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WELCOME TO, UH, TOWN BOARD MEETING.[ TOWN OF GREENBURGH OFFICE OF THE TOWN BOARD 177 Hillside Avenue, Greenburgh, NY 10607 Tel: 914-989-1500 Fax: 914-993-1541 Email: JDudek@Greenburghny.com https://ny-greenburgh.civicplus.com/485/Watch-Live-Board-Meetings]
UH, IT'S A WORK SESSION NOVEMBER 15TH, UH, SHORTLY AFTER 5:00 PM FIRST ITEM IS GREENBERG AGAINST SYSTEMIC RACISM, GINA.SO, UH, TWO YEARS AGO WHEN THERE WAS A REFORM PUT IN PLACE FROM FORMER GOVERNOR CUOMO TO TAKE A LOOK AT POLICE REFORM, I ALSO TOOK THAT OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT AREAS AROUND THE TOWN THAT WAS PLAGUED, WAS SYSTEMIC RACISM.
AND ONE OF THE TWO AREAS THAT WE LOOKED AT WAS FIRST THE POLICE REFORM, AND NOW WE LOOKED AT HOUSING.
AND WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS WE HAVE TAKEN WHAT THE HISTORY OF GREENBURG AND THE AREAS WHERE WE SEE THAT SHOWS, UH, SYSTEMIC RACISM BASED ON POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT, UH, WERE CURRENTLY IN PLACE.
UM, WE'VE WRITTEN A REPORT, UM, SO WE CAN, WE'VE WRITTEN A REPORT TO GIVE OUR FINDINGS OF WHAT, UM, WE SEE AND WHAT WE HAVE FOUND.
UH, BEFORE I PASS IT OVER TO THE, UH, CHAIR OF THE HOUSING COMMITTEE, I JUST WANT TO TAKE THIS TIME TO THANK EVERYONE WHO GAVE THEIR TIME AND EFFORT TO WORK ON THIS REPORT.
UM, I'M REALLY PROUD OF THIS REPORT.
IT'S A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT, UM, AND I THINK THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE A CATALYST TO WHAT WE NEED TO DO GOING FORWARD AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT AREAS AND HOUSING AND AS IT RELATES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO, HAVING SAID THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSING COMMITTEE, AND THAT WILL BE BART WARDEN BART.
AND, UH, THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR, UM, MAKING THIS POSSIBLE FOR US TO OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT.
BART, BART, I DON'T THINK YOUR MICROPHONE IS WORKING.
JANELLE, COULD YOU TURN UP THE, UH, THE SPEAKERS? I THINK IT SAYS BART.
I, IT'S VERY SURPRISED I SAID THAT IT WAS WORKING JUST QUITE A MOMENT AGO.
AND, AND THANK YOU FOR THE INTRODUCTION.
SO THE, UH, COMMITTEE, UH, THE GREENBERG AGAINST SYSTEMIC RACISM HOUSING COMMITTEE STARTED MEETING IN 2020, UM, AND WE'VE BEEN MEETING JUST ABOUT TWICE A MONTH, UH, SINCE THAT TIME.
AND, UH, OUR PURPOSES TO EXAMINE HOUSING COMMITTEE, UH, CONDITIONS OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG AND SEE IF THERE'S EVIDENCE OF DISPROPORTIONATE, UH, NEGATIVE OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOUSING SYSTEM FOR BLACK AND LATINX RESIDENTS OF THE TOWN.
UH, UM, OUR COMMITTEE RESEARCHED THE CURRENT HOUSING SITUATION IN GREENBURG, IN GREENBURG, INCLUDING THE THEN EMERGING CONVERSION OF FEDERAL PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS TO PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, AND ALSO DELVED INTO THE HISTORY OF THE AREA.
OUR FOCUS WAS UPON UNINCORPORATED GREENBURG RATHER THAN UPON THE VILLAGES AS WE WERE LOOKING TO RECOMMEND ACTIONS THAT THE TOWN BOARD WOULD HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO PURSUE.
AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S NO MUNICIPALITY AS AN ISLAND UNTO ITSELF.
AND, UH, OUR COMMITTEE ALSO EXAMINED THE BROADER HISTORICAL TRENDS AND CONSIDERED THE IMPACT OF THOSE TRENDS UPON THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
A NUMBER OF HISTORICAL TRENDS ARE DIRECTLY APPLICABLE TO HOUSING.
THE FIRST BLACK RESIDENTS IN THE TOWN WERE LIKELY ENSLAVED PERSONS CONNECTED TO THE HOMES, FARMS, AND BUSINESSES IN THE TOWN.
FREE BLACKS BEGAN TO BE RECORDED IN 1820 TO SEVEN YEARS BEFORE SLAVERY WAS ABOLISHED IN NEW YORK, THE BLACK AND LATINX POPULATION IN THE TOWN REMAINED SMALL UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY WHEN MANY PEOPLE MIGRATED TO THE NORTH.
IN 1933, THE FIRST BLACK FAMILY MOVED INTO THE FAIRVIEW AREA.
THREE TRENDS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, HAVING GREAT IMPACT ON THE SEGREGATION OF BLACK AND LATINX RESIDENTS, UM, FROM WHITE RESIDENTS IN THE TOWNSHIP OF, UH, TOWN OF GREENBURG ARE REDLINING, UH, WHICH IS THE IDENTIFICATION OF PROPERTIES DEEMED UNFIT FOR FEDERAL MORTGAGES.
ALONG WITH, UH, REDLINING, RACIALLY RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS HAVE BEEN IN PLACE IN DIFFERENT PLACES, WHICH HAVE MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR WHITE HOMEOWNERS WHO WANTED TO SELL TO BLACK FAMILIES TO DO SO, UM, AND MADE IT KIND OF DIFFICULT FOR OUR FAMILIES TO MOVE IN DUE TO THE HOSTILITY THEY'RE LIKELY TO SEE.
ANOTHER, UH, TREND IS THE GI BILL, WHICH PROVIDED LOW INTEREST HOME LOAN, UH, LOANS TO VETERANS, BUT PREVENTED BLACKS FROM ACCESSING THOSE SAME BENEFITS.
AND LASTLY, URBAN RENEWAL, WHICH IN GREENBERG INVOLVED THE DEMOLITION OF PROPERTIES IN THE FAIRVIEW SECTION, UH, WHICH IS WHERE LOT OF OUR FOLKS LIVE, UH, TO MAKE WAY FOR INTERSTATE 2 87, SPLITTING THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD INTO TWO SECTIONS.
THE REAL ESTATE HAS BEEN A HUGE BOON FOR, UH, WEALTH FOR MANY, UH, BUT A MIXED ONE FOR THE BLACK AND LATINX COM.
UH, FAMILIES WHO ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE INEXPENSIVE AND SECURE LOANS
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OFFERED THROUGH FEDERAL PROGRAMS, AND MORE LIKELY TO BE SUBJECTED TO PREDATORY LENDING PRACTICES.IN THE END, WHITE FAMILIES HAVE ON AVERAGE, MANY TIMES THE WEALTH OF BLACK AND LATINX FAMILIES, WHICH MAKES HOME OWNERSHIP OUT OF REACH FOR MANY.
THE COST OF HOUSING HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN EXCLUDING LOW INCOME BUYERS AND RENTERS FROM LIVING IN MANY PARTS OF GREENBURG.
ACCORDING TO THE 2019 HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR WESTCHESTER COUNTY, OVER 40% OF THE FAMILIES IN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG IN 2019 WERE IN UNAFFORDABLE HOUSING SITUATIONS.
AND JUST OVER HALF OF THOSE FAMILIES WERE EXPERIENCING SEVERE COST BURDEN.
AS BLACK HOUSEHOLDS ARE OVERREPRESENTED IN THE LOWER INCOME QUIN QUINTILES, BLACK HOUSEHOLDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO LIVE IN COST BURDEN SITUATIONS.
SO, UH, THERE'S FIGURES 14 TO 33 DEPICT RACIAL DWELLING PATTERNS CONSISTENT WITH, WITH THE RACIAL DOT MAPS OF HISTORICALLY IDENTIFIED PORTIONS OF THE TOWN WHERE BLACK CULTURE HAS BEEN CEMENTED FOR GENERATIONS VIA HOME OWNERSHIP, SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSES, HISTORIC CHURCHES, ET CETERA.
SIMILARLY, BLACK AND HISPANIC HOME OWNERSHIP IS LOW IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE TOWN.
IN THE GREENBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT, THERE IS A DISPROPORTIONATE PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS FROM VARIOUS RACIAL BACKGROUNDS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
CENSUS DATA INDICATES THAT 42% OF GREENBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT POPULATION IS WHITE, YET ONLY 12% OF GREENBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT STUDENTS ARE WHITE.
TOTAL HISPANIC POPULATION PERCENTAGE IN THE DISTRICT IS 16.2%, WHEREAS 43% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION IS HISPANIC.
TOTAL BLACK POPULATION PERCENTAGE IN THE DISTRICT IS 26.8%, WHEREAS 37% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION IS BLACK.
CONTINUALLY RISING HOUSING COSTS HAVE MADE REMAINING IN GREENBURG EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES WHO HAVE LOWER INCOMES.
AND THIS IS EXACERBATED BY THE AFFIRM MENTIONED WEALTH GAP BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK HOUSEHOLDS.
ONE AVENUE FOR LOW INCOME FAMILIES STAYING IN GREENBURG HAS BEEN PUBLIC HOUSING AND HOUSING SUBSIDIES.
OVER TIME, FEDERAL FUNDING HAS DECLINED INCREASING THE DIFFICULTY OF MAINTAINING THE PUBLIC HOUSING PROPERTIES.
HUD HAS SET UP PROGRAMS FOR CONVERTING PUBLIC HOUSING TO PUBLIC PRIVATE HOUSING THROUGH A VARIETY OF BOOKS THEY CALL VOLUNTARY CONVERSION PROGRAMS, WHICH FOR THE PERIOD OF THE AGREEMENT, MOVE THE STRUCTURES ON THE PROPERTIES FROM HOUSING AUTHORITY OWNERSHIP TO PRIVATE OWNERSHIP BY INVESTORS, AND USE VOUCHERS TO SUBSIDIZE THE RENT.
THESE CONVERSIONS FACILITATE SIGNIFICANT RENOVATIONS OF THE PROPERTIES AND MAKE THAT POSSIBLE BY PROVIDING A BENEFIT FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE RESIDED IN THE PROPERTIES THAT ARE BEING CONVERTED.
DOING SO ALSO REDUCES PUBLIC OVERSIGHT OF THOSE SAME PROPERTIES, WHICH MAY RESULT IN FEWER PROTECTIONS FOR TENANTS DOWN THE ROAD.
SUBSIDIES SUCH AS SECTION EIGHT VOUCHERS HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR LOW INCOME RENTERS TO AFFORD TO LIVE IN MARKET PRICE, UH, PROPERTIES.
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO NUDE VOUCHERS IS MUCH GREATER THOUGH THAN THE NUMBER OF VOUCHERS MADE AVAILABLE.
COMPOUNDING THE PROBLEM, ACTUAL RENTS HAVE OUTPACED THE, UH, FAMILY MEDI, UH, FAMILY MEDIUM, UH, FAIR MARKET, UH, RATE.
RIGHT? I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER WHAT F M R EXACTLY MEANS.
ANYWAY, UH, THE ACTUAL RENTS HAVE ACTUALLY OUTPACED THE NUMBER THAT IS USED FOR DETERMINING HOW MUCH THE VOUCHER IS WORTH, UH, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANTLY MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR, UH, PEOPLE TO FIND APARTMENTS IN WESTCHESTER.
AND THAT PROBLEM'S COMPOUNDED BY A RELUCTANCE OF LANDLORDS TO RENT VOUCHER HOLDERS, AND BY CONCERNS ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION SUCH AS APARTMENT INSPECTIONS THAT GO ALONG WITH, UH, PEOPLE THAT HAVE THE VOUCHERS AS A HUD RULE.
NOW, THE TOWN HAS A HISTORY OF PROMOTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING DATING BACK TO 1952 WITH THE FOUNDING OF THE GREENBURG HOUSING AUTHORITY.
IN THE EARLY 1970S, THE TOWN BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST IN THE NATION AND THE FIRST NEW YORK SUBURB TO CONSTRUCT LOW-RISE SCATTER SITE PUBLIC HOUSING.
IN JULY 20, UH, 1987, THE TOWN BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST WESTCHESTER MUNICIPALITIES TO EMBRACE I EXCLUSIONARY ZONING, ACQUIRING 30% OF UNITS IN NEW MULTIFAMILY HOUSING, BUILT IN MULTIFAMILY ZONING DISTRICTS TO BE CONSTRUCTED AT A SMALLER SCALE AND WITH FEWER AMENITIES TO MAKE THEM MORE AFFORDABLE.
IN 1996, THE TOWN BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST MUNICIPALITIES IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY TO ENACT AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING SET ASIDE, AND THAT MANDATED THAT 10% OF ALL NEW MULTIFAMILY UNITS IN NUMEROUS ZONING DISTRICTS BE AFFORDABLE AND ESTABLISH FINANCIAL INCENTIVES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ADDITIONAL MULTI-FAMILY UNITS BEYOND THE 10% MANDATORY SET ASIDE.
IN JUNE, 2006, THE TOWN BOARD CREATED AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE TO ASSIST IN ITS GOAL AS ASSURING AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGHOUT THE TOWN.
AND DECEMBER, 2008, THE TOWN BOARD UNANIMOUSLY EXTENDED MANDATORY 10% AFFORDABLE SET-ASIDE AND DENSITY BONUS REGULATIONS TO SEVERAL OTHER ZONES, AND APPLIED A NEW WORKFORCE SUBCATEGORY
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OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.SO IN 2016, THE TOWN OF GREENBERG'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WAS ADOPTED, AND IT'S THE RELEVANT POLICY DOCUMENT REGARDING TOWN HOUSING POLICY AND PROVIDES A VISION AND A ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE OF THE TOWN.
OF NOTE FOR THE G S R HOUSING COMMITTEE, SEVERAL OF THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES LISTED IN THE PLAN ARE DIRECTED TOWARDS ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THEY ARE ENCOURAGED A TOWN THAT IS AFFORDABLE FOR ALL ALSO ALLOW FOR A VARIETY OF HOUSING TYPES THAT MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL INCOME LEVELS AND DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS, AND ENCOURAGE A CLEAR, FAIR AND EFFICIENT DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL PROCESS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, A PRINCIPLE ADDED BY THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE MAY WORK AGAINST ADDRESSING THOSE SAME NEEDS.
THEY ADDED SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT THAT COMPLIMENTS AND PRESERVES THE CHARACTER OF EXISTING RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
COMMUNITY PRESERVATION GOALS AND RELATED ZONING REGULATIONS HAVE OFTEN MADE FOR CHALLENGES FOR THOSE WHO FAVOR AN INCREASE IN THE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS PREFERENCES GIVEN TO STATUS QUO OVER CHANGE IN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG, THAT TRANSLATES INTO A STRONG PREFERENCE FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES.
AS INDICATED IN CHAPTER 10 OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, EVERY CHAPTER OF THE PLAN CONTAINS POLICIES THAT SUPPORT ENHANCED AND PRESERVE ONE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOODS.
THERE'S NO MENTION OF SUPPORT FOR MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENCES WHEN THAT TOPIC IS CONSIDERED.
LATER IN THAT SAME CHAPTER, THERE ISN'T THAT A SIMPLE LISTING OF THE VARIETY AND LOCATIONS OF MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES.
SO GOING FORWARD, UH, THE COMMITTEE STRONGLY RECOMMENDS TAKING SOME MORE NON-TRADITIONAL APPROACHES, AND, AND THAT INCLUDES FINDING MORE WAYS TO BROADEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONSIDERATIONS, UH, SO THAT WE INCLUDE MORE EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESIDENTS THAT ARE RELATED TO HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS.
FROM A DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE, THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSING WITH MIXED USE COMPONENT CAN ALSO PROVIDE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT.
ANOTHER ASPECT THAT THE COMMITTEE, UH, IDENTIFIED AS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IS THE OFTEN OVERLOOKED RULE OF COMMUNICATION IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THE COMMITTEE IDENTIFIED THE NUMEROUS LINES OF COMMUNICATION NECESSARY FOR EQUITY AND INCLUSION IN HOUSING, WHICH WHEN IMPLEMENTED ROBUSTLY CAN WORK TO MINIMIZE OR ELIMINATE NORMS, UH, FORMS OF SYSTEMIC RACISM.
AND THERE'S MORE DETAIL OF THAT IN THE REPORT ITSELF, WHETHER THE DISCUSSIONS INCLUDE POTENTIAL ZONING CHANGES, RELOCATIONS OF RESIDENTS FOR UPGRADES, REPAIRS NEEDED FOR A UNIT OR OTHER.
THE IMPORTANCE OF EQUITY INCLUSION, COMPASSION, AND FAIRNESS IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS ARE IMPERATIVE IF EXISTING MECHANISMS OF COMMUNICATING ISSUES, PERSPECTIVES OR SOLUTIONS ARE LACKING.
IT'S THE HOPE OF THE G S R COMMITTEE THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE REPORT ARE HELPFUL.
AND SO WE'VE MADE THREE GOALS, UH, UH, WITH RECOMMEND THE, UH, WITH POLICY RECOMMENDING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EACH ONE.
SO THE FIRST GOAL IS FOSTER CONTINUAL G SS A, UH, G S A R G A S R HOUSING COORDINATION FOLLOWING THE CONCLUSION OF THE REPORT EFFORTS AND RELATED COMMITTEE.
ANOTHER, AND, UH, UH, THIS, WE CAN GO THROUGH THOSE POLICIES.
WHY DON'T I JUST MENTION THE GOAL? UH, FIRST, THE SECOND GOAL IS TO CONTINUE TO PROMOTE FAIR AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
AND GOAL THREE IS STRENGTHEN THE CONNECTION BETWEEN FAIR AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
UM, GOING FORWARD, I, I DON'T KNOW, PROBABLY THE BEST BET IS FOR, UH, PEOPLE TO ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE POLICY INITIATIVES AND THEN, UH, I, OR THERE'S OTHER PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THIS CALL THAT, UM, CAN RESPOND TO THOSE QUESTIONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE BUILDING, YOU KNOW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND, UM, I'M WONDERING IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT ACCESSORY HOUSING, AND I KNOW I THINK DUFF FERRY HAS, UH, BEEN MODIFIED, IS MODIFYING THEIR, YOU KNOW, THEIR, WELL, THERE, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE ADUS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
RIGHT? UM, AND, AND ALAN JUST SAY WHAT THE A D U FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT A A D U IS, PLEASE.
YOU KNOW, WE LOOKED AT MODIFYING OUR CURRENT, UM, YOU KNOW, POLICIES.
I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE RENTING OUT ROOMS, BUT THEY MIGHT NOT BE DOING IT, YOU KNOW, LEGALLY, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU KNOW, I'M SORT OF WONDERING IF, UH, IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOUR COMMITTEE LOOKED AT.
SOME OF THE PHILOSOPHY, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MY COMMITTEE OR THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY? I'M WONDERING, BECAUSE THAT'S A HOUSING, I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE CONTACTED ME, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR HOUSING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY BASICALLY CAN'T AFFORD THE
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MARKET.YOU KNOW, EVEN THE AFFORDABLE RENTS.
THEY MAY NOT BE ON SECTION EIGHT, AND MAYBE, UH, THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, IF SOMEBODY WOULD RENT A ROOM TO THEM, UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD PROVIDE THEM WITH THE OPPORTUNITY OF, I THINK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING VERY DIFFERENT.
VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHAT J SORRY.
I THINK THAT, SO THE QUESTION TO YOUR ANSWER IS NO.
THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION IS NO, YOU, THE, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, I HAD, I MEAN, THERE'S A WOMAN WHO I'M TRYING TO HELP IN, UM, HASTINGS, WHO'S LIVED IN AN APARTMENT FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, 14 YEARS.
HER LANDLORD WANTS AN APARTMENT FOR, UH, HER HIMSELF.
UH, NOW SHE'S GONNA BE, SHE'S WORRIED THAT SHE'S GONNA BE HOMELESS.
AND I'M SORT OF WONDERING IF THERE'S ANY, UM, THOUGHT ABOUT LETTING PE, LET'S SAY THERE'S A WIDOW WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO, UH, CONTINUE TO PAY THEIR, THEIR TAXES OR MORTGAGE, UM, AND SOMEBODY WANTS TO LIVE WITH 'EM.
YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A WAY OF, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKING, YOU KNOW, MORE SOME AFFORDABLE HOUSING AVAILABLE TO SOMEBODY LIKE THAT, WHERE ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS ACTUALLY IS FOR THE TOWN TO HAVE A HOUSING ADVOCATE OF ITS OWN, WHICH WOULD BE A HELP IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO MANAGE THE REQUESTS THAT DO COME IN.
UH, AS YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING, UM, AND PROBABLY DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO TURN.
PROBABLY A LOT OF JUST, UH, CALLING IT, UH, THE TOWN SUPERVISOR ACTUALLY, RIGHT? I MEAN, IS THERE A CHANCE YOUR COMMITTEE COULD LOOK AT THE WHOLE ISSUE OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE APPROACH THAT THE TOWN TAKES IN TERMS OF, UH, ALLOWING PEOPLE TO RENT THEIR, UH, A ROOM IN THEIR APARTMENT? BUT I THINK THAT'S A PER, THAT'S A, THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THIS CA THAT IS A AFFORD HOUSE.
SO YOU, YOU'RE LOOKING, SO YOU, WHAT WE LOOKED AT IS THE POLICIES STEMMING BEHIND AND WHAT'S AVAILABLE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
YOU WANT US TO PLACE PEOPLE, THIS IS NOT WHAT THIS COMMITTEE'S FOR.
THIS IS NOT FOR THIS, THIS COMMITTEE IS NOT TO IDENTIFY HOMES AND STUFF WHERE PEOPLE CAN MOVE INTO THEM IF THEY ARE, ARE LOOKING FOR HOUSING.
THIS COMMITTEE IS TO TAKE A LOOK AT DISPARITIES THAT HAS HAPPENED AROUND THE TOWN AND WHAT AVENUES WE CAN DO TO CHANGE OUR POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
THIS IS WHAT THIS COMMITTEE IS LOOKING FOR.
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING, THE OUTREACH THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, NOT REALLY IS, LET ME JUST FINISH THE OUTREACH THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IS WHAT BART JUST DESCRIBED, WHICH WILL FALL UNDER THE HOUSING ADVOCATE.
SO WE, THAT'S NOT, THAT'S A RECOMMENDATION, BUT THIS IS NOT WHAT THE PURPOSE OR THE PURPOSE OF WHAT THIS REPORT WAS, WAS FOR.
NO, I'M JUST, LET ME JUST MENTION, MY FEELING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, OVER THE YEARS, IN THE PAST 30 YEARS, UH, WE'VE BEEN APPROVING A NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UM, YOU KNOW, APARTMENTS, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE TOWN.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SAM WILKINS, UH, APARTMENT, YOU HAVE THE, UH, THE GREENBERG, UH, HOUSING AUTHORITY HAS PROVIDED MORE, HAS BUILT MORE SENIOR HOUSING.
WE'VE WORKED WITH WEST TAB, WE'VE WORKED WITH, UH, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, THE WEST HEALTH FACILITY IS NOW HOUSING.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I'M THINKING THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN'T EVEN AFFORD TO MOVE INTO THOSE UNITS.
AND I'M THINKING THAT THERE'S A GREAT NEED TO, UM, PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, UH, PEOPLE WHO CAN'T AFFORD THE MARKET RENTS, AND THERE'S SUCH A, A WAITING LIST FOR ALL THE AFFORDABLE, YOU KNOW, APARTMENTS.
I'M THINKING THAT IF WE REALLY WANT TO ADDRESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YOU KNOW, IN THE TOWN, IF WE LOOKED AT THE WHOLE, UH, POLICIES THAT WE HAVE AS A, AS A TOWN IN TERMS OF ALLOWING PEOPLE TO RENT THEIR, THEIR, THEIR, UH, YOU KNOW, SPACE IN THEIR HOMES, I THINK THAT THAT COULD OPEN UP OPPORTUNITIES TO A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO REALLY NEED HOUSING.
BUT I ALSO THINK WHERE YOU'RE GOING IN, THAT'S A PERSONAL CHOICE FOR SOMEONE TO OPEN THEIR HOME FOR THAT.
I'M NOT SURE IF THE TOWN WOULD WANNA GET INVOLVED WITH THAT.
I THINK THAT'S A PERSONAL CHOICE.
IF THERE'S, IF THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO ADVERTISE AS WE HAVE THAT WEBSITE THAT WE HAVE, THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE THAT WE HAVE, AND THERE ARE ROOMS THAT THEY WANT TO RENT OUT AND THAT THEY'RE LEGALLY ABLE TO RENT THEM OUT, THEN PERHAPS THAT'S AN AVENUE.
BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD.
SO ON THAT NOTE, UH, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
ON THAT NOTE, THERE IS A RUMORS AND BORDERS PROVISION IN, IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY COULD REVISIT THAT TO SEE IF THERE'S A BARRIER IN PLACE EMBEDDED IN WITHIN THAT PORTION OF THE CODE.
UM, GOING BACK TO YOUR INITIAL, UH, QUESTION THERE ABOUT ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS, UM, THERE'S CERTAINLY NOTHING IN THE REPORT THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, SPEAKS AGAINST THAT TYPE OF POLICY.
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IDENTIFIES, UH, RE WHICH RECOMMENDS THE FORMATION OF AN APPOINTED AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE, UH, WHICH MEETS REGULARLY, YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT TASK COULD LOOK, LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, EITHER RUMORS AND BORDERS PROVISION, UM, OR ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, THE ADUS ARE TRICKY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU RUN INTO OFF STREET PARKING, UH, CONCERNS.UM, SO THERE'S A GAMUT OF, OF, OF, UM, YOU KNOW, ZONING CONSIDERATIONS YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT.
BUT, UM, I THINK THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, NOTHING'S OFF THE TABLE, IF YOU WILL.
UM, AND I THINK GOING FORWARD, THIS DOCUMENT REALLY SETS THE, THE POLICY AND IF THERE ARE, YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTATION ASPECTS THAT, THAT, THAT MEET THOSE POLICIES THERE, THEY CERTAINLY SHOULD AT LEAST BE EXPLORED.
YONKERS, UH, REQUIRES 12% OF ALL MULTIFAMILY, UM, HOUSING UNITS TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, AFFORDABLE, AFFORDABLE, YOU KNOW, ARE WE LOOKING IN THIS REPORT AT DOING WHAT YONKERS IS DOING AND REQUIRING A GREATER PERCENTAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING? READ IT? YES.
SO THE REPORT DOES HAVE, UM, A FEW POLICIES THAT, THAT ACTUALLY, UM, DO JUST THAT.
AND, AND, AND THAT'S A CREDIT TO OUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UM, WHO ADVOCATED FOR SUCH, UM, PRESENTLY YES, THE TOWN OF GREENBURG'S 10%.
SO AS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE, BOTH POLICIES, UH, TWO SIX AND TWO SEVEN, UM, IDENTIFY THAT, UM, IT'S A RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND CHAPTER 2 85, UH, TO REQUIRE 12% OR HIGHER, EVEN AT THAT, UM, UH, WITH REGARD TO MULTIFAMILY UNITS IN THE, IN THE PLAN UNIT, DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, UM, AND THEN POLICY TWO SEVEN, IT DOES THE SAME, AMEND 2 85 IN THE CODE OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG TO REQUIRE 12% OR HIGHER, UH, AFFORDABLE SETASIDE FOR NEW ONE FAMILY UNITS IN CONNECTION WITH DEVELOPMENT IN ONE FAMILY RESIDENCE DISTRICT.
SO, UH, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, SUPERVISOR, THE REPORT, UM, UH, MIMICS THAT, THAT 12% THRESHOLD AS A RECOMMENDATION.
AND THE ONLY, THE LAST QUESTION THAT I HAD WAS, UM, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH, UM, SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UH, UH, CHILDREN WHO ARE DEVELOPMENTALLY, UH, EITHER DISABLED, UM, AND NOW THEY'RE ADULTS.
AND I'M WONDERING IF THE COMMITTEE, UM, COULD LOOK AT, UM, AT POSSIBLY A POLICY WHERE A CER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF, UM, AFFORDABLE HOUSING WOULD BE DESIGNATED FOR, UM, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE WHO HAVE DISABILITIES OR EVEN, AND ALSO MAYBE EVEN FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR VETERANS, BECAUSE THAT'S ANOTHER, UH, ISSUE THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO ANOTHER GROUP THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO ADDRESS.
SO AGAIN, I THINK THAT FALLS AGAIN ON THE, THE PURVIEW OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE THAT WE RECOMMENDED IN THIS REPORT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH, I MAY I MAKE A STATEMENT? SURE.
I CAN'T WAIT TO DELVE INTO IT BECAUSE IT'S SO IMPORTANT AND IT'S AN ISSUE THAT IS CRITICAL AS, AS THE HOUSING IN WESTCHESTER GETS MORE AND MORE EXPENSIVE.
YEAH, I, I WANNA THANK EVERYBODY WHO WORKED ON THIS DOCUMENT AND IT'S VERY PROFESSIONAL DONE.
AND, UH, THANK GINA JACKSON FOR, UH, MOVING FORWARD, GASSER IN GENERAL, BUT ALSO THE DIFFERENT SUBCOMMITTEES, THIS BEING ONE OF THEM, AND ALL THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THAT OBVIOUSLY WENT INTO THIS, UH, THIS REPORT.
AND I, I AGREE WITH, UH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN HENDRICKS THAT, UH, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT THIS AND JUST LIKE WITH THE, UH, COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WE ADOPTED, WHICH IS NOT SITTING ON THE SHELF AND WE'RE USING IT, UM, WE EXPECT TO BE DOING THAT WITH THIS DOCUMENT AS WELL.
UH, WHEN DO YOU THINK, UH, JOE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, MOVE FORWARD IN CHANGING YOU THE PERCENT THE REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COMMITTEE THAT HAS
PAUL, IF YOU CAN JUST ALLOW US TO DO OUR WORK ON, WE CAN COME BACK, WE CAN GIVE YOU THAT TIMEFRAME.
SO WE CAN GIVE YOU A TIMEFRAME ON THAT.
SO IS THAT WITH REFERENCE TO, WITH REFERENCE TO POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS, 2.6 AND 2.7? YES, IT, YES.
SO THERE'S A COMMITTEE INFORMATION WE WISH WE LOOK TO FORM A COMMITTEE TO DO THAT WORK.
UM, IT, IT'S CERTAINLY, UM, UM, A LONG TIME COMING FOR THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
UM, IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT BEARS LOOKING INTO, AND I CAN SEE THAT COMMITTEE DID A WONDERFUL JOB.
[00:25:01]
THE ONLY THING I WOULD POINT OUT, POINT OUT IS, IS THATTHE, THE, AND I THINK I POINTED OUT BEFORE AS, BUT THE, UM, THERE'S AN INDICATION THAT THE FIRST BLACK FAMILY MOVED INTO PARKWAY GARDENS IN 1933, UHHUH.
THEY ACTUALLY MOVED IN IN 1929.
I STAND, I STAND CORRECTED, PUT ME, PUT ME RIGHT ON THE CHAPMAN BLOCK.
YOU KNOW WHAT, I, I JUST THINK THAT THE SPIRIT
SO WE DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE IT.
NO, I'M, I'M REALLY PROUD OF THIS COMMITTEE.
I MEAN, THEY REALLY PUT A HARD WORK AND THOUGHT INTO THIS AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THIS IS DEFINITELY THE CATALYST.
SO WE CAN START LOOKING AT WHAT WE CAN DO AND WHAT WE CAN BRING TO GREENBERG AS IT RELATES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UM, BECAUSE THERE'S, IT'S A NEED AND, YOU KNOW, BARRED IN THE COMMITTEE CAN CONTEST TO THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE CAN SEE THROUGH THE REPORT THE CHALLENGES AND THE CHALLENGES THAT THE TOWN HAS FACED.
AND I THINK AT THIS POINT, I THINK WE'RE IN A REALLY GOOD PLACE TO BEGIN.
ONCE WE HAVE, UM, AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMMITTEE OFFICIALLY FORMED, WE CAN START CONTINUING TO MOVE THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS REPORT.
WE'VE ALSO, UM, JUST QUICKLY SOME, SOME QUICK IMMEDIATE ACTION ITEMS. WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO IS, UM, WE'LL CREATE A, A LINK TO THIS TOWN BOARD WORK SESSION.
WE'RE GONNA PLACE THIS DOCUMENT ON THE TOWN WEBSITE, AND WE'RE GONNA SEND AN E-BLAST OUT AND ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO READ THE REPORT AND, AND WE WILL PROVIDE A MECHANISM FOR FEEDBACK.
AND ALSO, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SENDING IT TO WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
UH, WE'RE GONNA SEND IT TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT WHO HAS NO CERTAINTY, AFFORDABLE HOUSING SPECIALTY THERE.
UM, SO, AND WE'RE ALSO GOING TO, UH, REFER THE REPORT TO THE VILLAGES OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG AND, UH, SURROUNDING ADJOINING MUNICIPALITIES.
SO, GARRETT, I JUST WANNA SAY ONE THING TOO.
I DIDN'T SEE WHY YOU CAN RAISE MY HAND HIDE.
WE USE THE WORD AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS REPORT IS ALL ABOUT, AND THAT'S NOT OUR KEY.
UM, THAT WASN'T OUR KEY FOCUS HERE ON, ON MAKING CHANGES TO INCLUDE EVERYONE.
IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT BEING AFFORDABLE.
SO AFFORDABLE IS DEFINITELY A COMPONENT THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL.
WE USE AFFORDABLE OR DEFINING, SAYING THAT.
I JUST HAVE ONE OTHER QUESTION.
IN TERMS OF, UH, THE TOWN POLICY OVER THE YEARS ON, WE'VE TURNED FORECLOSED, UH, PROPERTIES INTO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, THERE WAS A FORECLOSURE AT THE WATER WHEEL IS NOW AFFORDABLE IN LEY, UH, ANOTHER FORECLOSURE IN, IN HASTINGS THAT'S NOW AFFORDABLE, YOU KNOW, HOUSING.
UM, I'M WONDERING IF, UM, AS A POLICY, THE TOWN SHOULD, UM, SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, AS THERE'S MORE, YOU KNOW, FORECLOSURES IN THE FUTURE, UM, THAT WE WOULD GIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, PRIORITY TO TURNING FORECLOSURE, FORECLOSED PROPERTIES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THAT'S WHAT SOME OTHER COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE DOING.
AND, YOU KNOW, MAY MAYBE MAKE THAT AS A, YOU KNOW, MORE OF A, A REGULAR POLICY OF THE, OF THE TOWN BOARD, ESPECIALLY IF THERE'S LARGE TRACKS OF, UM, PROP PROPERTY.
I MEAN, WE'VE BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS WITH THAT, WITH THE ASSESSOR, SO I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT WE JUST NEED TO WORK OUT LEGALLY AND JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN PUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN PLACE.
BUT THAT'S ALREADY BEEN, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING.
IN FACT, UH, POLICY 2.8, UH, READS, WE'RE PRACTICAL, PRIORITIZE THE USE OR REUSE OF LAND ACQUIRED BY THE TOWN VIA TAX, FORECLOSURE, OR OTHER MECHANISM TO ADVANCE NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR ALL YOUR GOOD WORK.
OKAY, NEXT, UH, WE HAVE THE BUDGET AND WE SHOULD CALL, UH, ROBERTA.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHILE WE'RE WAITING FOR ROBERTA, SHOULD WE DO THE AGENDA REVIEW? YOU WANT THIS? THAT'D BE GOOD.
[00:30:02]
PART ONE.DO YOU GUYS WANNA COME UP? JOE? YOU WANT COME UP JOE? AND SO COME WITH, COME.
YOU KNOW WHAT, NOISY, WE'RE NOT GONNA GO OVER THIS, BUT IT'S THERE IF YOU NEED TO.
YOU KNOW, IT, IT WOULD TAKE TOO MUCH TIME.
I JUST WANT YOU TO HAVE IT IN CASE AN ITEM THAT COMES UP.
I GOT PAUL, DO YOU NEED A COPY OF YOUR NOPE, I GOT IT.
AND HERE'S THE NEXT ONE WE'LL GET INTO.
THIS IS A SEPARATE ONE I'M MISSING.
I HAVE, I HAVE MY BOOK WITH ME IF YOU NEED.
NO, IT BASICALLY WHAT'S FOR OUR, YOU KNOW, FOR PARTS AND REC, IT'S ALL THERE.
AND THEN, AND I'LL HAND THIS OUT AND I WANT TO JUST TALK SOME SPECIFICATION.
SO SHOULD I JUST JUMP IN AND BEGIN? MM-HMM.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, FROM GREENBURG PARKS, WELL, GOOD EVENING.
AND, UH, IT'S GLAD TO BE HERE AT THIS, UH, ANNUAL, UH, PROCESS FOR THE, UH, 2023 BUDGET.
UM, JOE AND I, YOU KNOW, WE WORKED HARD ON IT.
WE, WE FOLLOWED PAUL'S DIRECTOR, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO HOLD THE LINE.
WE BASICALLY, THAT'S WHAT WE DID.
THERE WAS A FEW THINGS WE PUT IN THAT, YOU KNOW, PAUL TOOK OUT, BUT WE, YOU KNOW, WE ACCEPT THOSE CHANGES.
AND, UH, I THINK WE DID OUR PART TO TRY TO KEEP THE FLAT LINE ON, ON THE TAX RATE.
THERE'S NOTHING REALLY, YOU KNOW, BIG OUT OF THAT.
AND, UM, IT, IT, IT INVOLVES IN THE, A BUDGET, THE SPECIAL RECREATION PROGRAM, THAT'S A 70 20.
THEN IN THE B BUDGET OUTSIDE, UH, THE INCORPORATED VILLAGES, IT'S B 70 20, B SEVEN 50, AND THEN B 7 1 8 OH, WHICH IS RECREATION PARKS.
AND THEN THE, UH, ANTHONY OF VETERAN PARK PROGRAMS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAVE THE CN BUDGET, WHICH IS, UH, ANY TAX SUBSIDIZATION REALLY COMES THROUGH THE, UH, A, THE TOWN AND TIRE.
AND THAT'S FOR THE SENIOR CITIZEN NUTRITION PROGRAM.
UM, RATHER THAN GO INTO THE DETAIL THAT'S SORT OF MORE ON THE BACK PAGE, IT'S LIKE ON PAGE, UH, ON THIS, UM, THERE IS ONE THING THAT HAPPENED, YOU KNOW, DUE TO INFLATION AND, UH, JOE KNOWS THAT'S BASICALLY HIS BABY.
BUT TO SUMMARIZE IT, UM, WE REALIZED AFTER THE BUDGET WAS SUBMITTED THAT WE WERE ON THE FOURTH YEAR OF RENEWING THE, UH, PURCHASE OF OUTSIDE MEALS.
AND, UM, FOR THAT, UM, AS YOU KNOW, THE COST OF, UH, FOOD AND PREPARING FOOD HAS SIGNIFICANTLY GONE UP.
WE, WE FEEL IT'S ALMOST GONE UP, I THINK, WHAT, 25, 20 7%.
SO, SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ABLE TO PURCHASE A MEAL NOW FOR LIKE $4 AND 25 CENTS.
AND, UM, WHEN WE CHECKED WITH OUR, UH, VENDOR OUT OF, FOR CHESTER, IT BASICALLY WAS NON-SUSTAINABLE.
SO AT THE LAST TOWN BOARD MEETING, WE HAD A RESOLUTION THAT ALLOW US TO GO OUT TO BID, WHICH IS COMING IN, I THINK NEXT WEEK OR THE WEEK AFTER.
WE'LL OPEN IT ON THE 29TH OF THIS MONTH.
OUR PROJECTIONS, WE WON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA INCREASE THE COST OF MEALS, UH, BUT WE'RE PROJECTING IT'S GONNA BE CLOSER TO ABOUT $5 AND 75 CENTS A MEAL.
WE'LL HAVE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, IT COULD BE LESS, COULD BE A LITTLE BIT MORE.
SO ONCE THAT COMES, WE WILL COME BACK, YOU KNOW, TO THE TOWN REQUESTING WHETHER WE CAN GET THE ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
THAT COULD BE ABOUT $40,000, UM, MORE OR LESS.
UM, IF WE CAN'T, THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO THEN START CUTTING BACK, YOU KNOW, UH, PROVIDING SOME MEALS, UH, TO OUR SENIORS IN GREENBERG.
AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF US YOU WANT TO DO THAT.
SO THAT IS, THAT IS LIKE THE BIG THING FROM A BUDGETARY STANDPOINT.
SO WHEN WE GET TO THAT DEEPER INTO THIS BUDGET PROCESS, WORKING THROUGH ROBERTA'S OFFICE AND, UH, AND YOU, WE WILL, WE, YEAH, WE WANNA ADD ANYTHING I MISSED? NO, WE SHOULD HAVE AN ANSWER, UH, BY THE END OF THIS MONTH ABOUT HOW MUCH IT'S GONNA COST.
BUT, UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, I'M, UH, PREDICTING IT'S ABOUT APPROXIMATELY
[00:35:01]
$40,000 MORE THAN WHAT WE HAD SUBMITTED ORIGINALLY IN THE, A BUDGET.UH, I WAS IN TOUCH WITH ROBERTA ABOUT THIS EARLIER, AND THAT'S WHY WE WANTED TO GO OUT TO BID TO, UH, YOU KNOW, RESTART THIS.
BUT WE'RE IN THE, LIKE JERRY SAID, WE'RE IN THE FOURTH YEAR OF A RENEWABLE CONTRACT, AND THE VENDOR CAME TO ME AND FELT IT WAS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
AND SO WE HAVE ENOUGH TIME NOW TO GET THIS MOVING BEFORE THE BUDGET IS ADOPTED.
SO, SO THE 40,000, SO THE 40,000, HOW MANY, HOW LONG IS THAT CONTRACT? IS THAT FOR THE FOUR YEARS? WELL, FOUR, IF WE DO THE SAME KIND OF CONTRACT WE DID BEFORE, IT'LL BE A TWO YEAR CONTRACT RENEWABLE FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS.
WHAT LINE ITEM IS THAT? THAT, UM, THAT WOULD BE ON THE CN BUDGET.
IT WOULD BE ON, SO THAT WOULD BE 85.
AND UH, IT'S THE FOOD NUTRITION LINE WHERE IT'S PRESENTLY $360,000.
AND, UM, I ALSO EMAILED YOU, UM, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY TO GO OVER IT NOW, BUT I, I, I PREPARED FOR YOU MORE THAN THIS IS LIKE THE SUMMARY I, I PREPARED FOR YOU ON A DETAILED, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT MORE, LOOK AT IT.
AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, GIMME A CALL.
'CAUSE THEN THAT GIVES ME A LITTLE MORE RESOURCE TO COME BACK AND EASIER TO JUSTIFY IF WE HAVE TO COME THERE.
SO THERE'S REALLY NOTHING ELSE I WANT TO ADD EXCEPT, UM, IT'S THIS SHEET I WANT TO HAND OUT.
I, I SHARED IT WITH ROBERTA YESTERDAY.
AND, UH, AN INTERESTING, AS YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, OH, I'M SORRY.
AS YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, UM, WE HAD LIKE $75,000 IN THE, UM, UH, B 70 50 FOR AN ARBOR.
AND AS YOU, AS I TOLD YOU, LAST YEAR, WE TRIED FOR SIX MONTHS TO TO HIRE
WE TRIED TO, WE TRIED TO HIRE AN ARBORIST AND UH, WE JUST COULDN'T FIND ANY CERTAIN CERTIFICATIONS THAT WE REQUIRED THAT WE DON'T APPLY.
WE'RE LIKE A PESTICIDE FREE COMMUNITY EXCEPT WHEN IT'S FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY.
SO YOU STILL NEED TO HAVE SOMEONE ON YOUR STAFF THAT HAS ALL THE CERTIFICATIONS TO PROPERLY APPLY IT WHEN IT HAS TO BE APPLIED.
AND, BUT IT'S HARD TO, UH, HAVE THAT CERTIFICATION IN ADDITION TO IT.
WE HAVE A VERY, YOU KNOW, UH, STRONG, UH, AGGRESSIVE ARBORIST PROGRAM WE WERE NOT ABLE TO HIRE.
SO WHAT I WENT TO YOU LAST YEAR, I SAID LET'S, UH, REDUCE IT TO 35,000 BECAUSE I, AND I WAS GONNA TRY TO HIRE SOMEONE.
AND QUITE FRANKLY, THE PERSON WHO RETIRED AT THE TIME OR ARBORIST, WE THOUGHT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO RECRUIT HIM BACK.
BUT FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER, IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
WHAT WE DID THIS YEAR THAT SUFFERED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, WHEN I NEEDED TO DO HORTICULTURAL PLANTINGS OR WHATEVER, I BASICALLY PULLED MY CARETAKER OF PARK PRESERVES NAMED SAV GEORGIO, WHO IS A CERTIFIED ARBORIST, WHICH WE WERE REALLY LUCKY TO HAVE.
AND HE HAS THE CERTIFIED PESTICIDES.
MANY, MANY YEARS AGO WE HAD TWO ARBORISTS ON THE STAFF WHEN WE PURCHASED THE HARTSBURG PARK AND PRESERVE.
HE TRANSFERRED INTO THAT POSITION, BUT KEPT HIS CERTIFICATION UP.
HE JUST PUT IN HIS PAPERS A COUPLE OF WEEKS, TWO WEEKS AGO.
HE'S RETIRING AT THE END OF THE YEAR, ALONG WITH OUR PARK FOREMAN.
SO THIS OPENED UP, THEY SAID, LISTEN, WE'RE HAVING TROUBLE HAVING IT.
BASICALLY JOE AND I AND OUR PARK SUPERINTENDENT BROUGHT HIM BACK INTO OUR, HIM BACK INTO HER OFFICE.
AND WE ASKED HIM, I SAID, WOULD YOU BE INTERESTING ON AN HOURLY BASIS WHEN WE NEED TO HAVE HORTICULTURAL STUFF TO COME BACK? 'CAUSE HE DOESN'T WANNA WORK FULL TIME.
SO WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF ME NOW THAT I GAVE YOU IS A, IS A LITTLE, UH, SPREADSHEET THAT BASICALLY SHOWS THE, THE, THE ARBORIST SALARY IS 74,000, UH, $301.
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, PLACED BACK IN THE BUDGET.
AND WITH THAT IN MIND, OUR THOUGHT PROCESS IS THERE IS SOME ITEMS THAT PAUL CUT OUT.
I'D LIKE TO RESTORE, AND I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING TO CHANGE THE BOTTOM LINE NUMBER OF WHAT WE HAVE, KEEP IT FLAT LINE.
BUT IF WE DO, UH, ADJUSTMENTS IN IT WITH YOUR, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT, I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD PLAN GOING INTO NEXT YEAR.
AND, AND THAT WOULD BE IN SPECIAL PROGRAMS. WE HAD 8,000 AND WE BASICALLY PUT IN FOR 15,600 FOR A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS IN PARTICULAR, WE HAD A TRUST AND AGENCY COUNT THAT HELPED PROVIDE FOR SUMMER OF OUR STUFF, FOR SPARK TO FEST AND, AND THAT, UH, REVENUE FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS AND GOING INTO THE GENERAL FUNDS.
AND NOW WE, WE EXPEND THAT TO MAINTAIN THIS SPECIAL EVENT, WE NEED TO PUT THAT BACK IN.
I DIDN'T WANNA, YOU KNOW, ADJUST IT.
SO I'M ASKING NEXT YEAR TO TAKE THAT 8,000 AND UP IT TO 15 600,
[00:40:01]
THE ARBORIST POSITION.WE HAVE A MOTOR EQUIPMENT OPERATOR THAT YEARS AGO WAS A HEAVY M E O AND WE THOUGHT WE, WE DIDN'T NEED A HEAVY M E O.
WELL, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, WE WERE NOTIFIED BY THE GREENBERG POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE USE ON A REGULAR BASIS, YOU NEED TO HAVE A HEAVY M E O LICENSE.
AS IT TURNED OUT, THIS M E O HAS A HEAVY M E O CERTIFICATION.
SO WE'VE BEEN PAYING THEM OUT OF TITLE.
WELL, BASICALLY TURNED OUT HALF OF THE TIME OF THE YEAR WE'VE BEEN PAYING THEM HEAVY M E O USING 'EM WHEN WE REALLY HAVE TO, AND WE PROBABLY CAN DO MORE.
SO WITH THIS ADJUSTMENT, IF WE ELIMINATE THAT POSITION AND PUT IN THROUGH THE COUNTY FORM TO SEE IF WE CAN UP IT TO A HEAVY MOTOR EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, THAT'S LIKE A $5,000 INCREASE THAT WOULD COME OUT TO 81,624.
AND THEN THE BALANCE OF THE MONEY, WHICH IS ABOUT $61,000 FROM THE $76,000, WE FEEL IF WE PUT IT INTO PART-TIME LINES, WE WILL BE ABLE TO SUPPLEMENT THE LOSS OF THAT FULL-TIME PERSON WHERE WHEN THE ARBOR GOES OUT AND DOES HORTICULTURE DURING THE SEASON, WE CAN HIRE TWO SEASONAL FULL-TIME PEOPLE TO ASSIST HIM.
AND, AND WE THINK IT'S, IT'S A GOOD PLAN THAT BASICALLY DOESN'T ASK FOR ANY MORE MONEY, BUT IT'S JUST A READJUSTMENT FROM THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS.
IT WILL SAVE US SOME BENEFITS THOUGH.
AND THEN THE ONE SAVINGS THAT I, I, YOU SAID HERE, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH WILL THE TOWN SAVE BASED ON THAT? THIS IS A HIGHER RISK.
I WOULD SAY PROBABLY 50% OF THAT SALARY IS USUALLY BASED ON BENEFITS AND, AND THE TYPE OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION AND RETIREMENT, WHATEVER, IT'LL PROBABLY BE CLOSE TO A $37,000 SAVINGS ON TOP OF THE DIRECT LINE ITEM.
YOU WON'T SEE IT IN MY OPERATING BUDGET, BUT IN THE BIGGER ONE, THAT GIVES YOU A LITTLE MORE MONEY TO WORK WITH.
I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE H M E O, YOU NEED TO SPEAK UP FOR THE H M E O.
DO WE HAVE A MICROPHONE? I'M SORRY.
THIS, JUST BRING A CLOSE THIS.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? IS THAT BETTER? SO THE HEAVY MOTOR ECO E EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, DID YOU FILL OUT THE FORM FOR THAT FOR US? NO, I WAS GONNA TRY TO GET FEEDBACK FROM HERE FIRST, THEN I WOULD TAKE THE NEXT STEP AND PUT IN A REQUEST THROUGH YOUR OFFICE FOR THE TOWN.
'CAUSE NORMALLY WE DO THE FORM THEN.
BUT SINCE IT'S A FUNDING ISSUE, I WANTED, IF, IF WE'RE IN CONCEPT CONCEPTUALLY IN SUPPORT OF THIS, I WOULD IMMEDIATELY FILL OUT THAT PAPERWORK.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IT'S VERY COMMENDABLE BECAUSE YOU'RE LIVING WITHIN THE BUDGET.
YOU KNOW, I, I FEEL THAT IF ALL THE DEPARTMENTS THAT HAVE CONCERNS WOULD BASICALLY FOLLOW YOUR, UH, LEAD AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY AND THEY MAKE MODIFICATIONS WITHIN THEIR OWN BUDGET, THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S A MODEL BECAUSE THEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO KEEP THE TAX DECREASE THAT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE REALLY WANT.
SO I WANT TO COMMEND YOU, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'RE WORKING REALLY HARD AND YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE TRYING YOUR BEST TO, UH, STAY WITHIN THE GOALS, WHICH IS TO HAVE A TAX INCREASE THIS YEAR.
I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT THE UH, TOP LINE THERE FOR SPECIAL PROGRAMS, MOSTLY THAT WILL BE MONEY.
THAT 15,000, UH, WILL BE FOR PAYING FOR SPOOKTOBER FEST.
THAT'S THE LION SHARE PROBABLY COSTS US ABOUT 12,000 TO 13,000 IN DIRECT COSTS.
UH, WE BROUGHT IN 17,000 AT THAT EVENT THIS YEAR.
SO IT DOESN'T INCLUDE LABOR, WE KNOW THAT.
BUT THAT'S A, THAT'S A DIFFERENT ISSUE, BUT THE DIRECT COSTS ARE DEFINITELY COVERED.
BUT WE DEFINITELY NEEDED TO BOLSTER THAT LINE AGAIN IN ORDER TO KEEP THAT PROGRAM RUNNING.
YOU'RE ASSUMING WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PERFECT DAY AGAIN,
IS THAT THE RIDE THROUGH THE WOODS? YES, THAT'S IT'S PART OF IT.
THAT IS SO THRILLING AND EXCITING.
AND I, AND I GIVE ALL THE CREDIT TO, UH, JOE BOBBY AND ANDREA JACOBY.
THEY BASICALLY RUN THAT WHOLE SPECIAL EVENT.
THEY SAY, JERRY, STAY OUTTA THE WAY.
I'M LEADERSHIP DOES A GOOD JOB OUTTA WAY.
SO WHAT DID YOU ASK FOR THAT WAS CUT? THAT'S WHAT, OKAY.
WELL WHAT WAS CUT WAS, UM, WE HAD ABOUT, WE REALLY HAD $13,600 IN THE, UH, SPECIAL PROGRAMS LINE.
BUT, UM, LOOKING AT IT CLOSER, I WENT TO JOE, IT REALLY, I SHOULD HAVE SUBMITTED 15,600.
SO THAT LINE, AS YOU SEE ON THAT LITTLE SUMMARY SHEET, I'M SAYING GO FROM 8,000 TO 15,600.
THAT'S SPECIAL PROGRAMS WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE HAVE, UH, EVENT, EVENT AT MARO PARK, UM, THE PARENT CHILD SPECIAL EVENT, THEN WE HAVE OCTOBER FEST.
WHAT, WHAT IS IT? I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE OF OTHER ONES.
[00:45:01]
SOME OF THE SPECIAL, SPECIAL EVENTS THAT YOU'VE GONE TO.YOU SAID THE PARENT CHILD DANCE.
SNAP SNAPSHOTS WITH SANTA, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, A LOT OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS, A LOT OF COMMUNITY.
UM, THAT'S SPECIAL PROGRAMS, GREEN BIRTHDAY, SOME OF GREEN.
RIGHT NOW I COULDN'T PULL IT UP.
WHAT COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, WHAT IS 261,792, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS BUDGET AND LAST YEAR'S BUDGET IN, IN THE PARKS COST IN YOUR TABLE? THE BOTTOM LINE.
SINCE, WELL, IT, WELL BASICALLY, UM, I HAD, I THINK, DID WE HAVE SIX IN HERE? HE'S TALKING ABOUT THIS NUMBER RIGHT HERE, RIGHT? YEAH.
CAN YOU JUST ADD ALL THESE UP? WELL, THE ARBOR NUMBER WAS THE SAME.
THE MOTOR EQUIPMENT NUMBER WAS THE SAME.
AND I THINK THE PART-TIME LINE WAS ALSO THE SAME.
'CAUSE WE DID EVERYTHING FLAT LINE, TRYING TO JUST KEEP IT, YOU KNOW, LIKE A ZERO BASE INCREASE.
SO BASICALLY, I THINK UNLESS IT WAS SLIGHTLY INCREASED, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY INCREASED.
IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN FOR THE PART-TIME MIGHT'VE BEEN SLIGHTLY, BUT ALL THOSE FULL TIMELINES WERE THE SAME AS LAST YEAR.
AND I CAN GIVE YOU ONE SECOND.
WELL, THAT UNION, UH, NEGOTIATION HASN'T BEEN FINISHED YET.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS FOR LAST YEAR WAS 6,180.
SO THAT IS AN ADDITIONAL, UH, 1000, UH, $820 THAT HE GAVE ME.
AND I'M REQUESTING NOW THEY'RE INCREASE IT UP TO 15,600.
AND THERE, THERE'S A REASON BEHIND THAT.
I MEAN, WE WERE RUNNING THAT PROGRAM THROUGH THE, WE WERE RUNNING THAT PROGRAM THROUGH THE TRUST AGENCY AND WE WANNA MOVE THAT INTO THE OPERATING BUDGET.
SO AS WE DEPLETED THE MONEY OUT OF THE TRUST AND AGENCY ACCOUNT, WE NOW HAVE TO TRANSFER THAT INTO HERE.
WHERE NOW THE REVENUE'S GOING DIRECTLY INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
SO THE 6,000 AND CHANGE IN THE 8,000, THE UPDATED 8,000 WAS BASED ON HAVING THE TRUST ACCOUNT, BUT NOW WE DON'T HAVE IT.
SO THEREFORE WE HAVE TO PUT IT, WE WANNA PUT IT IN THE OPERATING, IN THE OPERATING BUDGET AND THE REVENUE GOES INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
SO THIS YEAR WHEN WE TOOK IN 17,000, IT WENT INTO THE GENERAL FUND FUND.
SO DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE DIFFERENCE, DID YOUR BUDGET INCREASE FOR LAST YEAR? WOULD THERE A DIFFERENCE OF THE PERCENTAGE? DID YOU GO UP, DID YOU STAY FLATLINE? DID YOU, BASICALLY, IS THIS YOUR BOTTOM LINE NUMBER LAST YEAR, BASICALLY, GIVE OR TAKE? UM, I CAN GIVE YOU THE, WHICH WAS BASICALLY, IF I WENT ON MY DETAILS HERE FOR B 70 20, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S SOME TRANSFERS, BUT BASED ONE I THINK WAS ORIGINALLY IT, THE B 70 20 WAS $1,882,000 MM-HMM.
AND THEN, UH, THIS YEAR IT'S, IT, IT WAS SUBMITTED TO BE $1,980,000 IN B 70 50.
THOSE PIECES, I CAN GO OVER EACH ONE.
NOW IT'S UH, $1,000,786 MILLION.
AND THEN IN ANTHONY F VETERAN PARK, YOU'RE EXCLUDING BUILDING MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT, PARENT AND RADIO COMMUNICATION.
THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT TALLYING UP.
'CAUSE I'M LOOKING AT IT SAYING WHAT
SO HERE'S LAST YEAR'S, HERE'S THIS YEAR'S.
SO IT WENT UP BY I ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
SO MAYBE I SHOULD GO ON THAT SUMMARY SHEET.
SO YOU WENT UP BY A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS MM-HMM.
WE GOT A LOT OF THE INCREASED COSTS LIKE FROM EQUIPMENT REPAIR BUREAU.
SO NOW THAT WE HAVE THE BUDGET IN PLACE THERE, THERE'S JUST A, JUST SOME SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS WE WANT TO MAKE.
AND RATHER THAN COME BACK AND OPEN MY MOUTH AND COST THE POUNDS MORE MONEY I TRY TO STICK ON.
BUT YOU COMING UP WITH A PLAN TO SAVE THE TOWN MORE MONEY, NOT COST MORE MONEY WOULD SAVE.
AND, AND, AND THERE'S ONE OTHER SPECIAL EVENT I'M LOOKING AT.
I MAY COME BACK THAT I NEED TO DO A LITTLE FURTHER RESEARCH AND I DO THINK THE SAVING FROM THAT $35,000 ON BENEFITS COULD HELP COVER THAT COST.
IS THIS YOUR PLAN FOR AN ARBORIST LONG TERM? WELL, I, I BA AT THIS POINT NOW, UM, I, IF I WOULD SAY HE'S A YOUNG MAN WHO'S RETIRING AND WE HAD A, YOU KNOW, A, A VERY GOOD CONVERSATION.
UM, HE, HE, HE DOESN'T LIVE TOO FAR FROM HERE.
[00:50:01]
PROBABLY GOOD FOR THE NEXT, UH, TWO TO FIVE YEARS IF IT ALL WORKS OUT.WHAT, WHAT I THINK, TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE IDEA, OUR CONSULTANT WHO, WAYNE KAHILL KA TREE SERVICE THAT COMES OUT, HE STILL COMES OUT FOR LIKE FIVE TO 10 DAYS.
AND I, WE TAKE OUR ARBORIST AND THEY WALK AROUND AND THEY DO A SURVEY AND IT HAS AN EXTENSIVE REPORT.
AND BASICALLY HE, HIS FIELD IS GETTING $125 AN HOUR TO BE OUT THERE.
HE'S CHARGING US, I THINK RIGHT NOW LIKE 108.
HE WENT UP, HE WENT UP BECAUSE HE'S FINALLY WENT UP.
WE WENT UP FOR THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
SO HE'S NOW GETTING LIKE 110 BUCKS AN HOUR.
SO HE'S AT THAT, WE, WE GET HIS BEST PRICE, WE GET HIS BEST PRICE 'CAUSE WE WERE ONE OF HIS FIRST CLIENTS, RIGHT? SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT IT AND TRYING TO, THAT'S WHEN I WENT TO, UH, VERIO AND SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD DO IT AT $50 AN HOUR AND THE GOING RATE IS LIKE 110 FROM WHAT WE'RE GETTING FROM OR 111.
I, I THINK IT'S GOOD VALUE FOR THE MONEY, NOT FOR THIS YEAR'S BUDGET.
BUT WE'VE BEEN, YOU KNOW, ELLEN AND I WOULD SIT DOWN AND BRAINSTORM SOME IDEAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE SERVICE AND I'M JUST GONNA THROW IT OUT THERE.
AND I THINK IT'S, I WOULD LOVE NEXT YEAR TO HELP WITH ANY ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS AND ELLEN IS BEGIN A CONVERSATION WITH VILLAGE OFFICIALS AND TALK ABOUT FROM THE A BUDGET, LOOKING AT MAYBE DEVELOPING A TOWN TREE DEPARTMENT AND, AND FIND OUT WHAT WOULD BE INVOLVED AND MAYBE DO SOME TYPE OF STUDY THAT MAYBE THERE'S A WAY, IF WE PROVIDE SERVICES FOR ANY OF THE VILLAGES IN TOWN, WHETHER IT'S PARKS OR OR OR VILLAGE STREETS OR TOWN STREETS, THAT THERE MIGHT BE A WAY OF GON CONSOLIDATE CONSOLIDATING SERVICES.
BUT IF YOU DID IT AND YOU HIRED AN ARBOR, YOU PROBABLY, ARBOR IS GONNA BE CLOSE TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
'CAUSE THE 74, IT'S NOT GONNA CUT IT, IT'S NOT GONNA MAKE IT.
YOU MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW, PART-TIME, YOU KNOW, LABORERS TO ASSIST THEM AND DO WORK.
IT'S JUST A LET'S BRAINSTORM, LET'S STUDY.
WE PRESENTLY, NUTRITION PROGRAM WE WANT.
BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING MIGHT BE WORTH, YOU KNOW, AN EVALUATION.
I'D BE MORE THAN GLAD THE NEXT YEAR TO BEGIN THAT PROCESS.
'CAUSE THE VILLAGES AREN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD AN ARBORIST AT THAT KIND OF AMOUNT OF MONEY.
SO IT WAS ALMOST LIKE THE CONCEPT WITH THE E M T SERVICE, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO IT'S SOMETHING TO EXPLORE AND, AND YOU KNOW, WE'RE LIKE A TREE CITY U S A AND IN THE VILLAGES AND NOT INCORPORATED GREENBURG.
SO, AND ONE THING WE WANNA DO IS IT'S, IT'S BEAUTIFUL TO HAVE, BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO MANAGE IT AND, AND CONTROL IT SO THAT YOU KNOW IT'S SAFE.
WANT ME TO LEAVE IT? YEAH, I'LL SIT THERE.
SO I'M REALLY GLAD THAT JERRY WENT FIRST AND CUT HIS BUDGET.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS HAVE COPIES, SO I JUST THANK YOU YOUR HONOR.
DO YOU HAVE MINE? DO YOU WANT ONE? YEAH, LEMME TAKE BECAUSE I ONLY, I COULDN'T PRINT IT OUT.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME TONIGHT.
I JUST WANTED TO GO OVER MY BUDGET AND I ACTUALLY HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND A COUPLE CONCERNS.
THE BOTTOM LINE, I'LL START AT THE BOTTOM AND THEN I'LL GO BACK UP TO THE TOP.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE BUDGET THAT I SUBMITTED.
UM, THE SUPERVISOR'S BUDGET IS TWO AND A HALF PERCENT LESS THAN WHAT I HAD SUBMITTED.
THERE ARE REASONS FOR THE INCREASES AND THAT'S THE HANDWRITING IN THE COLUMNS.
AND I DID THE HANDWRITING ON PURPOSE.
SO YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE.
THE ACTUAL TYPE NUMBERS ARE THE NUMBERS THAT I SUBMITTED AND THE HANDWRITTEN NUMBERS ARE WHAT IS, WAS PROPOSED BY THE SUPERVISOR.
SO AS FAR AS MY BUDGET, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 21 AND WHAT I PROPOSED FOR 22, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THE FIRST LINE IS SALARIES.
I DROPPED THAT DOWN BY $90,000.
UH, WE HAD TWO RETIREES RETIREMENTS LAST YEAR.
AND THE WAY THAT I WORKED IT OUT, I BROUGHT BACK A PART-TIMER AND I HAD A NEW EMPLOYEE.
SO EVEN THOUGH I PAID THE NEW EMPLOYEE MORE, UM, AND EVEN WITH THE PART-TIMER, I'M SAVING THE TOWN $90,000 JUST IN SALARIES.
[00:55:01]
SO, AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS BEFORE ANY 2022 INCREASES.SO I JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE.
THAT'S THE BIG, THAT'S THE BIG SAVINGS.
AND THEN 23 WILL BE WHATEVER THE REGULAR C SS A A CONTRACTS ARE.
AS FAR AS THE PART-TIME I PUT IN, UH, PROPOSED, MY SUGGESTION IS $55,000, EXCUSE ME, THAT WAS CUT BACK DOWN TO 39,000.
NOT QUITE SURE WHY, BUT LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU WHY I PUT IN THE 55,000 RIGHT NOW.
WE HAD A PART-TIME G I S MANAGER, UM, IN MY DEPARTMENT THAT COVERS THE ENTIRE TOWN.
HE, HE HELPS THE VILLAGES WITH THEIR MAPPING.
HE HELPS P W THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS, AND OF COURSE THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE.
UM, AND, AND YOU GUYS PERIODICALLY.
SO THAT SALARY ALONE, THE WAY THAT WE'VE WORKED IT OUT IS ABOUT $35,000 A YEAR.
THE EXTRA MONIES THAT I HAVE ASKED FOR IN THE PART-TIME LINE IS BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO BE POLITICALLY CORRECT WHEN I SAY THIS.
MY OFFICE IS, UM, INUNDATED WITH BUILDING INSPECTIONS BECAUSE WE COVER THE ENTIRE TOWN.
WE DO ABOUT 2,500 INSPECTIONS A YEAR.
RIGHT NOW I HAVE ONE INSPECTOR.
UM, AND THE REASON WHY I HAVE ONE INSPECTOR IS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN WORKING ON THE COURT CASES IN MY OFFICE, THE LAW DEPARTMENT, THANK GOD FOR JOE, UM, HAS BEEN HANDLING FOR THE MOST PART THE, THE ARIES.
I HELP WHENEVER, OR I JUMP IN WITH MY COMMENTS WHENEVER IT'S NECESSARY.
BUT MY DEPARTMENT IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SMALL CLAIMS UNLESS IT'S LIKE A MAJOR ISSUE AND I DRAG IN IT.
UM, BUT HERE WHAT'S HAPPENING IS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE SMALL CLAIMS AND BECAUSE THE VOLUME OF PETITIONS IS GROWING, THE REDUCTIONS ARE MINIMAL BECAUSE OF THE REASSESSMENT.
SO IF WE HAVE A THOUSAND SMALL CLAIMS THAT COME IN, WE CAN BEEN WORKING ON GETTING SIX, 700 OF THEM.
UH, I'M SORRY, TWO OR 300 OF THEM.
400, 500 DISCONTINUED BECAUSE THERE'S NO VALUE THERE.
PROBLEM WITH THAT IS, AND WHILE I'M SO PROUD OF OUR VALUES, IT'S MORE WORK ON MY DEPARTMENT TO HAVE TO DEFEND THEM.
WE'RE WILLING TO DO IT AND WE'RE HAPPY TO DO IT.
AND THERE'S NO REDUCTIONS 'CAUSE WE'RE REPRESENTING MARKET VALUE, BUT WE'RE IN-HOUSE.
SO BECAUSE I HAVE TWO STAFF WORKING ON A THOUSAND SMALL CLAIMS CASES, THEY HAVE TO BE DONE WITHIN THE CALENDAR YEAR.
CAN'T BE FOCUSED ON GOING OUT AND DOING INSPECTIONS BECAUSE THEY'RE FOCUSED ON IN-HOUSE COURT.
I LOOKED OUTSIDE TO HIRE PART-TIME PEOPLE TO HELP WITH THE COURT PROCEEDINGS AND IT WOULD COST THE TOWN A COUPLE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, TWO, $300,000 TO DO THAT.
IT'S BETTER TO PAY SOMEBODY PART-TIME TO HELP US DO THE FIELD INSPECTIONS AND PUT MY EXPERTS WORKING ON THE SMALL CLAIMS. THAT WAS THE INCREASE FOR THE, UH, PART-TIME HELP THERE.
MY SERVICE CONTRACTS, UNFORTUNATELY THAT IS NOT MY CHOICE.
UM, WE PUT IN, IN 22, UH, IT WAS $65,000.
NOT QUITE SURE WHY THAT WENT UP, BUT NOT COMPLAINING.
DID WE BID, WHAT DO WE BID FOR THE SERVICE CONTRACT? ABSOLUTELY EVERY YEAR IT'S BID.
UH, IT DEPENDS ON THE CONTRACT.
SO IF IT'S AN ANNUAL CONTRACT, THEN WE DO.
IF WE, IF IT'S A TRI-ANNUAL WHATEVER, I HAVE A COUPLE OF THOSE.
IT'S NOT, DO WE LOOK FOR DIFFERENT CONTRACTORS? YOU KNOW, UH, OR DO WE, ARE, ARE WE STUCK WITH THE SAME PERSON EACH YEAR? UH, WE'RE NEVER STUCK WITH ANYBODY.
UM, BUT HAVE WE CHANGED WHEN WE, HAVE WE CHANGED? NO, WE HAVEN'T CHANGED.
'CAUSE I'M WONDERING IF, UM, YOU KNOW, IF PEOPLE ARE USED TO BASICALLY GETTING A CONTRACT, THEIR RATES ARE GONNA GO UP.
IF WE BASICALLY WOULD BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN TERMS OF BIDDING IT, BIDDING OUT SOME OF THESE SERVICE CONTRACTS, COULD WE POSSIBLY SAVE MONEY? WELL, I'LL GIVE YOU, JUST ASKING YOU A QUESTION.
WE HAVE COPIERS IN OUR OFFICE AND WE HAVE TO PAY A SERVICE CONTRACT TO HAVE IT MAINTAINED.
WE CAN'T GO OUT FOR BID FOR THAT BECAUSE THE WHOLE TOWN USES THE SAME CONTRACTOR.
NEVER WE COULD, BUT I'M WONDERING IF MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT.
IF WE, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE THIS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST THROWING OUT IF WE HAVE THE SAME CONTRACT EVERY YEAR, THAT PERSON'S GONNA FEEL A LITTLE COMFORTABLE OR TOO COMFORTABLE.
AND IF THEY KNOW THAT THEY HAVE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME COMPETITION, MAYBE, UH, WE COULD GET BETTER PRICES.
UM, THAT WOULD NOT BE MY FAULT.
SO ONE OF THE, UM, SERVICE CONTRACTS THAT WE DO HAVE IS A REAL LISTING SERVICE COMPANY.
[01:00:01]
THERE'S ONLY ONE IN THE ENTIRE TRI-COUNTY AREA.LONG ISLAND, WESTCHESTER, ALL THE WAY UP TO ALBANY.
UM, AND THAT'S THE WAY THAT IT GOES.
BUT WE WATCH THEM AND WE'RE NOT PAYING ANY MORE, ANY LESS THAN ANY OTHER MUNICIPALITY.
AND ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES HAVE THE SAME SERVICE BECAUSE THERE'S ONLY ONE.
SO IF I UNDERSTAND THIS, THE HANDWRITING IS YOURS.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT FOR SURFACE CONTRACTS IT WAS 102, UM, AND 200 AND YOU WANT IT TO BE 107? NO, NO.
WHAT SHE, WHAT WAS SUBMITTED BY NUMBERS ARE WHAT SHE GOT.
THE, THE TYPEWRITTEN ARE THE ONE ONES THAT SHE ASKED THAT'S WAS IN.
SO SHE'S GETTING MORE SERVICE.
BUT WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE 107 MORE ON THE, THAT CAME FROM THE DEPARTMENTAL SUBMISSION AND SHE'S GETTING MORE ON WHAT ARE ALL THESE TYPED IN NOW? I COULD BE WRONG.
NO, NO, I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT THE 107.
THAT, THAT, SO THAT WAS A TYPO ON NO, YOU, WHEN YOU GUYS SUBMITTED IT, THAT'S WHAT YOU REQUESTED.
SO HOW DID THAT GET IN THERE? 102? I DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S WHAT I'M GET, THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING CONFUSED.
WHICH NUMBER? 'CAUSE WE DON'T, UNFORTUNATELY, AND WE SHOULD HAVE, THIS IS, WHAT DID THE DEPARTMENTS ACTUALLY INITIALLY REQUEST? I THOUGHT I PUT IN 102 AND ENDED UP WITH 107.
BUT ROBERTA'S SAYING I PUT IN 107.
LET ME ASK, LEMME ANOTHER QUESTION BECAUSE PEOPLE MAY, YOU KNOW, BE CONFUSED.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE SAYING IT'S A TWO AND A HALF PERCENT CUT, IS YOUR OVERALL DEPARTMENT BUDGET, YOU KNOW, WHY WAS IT IN 2022 AND WHAT IS IT? IN 2023? IT WAS $992,000 IN 22.
AND IT WAS, I I AM REQUESTING A MILLION.
NO, NO, WHAT YOU'RE REQUESTING WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT WHAT, WHAT WE GAVE YOU.
SO, SO YOUR DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY GETTING MORE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT PEOPLE, I'M GETTING WOMEN THAN PAUL.
I'M GETTING MORE THAN 22, BUT I'M GETTING LESS THAN WHAT I ASKED IT.
NO, BUT I KNOW ASKED FOR, BUT EVERYBODY SECOND.
I UNDERSTAND, BUT IT WASN'T, IT'S NOT MY CHOICE THAT ONE OF MY MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS WENT UP $35,000.
THAT'S FOR THE ASSESSMENT SOFTWARE.
YOU KNOW, LET ME ASK, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER QUESTION BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE, JERRY, I DON'T REALLY MIND, YOU KNOW, MAKING ADJUSTMENTS ON LINE BY LINE AS LONG AS THE DEPARTMENT HEADS, UH, STAY WITHIN THEIR, THE OVERALL BUDGET.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE PART TIMELINE, IF YOU COULD FIND OTHER CUTS, LIKE SAY FURNITURE.
I DON'T FEEL THAT WE NEED ANY MORE FURNITURE BECAUSE I'VE GONE TO DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, I'VE GONE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME, A LOT OF BUSINESSES AND SOMETIMES DONATE THEIR FURNITURE.
WE TRIED, WE, WHEN I PURCHASED THE PREP, WHEN I PURCHASED NEW FURNITURE IN 22, UM, MIKE BRODER WENT EVERYWHERE AND ASKED FOR PEOPLE FOR FURNITURE.
I MEAN, THAT'S, I'D RATHER DO THAT THAN SPEND THE TOWN'S MONEY.
THE CHAIRS WERE FALLING APART.
UM, WE ASKED, WE LOOKED SO RIGHT.
AND I UNDERSTAND, BUT, BUT I'M NOT ASKING, BUT ARE THERE ANY OTHER CUTS THAT YOU COULD MAKE WITHIN THE BUDGET? SO, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, I CUT THE CONFERENCES BECAUSE I FEEL I'D RATHER HAVE EMPLOYEES BASICALLY IN THE BUILDING, ANSWERING PHONE CALLS AND RESPONDING TO CONSTITUENTS, THEN GOING ON, YOU KNOW, WELL, I CONSIDER JUNKET, YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY'RE A WASTE OF MONEY TO BE, I'VE ALWAYS FELT THEY'RE A WASTE OF MONEY.
I'M, I'M GONNA RESPECTFULLY ARGUE WITH YOU.
AND I, I LIKE TO JUST, YOU KNOW, HOW WERE THESE CUTS MADE, OR WHY WERE THEY MADE? YOU KNOW, ARE THEY, THEY APPEAR ARBITRARY.
SOMETIMES THEY'RE NOT ARBITRARY.
YOU KNOW, I BASICALLY, WE, YOU KNOW, UH, ROBERTA AND MADE, UH, YOU KNOW, SPENT A LOT OF TIME, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS GIVEN, YOU KNOW, LAST YEAR, YOU KNOW, WE, WE RIGHT.
AND, AND BASICALLY, UM, I DIDN'T SAY IT WAS ARBITRARY.
NO, BUT WE'RE, WE'RE ALSO, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THE ASSESSOR'S OFFICE IS GETTING MORE IN 2020, UM, THREE THAN THEY GOT IN 2000, 20, 22.
YOU KNOW, EVERY, THE COSTS HAVE GONE UP AND
THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK YOU.
BUT EVERY DEPARTMENT IS ASKING FOR MORE THAN THEY GOT.
THEY GOT NOBODY GOT EVERYTHING.
I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, I, I'M JUST CURIOUS, YOU KNOW HOW, RIGHT.
AND YOU KNOW, WHY, WHY EVIE, WOULD YOU HAVE ASKED FOR $20,000 IN THE, UM, BOARD OF REVIEW, OUTSIDE SERVICES? I WAS GETTING THERE.
[01:05:01]
OKAY.SO WITH THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW, THERE IS TWO FUNCTIONS.
ONE IS A STENOGRAPHER, IT'S A HARD WORD FOR ME.
UM, AND THAT'S MANDATED BY LAW.
SO WITH THAT, WE CAN HAVE IT TAPE RECORDED AND THEN WE CAN SEND IT TO THIS STENOGRAPHER, BUT IT STILL HAS TO BE ST.
AND THEN THE OTHER FUNCTION, OF COURSE, IS THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW.
THEY MEET IN A VERY TIGHT TIMEFRAME, AND THEY MEET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SUMMER, ALL SUMMER, THREE, FOUR, SOMETIMES TIMES A WEEK, AND ON WEEKENDS AND AT NIGHTS.
SO, WHEREAS THE OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ARE SPREAD ONCE A MONTH, TWICE A MONTH, THINGS, THIS BOARD IS TIGHT.
I'VE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM FILLING THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW WITH FIVE MEMBERS.
UM, AND WHEN I SPOKE WITH MY COLLEAGUES AROUND THE COUNTY, MOST OF WHOM PAY THEIR BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW MEMBERS, AND IT, IT'S A STIPEND.
SO IT COULD RANGE ANYWHERE FROM, UM, A THOUSAND DOLLARS PER PERSON TO, I THINK YONKERS PAYS $5,000 PER PERSON.
UM, SO I PUT IN THE 20, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE USED TO PAY BEFORE, THAT WAS CUT YEARS AGO WHEN WE HAD MAJOR BUDGET CUTS.
SO TO TRY AND GET THEM TO COMMIT TO THAT PERIOD OF TIME, AND, UM, AND TO GET THEM TO STAY.
SO THIS WOULD BE, YOU'RE ADVOCATING TO PAY THEM AGAIN? I'M ADVOCATING TO PAY THEM AGAIN.
SO WHY DO YOU HAVE 50? SO WHY DID YOU CHANGE IT? SO IF YOU PUT IN 20, WHY'D YOU CHANGE IT TO 56? I DID NOT.
THE HANDWRITING IS SUPERVISOR FINERS.
OH, I THOUGHT YOU SAID THE HANDWRITING WAS YOURS.
NO, THIS IS NOT MY HANDWRITING AT ALL.
NO, IT'S MY HANDWRITING FROM HIS CUTS.
THESE ARE, THE HANDWRITTEN NUMBERS ARE REPRESENT WHAT IS IN THE BUDGET, THE FINAL BUDGET.
SUPERVISOR FINDER'S NOT THE FINAL BUDGET.
THE PROPOSED BUDGET SUPERVISOR.
JUST SAY IN RESPONSE, WE HAVE A LOT OF VOLUNTEER BOARDS.
YOU KNOW, THE PLANNING BOARD WORKS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE WORKING, THEY WORK OVERTIME.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE ALWAYS WORKING.
THE ZONING BOARD, THEY'RE WORKING NONSTOP.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE AT MEETINGS, THEY DON'T GET PAID.
SO, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ADVERTISED FOR POSITIONS.
I MEAN, THERE'S, THERE'S ONE MAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, JOAN, UH, IS SCHEDULING AN INTERVIEW WITH, WITH, YOU KNOW, HE'S BEEN ASKING TO BE ON THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR MONTHS.
SO THE THING IS, I FEEL THAT YOU DON'T REALLY, WHILE WE PAY THEM, THEY'RE BASICALLY, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A TOKEN OF WHAT BASICALLY, UM, THEY'RE WORTH BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE SPENDING AN AWFUL LOT OF TIME.
BUT I, I, I JUST THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME WE'RE ADDING, WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT HARDER AND HARDER IN THE FUTURE TO, UM, TO KEEP TAXES DOWN.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE HIGHEST TAX COUNTY IN, IN AMERICA, AND I JUST REALLY WOULD PREFER COMING, YOU KNOW, I LIKE THE IDEA THAT I PROPOSED THAT A 6% PERCENT RATE TAX DECREASE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE BOARD WILL, UM, YOU KNOW, WON'T INCREASE.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL DO WHATEVER WE CAN TO KEEP COSTS AS I JUST WANNA MAKE, I THINK WE, I THINK ABOUT THAT, RIGHT? SOME PEOPLE WE'RE ALL GONNA SAY THE SAME THING.
THAT THE 66% OF THE TAXES ARE SCHOOL TAXES.
AND OURS REPRESENT WHAT? 15, 15, 13.
IT'S NOT A LOT THING, IS IT? ALL RIGHT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, TWO, SOMETIMES WE CAN BE PENNYWISE AND POUND, BUT I JUST, SO, SO IF, YOU KNOW, WHY DO, UH, SO MANY OTHER MUNICIPALITIES PAY MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW? BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO GET MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF REVIEW IN THAT WINDOW.
AND WHY DON'T YOU EXPLAIN THE WINDOW, MAYBE? OKAY.
THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW STEPS INTO POSITION, UH, THE THIRD TUESDAY IN JUNE.
AND THEY GO OVER ANYWHERE FROM 3000 TO 4,000 CASES WITHIN THAT WINDOW.
SOMETIMES THEY HAVE TO GO OUT AND LOOK AT PROPERTIES.
SOMETIMES THEY JUST SIT AT THE DESK AND IN HERE, AND THEY JUST GO THROUGH FILES.
AND WHEN I SAY THAT BOARD OF ACCESS REVIEW GOES THROUGH FILES, THEY READ EVERY SINGLE WORD.
SO THEY WORKED VERY HARD IN A VERY, VERY CONDENSED PERIOD OF TIME.
AND THAT'S WHY THE MAJORITY OF, I'M, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
BUT I WOULD HAVE TO ASSUME, BECAUSE WE USED TO PAY HOURS, UM, WHERE I CAME FROM, WE USED TO PAY THEM.
AND BECAUSE IT'S JUST SO DIFFICULT MM-HMM.
THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S THE DRIVER.
WELL, JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU'VE MENTIONED THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES PAY FOR THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW, UM, PERSONNEL
[01:10:01]
OR, OR VOLUNTEERS, QUOTE UNQUOTE.BUT OTHER, AS PAUL MENTIONED, OTHER BOARDS THAT WORK VERY HARD, DO THEY GET PAID BY OTHER MUNICIPALITIES? NOT THAT I KNOW OF.
I DON'T THINK ANY OF OUR OTHER BOARDS DO UHHUH.
SO, AND I DON'T KNOW OF ANY, I CAME FROM WHITE PLAINS 20 YEARS AGO, BUT, UM, THEY, NONE OF THE OTHER BOARDS OF COMMISSIONS GOT PAID EITHER.
BUT THERE'S SPECIFICALLY THE BOARD OF REVIEW BECAUSE OF THAT CONSOLIDATED PERIOD.
AND I WOULD IMAGINE IF THEY'RE TAKING THAT TIME AND THEY'RE WORKING FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, THAT IF THEY HAVE OTHER JOBS, THAT BECOMES YEAH.
THAT'S WHY THEY MEET AT NIGHT ON THE WEEKENDS.
WE GIVE THEM ACCESS TO THE DOOR TO GET BACK INTO THE OFFICE.
I GET THEM ALL PREPARED BEFORE I LEAVE, AND THEN THEY'RE THERE.
SO, BUT, UH, BUT PAUL AND I RESPECT WHAT YOU DO.
UM, AS FAR AS THE OVERALL BUDGET HERE, THERE'S NOT AN OPTION WHEN IT COMES TO SERVICE CONTRACTS.
I RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE WITH YOU WHEN IT COMES TO TRAINING, BECAUSE I THINK THAT THAT'S WHY WE'RE AS GOOD AS WE ARE.
I DON'T MEAN ME, I JUST MEAN IN GENERAL, UM, YOU HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH CHANGES.
AND AS FAR AS THE PART-TIMER, UM, THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE AT THIS POINT.
SO, ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED TONIGHT? MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE IS THE PART-TIME.
BUT HE INCREASED THE ACTUAL SALARIES.
SO ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT PUT THE 7 85 DOWN TO 7 7 7? NO, SIR.
AND THEN PUT THAT INTO THE PART-TIME.
NO, I CAN'T SEE HER SMILING, BUT YEAH.
SO THE 7 85, I'M GUESSING THAT WAS THE INCREASE FROM THE SALARIES.
IT WAS, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS MY INCREASE OR STAFFS OR EVERYBODY'S, I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT CAME FROM.
SO WAS THAT BASED ON, SO PAUL, WHERE DID THAT THE INCREASE COME FROM? I THINK ROBERTA'S LOOKING.
OH, IT WAS, WAIT, I'M COMPARING TO LAST YEAR.
WAS IT A PERCENTAGE FOR A MANAGERIAL INCREASE OF, I BELIEVE THAT'S, THAT'S OF IT.
WHAT HAPPENED? THAT'S PART OF IT.
OH, THERE ARE STEP INCREASES THAT ARE IN THERE.
SO THE MANAGEMENT INCREASES AND THE STEP INCREASES.
I AM ALSO, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS.
I'M NOT PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT DETAILS RIGHT NOW.
UM, I NEED ANOTHER COUPLE WEEKS FOR THAT.
BUT THERE'S ANOTHER REASON FOR THE PART-TIMER WILL BE VERY BUSY GOING OUT, DOING FIELD INSPECTIONS.
SO, I MEAN, THAT'S A, THAT'S A HUGE POSITION FOR US.
WE'RE GONNA BE, AND THAT WILL, AND I UNDERSTAND THE MONEY, UM, THE INCREASE THAT I'M ASKING FOR, BUT WITH THE INSPECTIONS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE DOING, WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING AND CONTINUE TO DO.
UM, SOME OF, I REMEMBER I DEAL WITH SEVEN BUILDING DEPARTMENTS, AND I FEEL LIKE THEY HAND OUT BUILDING PERMITS LIKE CHICLETS.
SO WE'RE SO BUSY WITH MORE BUILDING PERMITS, THEY HAND OUT.
THE MORE INSPECTIONS WE HAVE, IT'S A GOOD THING.
UM, BUT WITH THAT, I, THERE'S A LOT OF REVENUE THAT'S GONNA BE GENERATED FROM THAT.
IN TERMS OF THE REASSESSMENT, THERE'S NO REASSESSMENT NEXT YEAR.
AND LAST YEAR WAS 39, 540, AND YOU PUT IN 50,000.
WHY, WHY IS IT GOING UP? I MEAN, IS THAT, I MEAN, COULD WE GO FROM 39? COULD WE SAVE A COUPLE THOUSAND DOLLARS ON, YOU KNOW, ON THAT, THE REASSESSMENT? BECAUSE WE'RE NOT DOING A REASSESSMENT.
THAT'S ALL THAT WE SPENT AND RIGHT.
NO, BUT I'M SAYING THAT, SO WHY WE'RE PUTTING IN 50,000 FOR NEXT YEAR? I'M NOT SURE.
REMEMBER WE TALKED ABOUT THAT? LIKE IF ACCUMULATING THAT OR SOMETHING TO BUILD IT UP.
SO WHEN WE DO THE REASSESSMENT, WE DON'T GO FOR CAPITAL.
SO COULD I MAKE A SUGGESTION? MAYBE ONE OF THE WAYS WE COULD SAVE, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY THE PART-TIME LINE.
SO WHY, WHY DON'T WE JUST, UH, WHY DON'T WE BASICALLY TAKE OUT THE 50,000 FROM THE REASSESSMENT AND THEN GIVE YOU BACK THE PART-TIME, YOU KNOW, LINE.
BECAUSE WE WE'RE GONNA BE BORROWING ANYWAY FOR THE REASSESSMENT.
WHEN DO I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GONNA BE BORROWING.
RIGHT? SO LET, HOW ABOUT THIS, HOW ABOUT ROBERTA AND I TOMORROW WE'LL HAVE THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT LINE AND SEE IF WE CAN FIGURE SOMETHING OUT, AND THEN SHE CAN REPORT BACK TO YOU, OR I CAN, WHATEVER WE CAN TOGETHER.
WHATEVER THAT IS, LET US WORK THAT OUT, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE REASSESSING FOR ANOTHER FOUR YEARS.
THREE, HAS IT BEEN THREE WITHIN 21? SO IT'D BE 25.
SO THAT'S A WAY OF, YOU KNOW, SAVING SOME OF THE QUESTS.
IT'S KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD IS WHAT IT SAYS.
[01:15:01]
FOR A MINUTE.WHEN PAUL TAUGHT, WAS TALKING ABOUT THE REASSESSMENT, THAT IS A FULL-BLOWN TOWN WIDE REASSESSMENT.
RIGHT? WE ONLY DO THAT AT A MAXIMUM OF FIVE YEARS.
AND I'M USING THE TERM MAXIMUM TOWN.
CAN YOU SAY FIVE OR SIX YEARS LATER? FIVE.
AND THE REASON WHY IT'S A MAXIMUM OF FIVE YEARS IS BECAUSE WE'RE OBLIGATED TO MAINTAIN OUR VALUES AT A HUNDRED PERCENT OF MARKET VALUE.
AND YOU DO THAT IN BETWEEN BY DOING STATISTICAL ANALYSIS.
AND IF I FEEL THAT'S IN JEOPARDY, LIKE WE WERE REALLY CLOSE IN 2020, WE MADE IT THROUGH, AND THAT'S WHY WE DID IT IN 21, WHICH WAS THE FIFTH YEAR.
IF I FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN JEOPARDY, THEN I WILL COME BACK TO YOU AND TELL YOU WE HAVE TO DO IT IN YEAR FOUR OR YEAR THREE, WHATEVER.
UM, BUT, SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE SLOTTED AGAIN FOR 2025.
RIGHT? SO YOU'RE PUTTING MONEY HERE SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE IT SO THAT WHEN WE GET TO THE 2025, WE'RE ONLY PUTTING IN 50,000 SO THAT WE THEN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY.
MAYBE WE SHOULD BE PUTTING THIS INTO ESCROW.
UH, BUT IT'S STILL, NO MATTER WHERE YOU PUT IT, IT'S MONEY.
IF WE'RE TAKING IT OUT AND PUTTING IT INTO PART-TIME WHERE THAT MONEY IS GONE, WE GET TO 2025, THEN WE NEED THE BIG NUT.
AND THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING IS KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE WAY.
THE WAY YOU PUT IT WAS PERFECT.
SO IS THAT WHY YOU HAD IT IN THERE ORIGINALLY TO, BECAUSE THEN YOU, YOU WERE ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING THAT THAT'S WHY WE TALKED ABOUT, THAT'S WHY WE'RE BUILDING UP.
DO YOU? SO WE, WE HAD SPOKE ABOUT HOW IT NEEDS, WE CAN'T GO OUT TO BOND BECAUSE IT'S PRETTY MUCH AN OPERATING EXPENSE BUDGET.
RIGHT? SO, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT IN THAT WE COULD PROBABLY BE SETTING UP A RESERVE TO DO IT.
UH, IN TERMS OF, UM, I MEAN, BECAUSE THE STATE BASICALLY IS ENCOURAGING COMMUNITIES TO DO REASSESSMENT IN EVERY FIVE YEARS.
UM, WOULD IT, WOULD IT BE BENEFICIAL TO THE TOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, TO ASK THE STATE TO GIVE US AUTHORITY TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO BOND, YOU KNOW, REASSESSMENTS RATHER THAN USE IT IN OPERATING? I'M JUST, I'M JUST JUST ASKING YOU A QUESTION.
UH, YOU, I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA BE, I MEAN, I GUESS YOU COULD ASK, YOU KNOW, I JUST KNOW THE BONDING REASON.
YOU CAN'T, IS THERE VALUE TO THE TAXPAYERS IF THEY, IF THE STATE WOULD SAY, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD BASICALLY AUTHORIZE THAT BECAUSE MY FAILING IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE PUTTING IN $50,000 OR 40,000 EVERY YEAR AND YOU'RE NOT GONNA BE USING IT FOR FOUR OR FIVE YEARS, YOU KNOW, THE RESIDENTS ARE BEING TAXED THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT AMOUNT.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S FILED.
I KNOW THAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, WHAT THEY DO IS LIKE EVERY, THEY DO IT EVERY THREE YEARS.
SO LIKE, ONE THIRD OF THE PEOPLE GETS REASSESSED ONE YEAR, THEN THE SECOND THIRD GETS THE NEXT YEAR, AND THEN THE THIRD, THIRD GETS THAT FOLLOWING YEAR.
WELL, DO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE YOU DO A REASSESSMENT ONE THIRD EACH TIME, THEN IT'S NOT A, THEN THE VALUES ARE, YOU KNOW, THEN IT'S NOT, THAT'S WHY WE DO IT.
WE HAVE EVERYTHING ALL AT ALL AT ONCE.
ANY QUESTIONS? I, WE'RE NOT MAKING DECISIONS UNTIL WE HEAR FROM EVERYBODY.
IT'S NOT FAIR TO I UNDERSTAND.
YOU'LL JUST, ONE OF YOU WILL LET US KNOW.
I'LL GATHER IT ALL TOGETHER AND ROBERTA, UM, ARE ABLE TO WORK THINGS OUT.
PLEASE COME BACK TO US AND LET US KNOW WHAT IT IS YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK OUT.
SO WE HAVE THE ACCURATE MM-HMM.
SO WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THAT
WELL, MY, MY INTENTION IS TO ALL THE REQUESTS TO GET IT ALL TOGETHER ON A LIST AND WE'LL JUST GO DOWN IT.
SO I JUST WANTED TO KNOW, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT WE CAN SEE THE COUNSEL CAN SEE WHAT IS SUBMITTED TO YOU, PAUL, BEFORE YOU CUT IT SO WE CAN GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THE REQUESTS ARE? BECAUSE WE CAN DO THAT.
BECAUSE I THINK IT'LL BE HELPFUL FOR US SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND THE CUTS.
WELL, YOU'RE A LITTLE CONFUSING.
I DON'T KNOW IF I WANNA USE THEM, BUT, YOU KNOW.
THEY HANDWRITTEN ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
BUT HIS CUT FOR PAUL'S, BUT HIS NUMBERS QUITE DID NOT.
THAT'S WHY I SAID A LITTLE CONFUSING.
I KNEW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
MAYBE YOU'RE TALKING OUTTA BOTH SIDES OF YOUR MAP.
WE GAVE ALL THE DEPARTMENT HEADS EVERYTHING THAT THEY'VE ASKED FOR.
THERE WOULD'VE BEEN A BIT TEXT LIKE, RIGHT? I DON'T THINK, I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND.
I JUST WANTED TO, WE JUST WANNA SEE WHAT WE'RE WALKING YEAH.
[01:20:01]
CRITICIZING, I'M JUST SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR STANDPOINT, EVERYTHING, WHEN WE SAW THE PROPOSED BUDGETS, EVERYTHING MADE SENSE.YOU KNOW, THE THING IS, IF, IF, YOU KNOW, I DON'T FEEL THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T FEEL THAT THE REQUESTS WERE, YOU KNOW, UN WERE THAT THEY WERE TAKING ADVANTAGE, THAT THEY WERE THAT THERE, THAT BAD REQUESTS.
IT WAS JUST THAT, YOU KNOW, WE BASICALLY LOOKED AT IT, WE SAID, YOU KNOW, HOW CAN WE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING.
IT'S A DI VERY DIFFICULT ECONOMY.
PEOPLE ARE ALL, YOU KNOW, APPREHENSIVE.
WHAT COULD WE DO TO KEEP COSTS DOWN? SO, YOU KNOW, WE MADE DECISIONS, WHICH, YOU KNOW, THE BOARD BASICALLY COULD MODIFY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY, IT IS JUST THE SAME THING WITH THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE.
HE DID A GREAT JOB, YOU KNOW, UH, CUTTING TAXES ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE SCHOOLS HAVEN'T BEEN CUTTING THE TAXES.
I DON'T THINK THE FIRE DISTRICTS HAVE BEEN CUTTING, YOU KNOW, THEIR TAXES.
SO IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, IF EVERYBODY DID WHAT GREENBERG AND THE COUNTY DID, UH, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE, WE WOULDN'T BE THE HIGHEST TAX COUNTY IN THE NATION.
AND I RESPECT YOU FOR SAYING WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE CHUNK OF THE INCREASES IN MY BUDGET ALONE, SO I CAN'T SPEAK FOR ANYBODY ELSE, WERE NOT MY CHOICE.
SERVICE CONTRACTS WENT UP, TRAINING WENT UP, THIS WENT UP, GAS WENT UP.
I MEAN, IT JUST, NOT, NOT OUR CALL.
SO THAT'S WHY IF YOU PUT EVERYTHING BACK TO LAST YEAR'S ECONOMY, THEN I'LL GIVE YOU BACK YOUR MONEY.
WAS THAT REALLY ALRIGHT? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, PRESIDENT.
WELL, YEAH, I KNOW, RIGHT? THANK YOU.
PAUL, BEFORE YOU GO ANY FURTHER UNDER PRESENTATION.
HERE ON, UH, ON THE DECISIONS, WE HAVE DECISIONS ON 4 52 AND 4 53, BUT WE DON'T HAVE READ THOSE BEFORE.
BEFORE DECISIONS, I WAS JUST BRINGING SOMETHING UP TO FRAN, UP TO PAUL UNDER PRESENTATIONS, UH, I HAD A, A COUPLE OF REQUESTS, UM, FROM INDIVIDUALS IN, IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, THAT THE TOWN RECOGNIZE AND HONOR, UM, LLOYD COURT FOR HIS, UM, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AT THE STATE LEVEL, JUST TO INCLUDE A LOCAL, UM, ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF HIM.
AND SARAH, UH, WAS NAMED THE TOP SENIOR CITIZEN IN THE COUNTY BY THE, THE SENIORS.
UH, WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE HER, OR WE COULD DO IT AT THE, UH, THE DECEMBER MEETING.
UNDER MOMENT OF SILENCE, I'M SURE THAT YOU ALL HEARD THAT WE'VE LOST A STAFF MEMBER LAST NIGHT OR EARLY THIS MORNING IN GARRETT'S DEPARTMENT, CAROL
AND SO WE SHOULD DEFINITELY INCLUDE HER UNDER A MOMENT OF SILENCE.
GARRETT, COULD YOU ANSWER MY QUESTIONS? YES.
UM, YES, COUNCIL SHEEN THAT, UM, THOSE TWO REFERENCES WERE AN AUTOMATIC CARRYOVER IN LIGHT OF THE, UH, PUBLIC HEARING CLOSING AT THE LAST MEETING FOR BOTH OF THOSE ITEMS. 4 52 AND 4 53.
UM, BUT WHAT I'M RECOMMENDING IS THAT, THAT BE STRUCK AND WE WILL PLAN TO RENDER CCRA AND DECISIONS ON DECEMBER 14TH, UH, TO ALLOW THE 30 DAY SEEKER CLOCK TO, UH, RUN.
I'M JUST SAYING THE THANK YOU.
THIS IS A VERY ROUGH, ROUGH OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MEETING IS NEXT MONDAY INSTEAD OF NEXT WEDNESDAY.
SO, UM, WE HAVEN'T SPENT MUCH TIME ON THIS DAY.
WE ALSO HAVE, UH, TO DECIDE WHEN WE'RE DOING A SITE VISIT, UH, FOR THE MIDWAY.
UM, BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU SAID YOU CAN MAKE IT ON TUESDAY, BUT THAT MEANS WE REALLY CAN'T VOTE ON, WE COULD CLOSE THE HEARING, BUT WE CAN'T VOTE ON IT UNTIL AFTER THE SITE VISIT.
QUITE FRANKLY, AS WE MENTIONED AT THE LAST TOWN BOARD MEETING, WE'RE ON NOTICE THAT THERE'S A VERY HAZARDOUS SITUATION THAT EXISTS IN THAT PARKING LOT.
AND I THINK THIS IS NOW GOING ON OUR FOURTH OR
[01:25:01]
THIRD HOLDOVER WHEN THERE'S A REMEDY TO THOSE UNSAFE CONDITIONS.AND NOW I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE ASKED FOR COULD THEY DO A SIDEWALK? YOU KNOW, YOU'RE SAYING IT'S UNSAFE AND IT'S TERRIBLE, AND THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND A LOT OF PEOPLE.
AND THEN YOU ASK, WELL, COULD THEY GIVE US A SIDEWALK ON ASHFORD AVENUE? NO, ON OXLEY ROAD.
YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT THIS IS GETTING LIKE THE FIRETRUCK, YOU KNOW, IF IF YOU, IF YOU OPPOSED TO IT, BECAUSE YOU DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, MORE RESIDENT RE UM, RESTAURANTS, RESTAURANTS OR WHATEVER.
'CAUSE IT'S GOING TO CREATE A HAZARD BECAUSE THE NUMBER OF CARS, THAT'S ONE THING.
BUT WHEN YOU THEN ASK, BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU GIVE US A SIDEWALK, YOU KNOW, IS THAT WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO STOP POSTPONING US DOING THESE IMPROVEMENTS? I DON'T SEE THE PURPOSE OF GOING TO A PARKING LOT THAT ALL OF US HAVE BEEN TO.
YOU WANT TO SHOW TO US THAT IT'S UNSAFE.
OUR OWN CONSULTANT, OUR OWN CONSULTANT SAID THAT DOING THESE IMPROVEMENTS WILL MAKE IT SAFER.
WE'LL NEVER WIN THIS IN COURT IF YOU VOTE AGAINST THIS.
WE'LL NEVER WIN THIS IN COURT.
AND THEN TO ASK, BUT HOW ABOUT GIVING US A SIDEWALK AT THIS LATE DATE WHEN YOU'VE BEEN PUSHING THIS MORE AND MORE.
NOW LET'S DO A SIDE, UH, SITE VISIT THE DAY AFTER THE PUBLIC HEARING.
WELL, NOBODY I WANTED TO MAKE IT BEFORE.
FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, I DISAGREE.
FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THE SIDEWALK IS A VERY LEGITIMATE REQUEST BECAUSE WE'RE REDUCING, UH, PARKING SPOTS IN A VERY, VERY BUSY SHOPPING AREA.
THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE, UM, IN EDGEMONT WHO PROBABLY WOULD WALK TO THE RESTAURANT IF IT WAS SAFE FOR PEDESTRIANS TO WALK.
YOU HAD A, A REALLY GOOD, UH, SIDEWALK.
SO, YOU KNOW, MY THOUGHT WAS, UM, IF WE BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BASICALLY, WE HAVE ALLURE ON THE BOOKS WHERE THEY HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PARKING SPOTS.
WE ARE GIVING THEM THE OWNERS OF THE PROPERTY A BENEFIT.
UM, BECAUSE BASICALLY, UM, WE'RE BASICALLY ELIMINATING A REQUIREMENT THAT'S BEEN IN OUR CODE FOR MANY, MANY, FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
I SORT OF FEEL THAT IF WE, UH, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OTHER BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THEY DON'T NEED THE PARKING THAT, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN REQUIRED, REQUIRED.
AND I REMEMBER OVER THE YEARS, SOMETIMES, WE'LL, YOU KNOW, MY RECOLLECTION IS WE'VE EITHER REJECTED APPLICATIONS BECAUSE, UM, THEY DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH PARKING OR, OR WHATEVER.
AND THEY'VE HAD GOOD, GOOD PROPOSALS.
SO I SORT OF FEEL THAT IF WE'RE LOOKING AT SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, UM, AND WE'RE MAKING, MAKING SOME AMEND CONCESSIONS IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF PARKING THAT THEY, THEY NEED, AND YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TWO POP VERY POPULAR RESTAURANTS.
I THINK THAT, UM, IF THE OWNERS WOULD, UM, WOULD'VE PAID FOR, UM, UM, SOME PEDESTRIAN SAFETY INITIATIVES, ADDITIONAL ONES ON ARDSLEY ROAD, I THINK THAT, UM, IT WOULD'VE REDUCED, UM, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC CONGESTION.
I KNOW THAT PEOPLE WOULD, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED, PAUL.
SO LET ME TELL YOU WHY I'M CONFUSED.
SO YOU JUST SAID THAT WE'RE ELIMINATE WHAT YOUR, YOUR CONCERNED, BECAUSE THERE'RE GONNA BE SOME ELIMINATION OF PARKING SPACES, BUT YOU ASKING FOR A SIDEWALK, BUT I'M NOT, I'M NOT CORRELATING THE TWO.
BASICALLY WE COULD, SOMEONE, THERE'S A WHERE ON THE BOOKS THAT A CERTAIN, THAT SHOPPING CENTERS HAVE TO HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PARKING WHERE ARE BASICALLY, OTHERWISE THEY CAN'T, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WANT TO PUT A RESTAURANT OR A SUPERMARKET OR A SHOPPING CENTER, EVERY SHOPPING CENTER IN THE TOWN HAS TO COMPLY WITH OUR PARKING.
UH, CAN YOU GIVE US ACTUAL NUMBERS OF HOW MANY PARKING SPACES THEY INTEND TO PUT IN AND HOW MANY THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE? NO, THEY, THEY BASICALLY SAYING, GARRETT, UH, I, I JUST GAR THEY BASICALLY ARE REDUCING THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPOTS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE PROPOSED, UH, I KNOW, BUT I, BUT THEY'RE GONNA MAKE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS.
THEY, THEY'RE ASKING TO MAKE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS.
THAT, THAT WASN'T MY QUESTION.
UM, I JUST, I DON'T RECALL HOW MANY PARKING SPOTS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE BY CODE IN THIS PARKING LOT.
AND HOW MANY THE, UH, THE BEING PROPOSED GAR IS GARRETT STILL? YEAH, I MEAN, I CAN LOOK THAT UP.
WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS, UH, OFFHAND, I KNOW THAT THEY'RE, UM, PROPOSING TO REMOVE 46 SPACES.
UM, OUR, OUR CODE IS TRADITIONALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, I IDENTIFIED AS IS IS OVERLY STRINGENT.
UM, FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, FAST FOOD RESTAURANT PARKS AT ONE PER 35, UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WELL, WELL ABOVE
[01:30:01]
THE STANDARD THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, PLANNING GUIDES SAY YOU SHOULD HAVE, UM, TYPICALLY FIVE SPACES PER, UH, THOUSAND SQUARE FEET IS ACCEPTABLE.UM, THE WAY OUR CODE FUNCTIONS, SOMETIMES YOU COULD REQUIRE SEVEN SPACES PER THOUSAND SQUARE FEET.
UM, SO I, I THINK IN GENERAL, THE NUMBERS ARE REALLY NOT REFLECTIVE, UM, AND, AND, AND, AND, UH, OF, OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY NEEDED AT A SITE.
SO, FOR INSTANCE, IF, YOU KNOW, MIDWAY WERE TO BUILD 300 MORE PARKING SPACES, IT MIGHT HELP ON FIVE DATES OF THE YEAR.
BUT WHAT IT WOULD DO IS LEAVE YOU WITH, YOU KNOW, A, A MUCH, YOU KNOW, VERY UNATTRACTIVE SHOPPING CENTER, LET ASK YOU, THAT'S NOT PROVIDING RELIEF, UM, AT, YOU KNOW, 95% OF THE TIME OF THE YEAR.
BUT GARY, AND, AND JUST TO, JUST TO CLOSE THE LOOP, UM, IT'S, IT'S NOT A TYPICAL FOR THE PLANNING BOARD TO RECOGNIZE THE STRINGENT PARKING STANDARDS AND IT'S ROUTINE THAT, UH, SHARED PARKING REDUCTIONS ARE GRANTED.
AND SHARED PARKING IS NOT BEFORE THIS BOARD, IT'S BEFORE THE PLANNING BOARD, CORRECT? UH, THAT'S CORRECT.
WELL, LET ME ASK A QUESTION, GARRETT.
IN TERMS OF OUR CODE, HOW, YOU KNOW, WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME WE BASICALLY, UH, REDUCED THE PARKING REQUIREMENTS, UM, FOR PARKING SPOT REQUIREMENTS FOR OTHER COMPLEXES? UM, I'D SAY IT HAPPENS SEVERAL TIMES PER YEAR.
WHETHER IT'S CROSSROADS, UM, UH, WESTCHESTER SQUARE SHOPPING CENTER, UH, DALEWOOD, UM, I THINK THERE'S ONE THIS YEAR.
ANOTHER ONE'S COMING IN AT DALEWOOD THIS YEAR.
AND WE DO THAT BY THE PLANNING BOARD ISSUING A SHARED PARKING.
SO THEY TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE DIFFERENT USES THAT ARE THERE.
SO IF THERE'S A USE THAT MAY, UH, PRIMARILY WORK, UH, OPERATE IN THE MORNING VERSUS IN THE EVENING, THEY TAKE ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION.
COULD YOU ALSO, UH, UH, SHARE WITH THE BOARD WITH, UH, THE SUPERVISOR, THE DIFFICULTIES IT WOULD BE TO ACTUALLY PUT IN THE SIDEWALK THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT BASED ON YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TOWN ENGINEER? YES.
SO THERE WAS ONE REQUEST FOR A SIDEWALK AT THE, FROM THE INTERSECTION OF LEY ROAD AND CENTRAL, UM, UP ARLEY ROAD TOWARDS THE, THE DRIVEWAY THERE, UM, WITH THE FREESTANDING BU BUILDING WHERE, UM, TRANQUILITY SPA IS.
AND WE DID LOOK AT THAT IN THE FIELD, UM, WITH, WITH, UH, ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, THE APPLICANT'S ENGINEER IN THE PROBLEM IS, IS THE DRIVEWAYS THAT LEAD UP TO THAT FOR THE ANIMAL HOSPITAL AND ANOTHER USE ARE SO STEEP THAT YOU'D ACTUALLY HAVE TO PUT THE SIDEWALK INTO THE ROAD.
AND WE FELT THAT THE ONLY WAY YOU COULD ACTUALLY DO SO WOULD BE TO ELIMINATE THAT RIGHT HAND TURN LANE, WHICH GAVE RISE TO A CAPACITY ISSUE.
SO IDEALLY, YES, THE SIDEWALK WOULD BE THERE.
IT JUST WAS NOT DEEMED ENGINEERING, UH, FEASIBLE.
BECAUSE I, I REMEMBER, UM, A COUPLE YEARS AGO, UH, MIDWAY HAD ASKED FOR, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, APPROVALS AND THEY WERE GONNA DO A SIDEWALK THAT THEY WERE GONNA PAY FOR.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IT GOT REJECTED THERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF OPPOSITION FROM THE AREA, BUT I REMEMBER THAT THEY HAD PROPOSED DOING THE SIDEWALK, AND THAT'S BASICALLY, THAT GAVE ME THE IDEA.
BUT THEY, AT THAT SAME LOCATION, AT THE SAME LOCATION.
AND IN FACT, YOU KNOW, GARRETT, I REMEMBER WE HAD DISCUSSIONS ON ABOUT THE SIDEWALK, UM, UM, AT THAT TIME, AND YOU WERE ALL EXCITED BECAUSE YOU FELT THAT, OH, YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS WAS, UM, THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A REALLY BIG ENHANCEMENT.
SO IN RETURN FOR ADDITIONAL, UH, DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY WANTED, THEY WERE GONNA DO THE SIDEWALK AT THEIR EXPENSE.
THIS WAS ACTUALLY, UH, THE, UH, THE SHOPPING CENTER'S IDEA YEARS AGO.
AND I REMEMBERED THEM PROPOSING IT, AND THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT IT UP.
SO WHAT CHANGED YOU? YOU'RE CORRECT, SUPERVISOR, AND IT'S A GOOD IDEA.
I, I WOULDN'T, I WENT OUT ON THE SITE VISIT.
MY GOAL WAS TO AFFECT HAVING THAT SIDEWALK INSTALLED.
UM, WHAT I THINK HAPPENED IS MAYBE IT WAS PROPOSED, UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THE CLOSE LOOK WAS TAKEN THAT WE DID OUT IN THE FIELD, BUT UPON A HARD LOOK, AGAIN, IT SEEMED AS IF, UM, UNFORTUNATELY THAT TRAVEL LANE WOULD HAVE TO BE, UM, TAKEN OUT.
WE EVEN EXPLORED REDUCING THE LANES BY A FOOT EACH WAY, BUT THERE'S TRAFFIC LOOPS IN THE GROUND.
UM, AND, AND THAT SEEMED TO, TO PROVIDE AN ENGINEERING AND FEASIBILITY.
UM, THE SIDEWALK NETWORK DOES NEED TO BE IMPROVED ON ARDSLEY ROAD.
UM, ONE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE, WE, WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WE PAUSE TO THE APPLICANT, UH, THE EQUIVALENT OF THEIR FRONTAGE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, UM, HEADING UP TOWARDS FORT HILL.
UM, THAT'S SOMETHING WE, WE COULD POSE, UM, RESIDENTS DO WALK TO THIS CENTER.
UM, BUT THAT WOULD BE AN ENHANCEMENT.
I DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW THAT THAT WOULD QUALIFY AS, YOU KNOW, A, UM,
[01:35:01]
AN ABSOLUTE NEED, UM, TO AFFECT THE PROJECT.YOU KNOW, THE, THE THING THAT I FELT IS I, WHEN I LOOKED AT, WHEN I LISTENED TO EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, LAST WEEK, LAST WEEK, I FELT THAT OBVIOUSLY THERE, THE IMPROVEMENTS THAT THEY'RE MAKING ARE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS.
SO I, I FELT POSITIVE ABOUT THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE REQUESTING.
AT THE SAME TIME, I KNOW, BECAUSE I KNOW THIS IS SUCH A, THEY'RE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB MARKETING THE COMPLEX, AND IT, IT REALLY IS A VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL SHOPPING AREA THAT THE TWO, UH, RESTAURANTS THAT THEY'RE GONNA PROPOSE ARE GONNA PROBABLY INCREASE.
YOU KNOW, EVEN WITH THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, IT'S NOT GOING TO DECREASE TRAFFIC.
IT'S GONNA INCREASE TRAFFIC BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BE POPULAR DESTINATION POINTS FOR PEOPLE.
SO EVEN WITH THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, IT COULD TURN OUT, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT IT COULD BE EVEN, IT COULD BE WORSE THAN IT IS NOW.
YOU KNOW, I SOMETIMES GO TO THE SHOPPING CENTER LIKE 11 O'CLOCK AFTER THE BOARD MEETINGS, I'LL GO THERE AND, YOU KNOW, I SEE IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE CARS ARE GOING ALL OVER THE PLACE.
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE AREN'T ALWAYS PAYING ATTENTION.
YOU KNOW, I'VE SEEN, UH, NEAR, NEAR MISSES.
I, I REALLY WANT TO WORK WITH 'EM.
UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T WANT TO, I, I LIKE THE IDEA, YOU KNOW, I'LL PROBABLY GO TO THE RESTAURANT, YOU KNOW, I LIKE THE IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
I WANT, WE DO NEED MORE RATEABLES, WE NEED MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY.
YOU KNOW, I'M PROUD THAT, UH, THE, THIS COMPLEX IS, YOU KNOW, IS SUCCESSFUL WITHOUT VACANCIES.
I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S A WAY THAT, UM, UM, WE COULD FIGURE OUT A WAY OF, OF GETTING THE MAXIMUM BENEFITS, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY BENEFITS FOR RESIDENTS, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GOOD.
AND I THINK THAT IF I MAY, THE DIFFICULTY IS THOUGH, THAT WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSING, THE SAFETY, RIGHT, THE SAFETY, UM, IMPLEMENTATION IS THAT THEY'RE SUGGESTING, UH, BASED ON ENGINEERING STUDIES, BASED ON TRAFFIC STUDIES WILL CREATE THAT SAFETY AND LOOKING AT WHAT IS NOW, AND THE TRAFFIC THAT GOES THERE.
NOW, WHEN WE DON'T HAVE THOSE THINGS IN PLACE, DOESN'T GIVE US AN APPLES TO APPLES COMPARISON.
SO IT'S HARD TO JUDGE IT BECAUSE THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT CHANGING TO ONE WAY.
SO THAT WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE WHERE THERE'S MORE LIKELIHOOD OF PEOPLE.
SO IT, IT, IT'S, UM, YOU'RE GOING ON INSTINCT AND, YOU KNOW, BASED ON WHAT EXISTS.
AND THEY'RE GOING ON STUDIES BASED ON, ON A STUDIES AND, AND PROPO AND ENGINEERING, UH, THAT PROPOSES THE SAFETY MEASURES THAT THEY PROPOSE.
SO THEN, IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT YOU DON'T REALLY FEEL A NEED TO GO AND LOOK AT THE SITE THE WAY THE SITE EXISTS NOW? I, YEAH.
I, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT REALLY GIVES US A, A REALISTIC IDEA OF WHAT TO EXPECT MM-HMM.
WELL, WE PASSED A RESOLUTION SAYING THAT, RIGHT? SO, SO MY POINT THOUGH IS IF, IF WE ARE ABLE TO GO, IF PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN GOING WANT TO GO, WE SHOULD GO AND LOOK AT IT.
AND THOSE WHO AREN'T, DON'T HAVE TO, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE ARGUMENT AND LAID OUT IS A VERY GOOD ARGUMENT FOR A REASON NOT TO GO, BECAUSE
OR IF YOU ALREADY GONE AND FRANCIS, EVERYBODY'S GONE.
WELL, I'M JUST TRYING TO THIS BACK TO JUST GIVE YOU ONE OTHER THANK POINT OF VIEW BEFORE I FEEL, I FEEL THAT IF, FIRST OF ALL, IF WE ALL WENT AND DID A SITE VISIT, AND WE BASICALLY ANNOUNCED, YOU KNOW, TO THE PUBLIC, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'RE DOING THIS, AND THEN FIRST OF ALL, DYLAN PINE FROM THE EVERYONE COMMUNITY COUNCIL, HE SAID NOTHING ABOUT THIS.
AND BASICALLY WE'RE SAYING, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE WILLING TO LISTEN TO YOU, WE'RE GOING TO HEAR THE COMMENTS, AND THEN, AND THEN WE CAN REFLECT ON WHAT PEOPLE SAY.
THERE'S A, IF, IF NOBODY SHOWS UP, THERE'S NO PROBLEM IF PEOPLE SHOW UP.
AND THEY MAY, IF THEY, IF THEY, IF THEY POINT OUT THINGS THAT WE MIGHT NOT HAVE THOUGHT OF, MAYBE, UH, IT WILL ENABLE US TO BE, UH, YOU KNOW, MORE RESPONSIVE.
OR MAYBE SOMEBODY WILL HAVE A GOOD OTHER SAFETY TIP THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE.
SO I'M NOT REALLY DOING THIS TO
[01:40:01]
LIKE, STOP A PROJECT OR SLOW DOWN A PROJECT.I'M DOING IT BECAUSE I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT BEFORE WE GIVE THEM AN OKAY THAT WE'RE LIKE DOING EVERYTHING HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO, UM, INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY, UM, AS PART OF THE PROCESS.
AND AGAIN, THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD BE ON NOTICE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, BOB BERNSTEIN, DYLAN PINE, UH, ANYBODY ELSE, PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON PENNY LANE OR CASTLE, UH, YOU KNOW, WALK, YOU KNOW, THE, THE NEIGHBOR, IF THEY WANNA SHOW UP AND THEY WANT TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S FINE.
YOU KNOW, I, I'M HAPPY TO GO LOOK, I JUST CANNOT GO ON THAT DATE.
THAT ONE DAY IS A TERRIBLE TIME FOR ME.
I CAN GO ANOTHER TIME, WHETHER IT'S BEFORE OR AFTER, BUT WE, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO COORDINATE.
SO WHAT I, I'M HAPPY TO GO ON MY OWN, TAKE A LOOK AND THEN HEAR WHAT YOU COME BACK WITH.
BUT YOU SEE, I, I FEEL THAT LOSE LOSE, IT, IT REAL LIKE, TO ME, UM, IF EVERYBODY, IF WE, WE'VE DONE THIS, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE PAST, I FEEL IF THE BOARD BASICALLY WOULD TAKE LIKE A HALF HOUR, 45 MINUTES, WE BASICALLY POST IT ON THE WEBSITE.
WE INVITE PE ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY TOO, RIGHT? BUT WE'VE ALSO DONE IT WHEN EVERYBODY ON THE BOARD HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME AT THE SAME TIME.
NO, BUT THEN WITHOUT THE WHEN EVERY, FIRST OF ALL, IF EVERYBODY CAN'T COME AT THE SAME TIME, IF THE POINT IS THE POINT, BUT, BUT IF THE POINT IS TO ELICIT COMMENTS FROM THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE PROPOSED CHANGES, THEN YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE FILMED.
WE CAN TAKE NOTES, WE CAN, WE CAN, WE CAN SOLICIT HAVE AN ACCOUNT BOARD MEETING.
YOU COULD MAKE THE LINK AVAILABLE BY ZOOM.
THEY CAN WATCH IT ON TELEVISION.
IT REALLY, IT REALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD DO THINGS LIKE HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING.
YOU COULD HAVE THE PRESIDENT OF E C C SIT IN THE BACK AND SAY THAT HE HAD NO COMMENT.
YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THE THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED.
DYLAN OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS NOT SHY.
AND HE ALSO KNOWS WHAT HIS COMMUNITY IS THINKING.
AND WE SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, HE, HE HAS HIS HEAD ON THE POST VERY, VERY VOCALLY IN DEALING WITH CANNABIS AND THE, THE, THE SMOKE SHOPS AND WEAPONS, ALL KIND WEAPONS, ALL KINDS OF ISSUES, WHATEVER.
WE NEED TO GO AND STAND THERE AT A PARKING LOT THAT'S GONNA GET TOTALLY REDESIGNED TO SEE THAT THIS IS NOT A GOOD DESIGN AS IT CURRENTLY EXISTS.
AND I'M JUST CONCERNED, THIS IS NOW I THINK THE FOURTH HEARING, AND I'M JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE, WHAT I SAID BEFORE, AND PROBABLY MORE EMOTIONALLY THAN I SHOULD HAVE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTA STOP THE LAWSUITS AND WE'VE GOTTA STOP THIS.
IF YOU GIVE ME A SIDEWALK THAT OUR OWN STAFF IS SAYING CAN'T REASONABLY BE BUILT, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I'LL BASICALLY STOP PRO POSTPONING MEETING AFTER MEETING, AFTER MEETING THIS HEARING.
WHEN YOUR ARGUMENT IS THE, THE PARKING LOT IS UNSAFE.
HOW ARE YOU GOING? AND, AND IF YOU WOULD'VE COME ALONG AND SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, IF WE DID THIS IN THE PARKING LOT, YOU KNOW, THEN I COULD SUPPORT.
BUT INSTEAD YOU'RE SAYING IF LET'S PUT A SIDEWALK OUTSIDE THE PARKING LOT, AND SOMEHOW THAT'S GONNA MAKE ALL OF THE FEWER PEOPLE DO IN THE PARKING LOT, FEWER PEOPLE WILL DRIVE BASED ON WHAT STUDY.
I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ALL IN THAT AREA WOULD, WOULD LOVE, WOULD, WOULD WALK TO THE CENTER.
IF THERE'S A SIDEWALK, LET ME BE VERY CLEAR.
IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE A SIDEWALK THERE.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THERE WERE NO DRIVEWAYS, IT WOULD BE GREAT IF THERE WAS NO SLOPE.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF WE DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE, TAKE AWAY THE RIGHT TURNING LANE ONTO CENTRAL AVENUE.
YOUR PHONE'S NEVER GONNA STOP.
I NEVER SAID WE SHOULD TAKE IT AWAY.
WELL, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THEN YOU REALLY NEED TO CHECK WITH STAFF LIKE I DID.
UH, BEFORE YOU MAKE A PROPOSAL AS TO LET'S ASK FOR A SIDEWALK.
I, I, I ACTUALLY DID BECAUSE I, I REMEMBER TWO YEAR, A FEW YEARS AGO, I'M JUST SAYING, I WANNA MAKE IT VERY CLEAR I PRESERVED THIS TAPE THAT I AM NOT GOING TO CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE.
AND BASICALLY WHAT I SEE TO BE A DELAY IN MAKING SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE ALL ACKNOWLEDGED EXISTS IN THAT PARKING LOT.
AND PARTICULARLY BECAUSE WE HAVE A CONSULTANT WHO'S NOT SHY AT SAYING WHAT HE REALLY BELIEVES.
THAT'S WHY I REALLY LIKE MR. CANNON.
HE, HE REALLY SAYS WHAT HE BELIEVES, NOT WHAT'S POLITICAL, NOT, HE JUST SAYS WHAT HE BELIEVES TO BE SAFE.
YOU TRIED TO GET HIM TO SAY, DOES THAT MEAN IT'S GOING TO BE A SAFE PARKING LOT? HE CAN'T ANSWER THAT.
NO ONE CAN ANSWER THAT WITH A GUARANTEE.
BUT HE SAID IT MAKES IT SAFER.
AND FRANKLY, THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.
AND, AND NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT THE SIDEWALK, SINCE IT'S CUTTING ACROSS DRIVEWAYS AS BEING MORE
[01:45:01]
RISKY FOR PEDESTRIANS WALKING IN FRONT OF DRIVEWAYS AS CARS ARE COMING OUT.THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY, AND, AND I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE DISRESPECTFUL, SO I APOLOGIZE, BUT, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT SOME KIND OF ACTUAL BASIS TO SAY THAT A, IT COULD BE DONE, UM, LOGISTICALLY, AND B, THAT IT COULD BE DONE SAFELY.
UM, AS MUCH AS THE, I I TOO, LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING SIDEWALK THERE, I, I JUST WOULDN'T PAY, I, I WOULDN'T USE THAT AS, AS A, A WAY TO MITIGATE ANY TRAFFIC IN THE PARKING LOT.
SO I WOULD SUGGEST WHOEVER WANTS TO DO THE SITE VISIT, DO THE SITE VISIT, BUT PLEASE DO IT BEFORE MONDAY, WHICH IS WHAT THE RESOLUTION THAT WE PASSED SAID IS THAT IF ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS COULD GO, UM, THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE.
UM, I, I JUST DON'T SEE THE PURPOSE OF DELAYING THIS FURTHER.
AGENDA REVIEW,
BECAUSE OF, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH SECRET.
UM, AND JOE, UM, WE, WE, WE REALLY SHOULD NOT ACT ON THAT NEXT MONDAY.
IT'S, IT'S JUST TOO SOON, TOO SOON TO LET THE, UH, INTERESTED AGENCIES, UM, GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY.
CAN I SUGGEST ALSO TABLING UNDER PUBLIC HEARINGS TO CONSIDER A LOCAL LAW, CREATING A NEW CHAPTER 4 54 IN REGARDS TO TOBACCO.
YOU JUST WANT TO BEAT ME TO IT,
BECAUSE AT THIS POINT WE ARE JUST MM-HMM.
THE, THE PREVIOUS LAWS, UH, WILL SUFFICE AND WE'LL MEET THOSE SAME GOALS.
SO IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING, UH, ON THIS LAW AT THIS TIME.
SO RIGHT NOW, SO JUST 'CAUSE SO FOR DECISIONS, THE ONLY DECISION THAT'S LEFT IS THE ONE FOR THE MODIFICATION FOR THE SITE PLAN.
THE AMENDMENTS RELATING TO THE CANNABIS.
YOU SAW THE RESPONSE I GOT, YOU GOT FROM THE STATE.
THAT'S, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE AUTOMATIC GENERATED RESPONSE.
THAT'S A, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE PHYSICALLY TYPED TO YOU, IT'S AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE.
BUT, AND JUST LIKE WE, WE SAID, AND THAT IT WAS STATED IN THAT DAY, THOSE LICENSES ARE NOT, THEY'RE NOT HANDING OUT LICENSES ANYMORE.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S, I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA BE, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GONNA HELP YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT SPEAKING TO SOMEONE TO GET THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION.
BUT I'M SAYING IN TERMS OF, UH, THE TEXT AMENDMENTS, UH, IF THEY'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU WANT TO HANDLE, I I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE TEXT AND NUMBERS, NEITHER DO I, WHICH WE COULD REVISIT, YOU KNOW, IF WE SEE THAT THINGS ARE GOING OKAY, BUT WE GOTTA PUT SOMETHING MORE ON THERE THAN
JUST TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE VAGUE.
BUT IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE OTHER IS.
SO APPARENTLY TRYING TO LIMIT SOMETHING, THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA STUFF NOT GONNA WORK.
WELL, BUT IS IT THAT IT'S TO, WE, WE DIDN'T GET A DEFINITIVE ANSWER ABOUT IT NOT GOING TO WORK.
WE JUST DON'T, THE ANSWER THAT WE GOT WAS JUST THAT THEY'RE NOT HANDING OUT ANYMORE LICENSES.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT, I THINK IT'S, YOU'RE GONNA START GOING AWAY FROM THEM.
BUT I THINK YOU, YOU KNOW, AND FROM WHAT, TALKING TO PEOPLE, TALKING TO PEOPLE AROUND THE STATE, IT MM-HMM.
SO THIS IS WHY THEY'RE NOT GIVING OUT LICENSES AT THE TIME.
UNTIL THAT CHANGES THEN MM-HMM.
BUT YEAH, WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SOME WAY TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NEED IT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES AND WHO DON'T HAVE THE ACCESSIBILITY, HOW IS IT THAT WE COULD, I MEAN, I JUST, I MEAN, LISTEN, I WENT TO CALIFORNIA.
I DIDN'T SAY, I GO, I WENT IN 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE READY TO SAY THAT I WENT TO CALIFORNIA.
THEY HAVE ACTUAL DOORS, THEY HAVE ACTUAL LOCKS.
LIKE YOU HAVE TO BE BUZZED IN.
SO I THINK YOU CAN PUT PROTOCOLS IN PLACE IF YOU WANT TO, IF YOU WANT TO HAVE, UM, DISPENSARIES.
I DON'T THINK THAT YOU HAVE TO, YOU NECESSARILY HAVE TO SAY FOR MEDICAL, FOR NON-MEDICAL FOR WHATEVER.
BUT THEN WE HAVE TO, BUT YOU PUT THINGS IN PLACE
[01:50:01]
SO YOU CAN PREVENT, 'CAUSE THE, 'CAUSE THE CONCERN MM-HMM.BUT IF YOU PUT MECHANISMS IN PLACE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT AS MUCH.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVE TO MONITOR.
AND THEN THE, AND THEN THE MONITORING WOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE VENDOR.
SO, BUT JUST LIKE YOU GO INTO CERTAIN, LIKE, LET'S GO TO JEWELRY STORES, YOUR FAVORITE JEWELRY STORES, THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY PULL THE DOOR AND BUZZ YOU IN.
SO I THINK YOU'RE STILL ABLE TO CONTROL THAT ENVIRONMENT.
BUT THEN WE HAVE TO MOVE THEM CLOSER TO WHERE PEOPLE LIVE SO THAT THEY CAN WALK THERE OR THEY, BUT IS THIS, BUT THAT'S MY POINT.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? AND THEN IT'S SAFER.
THE CONCERN IS, I GOTTA GO ALL THE WAY OVER HERE.
I DON'T, AND MY SON IS NOT ALLOWED TO GO INTO IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S AN AGE.
SO YOU USE THE ALCOHOL AGE 21 AND OVER, YOU CAN'T GO IN THERE.
YOU HAVE TO BE PARTED, IF YOU WILL.
SO I THINK IF WE, YOU KNOW, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AND THINK ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.
BUT I, I FEEL THAT SAY WITH THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA, BECAUSE I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY MADE PEOPLE MADE A REALLY, UH, GOOD, YOU KNOW, GOOD POINTS THAT THAT SHOULD BE MADE, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MADE MORE ACCESSIBLE.
UM, BUT I FEEL THAT IF THE STATE WOULD SAY ANY PHARMACY, UH, WOULD HAVE THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IF SOMEBODY HAS, IF SOMEBODY GETS A NOTE FROM A DOCTOR AND BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, THE PHARMACIES ARE ALREADY GIVING OUT, YOU KNOW, MEDICATION, UM, AND IT'S BEHIND AND YOU GO TO A PHARMACIST AND IT'S BEHIND LIKE A, LIKE A A BUT PAUL, THE POINT IS WHAT I JUST DESCRIBED, THE POINT IS THAT NOW THAT IT'S LEGALIZED, SO YOU DON'T NEED NO, WAIT, HOLD ON, HOLD ON.
YOU DON'T NECESS YOU DON'T NECESSARILY, YOU DON'T NEED A PRESCRIPTION BECAUSE JUST ANYBODY CAN GO IN AND BUY AND YOU'RE STILL IN A LOCK TO ELLEN'S POINT IS STILL LOCKED, IT'S STILL BEHIND SOME, YOU'RE STILL GONNA BE UP BEHIND A LOCKED DOOR.
NO, BECAUSE BASICALLY THE, THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE ISSUE IS THAT THE TOWN BOARD, THE YEAR, THE ISSUE THAT'S HOLDING IT UP, THE TOWN BOARD LIVES HERE, THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA PUT, YOU KNOW, THE DISPENSARIES BASICALLY IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS OR AROUND THE TOWN.
SO A YEAR AGO, EVERYBODY BASICALLY SAID, OKAY, YOU KNOW, THE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD BASICALLY SAID, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA PUT A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, RESTRICTIONS ON IT.
BUT NOW, YOU KNOW, AS TIME GOES ON AND MORE COMMUNITIES ARE, YOU KNOW, DOING IT, IT'S BECOMING LESS, SORT OF LESS CONTROVERSIAL.
SO, SO, SO THE, THE ISSUE, THE ISSUE THAT THE BOARD HAS IS EVERYBODY WANTS TO KEEP THE COMMITMENTS THAT WERE MADE AT THE TIME YOU VOTED.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, PEOPLE ARE STILL UNCERTAIN WHETHER THE COMMITMENTS MADE WERE A LITTLE TOO TOUGH AT THAT WAS MADE, BUT THAT WAS CONCERN WHEN THE, WHEN WAS MADE.
THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY THE ISSUE.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN A YEAR FROM NOW, MAYBE LIKE TOTALLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE MM-HMM.
SO, SO I SORT OF THINK THAT IF, UM, IF THE STATE WOULD JUST SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW WHAT, FOR THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA ISSUES, WE'RE JUST GONNA MAKE IT, WE'RE PUTTING IN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST GONNA LET ANY PHARMACY IN THE STATE DO IT, AND THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE LICENSED.
YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE SEPARATE LICENSES AS LONG AS THEY'RE, UH, YOU KNOW, PHARMACY, UH, YOU KNOW, TO ME THAT WOULD ADDRESS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT RESIDENTS SPOKE AT THE HEARING.
YOU KNOW HOW I, I KNOW THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE MARRIED TO THIS IDEA AND YOU KNOW IT, BUT I, I WONDER IF YOU'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO, LIKE, THE OWNERS OF WALGREENS, I MEAN THE, THE, UM, EXECUTIVES EXECUTIVE TEAM FOR WALGREENS OR C V S TO SEE IF THEY WOULD EVEN BE AMENABLE TO THAT YEAH.
WOULD BE THEIR OPTION IF THEY WANTED IT.
IF THEY WANNA DO IT, IT'S JUST ANOTHER OPTION THAT COULD ENABLE THEM TO, UH, WELL THAT'S, THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER ASPECT OF THE PHARMACY AND, AND YOU KNOW, WHERE'S THE SPACE? THEY'RE GONNA CREATE SPACE TO HAVE ALL THESE DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MARIJUANA FOR CANNABIS FOR SALE.
UM, WHERE ARE THEY GONNA PUT IT? HOW ARE THEY GONNA TAKE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S, NO, I'M JUST THINK IT WOULD BE AN OPTION FOR THEM.
AND THEN ALSO WE ALSO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT CANNABIS IS GOING TO DO FOR THE TOWN IS GENERATE INCOME, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.
LIKE AT THE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE NEED, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE, WE'RE DROWNING.
I MEAN, AS MUCH AS YOU'RE TRYING TO KEEP A NO TAX HIKE AND NO, AND NO TAX INCREASE, WE STILL NEED INCOME COMING IN.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO CON CONSIDER AS, AS WELL, WE ARE NOT CONSIDERING THAT PIECE OF THAT.
I THINK, I THINK IF YOU PUT THINGS IN PLACE, I THINK YOU STILL HAVE
[01:55:01]
THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET TWO THINGS.ONE, MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE AND YOU DON'T HAVE, YOU CAN CONTROL WHO GOES IN AND OUTTA THOSE STORES.
AND TWO, MAKE SURE YOU GENERATE INCOME INTO THE TOWN.
SO, SO WOULD YOU SUPPORT MO UM, UH, CHANGING THOSE GEOGRAPHIC RESTRICTIONS AND ALLOWING DISPENSARIES TO BE I CLOSER TO THE CENTRAL TOWN? I, I DO, I DO.
IF YOU HAVE THAT CONTROL SUBSTANCE MM-HMM.
YOU HAVE A DOOR, A LOCKED SUBSTANCE, AND YOU HAVE SECURITY MM-HMM.
TO CORRECT SECURITY OR SECURITY APPARATUS, ANYTHING IN ABSOLUTELY WE HAVE AND WE CAN ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE THE LATITUDE TO IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON, ON THE VENDORS.
WE CAN DO THAT WHILE, WHILE ENSURING THAT WE ARE GENERATING A PROFIT FOR THE TASK.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE ENCOURAGING? NO, BUT I ALSO JUST SAID IT WAS GONNA BE LOCKED.
SO EVEN IF YOU HAVE IT IN, EVEN IF YOU HAVE IT CLOSER IN TOWN, YOU STILL HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GET IN AND OUT AND IT'S GONNA BE CONTROLLED.
SO YOU HAVE SECURITY, YOU HAVE A LOCKED DOOR, YOU CAN CONTROL THAT JUST LIKE A LIQUOR STORE.
WELL, THEY DON'T HAVE, THEY'RE NOT LOCKED.
I, YOU COULD JUST WALK IN SO KAL CAN WALK RIGHT IN WITH ME MORE.
YOU HAVE MORE SECURITY IN PLACE.
AND YOU CAN, YES, YOU CAN SEE ALL THAT.
THE PROPOSED LAW THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH SMOKE SHOPS WITH THE RESTRICTIONS SHOULD APPLY TO, UH, CANNABIS, YOU KNOW, STORES.
WELL, SMOKE SHOPS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF SEEING ALL OF THAT.
I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY HAVE TO SELL AND THEY, THEY'RE LOOKING TO SELL THEIR PRODUCT.
I AM CONCERNED TO, TO HAVE, WELL, I DON'T, HE'S 15 NOW, BUT MY 15 YEAR OLD OR SOMEONE YOUNGER TO SEE ALL HIS PARAPHERNALIA TO ASK THE QUESTIONS.
LIKE I, I DEFINITELY SYMPATHIZE FOR THE GENTLEMAN WHO BROUGHT HIS DAUGHTER IN, BECAUSE YOU, WE HAVE TO TEACH THAT.
AND I WALKED, I FORGOT WHERE I WAS.
AND I, AND I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT WAS ONE UNTIL YOU REALLY HAD TO GO ALL THE WAY IN BECAUSE THE WAY THEY WAS SET BACK AND THEY WASN'T AS OBVIOUS.
SO I JUST THINK IT'S THE WAY HOW YOU DISPLAY AND MAKE SURE IT'S DISPLAYED IN A MANNER THAT IT IS NOT SO INVITING TO OUR KIDS.
THEN PERHAPS YOU HAVE A WAY, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO CONTROL THAT AS WELL.
ALL THE PALEN, THE BONGS AND STUFF IN FRONT OF THE STORE.
I AM JUST LIKE EVERY PA, ANY PARENT, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT IS DEFINITELY A TEACHABLE MOMENT FOR THEIR CHILDREN.
BUT FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE ON EAST HEART, STILL IN THERE, THE POLICE HAVE MADE, YOU KNOW, ARRESTS BECAUSE THERE WAS, THEY WERE SELLING MARIJUANA, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NEAR A PIZZA PLACE, NEAR A PHARMACY, NEAR THE TRAIN STATION.
SHOULD THEY BE ALLOWED TO SELL? IS IT A LOCKED DOOR? IF IT'S A LOCKED DOOR, IS IT A LOCKED DOOR? THEY'RE, THEY'RE SELLING IT ILLEGALLY.
AND THAT'S THE, YOU FEEL THE IDEA OF LEGALIZING IT AND PUTTING RESTRICTIONS AND UM, AND, AND SAFETY FEATURES IN IS TO MAKE IT LESS ATTRACTIVE TO SELL ON THE STREET.
NO, BUT WOULD YOU BASICALLY FEEL THE IDEA, BUT WOULD YOU FEEL, SAY ON EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE THAT, UM, THAT THE, WHERE IT WAS CONTROVERSIAL THAT NEAR THE TRAIN STATION, THAT THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO OPEN UP THERE WHERE NEAR OLD ARMY ROAD, WHERE, UH, WHERE THERE'S BEEN A CONTROVERSIAL, YOU KNOW, SMOKE TRIP, SHOULD WE SAY, OKAY, YOU KNOW, THEY COULD OPEN UP, UH, A CANNABIS.
NO, THERE, THERE NEED TO BE RESTRICTIONS AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO DESCRIBE.
BUT THE WAY YOU'RE DESCRIBING IS NOT WHAT I JUST SAID.
YOU'RE DESCRIBING IT VERY DIFFERENTLY.
YOU'RE DESCRIBING AN OPEN STORE.
WE CAN JUST WALK IN LIKE A SEVEN 11.
I'M DESCRIBING A STORE THAT HAS SECURITY AND RESTRICTIONS TO BE ABLE TO GET IN.
SO IF YOU HAVE A STORE ON, ON ONE 19, OR YOU HAVE ON EAST DALE AVENUE AS IT RELATES TO A SMOKE SHOP, WE NEED TO BE SENSITIVE TO OUR CHILDREN AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT AS OBVIOUS WITH THEIR PARAPHERNALIA.
SO WE NEED TO RE RESTRICT THAT SO WE CAN, WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO CONTROL THAT.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT I'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE AGAIN, SO PEOPLE CAN'T JUST WALK IN AND OUT LIKE YOU CAN WITH A, A WINE AND SPIRIT STORE.
SEE, THERE'S A DIFFERENCE IN OR A SMOKE SHOP OR A SMOKE SHOP.
SO, YOU KNOW, BUT WE, WE CAN CONTROL THAT.
AND THERE'S SECURITY IN THERE.
THE THING, THE THING BETWEEN A WINE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WINE AND SPIRIT STORE IS THAT IT IS ILLEGAL.
YOU CAN BE STOPPED AND ARRESTED FOR DRINKING AN OPEN BOTTLE OF SPIRITS IN YOUR CAR.
YOU CANNOT BE ARRESTED FOR SMOKING A JOINT IN YOUR CAR.
IT'S DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE.
HOW, HOW LIKELY IS THAT TO HAPPEN? BUT IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
IT'S A VIOLATION OF THE VEHICLE AND TRAFFIC LAW.
BUT A, A LOCKED DOOR STILL STILL LEAVES OPEN THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE TO VIOLATE THAT POLICY, LET YOUNG PEOPLE, THE POINT IS THAT BY MOVING THE CANNABIS,
[02:00:01]
UM, STORE CLOSER, YOU'RE MAKING IT MORE AVAILABLE TO YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEY'RE, THEREFORE YOU, YOU ARE INCREASING THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACCESS OF A MIND-ALTERING DRUG TO YOUNG PEOPLE.NOW I KNOW SOME PEOPLE DON'T AGREE WITH ME ON THAT, BUT IT IS A MIND-ALTERING DRUG.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SAYING IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GOOD OR BAD.
THE FACTS ARE, IT'S A MIND-ALTERING DRUG.
AND, AND WHEN YOU MAKE IT MORE ACCESSIBLE TO YOUNGER PEOPLE, THEY'RE GOING TO FIND WAYS OF ACCESSING IT.
BUT THE, I THINK THAT'S, THAT IS THE ONUS IS ON US TO ME.
ENFORCEMENT IS THERE AND YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S WORTH LOOKING AT STUDIES.
YOUR CONCERN IS VERY VALID ABOUT, BUT SMOKING IN A CAR PEOPLE CAN BUY IN WHITE PLAINS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT, THAT THEY DON'T, OR THEY CAN BUY IT WHEREVER IT IS THAT WE'VE RESTRICTED IT TOO.
I'M NOT TRYING TO STOP YOU, IT'S JUST THEY HAVE ETHICS TRAINING THAT THEY HAVE TO ATTEND.
SO WE NEED TO CONTINUE WITH THE REVIEW.
SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT TO CONSIDER ZONING TEXT AMENDMENTS RELATED TO CANVAS? BUT I'M GETTING INTO THE SUBSTANCE OF THE, SORRY, IS THERE A PUBLIC HEARING? IS IT NOT? WHAT IS IT ON? I BELIEVE IT WAS ON COMMISSIONER DUQUESNE'S, UH, RECENT ADDITIONS.
THAT WAS LIKE THE MEDICAL MARIJUANA.
BUT NOW WE'RE MORE NUANCED THAN THAT.
SO WE SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE IT.
UH, WE SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE IT ALONG.
I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE TABLED, ESPECIALLY AFTER THESE DISCUSSIONS TONIGHT.
WE JUST STAY ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES AND WE'LL HAVE NO PUBLIC HEARINGS.
WE HAVE THE SHOPPING CENTER AND WE HAVE THE BUDGET.
SHOULD WE GO FOR, IN TERMS OF, UM, THE NIGHT DECK FOR THE METROPOLIS, WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? MR. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT? YES.
UH, FOR THE BOARD, UH, A MEETING TOMORROW WITH, UM, THE TOWN'S TRAFFIC CONSULTANT, UH, JOHN CANNING, AS WELL AS, UM, STAFF FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND ALSO THE, UH, FIRE DISTRICTS, UH, THE FIRE CHIEF, UM, AS, AS, AS THE BOARD REQUESTED, WE'RE MEETING OUT THERE TOMORROW AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA DO ONE FINAL WALKTHROUGH.
AND, UH, IF THERE'S ANY FURTHER MITIGATIONS THAT ARISE FROM THAT MEETING, UM, THAT WILL BE BUILT INTO, UH, BOTH THE DRAFT MAG DECK AND OR THE, UH, SITE PLAN DECISION, UM, ON P ONE RESOLUTION, ADOPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DENVER POLICE DEPARTMENT TO REDUCE THE POSTED MAXIMUM SPEED LIMIT ON GENE LANE, BARBARA LANE, AND JENNIFER LANE AMENDING CHAPTER FOUR 60 OF THE GREENBURG TOWN CODE TO REDUCING IT TO WHAT? 25? 25? YOU KNOW, I'M WONDERING IF, UM, BECAUSE SOME COMMUNITIES ARE DOING MUCH MORE AT 25 ON, ON MORE STREETS, AND I'M WONDERING IF, UM, WE COULD ASK, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CHIEF, UM, YOU KNOW, TO MEET WITH US AT THEIR TRAFFIC SAFETY, YOU KNOW, WHERE NICK OR YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD MAKE IT MORE, THERE'S SO MANY STREETS IN THE TOWN THAT HAVE TRAFFIC SAFETY ISSUES THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD DO SOMETHING MORE EXTENSIVE.
WELL, FOR NOW, SHOULD IT JUST SAY 25 MILES PER HOUR? I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE COULD, YOU KNOW, WE ASKED SOME.
[02:05:01]
ANYTHING TO HOLD THIS UP BECAUSE IT'S NOT AGAINST, VERY FEW AREAS HAVE THIS TYPE.THERE'S NO, THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY IN AND ONE WAY OUT OF THIS.
AND IT'S THREE STREETS THAT YOU JUST GO AROUND IN THE LOOP AND THERE'S VERY SIMILAR STREETS AND POET CORNER THAT ARE 25 MILES AN HOUR.
AND THAT'S WHY THEY'RE ALSO ASKING FOR IT HERE.
WELL, LET'S, LET'S, WE CAN DISCUSS THAT AT LATER DATE.
BUT WE DO HAVE A HARD END AS GINA AS, AS, UM, COUNCILMAN JACKSON POINTED OUT EARLIER.
I'M JUST HOPING THAT TO DO MORE, WE DON'T NOT VOTE ON P ONE.
ANYTHING ELSE ON REVIEW GOING ON WITH THAT? WHAT'S GOING ON WITH LEAF BLOWERS? YES.
AFTER WE DISCUSSED THE LEAF BLOWERS A FEW WEEKS AGO, UH, THERE WERE TWO PROPOSED CHANGES.
UM, SUPERVISOR FINER ASKED THAT WE MOVE THE START DATE UP FROM JULY 1ST, 2023 TO MAY 1ST, 2023.
AND COUNCILMAN SHEAN HAD POINTED OUT THAT THERE WAS A DECIBEL ERROR AT ONE POINT.
UM, IT SAID 75 DECIBELS, IT SHOULD HAVE SAID 55 DECIBELS.
SO, SO WE MADE THAT CORRECTION AS WELL.
SO I HAVE COPIES IF YOU COULD TAKE ONE AND PASS IT DOWN.
THOSE ARE THE TWO CHANGES THAT WERE MADE.
UM, SORRY, 55 DECIBELS IS AMBIENT NOISE.
DID WE JUST CHANGE IT SO THAT LEAF BLOWERS CAN EXCEED 55 DECIBELS? THAT'S CORRECT.
THAT WOULD MEAN THERE WAS ONLY FOUR, ACCORDING TO THE STUDY THAT THE CAC DID, THERE'S ONLY FOUR LEAF BLOWERS THAT COULD POSSIBLY MEET THAT, THAT, UH, THRESHOLD.
IS THERE ANOTHER? YEAH, I THINK HAVE TWO.
UH, WHAT DO WE GOT? OH YEAH, I THINK HE, SORRY.
THERE WAS ONE THAT WAS THE NOISE ORDINANCE AND ONE THAT IS THE, CAN YOU HAVE, CAN WE TELL DIFFERENCE? NO, KEN HAS IT AND YEAH.
THAT HAS BEEN A PROPOSAL THAT WAS PUT FORTH EARLIER.
DO YOU HAVE BOTH? YEAH, I DON'T HAVE THE OTHER ONE.
DO YOU HAVE THE OTHER ONE? I HAVE, I HAVE TWO.
DID PAUL GET IN? YES, HE GOOD.
DID BOTH OF YOU GET THIS? AND IT MEANS THAT NO ONE COULD COMPLY WITH IT.
AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE POINTS THAT C A C WAS MAKING IS THAT I THINK THEY DID A STUDY AND THERE WAS, THERE WERE ONLY FOUR, I THINK THERE WERE ELECTRIC, UM, LEAF BLOWERS OF ALL THE LEAF BLOWERS THERE ARE.
THAT COULD POSSIBLY STAY UNDER 55.
SO THEN I, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE NOISE ORDINANCE AND THE LEAF BLOWER ORDINANCE HAVE THE SAME DECAL DECIMAL LEVEL IN EACH, UM, A 55 IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH.
I WOULD SUGGEST IN 75, AND I BELIEVE IT'S 75 CURRENTLY IN THE NOISE ORDINANCE.
BUT, BUT ONE CHANGE, UM, WAS TO INCLUDE THESE NEW, UH, DAY RESTRICTIONS TO SHOW THAT THE, UH, YARD AND GARDEN BLOWERS WOULD BE PERMITTED ON MONDAY, WEDNESDAYS, AND FRIDAYS TO INCLUDE THAT IN THE NOISE ORDINANCE AS WELL.
SO THERE WAS NO CONFUSION AS TO THE DECIBEL LEVEL ALLOWED.
SO WE'RE CURRENTLY IN NOVEMBER AND THE LEAVES ARE STILL COMING OFF THE TREE.
SO WE HAVE THIS, YOU CAN'T DO IT AFTER OCTOBER 15TH.
I, I COULD MAKE THAT CHANGE AS WELL.
AND, AND AGAIN, THIS IS FOR THE 2023 START IN THE SPRING.
I SAW THAT TODAY AND I NOTICED LEAVES ARE THE CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS.
THE LEAVES ARE GONNA BE COMING DOWN LATER.
WE MIGHT EVEN HAVE TO PUT DECEMBER 1ST, 2023 IF TO BE, YOU WOULD AGREE TO BE ON THE SAME SIDE.
SO JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU ARE INCREASING THE NOISE, UM, LEVEL FOR LEAF BLOWERS, IT WOULD NOT, IT WOULD NOT FOR THE NOISE ORDINANCE.
OH, NOT FOR THE NOISE ORDINANCE.
BASED ON WHAT I HANDED OUT NOW, THAT WOULD BE THE CASE.
BUT WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN SHEEHAN'S, UH, RECOMMENDATION, I WOULD, I WOULD PUT IT BACK TO 75.
WELL, I THINK IT SHOULD BE A CONCERN OF THE ENTIRE BOARD BECAUSE IF YOU INCREASE THE NOISE
[02:10:01]
LEVEL, THEN YOU'LL HAVE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS FROM RESIDENTS WITH RESPECT TO, UM, BACKYARD EVENTS.UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE'S A NOISE, UH, LEVEL INCREASE, UM, PEOPLE WILL LIKELY NOT BE HAPPY WITH THAT.
AND SO I THINK THAT THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, A MATTER TO KEEP, UH, IT UNDER CONSIDERATION.
SO I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF BANNING LEAF BLOWERS, WHICH THIS WOULD EFFECTIVELY DO EXCEPT BEFORE.
UM, AND SO I THINK WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO ALLOW LEAF BLOWING, YOU CAN'T MAKE IT SO THAT JUST BY USING WHAT YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE, YOU, YOU'RE IN VIOLATION OF OUR CODE.
SO THAT'S, WE JUST NEED TO ADDRESS IT.
WHATEVER THE DECIBEL LEVEL IS, IT CAN'T BE AMBIENT LEVELS.
YOU GO OUTSIDE IN OUR PARKING LOT IN THE TIP MIDDLE OF THE DAY, JUST USE YOUR, YOUR PHONE AND YOU'LL SEE THAT YOU'RE ABOUT 52 TO 55 DECIBELS AT TOWN HALL.
SO I, I COULD MAKE REVISIONS AND SEND AN EMAIL OUT TO THE ENTIRE BOARD FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AND SEE IF THERE ARE ANY FURTHER OKAY.
SO FRANCIS, YOU, YOU BASICALLY DON'T LIKE THE, THE TOTAL BEING RIGHT.
A TOTAL BENEFIT FOR THE TWO DAYS.
I, I JUST THINK THAT WE'RE MAKING, WE'RE GOING TO PASS THIS AND JUST MAKE DIFFERENT PEOPLE UPSET.
NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, 50% ARE GOING TO LOVE IT.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE 50%, UM, WHO LOVE IT AND 70 50% HATE IT.
WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW, I THINK WE'RE JUST GOING TO SHIFT THE COHORTS A LITTLE BIT.
AND, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF THAT'S THE WILL OF THE BOARD, UH, I'LL, I'LL GO ALONG WITH IT.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO BE PREPARED, UM, TO REVISIT IT, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AFTER WE TRY THIS.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE SIX IN ONE HAND, HAND DOESN'T IN THE OTHER.
BUT IT'S, IT'S ALSO BY LIMITING THE AMOUNT OF TIME IN THE WEEK THAT THEY CAN DO IT, YOU'RE INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD THAT DURING THESE PERIODS THAT WE ALLOW IT, IT'S GOING TO BE NEVER ENDING DURING THOSE PERIODS BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DO IT ON THE OTHER DAY.
YOU'LL HAVE MORE PEOPLE DOING IT ON THE FEWER DAYS.
FOR EXAMPLE, ON MONDAYS, I AND THE PEOPLE WORK FROM HOME ON MONDAYS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THEY COULD SWITCH THEIR DAYS, BUT THAT'S A, THAT'S A HEAVY, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO DO IT ON MONDAYS, BUT NOT ON TUESDAYS.
NO, THAT'S KIND OF, IT'S ALSO INTERESTING BECAUSE I WAS DOING A LOT OF BICYCLING SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AND UM, YOU KNOW, IN SCARSDALE I WENT AROUND S SCARSDALE AND THEY HAVE THE, UH, BATTERY POWER LEAF BLOWER LAW, AND IT WAS SO NOISY.
UM, EVEN WHAT THEY'RE DOING, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, AND THE, THE LEAVES WERE BLOWING WHILE WAS BICYCLING, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE BLOWING IN MY EYES AND IT WAS LIKE EVERY HOUSE ALMOST HAD THE LEAF BLOWERS.
AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THEY WERE ENFORCING THE LAW.
I I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE BLOWING THE GRASS CLIPPINGS OFF OF GRASS.
BUT YOU KNOW, I, I JUST ENVISION THAT WE ARE GOING TO HEAR EVEN MORE COMPLAINTS ONLY BECAUSE THERE'S CHANGE AND YEAH.
BUT I KNOW THAT THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE PUSHING.
SO I'LL, UH, I'LL GO ALONG WITH IT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
BUT I DON'T WANT US TO PASS A LAW THAT MAKES IT PRETEND THAT THEY COULD USE LEAF BLOWERS WHEN THEY REALLY CAN'T.
BY, BY HAVING 55 DECIBELS AS THE STANDARD, I WASN'T AWARE THAT THAT WAS THE CASE.
SO WITH, WITH THAT BEING KNOWN, IT MAKES SENSE TO MAKE THAT CORRECTION.
NOW I TAKE A LOOK AND SEE WHAT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES HAVE DONE IN THAT REGARD.
WHERE ARE WE? SO SPEAKING OF THE TIMEKEEPER, SPEAKING OF THE, SPEAKING OF THE C A C, UH, WE HAD TALKED ABOUT, UH, A, A DRAFT RESOLUTION DECREASING THE QUORUM NUMBER AT CAC MEETINGS.
AND GARRETT HAD DRAFTED, UM, A LOCAL LAW, UM, BUT HE FORGOT TO, OR, BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE IT ONTO THIS DRAFT AGENDA, SO
[02:15:01]
WHY DON'T WE PUT IT ON, HE INDICATED THAT HE WOULD SPEAK WITH JOAN TOMORROW AND HAVE IT ADDED TO THE HEARING.IT'S NOT TOO LATE BECAUSE THE DUE DATE IS REALLY TOMORROW THE 12TH.
IT'S JUST BECAUSE UNLESS SHE CHANGED IT, I DUNNO IF SHE DID, BUT THAT'LL BE TO, TO REDUCE THE QUORUM NUMBER FOR CAC.
I GUESS GARRETT JUMPED OFF THE, UH, HE'S ON HIS WAY HOME.
WELL, PAUL WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST READ ABOUT THE NEW YORK RESTORE, UM, AND LET ME JUST SEE SOMETHING.
SO THIS, I READ ABOUT IT MYSELF.
AND SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING, TRYING TO DO IS LIKE AN INFORMATION CAMPAIGN AS TO WHAT THEY YEAH.
YOU KNOW, UM, THEY'RE ENTITLED TO.
I JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING, BUT LET ME JUST SEE.
UM, I, I THOUGHT MAYBE WE COULD TRY GETTING SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE PROGRAM.
I THINK I, I THINK THAT THEY PROVIDE, UM, WHY DON'T WE DO THIS NEXT WEEK? YEAH.
I, I THINK MAYBE YOU COULD ASK JOAN.
'CAUSE I THINK THIS IS RUN BY THE, UH, COMMUNITY RENEWAL BOARD AND I THINK THERE'S A PROGRAM WHERE, YOU KNOW, THEY BASICALLY, UM, PROVIDE, UH, FINANCIAL RESOURCES TO SENIOR CITIZENS THAT MEET CERTAIN INCOME THIRST.
MAYBE WOULD THIS BE NORMAN NOR DRUMMOND DEPARTMENT? PROBABLY.
I I THINK YOU HAVE COMMUNITIES HAVE TO SIGN UP FOR IT.
AND I THINK GREENBERG HADN'T, HADN'T SIGNED UP.
I THINK THAT'S WHY I BROUGHT IT UP.
SO DO YOU WANNA HAVE YEAH, IF WE, IT COULD BE NEXT WEEK OR WHENEVER.
SO LET'S, SO WAIT, I JUST WANT, SO DO WE WANNA HAVE CRYSTAL GIVE MORE INFORMATION TO IT AND THEN SHE CAN GIVE IT TO JOAN FU TO CIRCULATE? SO THERE'S A WONDERFUL WEBSITE ON THIS.
AND I THOUGHT WHAT YOU WERE BASICALLY RAISING IS LET'S LET EVERYBODY KNOW TO GO TO THAT WEBSITE AND FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION TO SEE IF THEY, IF YOU QUALIFY.
I DID THE GREENBERG HAVE TO UP INTO THE PROGRAM? I'M NOT SURE.
UH, WE IN AUGUST, UH, GOVERNOR HOEL SIGNED SOME BILLS.
UM, AND THE OTHER BILLS WE HAVE OPTED INTO, AT THIS TIME, THE RESTORE PROGRAM.
WE HAVE NOT, AND FOR ANYONE LISTENING, RESTORE STAND, UH, STANDS FOR RESIDENTIAL EMERGENCY SERVICES TO OFFER HOME REPAIRS TO THE ELDERLY PROGRAM.
SO I COULD GET MORE INFORMATION OUT ON THAT.
SHOULD YOU WANT TO OPT INTO THAT PROGRAM BE FINE.
BECAUSE I DON'T SEE THIS BEING CONTROVERSIAL.
IT'S JUST THAT WE NO, I THINK THIS IS AN, THIS IS AN NO.
AND I THINK IT'S ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIC HOW THEY WORK THOSE WORDS INTO THE RESTORE.
THERE'S SOME PARENTHESES, BUT, SO WE'RE GOOD WITH THAT, I THINK.
SHALL WE GO ON TO THE NEXT, RIGHT.
PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD INTERVIEW DISCUSSION ARE TO THEM BY ZOOM.
ERIC, YOU'RE GONNA INVITE THEM BY ZOOM? NO ONE, WE'RE GONNA INTERVIEW THEM.
WE GONNA INVITE THEM BY TO FRANCIS, SAY WE WERE SUPPOSED TO INVITE THEM BY ZOOM, WE CAN INVITE 'EM BY ZOOM OR WE COULD HAVE THEM IN PERSON.
AND THE BOARD, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY INDICATED THEY NEEDED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE APPOINTMENTS CONFIRMED, RIGHT? I UNDERSTAND.
UM, THE PERSON WHO WANTED TO BE INTERVIEWED SENT THE MATERIALS TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE, AND THAT WAS NOT THEN TRANSFERRED TO, UH, JOAN
UM, SO IF WE COULD JUST RESOLVE THAT ISSUE AND GET HIS RESUME WITH JOAN, THEN WE CAN PUT HIM ON, UH, FOR INTERVIEW.
I, I'D LIKE TO DO SOME FACT FINDING ON THAT BECAUSE ANYONE WHO HAS, I CONTACTED ME ABOUT WANTING TO BE INTERVIEWED.
I WANNA KNOW WHO THAT PERSON WAS AND WHO IS, WHO IS CLAIMING THAT THEY SENT SOME INFORMATION TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
THE ACTUAL, THE, THE PERSON WHO WANTS TO BE ON THE ETHICS BOARD STATED THAT HE SENT HIS, UH, RESUME TO YOUR OFFICE.
BUT WHO DID HE, I, I NEED SOME FACT FINDING AGAIN.
I WANNA KNOW WHO HE SENT IT TO.
AND, UM, UH, THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY.
WE DON'T HAVE TIME, EVEN THOUGH WE DESPERATELY HAVE TO DO THIS.
DIDN'T WE DO THAT ALREADY THOUGH? I FEEL LIKE WE, WE HAVE SOMETHING, BUT WE HAVEN'T APPROVED IT.
[02:20:01]
WE HAD, WE HAVE, NOTHING'S BEEN APPROVED.WE, WELL, I DON'T THINK JOE WAS THERE.
I HAVE, I HAVE A DRAFT IN FRONT OF ME, AND I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE TOWN TO PASS THE SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY SO MUCH.
JUST STATE ON THE RECORD THAT WE, WE WILL BE PASSING ONE AND WE'LL HAVE TO ALL WORK ON ONE TOGETHER THAT WE ALL AGREE WITH THE WORDING.
AND WE DO GET QUITE A BIT OF EMAIL FROM COMPANIES, WHICH SAID, DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKES AS EVERYBODY ELSE DOES BY DOING THIS YOURSELVES.
SO WE MAY WANT TO EXPLORE SOME OF THOSE POSSIBILITIES AS WELL.
AND PAUL, DO YOU HAVE A MOTION? PAUL, YOU HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE.
I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE EVERY, UH, UH, GOING TO EXECUTIVE SESSION FOUR FOR, UH, THE PURPOSES OF DEALING WITH, UH, LEGAL AND, UM, LEGAL ADVICE AND PERSONNEL MATTERS.