department.  The Village Engineer and staff will report to the Board on the details the Engineering Department’s activities for the past year.

Dear Neighbors:

 

This week our Village was hit with its first major snow storm of the season.  As usual, our Village’s workforce and residents responded with vigor and made the best of a challenging snow situation.

 

Our Department of Public Works cleared almost all the roads by the end of the Winter Storm Warning and the start of the Tuesday morning commute.  We all owe them our appreciation for safely performing what’s a demanding job so that we can comfortably go about our business.

 

Special thanks to our professional and volunteer first responders in the Croton Police Department, Croton Volunteer Fire Department and Croton Emergency Medical Service.  Throughout the storm, members stood watch and responded to emergencies as needed.

 

Finally, I want to thank all the residents for their cooperation during the storm.

 

In order to facilitate keeping our streets clear of snow and ice no parking is allowed on any village street when there is 2 or more inches of snow.  Many residents planned in advance and relocated their cars so that plows could easily pass.

 

Although property owners are legally required to have their sidewalks clear within 18 hours of the end of snowfall most had their walks cleared shortly after the end of the storm.

 

We are a small Village.  We can only succeed when each of us does his or her part, whether that’s overtime behind a plow, standing by at a firehouse or shoveling our walk.

 

I look forward to our community continuing to work together to keep our Village safe this winter.

 

Sincerely,

 

Brian Pugh, Mayor

 

Dear neighbor, Here is the 471st 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 –   December 9, 2019

Work Session of the Village Board

7: 30 p.m.

 (Open to Public and Televised

 

1. The Board of Trustees will meet with the Village Attorney for an Advice of Counsel session.
2. Presentation of the 2018-19 Village Audit by Alan Kassey of PKF O’Connor Davies.  The Trustees will review the report provided by the Auditor and go over the specifics of the various Village funds.  Some of the highlights of the report include that the General Fund completed the fiscal year 2019 with a fund balance totaling $7,972,556, an increase of $231,243.  The unassigned fund balance increased $447,393 to $5,602,091.  This was despite the utilization of $607,603 of unassigned fund balance to offset capital project expenses.
3. Review of budget for the Croton Point Avenue Traffic, Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Project and presentation of plans.  Bids are due to be received on the revised project.  The manager will present and discuss the project budget including funds already spent and funds available.  The Board will have the opportunity to review the final plans that were put out to bid.
4. Review of proposal for security enhancements at the Municipal Building.  The Board will discuss a proposal for security cameras being installed at the Municipal Building. The cost, as proposed, would be $27,675.
5. Further discussion on the recreational kayak program located at the Echo Canoe Launch.  The Recreation Advisory Committee has reviewed the kayak contract and made recommendations to the Board.  The RAC recommends renewal but shortening a renewal contract to 3 years with yearly increases. It also recommends an increase in the fee paid by the rental company for use of the storage area for their kayaks.
6. Discussion of a potential spring event in the Upper Village.

The Board will discuss the parameters they would require for such an event, such as day of the week, covering Overtime Costs, hours of operation, conflicts with other events, etc.