Just in time for excellent weather in our region, the Board of Trustees adopted at its June 1st meeting a licensing procedure for the sale of products from booths and tables placed in pre-approved Village locations. This step was taken in accordance with a Street Vendor License Policy that was developed across many months of deliberations and public input. The procedures allow for the issuance of a vendor license valid on Sundays between 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in designated areas within the Upper Village, Harmon and Section B of Croton-Harmon Train Station parking lot. The Village reserves the right to make the final determination of the specific vendor locations within each area. The fee for a license is $125 per issuance, and the number of licenses is limited to 2 per area to avoid over-crowding. It is hoped that this step will provide Croton residents with some refreshing new dining and shopping options for the summer season. Enjoy!

John Habib, Trustee

Dear Neighbors:

“Somewhere I read of the freedom of assembly. Somewhere I read of the freedom of speech. Somewhere I read of the freedom of press. Somewhere I read that the greatness of America is the right to protest for rights,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr famously said. It’s in that spirit that I would like to congratulate the young organizers of the “Protest by The Black Student Activists of Croton & More.”
Last Friday, students including a trio of young women (Khadia, Maliha and Paige), organized a peaceful demonstration to, in the words of the organizers,: “[i]n light of the never ending history of black oppression..to fight against police brutality and systemic racism.” This was an independent, grassroots, youth-led demonstration with the student organizers determining 100% of the program–which included speakers ranging from students to social workers to the Deputy County Executive.
You may or may not you fully agree with the message of these young activists and their supporters. Nevertheless, their message is one that we, including the local public officials who were in attendance (including County Legislator Catherine Borgia, members of the School Board and some of my colleagues on the Board of Trustees) and private citizens, should all take seriously.

Sincerely,

Brian Pugh, Mayor

Dear neighbor, Here is the 498^th 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 –   June 22, 2020

Work Session of the Village Board

6:00 p.m.

 

NOTE:  Please note the meeting will start at 6:00 PM

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1. Discussion on Echo Canoe Launch parking issues.  The Board will consider a recommendation Krissy Gilligan,.  Ms. Gilligan manages the Village’s parking at the station and at other lots.  Her recommendation is that non-residents parking for the boat launch be charged a fee and restricted to Lot J, just north of the salt shed.  Village residents would have free parking but would need either a regular Village parking permit or a Resident weekend parking permit.  The proposed fee would be $1/hour.  Signage would be provided to inform and direct vehicles to the pay stations.

 

2. Review of suggestions from the Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee.   The Bicycle Pedestrian Committee has provided the Board with its suggestions for a safer experience for school children to bicycle to school.  Among other items it asks for cross walk boxes along Benedict Blvd. at Young, Hasting sand Penfield.  The BPC is also suggesting that an identified preferred route for cycling to school be agreed upon and then promoted by the Village and schools with painted sharrows on the identified streets along with “Bike Route” signage.

Dear Neighbors:

In the days since the killing of George Floyd by the now former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin and subsequent protests across the country, there has been a national conversation on policing and civil rights. I would like to share with you some steps our local Croton Police Department has taken and is taking to better serve the community.

 

When the Board of Trustees appointed Russel Harper  as the Chief of Police  in 2018, we made our priorities clear: more community policing; more training; a more diverse force.

 

Under Chief Harper, we have added 2 bilingual officers and a bilingual park ranger (previously we had none).  We also hired our first woman in uniform in almost a decade.   Chief Harper has made sure that officers strengthen their ties to the community with programs like “coffee with a cop” where residents can meet with the police in a casual setting.

 

Since early 2020, Chief Harper and I have been discussing anti-bias training for the Croton Police Department.

 

At last night’s work session, Chief Harper announced he planned to have all officers of the CPD complete such a program developed by New York Municipal Insurance Reciprocal (NYMIR), an insurance cooperative of local governments that provides training on a range of topics to disseminate best practices and reduce risks among its members. The NYMIR course provides lessons on identifying biases, examples of proscribed bias policing, avoiding biased policing and maintaining an unbiased and respectful culture.

 

In addition, Chief Harper is continuing to develop a community policing and de-escalation curriculum for the Croton Police.

 

As reported in last week’s Gazette, Chief Harper and I joined an interfaith vigil against racism organized by Croton’s houses of Worship.  We released a joint statement expressing our solidarity with those that demand law enforcement protect and serve all communities equally and all citizens be treated with respect regardless of race.

 

The Village Board of Trustees and I will continue to work with our police to ensure that our Croton-on-Hudson progresses towards this goal.

 

Sincerely,

 

Brian Pugh, Mayor

Dear Neighbors:

During the past two weeks we have been hearing much about the need for Police reforms. Here in Croton, across Westchester and throughout New York State and the nation, there have been calls for reform.  A few days ago, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 203, “New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative”.

The NYS Order mandates that all local police departments develop a plan and have it approved by NYS by April 1,2021.  Such a plan would cover a review of current policies and procedures, developing a reform and reinvention plan with input from all stakeholders, and public comment and local ratification by the local governing body.

What does this mean for Croton going forward and where are we now on the spectrum of changes in policing?  Coinciding with the appointment of a new Police Chief, Russel Harper, in 2018, the Board made “community policing” a priority for the future of the department.  Its many aspects include more community involvement by our officers, adding two bilingual officers and a park ranger, and hiring of a woman police officer (our first in many years).  Currently, our police officers are also completing Anti-bias/implicit training by the end of June.

At the same time, the Board has postponed proposed improvements to the existing department. Although this was primarily due to the financial effects on the village of the Covid-19 virus, it effectively defunds the department for the time being.  However, many of the items included in the postponed project were addressing the very things that the calls for reform are seeking. A booking experience that is humane in its conditions (not being handcuffed to a bench), a single holding cell with no bathroom facility, no facilities for women officers, no separation for minors and separation from adults  are just a few.  Ultimately, these are things I think a future reform law will call for.

Croton works with the County , State, MTA and DEC police.  Each of these organizations will be developing their own new plan in accordance with the Executive Order.  It is expected that there will be coordination among them all to achieve meaningful and lasting reforms.  Croton-on-Hudson will be an active participant in this process.

Dear neighbor, Here is the 496^th 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 –   June 8, 2020

Work Session of the Village Board

6:00 p.m.

 

NOTE:  Please note that the meeting will start at 6 p.m.

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1. Update from Historic Hudson Valley on the Van Cortlandt Manor Entrance Improvements Project.  Representatives from HHV will provide details on the status of the planned entrance improvement project for Van Cortlandt Manor on South Riverside Ave.  HHV applied for a grant in 204. The Village agreed to be the “sponsor” for official purposes with HHV assuming all obligations in 2009.  The Federal Highway Administration provided a $3.7 million grant for the project, 80% of which is provided by the government and 20% is from HHV.  Details of the proposal will be discussed.
2. Discussion of possible solar projects at the Croton-Harmon Train Station.  As proposed by the Village’s Sustainability Committee, the Board will discuss the possibility of soliciting proposals for solar canopies at the train station parking lot.
3. Review of Village Board resolution dated May 3, 1993, regarding special permits issued for outdoor dining and/or displays.  The Board will discuss whether the existing conditions remain applicable or should be updated.
4. Review of new COVID-19 guidance from NYS on utilizing certain Village streets for outdoor dining.   The State has issued guidance on outdoor dining.  The Croton Business Council has submitted a proposal that calls for outdoor dining on Upper Village streets (Grand and Old Post Road South), with tables and chairs located in the cordoned off areas. The CBC proposes closure for outdoor dining on Saturdays and Sundays.  The NYS Liquor Authority also has guidance on outdoor alcoholic beverages.  The Board will discuss this proposal as well as look at other local proposals for outdoor dining.
5. Update on anti-bias training in the police department.  A report will be given on the status of this training that began over the last year.

Dear Neighbors:

At a time when there’s unprecedented scrutiny of law enforcement, I believe there is tremendous value in having a local police department that’s directly accountable to the community it serves. Local control means personnel are selected by the community and familiar with the public they serve and where the department’s policies can reflect local priorities.

At a meeting last month, a member of the Board of Trustees suggested the Village consider contracting with another police agency.  In response, I requested that the Manager prepare a memo to the Board summarizing and analyzing the contracts between other Westchester communities.

In the memo, the Village Manager found:

The value of having our own police department is qualitative and cannot be measured in dollars and cents… However, I have been asked to review the Town of Cortlandt’s contract with Westchester County, the Town of Ossining’s contract with the Village of Ossining, and the Town/Village of Mt. Kisco’s contract with Westchester County. Upon review of these contracts it is clear that even from a purely financial perspective, the Village recognizes a financial savings from having its own force… The Village is therefore saving over $1-million per year by utilizing its own force.

 

The manager has reviewed the arrangements the County police have with other jurisdictions. There is no reason to believe that the Village of Croton-on-Hudson would get a more favorable agreement than what those communities have.

More importantly, we would lose local democratic control over policing in our community. We would go from citizens to consumers.

When the Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Russel Harper  as the Chief of Police for the Village of Croton-on-Hudson, we made our priorities clear: a renewed emphasis on community policing; more training; a more diverse corps of officers; a modern police force.

In less than 3 years, Chief Harper has made steady progress on all these fronts. When I became mayor, we had an all-male police force with no bilingual officers.  Under Chief Harper, we have added 2 bilingual officers and our first woman in uniform in almost a decade. Further, Chief Harper has made sure that officers strengthen their ties to the community with programs like “coffee with a cop” where residents can meet with the police in a casual setting.

Meanwhile, the Chief has continued to uphold the best traditions of the Croton PD (such as recruiting officers with deep roots in the community) and keep our Village one of the safest communities in New York State. Indeed, our record on public safety was one of the key reasons Croton-on-Hudson was named the best community in New York State in USA Today.

 

Since I joined the Board, I’ve been convinced of the value of the local police force.  Correspondence from residents indicates overwhelming support for the current level of service that we have and opposition to any reduction.

We are facing unprecedented financial challenges as a Village.  We should not be afraid to consider new proposals to save money and better serve the public.  We cannot afford the luxury of sacred cows or unexamined assumptions.

Nonetheless, in my view, the Manager’s memo and the public’s correspondence makes it clear that there’s little to be gained from further exploration of police consolidation for the foreseeable future. Therefore, I will not be placing contracting out our police service on the agenda for a future work session.  It’s not a good use of the time and energy of the Board and Village staff to devote our limited resources to this topic.

I look forward to continuing to work with Chief Harper and the Village administration to further improve the Croton Police Department while controlling costs.

Sincerely,

Brian Pugh, Mayor