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OKAY, WE ARE READY TO[CGR Forum on March 20, 2024.]
START OUR MEETING.SO I'M GONNA BEGIN BY INTRODUCING MYSELF.
UH, MY NAME IS ERICA ROSENBERG AND I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER FOR GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH, AND WE ARE HERE TODAY TO DISCUSS WITH YOU A REPORT THAT WE, GO AHEAD.
YEAH, PLEASE HOLD RECORDING IN PROGRESS.
I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER FOR GOVERNMENTAL RESEARCH.
WE'RE HERE TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT A DRAFT REPORT THAT WE ARE FINALIZING OVER THE NEXT WEEK OR SO ABOUT THE POSSIBLE FISCAL AND OPERATIONAL IMPACTS OF A VILLAGE INCORPORATION IN THE AREA OF EDGEMONT, IN THIS UNINCORPORATED PART OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
UM, SO ARE WE ROLLING WITH OUR PRESENTATION? PAUL? UH, I WILL START BY TELLING YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CGRC.
GR IS BASED IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.
WE'VE BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, REALLY AT THE CENTER OF OUR WORK.
WE HAVE DONE, UM, DOZENS OF MUNICIPAL STUDIES ON SERVICE DELIVERY, STRUCTURE, SHARED SERVICES, UH, VILLAGE DISSOLUTIONS, UM, CONSOLIDATION OF SERVICES AND THE LIKE.
UM, PAUL BISHOP, MY COLLEAGUE, WHO IS TWO SEATS DOWN FROM ME, REALLY HEADS THAT WORK AT CGR.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, ON OUR TEAM, UH, REPRESENTED TONIGHT.
ALINA SANTIAGO, A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE AT CGR, IF YOU WANNA JUST RAISE YOUR HAND.
UM, AND THEN OUR PARTNER IN THIS WORK HAS BEEN PATRICIA DWYER, UM, BESIDE ME HERE FROM, UH, SOURCED MUNICIPAL SOLUTIONS.
UM, THAT'S A FIRM THAT SHE FOUNDED AFTER WORKING FOR 30 YEARS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AS A LOCAL GOVERNMENT, UH, VILLAGE MANAGER, VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR, A LOT OF THAT TIME HERE IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY.
SO WE'RE REALLY PLEASED TO HAVE, UM, PATTY'S EXPERTISE WITH US AS WELL.
SO, A FEW THINGS ABOUT TODAY'S PRESENTATION AND OUR REPORT.
UM, THE PRESENTATION THAT WE ARE MAKING AND THAT WE ARE, UM, ADDITIONALLY HAVING EXTRA COPIES MADE.
UM, SO THOSE WILL BE AVAILABLE TO AUDIENCE MEMBERS HOPEFULLY WHILE WE'RE, UM, PRESENTING.
UM, IT IS, IT DOES GO OVER THE KEY ISSUES IN OUR DRAFT REPORT AND THE REPORT THAT WE'VE DRAFTED.
AND I, AS I SAID, ARE IN THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING, FOLLOWS ROUGHLY THE OUTLINE PRESCRIBED BY THE NEW STATE LAW ON VILLAGE IN CORPORATIONS.
EVEN THOUGH THAT PROBABLY IS NOT GOING TO APPLY TO THIS CASE, WE WANTED TO COVER THE SAME TYPES OF MATERIAL SO THAT THIS COMMUNITY COULD BE AS INFORMED AS POSSIBLE.
UH, REGARDING THE ISSUES RELATED TO VILLAGE INCORPORATION.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS REPORT FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
OVER THE COURSE OF THAT TIME, WE HAVE CONNECTED WITH TOWN REPRESENTATIVES AND WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE INCORPORATION EFFORT, AS WELL AS INDEPENDENT EXPERTS, UM, AND OTHERS IN THE FIELD OF MUNICIPAL SERVICE AND STRUCTURE.
AND WE, AND OVER THE LAST WEEK OR SO, UM, WE'VE BEEN COLLECTING FEEDBACK FROM SOME OF THOSE KEY STAKEHOLDERS, UM, WITHIN THE TOWN OF GREENBERG AND WITHIN THE, UM, INCORPORATION, THE EDGEMONT INCORPORATION COMMITTEE.
SO WE ARE PROCESSING THAT FEEDBACK NOW, AND WE ARE HERE TO TALK TO YOU, BUT ALSO TO LISTEN TO YOU, UM, TO TRY TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS AND TO LISTEN TO YOUR FEEDBACK AGAIN AS WE FINALIZE OUR REPORT TO MEET A STATUTORY DEADLINE THAT WE HAVE OF APRIL 1ST.
AND I'LL JUST SAY, I THINK YOU ALL KNOW THIS, BUT AFTER OUR PRESENTATION, YOU KNOW, THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK QUESTIONS AND TO SPEAK.
WE ARE ASKING FOLKS AND WILL BE KEEPING TIME, UM, SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE A CHANCE.
HOPEFULLY EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO, HAS A CHANCE TO, UH, SPEAK.
SO THAT WILL BE A THREE MINUTE, UM, TIME LIMIT.
UH, THIS STUDY HAS BEEN FUNDED BY SENATOR STEWART COUSINS'S OFFICE, AND AGAIN, IT'S AIMED AT, UM, INFORMING BOTH COMMUNITIES ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD BE AFFECTED BY INCORPORATION FINANCIALLY AND WITH THEIR SERVICES.
AND REALLY OUR ONLY PURPOSE IS TO INFORM RESIDENTS BEST WE CAN.
UH, WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY JUDGMENT ON THE MERITS OF THE INCORPORATION QUESTION, NOR ARE WE MAKING ANY RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, IN, IN REGARDS TO THIS ISSUE AT ALL.
SO WHILE WE ARE, UM, NOT MAKING A JUDGMENT, WE DO HAVE TO MAKE JUDGMENT CALLS IN THE COURSE OF CREATING OUR ANALYSIS.
UM, AND YOU WILL HEAR TONIGHT SOME OF THOSE JUDGMENT CALLS THAT WE ARE MAKING, UM, CALLED INTO QUESTION, AND THAT'S FAIR.
UM, PEOPLE MAY BE READING THE INFORMATION AND THE FACTS DIFFERENT THAN WE ARE, AND YOU'RE GONNA HEAR SOME OF THAT, I'M SURE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES THIS EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT IS THAT VILLAGE IN CORPORATIONS, THE CREATION OF NEW VILLAGES IS RARE.
SO IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES,
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WE'VE ONLY HAD A HANDFUL OF THEM.AND THE SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES OF THOSE VILLAGE IN CORPORATIONS ARE NOT A GOOD MATCH FOR WHAT WE FIND HERE IN EDGEMONT IN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
UM, THEY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF APPLICABILITY TO THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ANSWER HERE.
SO IN ON SOME OF THE KEY QUESTIONS, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PRECEDENT OR CLEAR LEGAL, UM, GUIDANCE ON HOW THEY WOULD BE SETTLED, WHICH LEAVES US WITH A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING SOME OF THE KEY QUESTIONS, UM, THAT ARE FACING THE COMMUNITY AROUND THIS ISSUE OF INCORPORATION.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES IS ALSO QUITE OBVIOUS.
WE DON'T HAVE, YOU DON'T HAVE A VILLAGE HERE IN EDGEMONT.
WE DON'T HAVE AN ELECTED BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
SO, UM, IF THE VILLAGE WERE TO BE INCORPORATED AND A MAYOR WAS ELECTED AND A BOARD OF TRUSTEES WAS ELECTED, UH, THEY REALLY COULD DO THINGS VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN THE WAY WE'VE OUTLINED THEM IN OUR REPORT, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE TO ALSO KEEP THAT VERY IMPORTANT CAVEAT IN MIND, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER THINGS, UM, INCLUDING UNCERTAINTY AROUND HOW A NEW VILLAGE AND THE TOWN MIGHT RESOLVE SOME SIGNIFICANT DISAGREEMENTS OVER ISSUES LIKE WATER PROVISION AND DEBT, WHICH AGAIN, YOU'LL HEAR A LOT MORE ABOUT.
SO BEFORE WE GET ROLLING, REALLY WITH THE MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS, WE DID WANNA PROVIDE AN OVERALL PICTURE OF PROPERTY TAXES IN THIS AREA.
UM, SO THE TOP BAR THERE IS SHOWING THE LOCAL PROPERTY TAX PICTURE FOR THE EDGEMONT AREA REPRESENTED BY THE, WHICH INCLUDES TAXES FOR THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT AND THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
AND THE LOWER BAR IS SHOWING, UM, KIND OF A SAMPLE OF THE UNINCORPORATED AREA.
SO YOU'LL SEE THE OVERALL PROPERTY TAX BURDEN IS HIGHER IN THE EDGEMONT AREA.
UM, THAT'S NOT BECAUSE OF THE TOWN TAX, RIGHT? THAT'S THE SAME.
UM, THE MAIN POINT WE WANTED TO MAKE HERE IS THAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, UH, PORTION OF THE PROPERTY TAX BILL IS A RELATIVELY SMALL SHARE.
UM, MOST OF LOCAL PROPERTY TAXES GOES TO SCHOOLS, UM, WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT OR IN THIS CASE THE GREENBURG SCHOOLS.
SO TO SPECIFY THE AREA IN QUESTION, UM, WE ARE TOLD BY INCORPORATION ADVOCATES THAT THE AREA THAT IS, UH, POSSIBLY GOING TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A NEW VILLAGE IS GOING TO ROUGHLY AT LEAST FOLLOW THE BOUNDARIES OF THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT.
AND, UH, WE DON'T KNOW THE EXACT BOUNDARIES, UH, THAT HASN'T BEEN SHARED WITH US.
UM, THE CLOSEST PROXY TO THE POPULATION FOR THE NEW VILLAGE WOULD BE THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT AREA, AGAIN, IS WHAT THE INCORPORATION ADVOCATES HAVE SHARED WITH US.
AND, UM, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE A PICTURE OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG OUTLINED IN, UH, BLACK AS WELL AS THE VILLAGES OUTLINED IN GRAY.
AND THEN THAT GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT, WHICH WOULD BE THE INCORPORATED AREA SHOWN IN RED.
AND THEN THE REST OF THE UNINCORPORATED TOWN OF GREENBURG, UM, ARE THE, THE POLYGONS THAT I DIDN'T JUST MENTION.
UH, WE WILL BE SHARING WITH YOU A WEBSITE THAT INCLUDES A LOT OF THE INFORMATION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.
AND, AND ALSO WE'LL INCLUDE AN INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THIS MAP.
UM, SO A FEW MORE WORDS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, MORE BROADLY SPEAKING.
UM, WE DID WANNA JUST OUTLINE SOME OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE AREA.
THE, UM, POPULATION THAT LIVES WITHIN THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES IS ALMOST 8,000 PEOPLE.
THE UNINCORPORATED TOWN OF GREENBURG IS A LITTLE MORE THAN 46,000 PEOPLE.
SO THE TOWN, UM, THE UNINCORPORATED TOWN WITHOUT EDGEMONT, IF EDGEMONT WERE TO INCORPORATE, WOULD BE, UM, ABOUT 38 AND THOUSAND PEOPLE.
UM, SO WE DO THAT MATH TO GET THAT RESULT.
AND THEN WE WANTED TO LOOK AT HOW THE RACIAL AND ETHNIC PROFILE OF THE COMMUNITY MIGHT CHANGE.
UH, THE POPULATION WITHIN THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT, UM, IS, UH, IS, UH, 54% WHITE.
THERE'S ALSO A SIZABLE ASIAN POPULATION.
YOU CAN SEE ABOUT A THIRD OF THE POPULATION.
SO IF THAT POPULATION WERE TO GET SUBTRACTED FROM THE UNINCORPORATED TOWN OF GREENBURG, THE, UM, COLUMN THERE ON THE SLIDE, TOV WITHOUT EDGEMONT, UM, SHOWS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE RACIAL AND ETHNIC MAKEUP OF THAT UNINCORPORATED TOWN.
AND YOU CAN SEE IT WOULD BECOME A LITTLE LESS WHITE, UM, A LITTLE LESS ASIAN AND A LITTLE MORE, UM, LATINO OR HISPANIC, AND A LITTLE MORE AFRICAN AMERICAN.
NOT MAJOR SHIFTS, BUT SOME CHANGES.
AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILE OF THE AREA, WE DON'T HAVE, UM, EXACTLY THE SAME STATISTICS BECAUSE OF HOW THE DATA WORKS IN CENSUS.
AND I CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IF FOLKS ARE INTERESTED.
UM, BUT LOOKING A LITTLE BIT AT THE POVERTY RATE, UM, ALL OF THESE MUNICIPALITIES SHOWN THE VILLAGES, THE TOWN OF GREENBURG, UM, HAVE A RELATIVELY LOW POVERTY RATE, WHICH IS NOT TO
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SAY POVERTY IS NOT A PROBLEM, BUT COMPARED TO THE STATE OR THE NATION, UM, IT DOES TEND TO BE LOWER HERE.AND, UH, THE, THE LOWER POVERTY RATES ARE IN A COUPLE OF THE VILLAGES AND IN THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT WHERE YOU FIND A POVERTY RATE BELOW 2%.
AND THE MEDIAN INCOME, UM, IS HIGHEST IN SOME OF THOSE PLACES AS WELL, INCLUDING THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
THE CENSUS, UM, HAS A LITTLE BIT OF AN UNUSUAL VALUE THAT THEY'RE GIVING FOR THAT AT 250,000 PLUS.
SO WHEN WE BEGAN OUR WORK TO LOOK AT THE FISCAL AND OPERATIONAL IMPACTS OF INCORPORATION, THE FIRST THING WE NEEDED TO DO WAS TO CREATE A HYPOTHETICAL VILLAGE IN EDGEMONT.
AND WE HAD TWO MAJOR INPUTS INTO OUR PROCESS FOR DOING THIS.
THE FIRST WAS THE VISION OUTLINED BY INCORPORATION ADVOCATES.
UM, THEY HAVE INDICATED THAT THEY BELIEVE A NEW VILLAGE COULD ADOPT A, WHAT YOU MIGHT CALL SKINNY FORM OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MEANING THAT THEY WOULDN'T CREATE, UM, DEPARTMENTS AND PROVIDE EVERY MUNICIPAL SERVICE, UM, THEMSELVES AS THE VILLAGE, BUT THEY WOULD CONTRACT FOR SOME, UM, LARGE AND IMPORTANT SERVICES FROM OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OR OTHER SOURCES.
UM, SO WE TAKE THAT AS AN INPUT INTO THAT PROCESS.
UM, AND THEN WE ALSO RESEARCHED INDEPENDENTLY SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES THAT WOULD COME UP WERE THIS TO HAPPEN.
WE ALSO CREATED, UM, A VILLAGE BUDGET BASED ON COMPARABLE VILLAGES RIGHT HERE IN GREENBURG.
UM, SO AGAIN, IT WAS THE EICS VISION, BUT REALLY SUPPLEMENTED WITH A LOT OF OUR OWN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND JUDGMENT ABOUT HOW THIS WOULD REALLY NEED TO HAPPEN IF THE VILLAGE WERE CREATED.
SO, JUST A QUICK WORD OF TERMS. I'M SURE MOST PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM PROBABLY KNOW THIS ALREADY, UM, BUT WE WILL BE USING THESE TERMS AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE UNDERSTOOD THEM.
UM, TOV STANDS FOR TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGES.
THAT'S REPRESENTED IN THE TOWN BUDGET BY THE B FUND, AND THAT'S THE LARGEST FUND.
106 MILLION IS TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA OF EDGEMONT IN 2024.
THE TOWN WIDE FUND SERVICES, THE ENTIRE TOWN, INCLUDING THE SIX EXISTING VILLAGES, THAT'S CALLED THE A FUND, AND THAT IS MUCH SMALLER, UM, BUT STILL IMPORTANT OF COURSE, AT 26 MILLION IN 2024.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO MY COLLEAGUE, PAUL BISHOP, TO PRESENT SOME OF THE DETAILS ON, UM, OUR MODEL AND OUR THINKING ABOUT IN EDGEMONT VILLAGE.
SO AS WE BEGAN TO, UH, DEVELOP THE MODEL, UM, WE WANTED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS THE CURRENT STATE OF THE AREA OF EDGEMONT, AND THE, THE RESIDENTS IN THAT AREA RECEIVE ALMOST ALL THEIR MUNICIPAL SERVICES THROUGH THE TOWN OF GREENBURG TODAY.
UM, THEIR POLICE, THEIR AMBULANCE AND ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT HIGHWAY, PUBLIC WORKS, BUILDING, CODE ENFORCEMENT PARK, SANITATION, UM, PLANNING, ZONING COURTS ARE ALL MANAGED THROUGH THE TOWN.
SOME SERVICES ARE, ARE HANDLED BY THE COUNTY.
UM, WATER IS ONE OF THE, THE, THE KEY SERVICES THAT, THAT YOU'LL HEAR US TALK ABOUT THIS EVENING.
AND THAT'S PROVIDED THROUGH THE CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT IN THE TOWN, WHICH IS, UM, PART OF THE, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
THE SEWER SERVICE IS, UM, A COMBINATION.
THE MAIN TRUNK LINES ARE MANAGED BY THE COUNTY, AND THEN THE TOWN MANAGES THE, UH, THE COLLECTION MAINS FIRE PROTECTION SERVICES AND EMT FIRST RESPONSE ARE PART OF THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT.
AND THIS IS TYPICAL IN THE TOWN WHERE A FIRE DISTRICT OR FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT IS DESIGNATED BY THE TOWN AS TO WHO IS PROVIDING THAT SERVICE.
UM, AND IN THIS CASE IT'S THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'LL BE.
UM, WHAT THE, THE AREA THAT WOULD BECOME EDGEMONT IS VERY EQUIVALENT TO, ALTHOUGH WE HAVEN'T SEEN THE MAP, WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE'S ALSO, UM, ACCESS FOR PARKER FOR PARKING, UM, FOR COMMUTER RAIL, UH, THROUGH THE, THE HARTSDALE PUBLIC PARKING DISTRICT OR HPPD AS YOU'LL SEE, ABBREVIATED AS WE GO ALONG.
SO, AS WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE THIS MODEL, RUNNING A GOVERNMENT IS COMPLEX AND WE NEEDED TO, TO TRY AND MAKE IT EASY FOR FOLKS TO UNDERSTAND.
AND THE WAY WE DID THAT IS WE DECIDED WE'RE GONNA TAKE WHAT FOR ONE YEAR OF THE VILLAGE OPERATING.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF UNKNOWN AROUND IT, UH, THAT WE EXCLUDED, WAS WHAT WOULD THE STARTUP COST BE? AND THERE'S SOME ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THERE WOULD BE A FAIR AMOUNT OF STARTUP COSTS, THERE WOULD BE TIME AND ENERGY, UM, NEEDED TO CREATE A VILLAGE CODE.
AND THERE WOULD LIKELY HAVE TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSULTANTS AND, YOU KNOW, CONSULTANTS INVOLVED TO BEGIN, UM, SCOPING OUT THE DIFFERENT AR SERVICE AREAS, UH, FINDING A PLACE FOR THE VILLAGE HALL TO BE ACQUIRING THE, THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT.
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SO THERE IS A, A STARTUP COST INVOLVED, AND WE DON'T INCLUDE THAT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT THE, UH, THE OPERATIONS WOULD BE.SO WHAT WE MODELED IS WHAT WOULD A FUNCTIONAL VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT HAVE LOOKED LIKE HAD IT EXISTED IN 2024.
SO WE USED THOSE COSTS TO BE ABLE TO, TO CREATE THAT MODEL.
SO THERE'S SOME BASIC THINGS THAT EVERY VILLAGE HAS TO DO.
ONE IS IT HAS TO HAVE AN ADMINISTRATION BY LAW.
THE FIRST EMPLOYEE OF A VILLAGE IS A CLERK.
AS SOON AS THE VILLAGE IS CREATED, THEY HAVE TO HIRE A CLERK, AND THAT CLERK HELPS MANAGE THE, UH, ELECTIONS.
AND THEN THERE'S A MAYOR AND THERE'S A BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND A TREASURER IS A, IS HIRED, ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES THE A CLERK ALSO SERVES IN THAT ROLE, YOU CAN HAVE A DUAL CLERK TREASURER.
AND WE TOOK A LOOK AT WHAT WERE THE, THE SERVICES THAT WERE COMMON IN THIS AREA, UM, AND WHAT WERE THE COMMUNICATION ABOUT WHAT THE, THE VISION WAS FOR THIS VILLAGE.
AND WE DECIDED THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE A BUILDING DEPARTMENT.
THERE WOULD BE PLANNING AND ZONING BOARDS THAT WOULD BE CREATED, BUT THERE WAS A DESIRE TO, TO HAVE A TERM SKINNY VILLAGE WHERE THE VILLAGE WOULD NOT BE PROVIDING ALL THE SERVICES DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
THERE WAS A DESIRE TO CONTRACT.
NOW, THAT'S A MODEL THAT'S NOT COMMON IN THIS PART OF, OF THE WORLD, BUT IT'S USED IN OTHER PARTS WHERE YOU HAVE A, A GOVERNMENT THAT EXISTS AND ALL IT DOES IS REALLY NEGOTIATE AND HIRE OTHER PEOPLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES.
AND THE DESIRE WAS TO BE ABLE TO HIRE, UM, THE TOWN OF GREENBURG TO PROVIDE A LOT OF THE SAME SERVICES THAT ARE BEING PROVIDED TODAY.
THE SENSE THAT WAS SHARED WITH US IS THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS PART, WHO, WHO LIVE IN THE EDGEMONT AREA, ARE HAPPY WITH THE SERVICES THEY'RE RECEIVING TODAY.
THEY DON'T REALLY WANT TO CHANGE THEM, BUT THEY WANNA HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONTROL OVER THEM.
AND OVER SOME OF THE, THE, UH, THE PLANNING AND ZONING DECISIONS AS WE CREATED THIS.
WE ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE DECISION THAT REGARDING POLICE, UM, THAT THE VILLAGE WASN'T GONNA CREATE ITS OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT IN STATE LAW.
WHAT HAPPENS, AND WE'LL, WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS LATER, BUT IF A VILLAGE DOESN'T HAVE A POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE TOWN WHERE IT IS, DOES THE TOWN IS OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE POLICE SERVICES, IT'S VERY CLEAR IN STATE LAW.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE MODELED AS PART OF IT.
AND ALSO BECAUSE THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT WOULD BE CO-TERMINUS OR ENCOMPASSED INSIDE THE, UH, THE NEW VILLAGE, IT WOULD BECOME A PART OF THE VILLAGE.
SO THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT WOULD BECOME THE, UH, EDGEMONT FIRE DEPARTMENT.
SO WHAT ARE THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS? THE FIRST ONE WAS THE EASIEST ONE.
WE KNOW WHAT COST TO OPERATE THE VILLAGE FIRE OR THE, UH, GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT.
SO WE MOVED THAT, AND THAT BECAME THE COST FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
THEN WE TOOK A LOOK AT HOW WOULD THE CONTRACTS CONCEIVABLY WORK, AND WE USED A, UM, REALLY TAXABLE ASSESSED VALUE FOR MOST OF THESE COSTS.
THAT'S HOW THE, UH, THIS AREA IS PAYING FOR THESE SERVICES TODAY.
THAT'S HOW YOU ALL PAY FOR IT ON YOUR PROPERTY TAXES.
YOU PAY A SHARE TOWARDS THE TOWN BUDGET.
AND THAT WAS, WE ARE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE SHARE OF THE, UM, THE AREA OF EDGEMONT AND WHAT'S THE PART OF THE HIGHWAY FUND, WHAT IS THE PART OF SANITATION SERVICES, WHAT WOULD THE PART OF THE LIBRARY FUND BE? AND WE INCLUDED THAT AS INTER MUNICIPAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE VILLAGE AND THE TOWN.
WE ALSO INCLUDED THAT THE VILLAGE WOULD PAY FOR A PORTION OF THE TOWN'S DEBT.
SO THE PORTION OF THE DEBT THAT WOULD EXIST IN AT AN INCORPORATION, WHICH WE ARE FOR OUR MODELING PURPOSES, USING AS 2024.
UM, WE'RE USING THE DEBT THAT EXISTED AT THE END OF 2023 TO PROJECT WHAT THE SHARE WOULD BE FOR THIS AREA GOING FORWARD.
THIS HAS 10 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, PLUS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS ANOTHER 30.
SO THE VILLAGE WOULD HAVE 40 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES WHEN IT STARTED.
THE VILLAGE RESIDENTS WOULD CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THEIR POLICE SERVICES FROM THE TOWN, AND THEY WOULD PAY THE SAME WAY THEY ARE NOW.
THEIR SHARE OF THE PROPERTY TAX THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH OPERATING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS HOW WE MODELED IT.
SO THE TOTAL COST FOR THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES IN THE VILLAGE WOULD BE, UM, JUST UNDER $31 MILLION.
SO WHAT IS THE IMPACT IF THAT MODEL CAME TO BE THE EDGEMONT VILLAGE? RESIDENTS PAY ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL OF TAXES FOR THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES THEY'RE RECEIVING TODAY.
RESIDENTS OF THE UNINCORPORATED TOWN OF GREENBURG SEE A, A MINIMAL INCREASE IF THERE ARE INNER MUNICIPAL AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE TWO.
BUT WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE WOULD BE A
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LOWER DEMAND FOR SOME OF THESE SERVICES.UM, AND SO WE MODEL THAT THE TOWN WOULD NEED TO CUT ABOUT 7% OF COSTS IN THE MAJORITY OF THE DEPARTMENTS IN THE TOWN TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THIS WORK.
SO HIGHWAY DPW SANITATION AND LIBRARY WOULD REMAIN AT THE SAME INCOME BECAUSE OF THE INTERM MUNICIPAL AGREEMENTS.
BUT FOR EXAMPLE, THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE LESS RESPONSIBILITY THAN IT DOES TODAY BECAUSE EDGEMONT WOULD BE HANDLING ITS OWN BUILDING INSPECTIONS.
SO THAT WOULD BE AN AREA WHERE THEY WOULD NOT NEED TO BE AS MUCH STAFF IN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
SO THIS TABLE IS A PROJECTION OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WITH TAX RATES.
AND I REALIZE SEEING IT ON THE SCREEN, IT LOOKS SMALL, AND THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE THE PRESENTATION IN FRONT OF YOU ARE LOOKING AND IT'S NOT THERE.
UM, BECAUSE ERIC AND I ADDED THAT THIS, WE DECIDED THIS WAS IMPORTANT.
WE HAD IT IN THE, UH, THE REPORT AND WE SAID WE NEED TO BRING IT INTO HERE TONIGHT.
AND WHEN WE POST, UM, THINGS ON OUR WEBSITE, WE WILL INCLUDE IT THERE.
BUT THIS IS THE MATH EXERCISE ABOUT THE, THE COLUMN AT THE FURTHEST LEFT IS WHAT THE CURRENT SITUATION IS.
UM, AND THAT TOTALS AT $10, UM, AND 23.90 CENTS, UH, PER THOUSAND OF ASSESSED VALUE FOR PROPERTIES IN THE EDGEMONT AREA TODAY.
THIS EXCLUDES THE COUNTY TAX AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TAX THAT WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
SO THIS IS ALL JUST TAX RUNNING THAT WE CAN'T SEE.
I, UH, IT'S, IT'S REALLY NOT DUE.
AND, UH, AGAIN, WE WILL, THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE, THE IMPORTANT ONE.
SO IT'S, IT'S $10, 23, $10 AND 24 CENTS.
AND THEN AFTER INCORPORATION, UM, WITH ALL THE COSTS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, WE BELIEVE THAT, THAT THE ESTIMATE WOULD BE ABOUT $10 AND 25 CENTS FOR THESE AREAS.
NOW, THERE WERE A LOT OF CAVEATS ONTO THAT.
THIS FOLLOW YOUR, THIS, THIS IS THE ONLY SLIDE THAT IS
THIS PARTICULAR CHART IS NOT IN THAT PRESENTATION BECAUSE WE, UM, THOUGHT ABOUT ADDING IT EARLIER AND REMEMBERED IT WHILE WE WERE SITTING UP HERE, AND SO WE JUST ADDED IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, I, I WANTED A LOT OF THE, THE DISCUSSION ABOUT POTENTIAL IMPACT FOR TAXES.
UM, TAX RATES CHANGE EVERY YEAR AND THEY GO UP BY A HANDFUL OF PERCENT OR DOWN IN RARE CASES.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, PROPERTY TAX IS ALWAYS SHIFTING A LITTLE BIT.
AND THE ESTIMATES THAT WE HAVE ARE, THERE'S A, A MARGIN OF ERROR WITH THEM.
SO WHAT WE'RE ESSENTIALLY WANNA SAY WITH THAT MODEL IS THAT THERE'S NOT MUCH CHANGE IN THE COST FOR A RESIDENT IN THE EDGEMONT AREA IF THESE OTHER PARTS OF THE MODEL COME INTO BEING, WHICH WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE, THE LIKELIHOOD OF THAT IN A MINUTE.
UM, BUT WE, WE WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS THEY, AS WE DEVELOP THE MODEL, THERE IS A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK WHERE THESE AREA, THIS PART OF TOWN DOESN'T SEE MUCH OF AN INCREASE AND NEITHER DOES THE REST OF THE TOWN.
SO AN IMPORTANT NOTE, WATER AND SEWER, UM, ARE SET ASIDE THE BASE MODEL.
MY, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, PATRICIA'S GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT IN IN A FEW MINUTES HERE.
THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS FOR WATER AND SEWER ARE NOT INCLUDED DUE TO THE UNCERTAIN PICTURE REGARDING SOME OF THESE SPECIAL DISTRICTS.
THE COSTS FOR THOSE SERVICES COULD GO UP DEPENDING ON HOW THOSE ISSUES ARE RESOLVED.
SO SOME OF THE CAVEATS, THE COST TO EDGEMONT WOULD BE HIGHER AND COULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IF THEY DON'T REMAIN IN THE EXISTING WATER DISTRICT AND HAD TO PRODU PURSUE AN ALTERNATIVE.
UM, SIMILARLY, EDGE BOND'S BURDEN WOULD BE HEAVIER IF THE TOWN REQUIRED IT TO HELP PAY COSTS FOR GENERAL LITIGATION TAX OR, UM, THESE ARE THE REFUNDS DUE TO PROPERTIES THAT WERE ASSESSED AT A HIGHER LEVEL, PAID TAXES AT THOSE LEVELS, AND THEN CHALLENGE THE ASSESSMENT AND THEY RECEIVE A REFUND LATER.
AND THEN THE FUTURE OF OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS, MAINLY HEALTH INSURANCE COSTS FOR TOWN RETIREES.
NOW, THESE COSTS ARE NOT TYPICALLY PART OF WHAT A VILLAGE HAS TO PAY WHEN IT INCORPORATES.
UM, BUT SOME OF THEM, OPE, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS NOT BEEN A TERM THAT WE'VE USED FOR MORE THAN THE LAST 10 OR 15 YEARS.
PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT FUTURE EXPENSE.
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IT'S NOT REALLY COVERED IN EITHER PAST PRECEDENT OR IN STATE LAW.SO THIS IS TREADING NEW GROUND AS AS IF THIS VILLAGE WERE TO BE FORMED GOING FORWARD, WOULD IT HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS LIABILITY THAT WAS INCURRED UNDER ITS WATCH? YES.
I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IMPACT ON PARKS.
THIS IS A COMPLICATED PICTURE.
TYPICALLY, A TOWN CAN OWN AND OPERATE A PARK IN A VILLAGE.
THERE'S A NUMBER OF EXAMPLES FOR THAT, UM, ACROSS NEW YORK, HOWEVER, IN GREENBURG, THERE'S THE DEN LAW.
UM, AND THAT CREATES A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT PICTURE, UM, THAT REQUIRES THAT PARKS IN UNINCORPORATED GREENBURG ARE SUPPORTED BY AND AVAILABLE TWO RESIDENTS OF UNINCORPORATED TOWN ONLY.
AND THE CONVERSE OF THAT IS THAT WHEN A PARK EXISTS INSIDE A VILLAGE TOWN, OUTSIDE VILLAGE RESIDENTS AND THE TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGE FUNDS AREN'T GENERALLY USED TO SUPPORT IT.
THERE ARE CERTAIN FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS THAT SUPERSEDE THIS, UM, AND REQUIRE BROADER ACCESS.
HOWEVER, IN THE EVENT OF VILLAGE IN CORPORATION, THE TOWN IS SAYING THAT IT WOULD NOT SUPPORT AND WOULD SEEK TO DIVE, INVEST, UM, FROM THE PARKS LOCATED IN EDGEMONT BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO, COULD NOT AFFORD TO SUPPORT THEM.
THAT WOULD AFFECT, UH, THE GREENBURG NATURE CENTER, CRANES POND AND SWA AL PARK.
SO WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE SCENARIOS ARE, RIGHT? WE DECIDE THIS MODEL BASED ON WHAT WE BELIEVE COULD HAPPEN.
UM, BUT WE REALIZE THAT THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT COULD CAUSE THAT NOT TO COME INTO PLACE.
ONE, THE VILLAGE DOES NOT CONTRACT WITH THE TOWN OF GREENBURG FOR THE SERVICES WE DISCUSSED.
UM, OR THE TOWN CHOOSES NOT TO CONTRACT WITH THE VILLAGE.
THE VILLAGE COULD CONTRACT WITH ANOTHER ENTITY, MUNICIPAL OR PRIVATE, OR CREATE ITS OWN DEPARTMENT TO HANDLE SANITATION, SEWER, HIGHWAY DPW SERVICES.
UM, THE ONGOING OPERATING COSTS ARE LIKELY TO BE SIMILAR FOR THOSE.
UM, HOWEVER, THE CAPITAL COSTS COULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE VILLAGE HAD TO CREATE ITS OWN DPW, IT WOULD HAVE TO ACQUIRE THE EQUIPMENT, A PLACE TO STORE IT, UM, AND HAVE TO MAINTAIN IT GOING FORWARD FOR THE LIBRARY.
THE VILLAGE COULD CONTRACT, UH, AT A LOWER COST WITH ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY SUCH AS ELMSFORD, WHICH ALREADY HA OR WITH LEY, WHICH ELMSFORD ALREADY DOES.
UM, SO THERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT HAPPENING IN THIS COMMUNITY ALREADY.
SO TAKING A LOOK AT THE, THE ALTERNATIVE SCENARIO, UM, THE EDGE AND MOUNT VILLAGE RESIDENTS COULD PAY MORE OR LESS FOR THE VILLAGE OPERATIONS, DEPENDING ON HOW THE CONTRACT AMOUNTS COME IN.
THE CAPITAL COSTS AND DEBT WOULD LIKELY RISE IF THE VILLAGE FORMED ITS OWN DEPARTMENT FOR HIGHWAY AND SANITATION.
THE TOWN WOULD NOT RECEIVE NEARLY $5 MILLION IN THE CONTRACT REVENUE THAT WE HAD INCLUDED IN OUR MODEL FROM THE VILLAGE.
UH, THEREFORE, THE RESIDENTS OF THE UNINCORPORATED TOWN OF GREENBURG WOULD SEE A ABOUT A A FIVE AND HALF PERCENT INCREASE IN TAXES FOR GENERAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES.
UM, AND THAT STILL ASSUMES THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME BUDGET CUTS TO MAKE THAT MODEL WORK.
SO FIVE AND HALF PERCENT ON A, A HOME OF A MILLION DOLLARS, UM, IN THIS AREA, A MILLION DOLLARS OF ASSESSED VALUE MAKES IT EASY FOR ME TO DO MATH THAT WAY.
UM, IS ABOUT $540 A YEAR IN DIFFERENCE IN THE TAX BURDEN TOO MUCH.
SO THE OTHER SCENARIOS, UM, WE DID NOT MODEL.
AND WHY, SO THE VILLAGE FORMS ITS OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE BELIEVE THE VILLAGE HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR ABOUT THIS.
THEY DON'T WANNA HAVE A POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND THERE IS A VERY CLEAR, UM, STATEMENT.
AND, AND, AND STATE LAW REQUIRES THE TOWN TO DO SO IF THE VILLAGE CHOOSES NOT TO.
UM, ALSO, IF THE VILLAGE HAS TO OBTAIN WATER IN A WAY OTHER THAN THROUGH THE EXISTING DISTRICT, THAT IS THEIR STATED PREFERENCE IS TO HAVE THE, UH, THE EXISTING, UM, GREENBERG CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT NUMBER ONE, PROVIDE THEIR SERVICE.
BUT THERE'S UNCERTAIN LEGAL UNCERTAINTY AROUND EDGE RESPONSIBILITY TO REMAIN IN THE DISTRICT.
UM, THERE ARE SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES WHICH WE'LL GET INTO IN A MINUTE, UM, THAT MAKE IT VERY COMPLEX FOR US TO MODEL.
AND, AND THERE'S REALLY NOT ASSOCIATED COSTS WITH THAT.
WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT SOME, UM, NEARBY MUNICIPALITIES WHO USE THESE OTHER MODELS PAY FOR WATER.
AND WE WILL BE INCLUDING THAT AS PART OF OUR FINAL REPORT.
UM, AND ALSO IF THE VILLAGE MUST SH UH, PAY FOR A SHARE OF THE TOWN OF
[00:30:01]
GREENBURG'S LITIGATION TAX, ER, AND THE, THE FUTURE OPE COSTS.NOW THIS IS, UH, SIGNIFICANT EXPENSES, UM, BUT WE HAVE NOT FOUND A PRECEDENT FOR THIS.
AND WE TALKED WITH SEVERAL OUTSIDE EXPERTS THAT RELATED TO VILLAGE, UM, INCORPORATION VILLAGE GOVERNANCE IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND THEY DID NOT BELIEVE THAT IT WAS LIKELY THAT A VILLAGE COULD BE FORCED TO DO THIS.
SO WHY ISN'T THE TOWN HURT MORE, UH, FINANCIALLY? UM, ONE, THE POLICE SERVICES ARE A BIG PART OF THE TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGE BUDGET, AND THOSE ARE HELD HARMLESS.
THEY ARE RECEIVING THE SAME AMOUNT OF REVENUE, PROVIDING THE SAME SERVICES THAT THEY ARE TODAY.
THAT'S ABOUT A THIRD OF THE TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGE BUDGET.
UM, WE ALSO MODELED THAT THE TOWN WOULD HAVE TO MAKE SOME CUTS TO MAKE THIS WORK.
UM, AND DEPENDING ON HOW THE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS COME INTO BEING, IT'S EITHER A MARGINAL INCREASE, UM, LESS THAN YOU WOULD SEE IN A TYPICAL YEAR OR PERHAPS AS MUCH AS 5.6% OF THE TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGE TAX RATE THAT YOU'RE PAYING TODAY.
SO WHAT ABOUT SOME OF THE LARGE LIABILITIES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT? SO IN CAPITAL DEBT, UM, BOTH MODELS THAT WE'VE, WE'VE DISCUSSED, UM, THE VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT WOULD BE PAYING ABOUT A SHARE OF THE EXISTING TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGE DEBT, UM, OPEP, THE, THE OTHER POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
THE TOWN PAYS FOR THIS EVERY YEAR.
WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE TOWN BUDGET, YOU SEE THAT THERE'S OEP EXPENSES IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS TO ENSURE THAT RETIREES ARE RECEIVING THEIR HEALTHCARE.
UM, THEY'RE NOT PAYING IT FORWARD BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD NEED TO RECEIVE IT NEXT YEAR.
SO YOU PAY IT EVERY YEAR BASED ON THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO NEED TO RECEIVE IT.
THE FUTURE LIABILITIES, AS STATED EARLIER, WE DON'T HAVE, UM, THE HISTORIC AND LEGAL GROUNDS THAT ARE CLEAR TO US FOR THE TOWN IMPOSING THESE PAYMENTS.
UM, BUT THESE COSTS ARE LARGE.
UM, THE ACTUARIAL REPORT FOR THE OPEP, UH, PUTS IT ABOUT 275 MILLION LITIGATION COSTS HAVE A, A LARGE POTENTIAL OF 173 MILLION IN OPEN CLAIMS. AND THE TAX CERT, UM, SETTLEMENTS AND REFUNDS THAT ARE ON THE BOOKS RIGHT NOW ARE OVER $10 MILLION.
SO I DO WANNA TALK ABOUT THE POLICE SERVICES FUND 'CAUSE THIS IS A, A LARGE PART OF HOW WE MADE THE MODEL WORK.
UM, UNDER TOWN LAW, ARTICLE 10, A TOWN WITH A POLICE DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE TO PROVIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT TO ANY AREA THAT DOESN'T HAVE ITS OWN LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
SO YOU HAVE THE SIX VILLAGES WITH THEIR EXISTING POLICE DEPARTMENTS.
THEY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THE POLICE PRO PATROLLING THAT AREA.
UM, BUT AS LONG AS THE NEW VILLAGE DOESN'T CREATE A POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE TOWN REMAINS OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE.
LIKEWISE, THERE'S A CERTAIN SET OF PROPERTIES, THE PARTIALS KNOWN AS THE TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGE THAT PAY FOR THAT SERVICE TODAY.
THEY WOULD BECOME THE, UM, TOWN OF GREENBURG POLICE SERVICES FUND.
AND THOSE SAME PROPERTIES WOULD BE PAYING THOSE SAME COSTS FOR THE OPERATION OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
SO IT IS A, A MODEL THAT IS USED TODAY, UM, IN ROCKLAND COUNTY, IN THE TOWN OF RAMAPO, WHERE MORE THAN HALF OF THEIR VILLAGES DON'T HAVE A POLICE DEPARTMENT AND RELY ON THE TOWN TO PROVIDE POLICE SERVICES.
UM, WHEREAS, AND THEN SEVERAL VILLAGES DO HAVE POLICE DEPARTMENTS THAT PROVIDE THEIR RE UH, PROVIDE SERVICE.
SO, SO THERE'S A SEPARATE, UM, FUND, LIKE IN YOUR FUND YOU HAVE THE TOWN OUTSIDE VILLAGE FUND AND THE TOWN WIDE FUND, THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER FUND, WHICH WOULD BE THE POLICE SERVICES FUND THAT ALL THE PROPERTIES WHO RECEIVE POLICE SERVICES WOULD PAY INTO AND THEY WOULD RECEIVE THE SERVICES.
IT, IT'S, IT IS THE TOWN TOWN'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ADMINISTER.
CAN YOU JUST CLARIFY THAT? CURRENTLY, IF IT'S NOT A KNOWLEDGE AND THEY ARE PART OF UNINCORPORATED, THEY'RE ALREADY COVERED BY THE TOWN POLICE, RIGHT? YES.
BUT IF THEY ARE A NEWLY INCORPORATED VILLAGE AND WITHOUT A POLICE DEPARTMENT, IT WOULD THEN HAVE TO BE AN ADDITIONAL NO AMOUNT.
THEY, SO WHAT CONCEIVABLY WHAT COULD HAPPEN, CONCEIVABLY, WHAT COULD HAPPEN IS ONE OF THE SIX EXISTING VILLAGES COULD SAY, WE WANNA GET RID OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
AND THEY COULD, THERE'D BE A REFERENDUM, BUT THEY COULD DO IT.
[00:35:01]
UM, AND IF THEY DID THAT, YOU, THE TOWN WOULD BE OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE.YOU COULD TAX THEM FOR IT, AND THEY WOULD BECOME PART OF THEIR ESS VALLEY IT YOU, SO THEY'RE TAXED TODAY, AND THEY WOULD BE TAXED IN THIS SCENARIO, AND THAT WOULDN'T HAVE TO CHANGE.
IT WOULD JUST BE HANDLED IN A DIFFERENT FUND BASED ON PROPERTY VALUE.
SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET THROUGH THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO QUESTIONS.
WE HAVE A SIGN IN SHEET AND PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP AND WE NEED TO HONOR THAT.
AND THE, THE, IT IS BASED ON, UH, PROPERTY VALUE.
I'M GONNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, SPECIAL DISTRICTS AND THE COMPLEXITIES THAT THEY'RE POSING IN.
UM, OUR ANALYSIS, THE SERVICES THAT PAUL SPOKE OF OTHER THAN THE FIRE DISTRICT, WERE ALL PROVIDED THROUGH TOWN'S, UH, GENERAL BUDGET.
BUT SOME OF YOUR SERVICES ARE PROVIDED, UH, THROUGH THE BUDGETS OF SPECIAL DISTRICTS AND BY SPECIAL DISTRICTS.
AND JUST AS A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, THESE ARE, UH, LEGAL ENTITIES, UH, ORGANIZED UNDER TOWN LAW TO PROVIDE SERVICES IN A PREDEFINED AREA.
AND THEY'RE TYPICALLY SUPPORTED BY ASSESSMENTS OR USER FEES, SOMETIMES A COMBINATION OF BOTH.
UM, AND OUR PARTICULAR INSTANCE HERE, WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT, UM, THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT, UH, THE CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT, NUMBER ONE AND SEWER DISTRICT, AS WELL AS THE HARTSDALE PUBLIC PARKING DISTRICT.
SO, UM, GONNA GET THROUGH SOME OF THE NUANCED ISSUES THAT COME INTO PLAY WITH RESPECT TO THIS INCORPORATION, UH, PETITION, UM, PENDING PETITION.
WE, UM, WE KNOW THAT WHEN BOUNDARIES ARE CO-TERMINUS, WHEN THE DISTRICTS ENCOMPASS THE SAME PROPERTIES, UH, THAT THE VILLAGE WILL ENCOMPASS THAT THE, THE DISTRICTS DISSOLVE, AND THE VILLAGE ACQUIRES ALL OF THOSE ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS OF THAT DISTRICT JUST BECOMES A NATURAL, UH, DISSOLUTION UNDER VILLAGE LAW.
BUT WHEN THE BOUNDARIES ARE NOT CO-TERMINUS, THERE'S A BUNCH OF THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO TALK THROUGH SOME OF THESE SITUATIONS RIGHT NOW.
UM, YOUR GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT, AS PAUL EXPLAINED, FROM WHAT WE UNDERSTAND, WILL HAVE A TERMINUS BOUNDARIES WITH THE VILLAGE.
SO ALL OF THEIR ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AND ALL OF THEIR, UH, PERSONAL EFFECTS BECOME VILLAGE PROPERTY, UH, AND BECOME A DEPARTMENT OF THE VILLAGE.
BUT WITH RESPECT TO WATER, SEWER, PARKING, THERE ARE SOME COMPLICATIONS BECAUSE YOUR DISTRICTS EXTEND BEYOND THE LIMITS OF WHAT THIS VILLAGE WILL INCORPORATE.
SO I'D LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE SEE THERE.
SO WITH RESPECT TO WATER, THE EIC HAS SAID, UM, UNEQUIVOCALLY THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY HAVE THE RIGHT, UH, TO, UH, TO OBTAIN THEIR WATER AND THEIR SERVICES, UH, THROUGH THE CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT.
AND THE TOWN HAS, UH, STATED, UH, VERY, UH, CLEARLY AS WELL THAT IT DOES NOT, UH, BELIEVE THAT THAT RIGHT EXISTS AND THAT IT HAS NO INTEREST IN CONTINUING ITS DISTRICT SHOULD THE VILLAGE, UM, INCORPORATE.
SO, UM, LET'S SEE WHAT WE GOT HERE.
THERE ARE OPERATIONS OF LAW IN EFFECT HERE, THERE, UH, PARTICULARLY VILLAGE LAW, WHICH PROVIDES IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN THE DISTRICTS, UH, ARE NOT CO-TERMINUS, THAT WHEN A VILLAGE INCORPORATES, THE DISTRICT CEASES TO OPERATE, AND THERE HAS TO BE, UH, A TRANSITION PERIOD WHERE SERVICES WILL STILL BE PROVIDED.
BUT BEYOND THAT PERIOD, THERE HAS TO BE EITHER AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE PARTIES AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THE, UH, CONSENT OF THE VILLAGE HAS BEEN OBTAINED TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE.
AND IF IT HAS BEEN OBTAINED TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE, WHAT EXACTLY, UH, WOULD BE THE PARAMETERS OF THE OPERATION OF THE DISTRICT AT THAT POINT.
SO, UM, AS ERICA MENTIONED EARLY ON, THERE'S VERY LITTLE PRECEDENT INVOLVING THESE TYPES OF SITUATIONS AND UNDERSTANDING, UNDERSTANDING THE PERSPECTIVES OF BOTH THE TOWN AND OF THE EIC.
WE REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT THE ISSUES THAT I'M GOING TO SPEAK ABOUT, UH, WILL PROBABLY END UP, UH, ARBITRATED
[00:40:01]
BY SOMEONE ELSE IN ORDER TO GET A FAIR RESOLUTION AND, AND, AND A RESOLUTION TO THESE QUESTIONS.UM, THERE IS A WAY FORWARD BEYOND THAT, PERHAPS, UH, AN OPINION OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL COULD BE SOUGHT, UH, BUT THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE SOLICITED BY THE TOWN BECAUSE THEY HAVE STANDING IN FRONT OF THAT, UH, PARTICULAR ENTITY.
SO AS WE SEE IT, UM, THERE ARE FOUR OPPORTUNITIES FOR WATER TO BE PERVADE TO THIS NEW INCORPORATED VILLAGE AREA.
UH, I'LL START OFF BY SAYING THAT WATER IS NOT THE ISSUE.
UH, THE SUPPLY OF WATER IS AVAILABLE THROUGH NEW YORK CITY, UH, TO ANY MUNICIPALITY THAT IS UPSTATE AND, UH, ACCESSIBLE TO ONE OF ITS AQUEDUCTS.
SO WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT, WELL, IS ANYBODY CUTTING OFF WATER? WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IS HOW, UH, YOUR WATER SYSTEM AND UTILITY WOULD BE MANAGED AND OPERATED GOING FORWARD.
SO THERE ARE FOUR POTENTIAL SCENARIOS AS WE SEE THEM.
ONE IS THAT THE VILLAGE CONSENTS TO THE DISTRICT CONTINUING ITS OPERATIONS WITHIN THAT VILLAGE.
AND THE, UH, ESSENTIALLY THE DISTRICT OPERATES STATUS QUO.
UM, THE DISTRICT MAINTAINS YOUR WATER MAINS, THE DISTRICT READS YOUR WATER METERS, THE DISTRICT BILLS YOU, UH, AND DOES ALL THE REPAIRS AND, AND NOTHING CHANGES THE OTHER SECOND ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE THAT THE VILLAGE BECOMES A WHOLESALE CUSTOMER OF THE CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT.
I'LL CALL THIS THE IRVINGTON MODEL BECAUSE I THINK YOU'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE VILLAGE OF IRVINGTON.
AND THIS IS THE ARRANGEMENT THAT IRVINGTON HAS WITH THE CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S A, THERE'S INTERCONNECTIONS, I THINK ONLY ONE BETWEEN THE VILLAGE OF IRVINGTON AND THE CONSOLIDATED WATER DISTRICT.
AND BASED ON THAT MASTER METER READING, UH, THE VILLAGE IS BILLED A QUANTITY BULK BILL.
BUT THE VI THE VILLAGE MANAGES ITS OWN WATER UTILITY SYSTEM.
IT HAS ITS OWN EMPLOYEES, IT HAS ITS OWN, UH, UM, UH, PUBLIC, UH, UH, WATER SUPPLY LICENSE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
IT HAS ITS OWN REQUIREMENTS FOR ITS SAMPLING AND, AND ITS DISTRIBUTION.
UM, AND IT TAKES CARE OF ITS OWN INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE TOWN HAS INDICATED THAT IT WOULD CERTAINLY ENTERTAIN THAT MODEL, UH, SHOULD THE EIC WISH TO EXPLORE THAT O OPPORTUNITY FOR ITS SOURCE OF SUPPLY, UH, POST INCORPORATION.
BUT AGAIN, UM, IT COMES WITH A WHOLE BUNCH OF UNCERTAINTIES AS TO HOW THAT WOULD BE STRUCTURED INTERNALLY.
UH, THE THIRD OPTION WOULD BE SOMETHING AKIN TO WHAT A, A PORTION OF GREENBURG AND THE VILLAGE OF DOBBS FERRY AND THE VILLAGE OF HASTINGS AND ARLEY DO.
UH, THEY HAVE TURNED THEIR DISTRICTS OVER TO A PRIVATE ENTITY, VEOLIA, AND THEY MANAGE THEIR, THEIR WATER SYSTEMS FOR THEM.
UH, THEIR WATER SUPPLY DOES COME AS WELL FROM THE CITY OF NEW YORK, BUT THEY'RE PART OF A JOINT WATER DISTRICT.
AND, UM, THEY, UH, DO NOT HAVE A WATER DEPARTMENT.
THOSE VILLAGES HAVE THIS PRIVATE COMPANY MANAGE, UH, THEIR CUSTOMER RELATIONS, THEIR CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS, AND MAINTAIN THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE AS WELL.
UH, THERE'S ALSO PERHAPS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE ARRANGEMENTS WITH A NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITY SUCH AS SCARSDALE.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S ALREADY AN INTERCONNECTION THERE, BUT THE SIZE OF THAT INTERCONNECTION ITS CAPACITY TO, TO, TO BRING, UH, WATER, UH, IN QUANTITY AND VOLUME IS, IS STILL AN OPEN QUESTION.
WE DO NOT HAVE A MODEL OF THE SYSTEM.
WE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND A LOT ABOUT THE, UH, OF THE NETWORK AND THE INTERCONNECTIONS THAT EXIST RIGHT NOW.
SO, UM, I SHOULD PUT A ASTERISK ON MOST OF THESE TO SAY THAT YOU DO NEED TO HAVE COMPREHENSIVE STUDIES DONE OF THE SYSTEM AND ITS CAPACITY, UH, AS WELL AS ITS, UM, YOU KNOW, ITS, UH, ITS CURRENT, UM, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.
SO THE LAST THING WOULD BE FOR THE, FOR THE VILLAGE TO MANAGE ITS OWN WATER SUPPLY, UH, SYSTEMS BY REOPENING AN AQUEDUCT TAP.
WE, WE, WE HAD CONVERSATION WITH THE CITY'S DEP.
UH, IT, THIS IS, THESE ARE ALL FEASIBLE.
THEY'RE JUST ALL VERY COMPLICATED, VERY COMPLEX, AND VERY UNCERTAIN AS COST AND, AND CAPACITY OF A NEW VILLAGE TO DO THESE THINGS.
BUT, UH, YOU COULD TAP THE AQUEDUCT, UH, I WOULD CALL THIS THE ELMSFORD MODEL, IF YOU WANTED A ANALOGY.
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SOURCE OF SUPPLY.
THEY HAVE THEIR OWN QUANTITIES, UH, ALLOCATED BY THE CITY, AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN WATER DEPARTMENT AS WELL.
ANY OPTION UP HERE EXCEPT THE STATUS QUO, WOULD REQUIRE THE SYSTEM SOMEHOW BE APPORTIONED, UH, TO THE NEW VILLAGE.
BECAUSE AS WE UNDERSTAND THE VILLAGE LAW FIRM IN CORPORATIONS, UH,
[00:45:01]
THAT HAVE DISTRICTS, UM, WHEN THE, UH, VILLAGE IS INCORPORATED, DISTRICTS CAN NO LONGER OPERATE WITHIN THOSE VILLAGES.AND IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S NO AGREEMENT ON HOW THEY SHOULD CONTINUE THE DISTRICT'S ASSETS, LIABILITIES, UM, AND ITS OBLIGATIONS BECOME APPORTIONED TO THAT SECTION OF VILLAGE, UH, THAT HAS INCORPORATED OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT.
IN EVERY ONE OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, IT WOULD REQUIRE SEPARATING THE WATER SYSTEM BY, BY METERING AREAS WHERE THEY, UH, MEET AT THE BOUNDARIES, SO TO SPEAK.
AND IN ORDER TO DO THAT, IN THESE SCENARIOS, WE WERE ADVISED THAT THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST FIVE MASTER METERS THAT HAVE TO BE INSTALLED TO BE ABLE TO SEPARATE DIFFERENT POINTS OF ACCESS WHEN WATER IS FLOWING INTO THE INCORPORATED EDGEMONT AREA.
AND MASTER METERING IS, IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE FEEL THERE REALLY NEEDS TO BE A, A VERY, UH, CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAY OR MAY NOT EXIST TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
BECAUSE SOME OF THESE METERS, AS I THINK WE WERE TOLD, ACTUALLY WILL HAVE TO BE IN AREAS THAT ARE NOT, UM, ON PUBLIC ROADS.
THEY MAY BE INVOLVED, INVOLVED PRIVATE PROPERTY SUCH AS GOLF COURSES AND OTHER AREAS WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME DEMARCATION.
HOWEVER, IT'S OBVIOUSLY POSSIBLE TO DO THAT.
UH, ALL OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE INTERCONNECTED.
THERE'S, THERE'S, UH, THERE'S A REQUIREMENT BY THE CITY THAT NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE A PRIMARY SOURCE OF SUPPLY, BUT YOU HAVE SOME BACKUP SUPPLIES WITH OTHER NEARBY ENTITIES FOR EMERGENCIES.
SO, UM, THESE, THESE ARE VERY COMPLEX ALTERNATIVES.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY VERY, UM, MUCH BEYOND THE SCOPE OF OUR STUDY TO BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WHAT IN FACT WOULD, UH, WHAT THEY WOULD INVOLVE.
BUT, UM, ESSENTIALLY YOU'RE DEALING WITH OWNING, OWNING AND OPERATING UTILITIES, UM, LIABILITIES THAT ARE, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
AND AT LEAST, UH, TRI-PARTY AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND MASTER AGREEMENTS WITH THE CITY OF NEW YORK, UH, FOR QUANTITIES, ALLOWANCES, AND ALSO FOR, UM, INTERCONNECTIONS.
SO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE HARTSDALE PUBLIC PARKING DISTRICT.
UM, WE UNDERSTAND THAT IT EXISTS AS A LEGAL ENTITY.
IT'S SEPARATE FROM THE TOWN'S, UH, DIRECT GOVERNANCE, ALTHOUGH THE TOWN DOES APPOINT ITS COMMISSIONERS, UH, BUT IT'S MANAGEMENT AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT ARE ALL UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE, UH, PARKING DISTRICT ITSELF.
UM, THE DISTRICT WAS CREATED SOMETIME BACK IN THE 1950S.
IT PROVIDES, UH, PARKING, UH, TO RESIDENTS OF EDGEMONT AND HARTSDALE AND SOME OTHER PUBLIC PARKING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH METERING, UH, ALONG THE, UH, THE, UH, STREETS.
UM, I'M JUST TRYING TO SEE WHICH WAY I SHOULD READ HERE.
SO IN A SIMILAR MANNER TO WHAT, UM, COULD TAKE PLACE IF THE INCORPORATION HAPPENS, THE HARTSDALE PUBLIC PARKING DISTRICT EXTENDS BEYOND THIS INCORPORATED BOUNDARY OF THE PROPOSED VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT.
AND THAT WOULD REQUIRE, UM, THE DISTRICT CEASE OPERATIONS, UM, AND WOULD ALSO REQUIRE SOME NEGOTIATION AS TO HOW THE DISTRICT COULD CONTINUE OPERATING ON BEHALF OF, UH, ITS FORMER, UH, LEGAL ENTITY.
AND WE'VE, UM, WE'VE LOOKED AT, AGAIN, AN UNDERSTANDING UNDER VILLAGE LAW THAT THE BOUNDARY'S NOT BEING CO-TERMINUS, THERE WOULD BE A STATUTORY PERIOD FOR THE SPECIAL DISTRICT TO OPERATE.
BUT AT THAT POINT, AFTER THE CONSENT, UH, OF THE VILLAGE, IF IT'S NOT OBTAINED OR IF THERE'S NO AGREEMENT ON HOW TO GO FORWARD, THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A DISTRIBUTION, UH, OF THE DISTRICT'S ASSETS THAT ARE WITHIN THAT INCORPORATED VILLAGE.
AND ALSO PROPORTIONATE SHARE OF LIABILITIES.
UM, WE TOOK A LOOK AT WHAT THAT MEANT.
UH, CURRENTLY ALL OF THE OPERATING REVENUE FOR THE DISTRICT COMES FROM USER FEES.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY SIX SEPARATE SITES, BUT ONE LIES TOTALLY WITHIN THE INCORPORATED LIMITS.
ANOTHER ABOUT 75% OF THOSE BOUNDARIES.
THE PARKING SPACES THAT THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY USES ARE ROUGHLY EQUIVALENT TO 38%
[00:50:01]
OF THE PARKING SPACES THAT ARE AVAILABLE, UH, THROUGH THE, UH, PARKING DISTRICT.AND IT APPEARS THAT THE PROPERTIES INVOLVED IN THIS, UH, POTENTIAL, UH, INCORPORATED AREA WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE ENOUGH SUFFICIENT PARKING SHOULD THE PROPERTY DEVOLVE INTO, UM, THE VILLAGE AS A MATTER OF, UH, A CONSEQUENCE OF THE, OF THE INCORPORATION.
SO AGAIN, IF THE VILLAGE DOES INCORPORATE, UH, OUR UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE PROPERTIES AND THE ASSETS AND THE LIABILITIES, WHICH THERE ARE AT LEAST ONE, UH, LARGE, OUTSTANDING DEBT, THAT THAT WOULD BE, UH, RESPONSIBLE, UH, WOULD BE THE RESPONSIBLE, UH, DEBT OF THE, UH, PORTION OF THE VILLAGE, UH, WOULD A NOR TO THE VILLAGE.
AND, UM, THE, UH, THE, THE DISTRICT WOULD THEN OBVIOUSLY HAVE SOME IMPACTS WITH RESPECT TO LOSS REVENUE, UM, LOSS OF CONTROL OVER A CERTAIN PORTION OF ITS, UH, OPERATIONS.
UM, AND I THINK WE'VE GOT, LEMME GIVE YOU SOME IDEAS THERE, ABOUT 31% OF REVENUE LOSS.
UM, IF, IF THE VILLAGE DECIDES TO OWN AND OPERATE ITS OWN PARKING DISTRICT, UM, AND THE VILLAGE WOULD HAVE TO PICK UP ABOUT $450,000 OF DEBT, THAT'S STILL OUTSTANDING, UM, FOR ONE MORE YEAR.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IT.
SO THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION, AND WE CAN MOVE NOW INTO THE QUESTION AND COMMENT PERIOD.
UM, AGAIN, WE HAVE A SIGNUP SHEET.
WE'LL START AT THE TOP OF THAT SHEET AND WE'LL ASK THAT FOLKS RESPECT A THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT SO THAT EVERYBODY HAS A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE.
THE FIRST NAME, UH, IS JUDITH BEVILLE.
AND WHILE YOU'RE MAKING WAY YOUR WAY UP, I WANNA SAY WE WILL ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT IF WE CAN'T ANSWER THEM HERE ON THE SPOT, IF WE CAN'T, WE WILL PROVIDE ANSWERS, UM, IN A FOLLOW UP SESSION, UH, THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.
ERIC, I LOOKED AT THE THREE PRINCIPLES WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THIS STUDY.
WERE AUTOMATICALLY GETTING AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, WERE, WE WERE TOLD BY, YEAH, I MEAN, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY FINE WITH ME.
I DON'T HAVE A PREFERENCE OF WHO SPEAKS.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT WAS MR. LEWIS COUNCILMAN? SHE AND I WOULD SPEAK BEFORE THE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, IF THAT'S WHAT Y'ALL WANNA DO, FINE BY ME.
JOHN LEWIS, IF YOU HERE FIRST.
MR. LEWIS, COULD YOU STAND UP AND CORPORATION COMMITTEE? WE DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENTS.
CAN YOU SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE PLEASE? I MEAN, I THINK I CAN JUST REFLECT THAT JOHN LEWIS DECLINED THE INVITATION TO COME TO THE MICROPHONE AND SPEAK.
I'M A 31 YEAR RESIDENT OF EDGEMONT AND GREENBERG AS WELL.
I WAS ASKED, UH, BY THE TOWN BOARD TO BE PART OF THE COMMITTEE, AND ALONG WITH MR. LEWIS AND COUNCILMAN, SHE AND I PARTICIPATED IN, IN THE PROJECT.
I'M NOT GONNA CRITIQUE, UM, THE, THE, UM, THE STUDY ITSELF.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN A FINAL COPY OF IT, BUT I, I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE A COUPLE OF POINTS, UM, IN GENERAL.
SO OVER THE COURSE OF EIGHT YEARS, UM, THE EDGEMONT CORPORATION COMMITTEE HAS PRODUCED DOCUMENTS AND DOCUMENTS AND DOCUMENTS AND HAS SENT OUT MARKETING MATERIALS TO ALL THE ENTIRE TOWN.
UH, I'M SORRY TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN EDGEMONT, BUT NEVER HAVE THEY SPOKEN ABOUT ANY OF THESE LIABILITIES OR THE WATER DISTRICT.
AND JUST ASSUME THAT NONE OF IT OCCURRED.
BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SCOPE WHICH COULD MAKE THE INCORPORATION OF EDGEMONT IMPOSSIBLE AND CAUSE ENORMOUS PAIN TO THE BALANCE OF THE PEOPLE IN, IN THE TOWN OPPOSITE OF THE VILLAGE, UH, TOWN OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE.
[00:55:01]
OPEP, WHICH MEANS THE MEDICAL INSURANCE THAT'S PAID TO MUNICIPAL WORKERS UNTIL THEY DIE OR UNTIL THEIR SPOUSES DIE, IS ENORMOUS.AND BY THE TIME, UH, 2025 COMES AROUND, IT'LL BE ABOUT $3 MILLION AND PROBABLY $8 MILLION A YEAR, I'M SORRY, $300 MILLION AND PROBABLY $8 MILLION A YEAR TO SERVICE IT.
SO THAT'S $2 MILLION A YEAR INTO EDGEMONT BUDGET.
THAT'S $2 MILLION A YEAR OUT OF THE TOWN OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE'S BUDGET.
THAT'S AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF MONEY, AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH COULD BE DECADES AND DECADES AND DECADES, BECAUSE PEOPLE NOW WHO ARE WORKING, WHO HAVE 25 AND 30 YEARS WORTH OF EXPERIENCE AND LIVE 30 OR 40 MORE YEARS WILL RECEIVE MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR 30 MORE YEAR OR 40 MORE YEARS.
AND THE COST OF MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR A FAMILY IN MUNICIPALITY IS $37,000 A YEAR ENOUGH TO KILL A PROGRAM.
THE ISSUE OF A ARIES IS THAT IN A YEAR, LET'S JUST MAKE UP A A, A YEAR IN YEAR 2020, MONEY WAS COLLECTED FOR TAXES AND THE BUDGETS WERE, WERE, UM, WERE DETERMINED BASED ON THE COSTS.
AND THAT MONEY WAS SPENT ON AMBULANCES AND, UH, AND POLICEMEN AND PAVING THE ROADS AND THE PARKS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND NOW, 5, 6, 7 YEARS LATER, OR THREE YEARS FROM NOW, PEOPLE WILL HAVE ARIES AND WILL HAVE TO GIVE THEM BACK THAT MONEY.
SOMEBODY WILL BE A WINNER AND SOMEBODY WILL BE A LOSER.
JUST AS IN THE CASE OF ARIES, RIGHT NOW, IT'S $10 MILLION, IT WILL BE MORE.
SO RIGHT NOW, 25% OF THAT IS TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT IT'S $10 MILLION.
THE, I FEEL LIKE I'M GOING THROUGH A STORE AND I DIDN'T TAKE THE TAG OFF
THE BOND LIABILITY WE SPOKE ABOUT NOW IS $80 MILLION, BUT THAT DOESN'T INCLUDE $34 MILLION WORTH OF BOND MONEY THAT'S IN THE WATER DISTRICT.
SO AGAIN, $80 MILLION, A QUARTER OF THAT IS $20 MILLION.
THAT'S ENOUGH TO CAUSE EDGEMONT VILLAGE NOT TO BE ABLE TO BE FORMED.
AND ENOUGH THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE TOWN OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE WILL HAVE TO SPEND $20 MILLION MORE LITIGATION LIABILITY, I DON'T KNOW, $50 MILLION, $60 MILLION EVERY TIME ANYBODY TRIPS ON THE SIDEWALK, THEY SUE.
AND INSURANCE COMPANIES SETTLE AND IT COSTS THE TOWN MONEY.
SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AN ENORMOUS SCOPE, AND I BELIEVE THAT THAT SCOPE HAS GOT TO BE MODELED BY CGR TO SAY SOMEBODY'S GONNA WIN, SOMEBODY'S GONNA LOSE, AND EITHER EDGEMONT IS GONNA PAY 25% OF THAT, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, OR THE TOWN OUTSIDE THE VILLAGE IS GOING TO DO THAT AS WELL.
SO THAT'S THE FIRST CONCEPT I JUST WANTED TO RESPOND TO PATTY, MIKE, MY MIKE.
YEAH, WE HAVE OVER A HUNDRED PEOPLE HERE.
UH, PATTY, I JUST WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT AS FAR AS THE H-P-P-P-D IS CONCERNED, THE PARKING DISTRICT IN PRIOR YEARS, THE HPPD DISTRICT, PART OF IT WAS WITHIN THE FIRE DISTRICT, AND THAT WAS THE, UH, TERRITORY THAT EDGEMONT WAS USING TO DETERMINE, UH, WHAT EDGEMONT VILLAGE WOULD BE.
NOW THEY'VE DETERMINED THEIR OWN, UH, THEIR OWN TERRITORY BASED ON A SURVEY.
WHY IS IT THAT CAN TAKE ANY PART OF THE HPPD OR IN THAT CASE, WHY IS IT THAT THEY CAN'T TAKE THE ENTIRE HPPD? BECAUSE THERE'S NO REASON FOR THEM TO SAY, WELL, WE'RE TAKING THE LOTS THAT ARE IN THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT.
AND IF IN FACT THEY LOSE THAT CASE, WHICH IS A POSSIBILITY, AND THEY CAN HAVE THAT LAND IN THE HPPD, THEN THEY NO LONGER HAVE THE FIRE DISTRICT BECAUSE THE FIRE DISTRICT FALLS INTO THAT AREA AND IT'S NOT CALLED TERMINUS.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE MENTIONED AS WELL AS, AS POTENTIAL, UH, ISSUES.
UH, I'M RESIDENT AND A FORMER ELECTED OFFICIAL HERE IN THE TOWN.
AND I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR THIS VERY INFORMATIVE, UM, UH, REPORT THAT YOU HAVE SHARED.
I'M REALLY, REALLY CONCERNED THOUGH, UM, ABOUT THE STATEMENT YOU MAKE ON PAGE SIX.
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IS SIGNIFICANT UNCERTAINTY AND ESTIMATING IMPACTS FOR SEVERAL REASONS.AND THANK YOU FOR BEING VERY UPFRONT AND HONEST WITH THOSE REASONS, BECAUSE THOSE REASONS, IF EXPLORED AND WHEN EXPLORED FURTHER, COULD DRAMATICALLY IMPACT THE ESTIMATED 5.6% TAX INCREASE.
WOULD YOU AGREE OR WOULD YOU NOT AGREE? UM, MY CONCERN IS THAT, UM, THE TOWN COULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY HURT MORE.
UH, ON PAGE EIGHT, UH, ANOTHER MAJOR CONCERN HERE, THE EXACT BOUNDARIES OF PROPOSED EDGEMONT VILLAGE OF THE, THE PROPO, THE EXACT BOUNDARIES ARE NOT YET KNOWN AS INCORPORATION.
ADVOCATES HAVE NOT YET FILED A NEW PETITION THAT SPECIFIES THEM.
SO IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IF BOUNDARIES WERE DRAWN AND, UH, EDGEMONT, THE PROPOSED VILLAGE WANTS TO INCLUDE, UM, THE BUSINESS DISTRICT ALONG CENTRAL AVENUE THAT EXISTS, THAT CURRENTLY EXISTS WITHIN, UM, IN, IN, IN THE EDGEMONT AREA, WOULD THE TOWN OF GREENBURG HAVE TO GIVE UP THE TAX DOLLARS THAT THEY CURRENTLY RECEIVE FROM THOSE BUSINESSES? UM, IF, IF, UH, THE VILLAGE SAYS, YOU KNOW, WE WANT THIS PARTICULAR AREA TO BE TO CONSTITUTE PART OF OUR VILLAGE.
SO HOW WOULD THAT IMPACT THE TAXPAYERS IN GREENBERG? SO GOING BACK TO THE STATEMENT OF, UM, THE QUESTION OF WHY ISN'T GREENBERG HURT MORE, THESE OUTSTANDING QUESTIONS SUGGEST THAT THE TOWN COULD BE HURT MORE.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER, THE NEXT SPEAKER IS HUGH SCHWARTZ.
DON'T START UNTIL I GET UP HERE, PLEASE.
YEAH, YOU HAVE TO, YOU HAVE TO STOP IT.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO EXPRESS MY DISAPPOINTMENT THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR PUBLIC COMMENT WHEN NOBODY HAD A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY DIGEST ANY OF THIS.
I THINK THAT IS REALLY POOR, POOR WORK ON YOUR PART.
THAT'S THE FIRST THING I'LL GO, I'LL GO ON TO ANOTHER THING.
UM, THERE WAS A VERY STRANGE THING MISSING FROM YOUR PRESENTATION WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT THE SHOW, THAT WONDERFUL CHART, WHICH WASN'T IN THIS PRESENTATION.
YOU REALIZE THAT THERE, THAT, UH, VILLAGE WOULD NOT BE PAYING FOR ANY OF THEODORE YOUNG OR PARKS AND REC.
I CAN TELL YOU RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN'T FIND 7% TO CUT FROM EITHER ONE OF THEM UNLESS YOU'RE CUTTING PROGRAMS. SO THAT'S CONVENIENTLY LEFT OUT OF THIS, THIS, AND I'M, AGAIN, VERY, VERY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE YOU NOT MENTION THAT.
HUGE, HUGE IMPACT OF THOSE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT SERVICES TO THE TOWN.
YOU BROUGHT UP, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
NOW, THE VILLAGE ON THE ROADS, I ASSUME WITHIN THE VILLAGE, UH, UNDERNEATH THAT WE TALKED ABOUT THE SEWER DISTRICT.
AND, AND ANYBODY WHO LIVES IN GREENBURG KNOWS WITH THESE, THE WAY THE WEATHER IS RIGHT NOW, WE NEED TO ACTUALLY IMPROVE OUR STORM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
THAT IS GOING TO BE A HUGE, HUGE EXPENSE, WHICH NOW THE ENTIRE TOWN COVERS.
AND A LOT OF THAT, BY THE WAY, IS IN EDGEMONT.
THERE'S A LOT OF THAT IN EDGEMONT.
'CAUSE THERE WERE VERY FEW STORM DRAINS IN EDGEMONT.
GOING BACK TO THE PARKS, UH, I KIND OF LOOKED AROUND.
I DON'T THINK ANY VILLAGE HAS A TOWN OPERATED PARK.
SO ALL OF A SUDDEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, CRANE POND, WHICH IS REALLY TO THE BENEFIT OF THE EDGE EDGEMONT, IT'S FANTASTIC PLACE.
UM, AND, UH, THAT NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED.
IT'S A LOT OF MAINTENANCE TO KEEP THAT THING, UH, GOING.
UH, THERE'S A SMALL P SWELL BUYERS WITH AN O, NOT AN A, YOU HAVE A TYPO IN YOUR, YOUR THING, JUST, JUST TELLING YOU.
OKAY? AND OF COURSE, THE NATURE CENTER, ANOTHER CROWN JEWEL OF, OF EDGEMONT ARE USED BY EDGEMONT SCHOOLS AS WELL AS GREENBURG SCHOOLS.
AND THOSE BEING UP IN THE AIR IS REALLY, REALLY SCARY IN TERMS OF, OF, OF THAT.
FINALLY, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING.
YOU SEE ONLY 5.6%, THEN YOU PUT DOWN THE 7% BELOW.
THAT'S A DOUBLE DIGIT, DOUBLE DIGIT IMPACT, DOUBLE DIGIT IMPACT.
AND TO THE POINT THAT MIC MICHAEL MADE BEFORE, IT IS A ZERO SUM GAME.
IF THE VILLAGE WINS, THE TOWN LOSES.
[01:05:01]
AND I THINK YOU NEED TO SHOW THAT IN YOUR SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS.THANK YOU VERY MUCH, WALTER SIMON.
HOWEVER, I'M A RESIDENT OF BENCHMARK 25 YEARS.
IN YOUR PRESENTATION, YOU ALLUDED TO THE FACT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY AND SOME OF THAT HAS TO BE RESOLVED ON THE STATE LEVEL.
UH, THAT IS EXACTLY WHY THE STATE LAW WAS, UH, UH, WAS PASSED WHERE YOU HAVE THE, THE CONTROLLER, I THINK THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND, UM, WHO'S THE THIRD? I, SECRETARY.
SO THEY BE ABLE TO TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THAT, LOOK AT THE WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS ON THE STATE AND MAKE A DECISION ON IT.
THIS COMMITTEE HAD, DOES NOT HAVE THAT POWER.
SO YOU ALLUDE, ALLUDE TO MANY THINGS THAT ARE COMPLETELY OUTTA YOUR POWER.
YOU SEE, UH, THE, UH, UH, THE OTHER THING WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THAT STATE LAW, WHICH IS THE EXCELLENT STATE LAW THAT WILL, THAT WILL FOSTER AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS WITH STATE IMPACT AT THE LAST MINUTE, COUSIN MADE A, UH, TOOK THAT OUT AND EXEMPTED EDGEMONT FOR 16 YEARS.
YOU SEE, SO, SO THAT STATE LAW HAS NO IMPACT ON INCORPORATION.
WHAT YOU'RE DOING THIS EVENING AS DILIGENT, AS DILIGENTLY, AS DILIGENTLY THAT YOU HAVE WORKED ON, HAS NO IMPACT ON INCORPORATION.
NONE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO IMPACT.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IS THAT, UH, THE EDGE MARTIN CORPORATE COMMITTEE, THEY GET, THEY MADE SOME FINANCIAL ANALYSIS.
THEY ARE NOT A MUNICIPAL BODY.
THEY'RE JUST A SMALL GROUP OF RESIDENTS WHO CAME TOGETHER AND PUT OUT THESE NUMBERS.
IF YOU GO INTO INCORPORATION, THE NEW TOWN, A VILLAGE, UH, GOVERNMENT, THEY COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.
THEY'RE NOT BOUND BY ANYTHING.
THEY'RE NOT BOUND BY THE ASSUMPTIONS YOU MADE WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THEY'RE NOT BOUND BY THE ASSUMPTIONS YOU MADE BY THE, THEY COULD SET THEIR OWN RULES.
SO ALL THIS ANALYSIS FROM A, FROM A SMALL GROUP, REALLY DOESN'T CARRY ANY WEIGHT AT ALL.
YOU SEE, THE OTHER THING, THE OTHER THING WE TALKED ABOUT IS THE BUYING OF SERVICES.
WELL, HOW CAN THE REST OF THE TOWN PLAN LONG TERM IF THEY KNOW THE CUSTOMER BASE COULD DISAPPEAR AT ANY TIME? SO YOU, SO THE REST OF US WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PLAN LONG TERM, UM,
IF, IF THEY, IF EDGEMONT DECIDE TO GO AND GET A POLICE SERVICE FROM SOMEPLACE ELSE, WE HAVE THE FIXED COSTS, WE STILL HAVE THE POLICE, UH, STATION.
IF YOU LOSE A CERTAIN AMOUNT, YOU STILL CAN CUT OFF 7% OF THE BUILDING.
SO YOU'RE STUCK WITH THAT FIXED COST.
YOU'RE STUCK WITH THE COST OF EMERGENCY SERVICE NETWORK.
YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIMINISH THAT.
SO THIS WHOLE, SO I QUESTION THE WHOLE LOGIC AND THE ARGUMENTS THAT'S BEING PRESENTED HERE TONIGHT.
AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UH, MY COMMENTS REALLY, UH, MY QUESTION REALLY FOLLOWS, UH, THE GENTLEMAN I FOLLOW, AND
[01:10:01]
MS. BEVEL AS WELL.SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UH, AS A FAIRLY RECENT ARRIVAL IN GREENBURG, HARTSDALE IN 1994, I SAY, I SAY THAT BECAUSE MANY OF YOU COUNT YOUR YEARS IN GENERATIONS, RIGHT? UM, BUT, AND THERE, SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS HERE WHO COUNT THEMSELVES IN GENERATIONS, BUT IN, OR ABOUT 2019, JUST AS I RETIRED, I WAS CONSIDERING LEAVING GREENBURG DOWNSIZING TO A SMALLER APARTMENT, MAYBE LEAVING THE AREA.
AND JUST ABOUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC, I READ A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE IN THE REAL ESTATE SECTION OF THE, UH, UH, OF THE PAPER THAT COMMENTED ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR GREENBERG, NOT JUST FOR FAMILIES, RAISING CHILDREN, CHILDREN, BUT THE PUNCHLINE FOR ME WAS GOOD FOR SENIORS AND RETIREES.
THAT'S ME AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PEOPLE HERE.
AND SO THAT WAS A GAME CHANGER FOR ME.
SO I'M DEEPLY CONCERNED, UH, THIS SECESSION PROPOSAL, IF IT'S PASSED, IF IT'S EXECUTED WELL, QUITE FRANKLY, SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTS THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR MANY OF US.
PEOPLE LIKE ME, WHO WANT TO SPEND OUR LAST YEARS, IF YOU WILL, IN A PLACE LIKE GREENBERG IN A COMMUNITY LIKE GREENBERG THAT HAS BEEN SO WELCOMING, BROAD CULTURALLY, ECONOMICALLY, ET CETERA.
SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS THIS, AND YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH, OBVIOUSLY, AND I SEE AS OTHERS HAVE THAT THE RESEARCH IS REALLY QUITE EDGEMONT CENTRIC, NOT BLOOMBERG CENTRIC.
AND I WONDER, AS OTHERS HAVE, UM, IN A LESS COMPLEX WAY, I'M VERY SENIOR CENTRIC, HOW THIS PARTICULAR PLAN, IF IMPLEMENTED, MIGHT AFFECT PEOPLE LIKE ME, SENIORS, RETIREES WHO WANNA SPEND OUR TIME HERE.
HOW WILL WE BE IMPACTED? WILL WE BE DRIVEN OUT, UH, GIVEN THE CHANGING ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL SCENE? AND HAVE YOU IN FACT LOOKED AT THAT? I UNDERSTAND YOU ARE CONTRACTED BY SOMEBODY ELSE.
IT'S GREEN, IT'S NOT GREENBERG CENTRIC, IT'S EDGEMONT CENTRIC.
I DO ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER THIS.
I'VE LIVED IN EDGEMONT FOR COMING ON 39 YEARS, AND I DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH BOTH OF YOU OR THE ENTIRE GROUP DURING YOUR FACT FINDING.
UM, THE ISSUE I RAISED AT THAT POINT HAD TO DO WITH RECREATIONAL SERVICES.
AND THE REPORT THAT YOU BRING FORTH IS THE IMPACT IT'LL HAVE.
ONE OF THE IMPACTS THAT I DIDN'T HEAR DISCUSSED OTHER THAN WE WOULD NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE TOWN PARK, IS WHAT HAPPENS TO THE EDGEMONT RESIDENTS WHO CAN NO LONGER USE THE TOWN PARK.
WHEN MY FAMILY MOVED HERE AND MY LITTLE KIDS WENT TO THE TOWN PARK, WE CAME FOR THE SCHOOLS, WE CAME BECAUSE GREENBURG HAD ACCESS.
MY GRANDKIDS NOW GO TO THE SCHOOLS, AND THEY'RE FACED WITH POSSIBLY NOT HAVING THE SAME ACCESS.
AND THAT ACCESS EXTENDS TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
IT EXTENDS THE EDGEMONT DAY CAMP, WHICH HAS USED FOREVER, THE GREENBERG TOWN POOLS.
IT INCLUDES THE HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS TEAMS WHICH USE THE TOWN PARKS.
ALL OF THESE THINGS WOULD BE OFF THE TABLE.
AND ALTHOUGH YOU DISCUSSED A LOT OF ASPECTS OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, WHAT HENRY LIKES AND UTILIZES, THIS VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE REPORT THAT I SAW TONIGHT.
AND I'D LIKE YOU TO SOMEHOW INCORPORATE THAT THERE IS A MAJOR LOSS TO THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY OF THE RECREATIONAL SERVICE, BECAUSE THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US.
THE SECOND PART THAT I'D JUST LIKE TO BRING UP IS THE ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR MAINTAINING THINGS SUCH AS CRANE POND, WHICH IS VITAL TO OUR COMMUNITY BASED ON THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, ADOPTING A
[01:15:01]
POLICY LAST NIGHT THAT THEY'RE GONNA BUILD A ROADWAY THROUGH ARTILLERY ROAD.I THINK THE POSSIBLE COST TO MAINTAIN CRAN POND MAY GO UP DRAMATICALLY WITH SALTING AND ALL THAT STUFF RUSHING DOWN.
AND AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THAT WOULD BE INCURRED BY THE EDGEMONT COMMUNITY, AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL COSTS TO WHAT EVERYBODY SAYS IS ONE OF THE GEMS OF EDGEMONT, WHICH IS THE GREENBURG NATURE CENTER.
SO IF YOU COULD INCLUDE THOSE THINGS IN YOUR DISCUSSION, YOUR FINAL REPORT, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
NEXT, WE'LL HAVE A SPEAKER FROM, UH, WHO'S VIEWING THE MEETING ON ZOOM.
UM, THEN WE'LL GO TO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES.
UM, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT PORTION OF THE HARTSDALE PUBLIC PARKING DISTRICT IS INCLUDED WITHIN THE PROPOSED BOUNDARIES OF THE EDGEMONT VILLAGE.
UH, I AM LOOKING AT THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY GIS, WHICH INDICATES THAT THE ONLY PORTION OF THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT THAT INCLUDES THE HPPD PROPERTY IS ON AQUEDUCT.
AND THAT SITE D, WHICH IS A MAJOR, UH, PORTION OF OUTDOOR PARKING, IS WITHIN THE SCARSDALE FIRE DEPARTMENT, WHICH MEANS THAT THE, UH, ASSETS OF THE DISTRICT WITHIN THE, UM, PARKING DISTRICT, PARKING DISTRICT THAT ARE WITHIN THE EDGEMONT VILLAGE ARE FAR LESS THAN WHAT I BELIEVE YOU WERE SAYING, BECAUSE YOU WERE SAYING THAT LIKE 38% OF THE PARKING SPOTS WERE WITHIN EDGEMONT VILLAGE.
AND THAT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE CORRECT ACCORDING TO THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY, UH, DESCRIPTION OF THE BOUNDARIES.
SO, UH, I BELIEVE THAT THE PARKING, THEREFORE, IF EDGEMONT WERE TO BECOME A VILLAGE, IT WOULD HAVE LESS PARKING THAN WHAT YOU SAY IT WOULD HAVE.
UM, AND I'M CONFUSED AS TO, UH, HOW YOU DETERMINE, UH, WHAT THE PARKING DISTRICT WAS OUTSIDE OF THE VILLAGE VERSUS INSIDE OF THE VILLAGE.
AND I AGREE WITH THE STATEMENT OF SOMEBODY EARLIER THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN HAVE US GIVE COMMENT REASONABLE COMMENTS WHEN WE HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR THE REPORT BEFORE TONIGHT.
OKAY, FRANK, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
I'LL, I'LL DO MY BEST TO ANSWER THE, THE QUESTION ABOUT THE BOUNDARIES.
UM, THE SCARSDALE FIRE DISTRICT AND THE, UH, GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT, UH, OBVIOUSLY INTERSECT AT DIFFERENT POINTS OF, UM, THE AREA THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE INCORPORATED VILLAGE.
BUT, UM, THE FACT THAT THE SCARSDALE FIRE DISTRICT MAY BE WITHIN OR NEAR THE, A PORTION OF THIS, UH, UH, PARKING DISTRICT IS REALLY NOT PART OF OUR ANALYSIS.
WHAT WE DID IS WE LOOKED AT WHAT WAS THE BOUNDARIES OF THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT, UM, USE THOSE AS BEING THE DISTRICT FOR THE POTENTIAL VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT.
AND WE NOTICED THAT AN AREA OF THE HARTSDALE PUBLIC PARKING DISTRICT FELL WITHIN THOSE INCORPORATED LIMITS.
AND THAT AREA IS KNOWN AS SITE E ON THE HARTSDALE, UH, PARKING DISTRICT WEBSITE, WHICH IS PIPELINE, IT'S KNOWN AS PIPELINE.
AND THE OTHER IS SITE D, WHICH IS THE BRONX RIVER PARKWAY AREA PARKING, SURFACE PARKING LOTS.
ACCORDING TO THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY, GIS SITE, D IS WITHIN THE SCARSDALE FIRE DISTRICT AND NOT WITHIN THE GREENVILLE FIRE DISTRICT.
AND IF THAT WERE CORRECT, AND I ASSUME YOU DID NOT MAKE A JUDICIAL DETERMINATION OF THAT, IF THAT CORRECT? IF THAT IS CORRECT, THAT WOULD AFFECT YOUR CALCULATION OF, UH, THE DIVISION OF ASSETS, CORRECT.
AND, AND PAUL IS JUST WHISPERING IN MY EAR.
SCARSDALE DOES HAVE A FIRE DEPARTMENT, NOT A, A DISTRICT.
[01:20:01]
UM, SO I THINK THERE MAY BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT GIS PRESENTATION THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT, IT COULD JUST BE, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING THAT'S IN ERROR ON, ON THAT SITE.UM, MY NAME IS JIM BLAND, AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, LIKE MY FRIEND TOM BLANK, I AM A 39 YEAR RESIDENT OF EDGEMONT.
UM, UH, AND I'M HERE AS A BOARD MEMBER, UH, WITH THE GREENBERG NATURE CENTER.
UM, AND THAT IS THE NONPROFIT THAT OPERATES THE 5 0 1 C3 THAT IS LONG OPERATED UNDER A LONG-TERM CONTRACT WITH THE 10 OPERATE THE NATURE CENTER UNDER THAT CONTRACT.
VERY IMPORTANTLY, WE AT THE NATURE CENTER, UM, THE ORGANIZATION AND THE BOARD ARE NEUTRAL ON INCORPORATION, BUT WE ARE NOT NEUTRAL ABOUT THE NATURE CENTER AND OUR MISSION AND THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE DO SIT IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE A VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT.
HOWEVER, WE SERVE ALL OF GREENBURG, ALL OF GREENBURG.
WE HAVE NEVER HAD A FOCUS, NOR WAS IT APPROPRIATE FOR HAVE A US TO HAVE A FOCUS ON EDGEMONT.
WE FOCUSED ON THE WHOLE COMMUNITY, AND FRANKLY, THE COMMUNITY BEYOND GREENBURG.
WE HAVE OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND VISITORS A YEAR.
WE SERVE MORE THAN 200 SCHOOLS PER YEAR.
THAT'S NOT SCHOOL VISITS, THAT'S SCHOOLS THAT HAVE MULTIPLE VISITS BOTH TO OUR FACILITY.
AND WE ALSO OUTREACH TO THOSE SCHOOLS WHERE THEY ARE.
THIS DOCUMENT SUGGESTS THAT THE NATURE CENTER CENTER WOULD BE COLLATERAL DAMAGE IN, IN THIS DISCUSSION THAT'S GONE ON FOR YEARS NOW.
AND THAT IS FRANKLY, UNACCEPTABLE.
I'M HERE WITH A HOPE THAT THE COMMUNITY ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS ISSUE CAN COMMIT TO ENSURE ENSURING THAT THE NATURE CENTER CONTINUE AS THE GREAT ASSET THAT IT IS TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND I HOPE WE CAN FIND A WAY TO DO THAT.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GREENBERG NATURE CENTER.
I ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION, UM, IN YOUR RESEARCH, WERE YOU GIVEN THE, UH, 1973 HALL ACQUISITION DOCUMENTATION? THIS WAS THE CONTRACT AT THE TIME THAT THE LAND WAS ACQUIRED FOR THE GREENBERG NATURE CENTER.
AND IN THAT CONTRACT, THERE ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT POINTS.
ONE THAT THE NATURE CENTER REMAIN OPEN TO ALL, AND TWO, THE PROPERTY CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED.
UM, SO I'LL PROVIDE THAT, UM, FOR YOU TO, TO READ THROUGH.
HI, UH, MY NAME IS JULIA BRADY.
UM, SO IN THIS REPORT, YOU SAID THAT IT SEEMS, IN BEST CASE SCENARIO, UM, THE TOWN OF GREENBURG WOULD HAVE TO CUT COST BY 7%.
AND I KNOW IT WOULD BE HYPOTHETICAL, BUT, UM, HAS THERE BEEN, I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE WOULD BE, UM, RESEARCH INTO WHAT WOULD BE CAUGHT IF CUT, IF WE HAD TO CUT 7% IN THE BUDGET, UM, WHAT SERVICES WOULD WE NO LONGER HAVE OR WHAT WOULD BE DIMINISHED FOR EVERYBODY, UM, IN THAT 7%? SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO KNOW, UM, WHAT WE WOULD LOSE OUT ON.
ARE YOU GONNA ANSWER THE QUESTION? OH, DO YOU WANT AN ANSWER?
[01:25:03]
UH, I CAN RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION.I DO NOT THINK, UM, AS PART OF OUR ANALYSIS, WE'RE GONNA START SPECIFYING WHAT SERVICES WOULD BE CUT.
NO, THAT'S A GRANULAR LEVEL AND INVOLVES CHOICES AND DECISIONS THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO TRY TO PREDICT HOW THE TOWN WOULD MAKE THOSE.
LEON, ALFONSO, LEON, THANK YOU.
COULD YOU SPEAK CLOSER TO THE MICROPHONE, PLEASE? YEAH.
I CAME HERE TONIGHT TO EDUCATE MYSELF.
AND RIGHT NOW MY HEAD IS JUST SPINNING ALL OVER THE PLACE.
I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
BUT A QUIET QUESTION TO YOU IS THAT INFORMATION YOU HAVE GOT IT.
YOU HAVE IT RIGHT IN YOUR POSSESSION.
YOU ARE TELLING ME THAT THE PEOPLE WHO IS WILLING TO SECEDE SAYING THAT THEY'RE HAPPY, BUT STILL YET THEY WANT TO LEAVE.
IT'S LIKE, LIKE A CHILD INSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE SAYING, MOMMY AND DADDY, I LIKE EVERYTHING, THE FOOD, THE LUXURY, BUT I'M GOING TO LEAVE.
BUT YOU MUST WATCH MY HOUSE WHEN I'M SLEEPING AT NIGHT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO YOU? AND IF IT DOES MAKE SENSE TO YOU, I AM BEGGING YOU TO GIVE US A CONCLUSION OF ALL THE DATA YOU HAVE AND SENATOR TO MARTY STEWART SAYING, WELL, LOOK, I THINK THESE EITHER BE EITHER THE MAD, THE CRAZY, THE INSANE, OR SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH OUR SOCIETY TODAY, THAT WE DON'T CARE FOR EACH OTHER BECAUSE CHILDREN, CHILDREN ARE GOING TO SUFFER JUST LIKE WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ALL OVER THE WORLD.
AND IF WE ARE THE ELDER ONES, THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO STRUGGLE BEFORE US TO BRING US WHERE WE ARE NOW TODAY, THERE'S TWO LITTLE BOYS BY THE CORNER WITH THEIR PANTS DOWN, BREAKING DOWN A NATION SO THAT THEY COULD BECOME THE PRESIDENT AT THAT LITTLE CORNER.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO ANY ONE OF YOU UP THERE? I WOULD CONCLUDE WITH THIS.
WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE TONIGHT, WRITE THROUGH YOUR CONSCIENCE.
KEEP YOUR CONSCIENCE CLEAR, AND DEFEND THE NEEDY BISHOP PRESTON.
I PASTOR CHURCH IN THE FAIRVIEW SECTION OF GREENBURG.
UM, THANK, THE FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO DO IS PRAY, BUT I'LL SKIP THAT BECAUSE WE NEED, WE NEED SOME PRAYER IN THIS PLACE.
AFTER THE INFORMATION THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED, UM, I, I'M STILL SETTLED WITH SOME ISSUES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED IN YOUR PRESENTATION CONCERNING EVERYONE HAVING AN EQUAL, RIGHT? WE TALK ABOUT EQUALITY, WE TALK ABOUT EQUAL RIGHTS, WE TALK ABOUT JUSTIFICATION AND JUSTICE, BUT NOTHING IN YOUR REPORT ADDRESSES THE ISSUE OF THIS VILLAGE LAW THAT WAS WRITTEN IN SEPARATISM AND WRITTEN IN AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE.
AND THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN IMPACT STUDY YOU ARE WRITING AND YOU ARE PRESENTING TONIGHT, LIKE BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT IMPACTED.
WE WILL BE VERY ADVERSELY IMPACTED IN THE FAIRVIEW SECTION IF WE SEPARATE, WE LOOK AT THE LAW THAT WAS WRITTEN IN SEPARATISM, AND WE KNOW THIS AND WE NEED TO CHANGE THE LAW, BUT WE KEEP TRYING TO DANCE AROUND THE REAL ISSUE OF CHANGING THE LAW BY ADDING THINGS IN THAT SEEMS LIKE THEY WILL BE OKAY WHEN WE KNOW
[01:30:01]
THEY ARE NOT.THE LAW NEED TO BE CHANGED WHERE EVERYBODY HAS A VOTE AND THAT VOTE IS COUNTED.
I AM, I AM, I'M STARLY STARLY, UH, CONCERNED ABOUT A VILLAGE THAT WANT TO SEPARATE AND ONLY THREE TO 500 PEOPLE OUT OF THE EIGHT, 8,000 PLUS PEOPLE CAN VOTE FOR ALMOST 50,000 PEOPLE AND MAKE A CHANGE.
IS THAT RIGHT? SO VOTER SUPPRESSION STILL IS STILL ALIVE IN THE GREAT STATE OF NEW YORK WHEN WE DO NOT HAVE A RIGHT TO VOTE ON SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT OUR LIVES.
I'M, I'M CONCERNED BECAUSE AS I STAND HERE TONIGHT AND LOOK ACROSS THIS GROUP THAT'S MAKING THIS IMPACT STUDY, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY LOOKING LIKE ME, AND I'M HALF WHITE MYSELF.
AND, AND WE, WE NEED, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES.
AND ALL THE FLUFF THAT YOU PUT ON THE ISSUES THAT YOU WANT TO SEPARATE IS NOT GOING TO HELP UNTIL WE GO BACK AND CHANGE THE LAW THAT WAS WRITTEN THAT DIVIDES US.
THE BIBLE, SINCE I'M A PREACHER, TALKS ABOUT JUSTICE RUNNING DOWN LIKE WATER AND RIGHTEOUSNESS, LIKE A MIGHTY STREAM.
WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH PUTTING LAWS ON THE BOOK, BUT CAN'T TAKE THEM OFF IF WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE IN THE STREAM.
WHAT BLOCKS THE FLOW IS BOULDERS AND MOUNTAINS.
SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO GET TOGETHER AS THE CITIZENS OF GREENBURG AND START VOTING AND, AND BLOWING UP SOME OF THOSE BOULDERS THAT ARE IN OUR WAY THAT WON'T CHANGE THE LAW THAT IMPACTS US.
AND IF ANYONE ON ZOOM WANTS TO SPEAK, YOU JUST RAISE YOUR HAND ELECTRONICALLY AND WE'LL CALL ON YOU.
IT'S A REALLY DIFFICULT TASK TO TRY TO ESTIMATE, ESTIMATE, DECIDE WHAT THE CONTINGENCIES GOING FORWARD MIGHT BE, BUT THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT THAT IS QUESTIONED AS TO WHETHER IT'S IN HERE.
THAT 7% REDUCTION THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IN SER IN, UM, BUDGET CUTS IN GREENBERG, DOES THAT FACTOR IN THE CORRECT PROPORTION OF THE LOSS OF THE TAX BASE OR NOT? IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO.
SO I TAKE IT THE ANSWER, IT'S NO.
NOW THAT OBVIOUSLY CREATES ISSUES AND MANY OF YOU HAVE ALREADY RAISED THEM.
UM, I HAD LIKE TO TALK A MINUTE BECAUSE SOME OF WHAT SOME OF THE EDGEMONT RESIDENTS HAVE SAID INVOLVE WHETHER OR NOT WHAT THE FOLKS OF EDGEMONT WHO WILL BE VOTING ON THIS HAVE AT RISK.
WE ALREADY HEARD ABOUT RECREATION AND SO ON, BUT GOING THROUGH HERE, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH, EVEN IF THE MOST STABLE SCENARIO HAPPENS AND THERE'S A CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT ON SERVICES, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE RANGE OF SOME OF THESE COSTS WILL BE? YES.
YEAH, WE CERTAINLY DO HAVE, UM, FIGURES IN THE MODEL THAT ARE PERTAINING TO ALL OF THE SERVICE AREAS THAT WOULD BE CONTRACTED BETWEEN THE TOWN AND THE VILLAGE.
AND I THINK PAUL MENTIONED WE ESTIMATED THOSE COSTS AS THE, ROUGHLY THE 25% OF THE UNINCORPORATED TOWN THAT IS THE ASSESSED VALUE OF EDGEMONT.
SO YES, WE'RE ASSIGNING THOSE COSTS AND SAYING THAT THOSE WOULD STILL REMAIN WITH THE TOWN BECAUSE THE TOWN WOULD BE PROVIDING THE SERVICE ON A CONTRACTED BASIS TO THE VILLAGE.
BUT THE AMOUNT THAT THE TOWN WOULD CHARGE THE VILLAGE OR THE VILLAGE WOULD BE WILLING TO PAY TO THE TOWN.
THERE'S STILL A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF POTENTIAL QUESTION ON THAT 100% BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE NEGOTIATING THAT AGREEMENT.
UM, THE STARTUP COSTS FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF A VILLAGE RANGE FROM 500,000 TO 1.5 MILLION.
DOES THAT INCLUDE, UM, THE PROVIDING OF, UM, APPROPRIATE SPACE FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO,
[01:35:01]
UM, FUNCTION? I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE AN ONGOING COST AND WHAT THE INCORPORATION ADVOCATES HAVE DISCUSSED IS LEASING SPACE.UM, DO WE HAVE AN IDEA OF ESTIMATES OF THE PER SQUARE FOOT THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO EXPECT IN THAT WE DO? AND, AND THAT, AGAIN, IS INCLUDED KIND OF IN THE FULL REPORT, WHICH WE WERE NOT INTENDING TO GO THROUGH PAGE BY PAGE TONIGHT.
I THINK, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DONALD RUMSFELD USED TO TALK ABOUT IS KNOWN UNKNOWNS UNKNOWN.
UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS CAME TO MY MIND AS WELL.
AND THEN THERE'S THE UNKNOWN UNKNOWNS, RIGHT? WE DID NOT ATTEMPT TO MODEL MULTIPLE YEARS DUE TO UNKNOWNS AND COMPLEXITY.
WE TALKED A LITTLE, UH, FOLKS TALKED A LITTLE BIT EARLIER ABOUT THE SEWER SYSTEM AND THE SITUATION WITH CLIMATE CHANGE GETTING WORSE AND SO ON.
AND WHEN WE GET DOWN TO THE WATER, UM, IF THERE IS CAPITAL, LET'S FACE IT, NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL WITH CAPITAL GOES BELOW SEVEN FIGURES AT THIS POINT.
I KNOW IN PAST YEARS WHEN THERE WERE ISSUES INVOLVING THE COUNTY AND CERTAIN, UM, RENOVATIONS NEEDED IMPROVEMENTS TO WATER SYSTEMS, YOU COULD POTENTIALLY BE TALKING TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HERE.
COULD, COULD I JUST QUICKLY RESPOND, THE COST THAT WE HAVE FOR LEASING SPACE FOR VILLAGE HALL IS $150,000, DID YOU SAY? I DON'T REMEMBER.
UM, NEXT WE HAVE A, ANOTHER ZOOM SPEAKER.
I'VE LIVED IN EDGEMONT FOR 53 YEARS AND HAVE HAD AN EXCELLENT, UH, LIGHTS HERE.
UH, THE SERVICES FROM THE TOWN HAVE BEEN BEYOND WOOD, THE POLICE, FIRE, SANITATION, ROAD CLEANING, ALL THE DEPARTMENTS.
I'VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS, WHETHER IT BE, UH, NEEDING DRAINS CLEANED ON THE STREET, GETTING A BAT OFF OF MY PATIO.
I FIND IT TERRIBLY UPSETTING THAT THE PEOPLE IN EDGEMONT DON'T SEEM TO CARE ABOUT THE REST OF THE TOWN AND HOW IT WILL SURVIVE WITHOUT OUR TAX.
IT IS UHHUH AN EXTREMELY SELFISH ATTITUDE.
WE ARE HERE TO HELP EACH OTHER NOT TO TAKE.
THE TOWN WILL BE HERE FOR US WHEN WE NEED ANYTHING.
IT MAY TAKE MORE TIME THAN WE WOULD LIKE.
PERHAPS SOMETHING MORE IMMINENT IS GOING ON IN OTHER PARTS OF THE TOWN.
PLEASE THINK OF THE TOWN AS A WHOLE, NOT, NOT JUST WHAT THOSE IN EDGEMONT WANT.
THIS IS A FABULOUS TOWN AND I THINK THEY'RE THE, UH,
I, I DON'T MEAN TO BE A SNOB, BUT I THINK I'M ONE OF THE HIGHEST TAXPAYERS IN, IN, IN EDGEMONT, AND I DO NOT BEGRUDGE ONE PENNY THAT GOES TO THE WHOLE TABLE.
YOU GUYS JUST GOT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR TWO MONTHS WORK, WHICH DIDN'T ANSWER ALL OF THE MAJOR QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE REGARDING THE IMPACT OF INCORPORATION.
YOU LISTENED TO WHAT WE SAID IN OUR MEETINGS WITH YOU, BUT YOU HAVEN'T EMPHASIZED THOSE POINTS AND THEY ARE ALL IMPORTANT.
WHEN WE FIRST STARTED THIS CRUSADE LAST JANUARY, TRYING TO GET THE INCORPORATION PROCESS AMENDED SO THAT IT WOULD BE FAIR TO EVERYBODY IN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG, WE WERE TOLD THAT A STUDY WOULD BE DONE OF THE IMPACT ON GREENBURG, NOT WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE ON EDGEMONT.
SO THE SCRIPT HAS BEEN FLIPPED ON US,
[01:40:01]
AND WE'RE NOT HAPPY ABOUT THAT.YOUR PRESENTATION HAS RAISED MORE QUESTIONS THAN IT ANSWERS.
WHAT ABOUT THE ONGOING COSTS? WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE IN EDGEMONT GOING TO HAVE TO PAY GOING PAST THAT FIRST YEAR? WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE IN GREENBURG GOING TO HAVE TO PAY GOING PAST THAT FIRST YEAR? YOU'RE NOT HELPING TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, THEREFORE, YOU'RE NOT HELPING THE PEOPLE IN EDGE BOT DETERMINE WHETHER THEY SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE VOTING FOR INCORPORATION.
YOU, YOU MAY HAVE THE PROJECTIONS IN YOUR REPORT, BUT AS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID, YOU HAVEN'T SHARED THAT WITH US YET.
SO WE REALLY CAN'T ASK GREAT QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW, HAVE THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE RAISED TONIGHT GOING TO BE SOMEHOW INCLUDED IN YOUR REPORT, OR ARE YOU GONNA SIMPLY SAY, OH, WE HAD A MEETING.
WE ARE GONNA RE SUBMIT OUR REPORT THE WAY IT'S ALREADY WRITTEN, BUT WE HAVE RAISED IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.
AND EVEN IF YOU CAN'T PROVIDE THE ANSWERS, YOUR REPORT SHOULD AT LEAST RAISE THE QUESTIONS AND GIVE THEM APPROPRIATE EMPHASIS THAT THEY NEED TO BE FURTHER EVALUATED.
DOES YOUR REPORT CONSIDER THE WORST CASE SCENARIO THAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE TOWN IF EDGEMONT DOESN'T BUY ANY SERVICES FROM US? DOES IT HAVE SOME REAL NUMBERS IN THERE? YOU MENTIONED, OH, I CAN'T ADDRESS THE 7% BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE MICROMANAGING, BUT YOU COULD GIVE US A BETTER CLUE THAN SIMPLY SAYING 7%.
NOT EVERYBODY'S A MATH WHIZ AND CAN CALCULATE THE NUMBER OF POSITIONS THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE CUT.
IF THERE WERE A MILLION DOLLAR OR $2 MILLION DEFICIT, YOU COULD GIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
ONE OF THE THINGS YOU MENTIONED WAS THAT THE TOWN HAS USED THEIR FUND BALANCES TO, UH, HELP PREVENT TAX INCREASES.
WOULD EDGEMONT BE ABLE TO USE A FUND BALANCE? WOULD THEY HAVE TO CREATE ONE? HOW BIG WOULD IT NEED TO BE? WOULD THEY ABLE, WOULD THEY BE ABLE TO GET A BOND? DO THEY HAVE THE CREDIT RATING TO GET A BOND TO PROVIDE THAT TO THE TOWN TO COVER THE FUTURE COSTS THAT THEY WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR? OKAY.
AND WHY DOESN'T YOUR REPORT HAVE A MAP, A PRECISE MAP OF THE AREA UNDER CONSIDERATION? I WILL STOP.
SO TOM, I JUST WANNA MAKE ONE COMMENT IN RESPONSE TO THOSE THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS.
THE QUESTIONS THAT WE DON'T ANSWER IN THE REPORT ARE NOT ANSWERABLE.
UH, ONE POSSIBLE WAY FORWARD, WHICH I HAVE NOT MENTIONED, AND I WANT TO CALL THE COMMUNITY'S ATTENTION TO IT, IS THE TOWN HAS THE ABILITY TO REQUEST NON-BINDING ADVISORY OPINIONS FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AT THE STATE LEVEL TO TRY TO RESOLVE SOME OF THIS.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THE INCORPORATION ADVOCATES CAN DO, IT'S NOT SOMETHING CGR CAN DO, BUT IT IS SOMETHING THAT THE TOWN CAN DO.
TOM ATI, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I AM A FORMER TOWN COUNCILMAN, FORMER COUNTY LEGISLATOR, AND FORMER MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY REPRESENTING THE TOWN OF GREENBURG.
I SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THIS WHOLE ISSUE, AND I HAD DRAFTED SEVERAL DIFFERENT PLANS, UH, TO, UM, REFORM THE WAY VILLAGES ARE FORMED IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
AND I THINK YOUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT, UH, SHOWS US WHY, UH, THERE WAS A NEED FOR A CHANGE IN THE WAY VILLAGES ARE INCORPORATED.
AND I COMPLIMENT THE PEOPLE WHO DRAFTED THE, UH, THE NEW LAW, WHICH, UH, REQUIRES A STUDY BY THE, THE STATE AND APPROVAL BY THE STATE.
UH, I MEAN, WE DO THAT FOR SETTING UP, UH, YOU KNOW, TAX DISTRICTS.
IT MAKES SOME SENSE TO SET UP A FULL GOVERNMENT.
UH, YOU SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF, UH, STATE APPROVAL BEFORE YOU JUMP INTO THIS.
AND YOU POINTED OUT ALL OF THE REASONS WHY YOU CAN'T GIVE US A REAL ASSESSMENT OF WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
SO I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT THE PURPOSE OF YOUR STUDY IS EXCEPT TO RAISE ISSUES.
SO I THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
UM, BUT THOSE OF US WHO'VE, WHO'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME RECOGNIZE THE ISSUES THAT YOU'RE RAISING.
SO IT'S GOOD THAT YOU'RE INFORMING THE PUBLIC, BUT I'M NOT SURE WE'RE GETTING TO ANY ANSWERS.
I MEAN, I LOOK FOR EXAMPLE, UM, THE NATURE CENTER, UH, WHICH WE'VE PUT A LOT OF MONEY INTO FROM THE STATE, AT LEAST WHEN I WAS IN ALBANY, AND I THINK MY PREDECESSOR DID ALSO.
UM, AND NOW IT'S GOING TO GO FROM THE TOWN OF GREENBURG TO A LITTLE VILLAGE, AND IT WAS BEING SUPPORTED BY THE REVENUE OF 40,000 PEOPLE, AND NOW IT'S GONNA BE SUPPORTED BY THE REVENUE OF 8,000 PEOPLE.
HAVE YOU LOOKED TO SEE WHETHER IT WILL SURVIVE, WHETHER THAT VILLAGE COULD ACTUALLY CONTINUE THAT NATURE CENTER, UH, OR IS THAT GONNA JUST GO BY THE WAYSIDE? THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF, OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK YOU HAVE
[01:45:01]
TO LOOK AT.UH, THE OTHER THING, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS THE TOWN HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN LITIGATION IN THE AREA THAT WOULD BE CALLED THE VILLAGE OF, OF EDGEMONT.
WILL THE OBLIGATIONS THAT THE TOWN ASSUMED BECAUSE OF LITIGATION WITHIN THAT COMMUNITY BE COVERED BY THE VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT, FOR EXAMPLE, JOE MOORE ROAD.
THERE WAS A BIG LAWSUIT OVER THAT, THAT'S IN THE VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT AREA THAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, INCORPORATED.
AND THE TOWN IS STILL PAYING MONIES OUT AS A RESULT OF THAT LAWSUIT WHERE THE TOWN DID THE BIDDING OF THE PEOPLE OF, UH, EDGEMONT AND GOT CHASTISED BY A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR DOING THAT BY FEDERAL COURT.
AND NOW THEY'RE PAYING THOSE MONIES.
WOULD THAT BE INCLUDED IN WHAT EDGEMONT VILLAGE WOULD HAVE TO REIMBURSE THE TOWN FOR? WILL THEY ASSUME THE REST OF THAT LIABILITY, OR IS THAT NOT GONNA HAPPEN? UM, AND THEN, UM, I I, I COME TO THE QUESTION OF, UM, WHAT IF THE VILLAGE FAILS? THIS HAS HAPPENED OUT IN LONG ISLAND, AND THIS LOOKS LIKE A MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE ADVENTURE THAN THE SMALL VILLAGES OUT IN LONG ISLAND THAT HAVE FAILED.
AND IN OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE, UH, WE'RE SEEING VILLAGES STOP AND, AND CEASE EXISTING, BUT WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF VILLAGES STARTING UP.
BUT AS YOU ARE DESCRIBING IT, THIS LOOKS LIKE A RATHER EXPENSIVE OPERATION.
SO IF THE VILLAGE FAILS AFTER SPENDING TWO, THREE, $5 MILLION IN SETTING UP EVERYTHING AND WHAT, WHO PICKS UP THE COST? THANK YOU.
HI, I'M JOY HABER, AND I DO APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE AS CGR PUT INTO THIS REPORT.
IT IS A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE AS, AS WE KNOW.
UM, BUT I DO HAVE JUST ONE VERY SIMPLE QUESTION.
I WANT TO KNOW, WE'VE HEARD FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES AND POINTS OF VIEW OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ANTI INCORPORATION.
WHY THE HEAD OF THE INCORPORATION EFFORT? WHO IS HERE WITH US TONIGHT? MS. RIGHT? SITTING RIGHT HERE WOULD DECLINE TO SPEAK.
CAN CAN WE HEAR FROM YOU? CAN, I MEAN, WE'VE HEARD FROM EVERYONE ELSE.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HEAR THE OTHER SIDE.
SO IF YOU WANT THIS TO BE A BALANCED, A BALANCED DISCUSSION, I THINK IT WOULD BE TO EVERYONE'S BENEFIT TO HEAR FROM YOU.
IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SIGN UP, THE SIGN UP LIST IS UP HERE.
ANYBODY ON ZOOM? IF YOU RAISE YOUR HAND, WE'LL CALL ON YOU.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO RESPOND TO, UH, TWO POINTS THAT YOU MADE.
UH, YOU SUGGESTED THAT WE REACH OUT TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, UM, OR THE CONTROLLER, UH, FOR OPINIONS.
AND WE'VE DONE THAT OVER THE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS.
I'VE WRITTEN MANY, MANY LETTERS, UM, TO THEM.
AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE, THE CONTROLLER'S OFFICE, THEY'VE ALWAYS REFUSED TO GIVE US SOME, UM, RESPONSES, UH, TO EDGEMONT INCORPORATION ISSUES.
AND CONTROLLER'S OFFICE NOW DOESN'T, UH, ISSUE ADVISORY OPINIONS ANYMORE.
WE'VE, WE'VE, UM, HAD MANY REQUESTS ALSO.
UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE POLICE, UM, IN YOUR REPORT, UH, EARLIER THIS MORNING, I LOOKED AT THE EDGEMONT, UM, YOU KNOW, INCORPORATION WEBSITE, AND THEY INDICATED THAT THEY HAD MEETINGS WITH THE COUNTY POLICE, AND THEY WERE DISCUSSING THE POSSIBILITY OF CONTRACTING WITH THE COUNTY POLICE FOR, UM, FOR, FOR SERVICES.
SO INITIALLY I THINK WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS THEY MIGHT WANNA STAY WITH GREENBERG, BUT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, THEY WOULD CON THEY WOULD DO A BIDDING WORK.
I REMEMBER, UM, A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO WITH ELMSFORD AND OLEY, UH, THE TOWN CONTRACTED WITH, UM, UH, HAD A CONTRACT WITH ELMSFORD FOR LIBRARY SERVICES.
WE WERE GETTING, I THINK ABOUT $250,000 A YEAR, AND THEN OLEY UNDER THE BID, THE TOWN.
UM, AND WITH LIBRARY SERVICES, UH, YOU JUST NEED A LIBRARY.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU CONTRACT, YOU COULD USE ANY LIBRARY IN THE COUNTY.
SO THE TOWN LOST $250,000 A YEAR.
UM, OR ELMSFORD HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE LIBRARY, I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY, UM, UH, EDGEMONT COMMUNITY WOULD CONTRACT WITH A TOWN WHEN A NEIGHBORING, UH, VILLAGE WOULD OFFER THEM LIBRARY SERVICES FOR HALF THE COST.
I MEAN, IT WOULD, SO I THINK YOUR NUMBERS ARE REALLY NOT ACCURATE.
[01:50:13]
WELL, IN THE INTEREST OF FULL DISCLOSURE, I'D JUST LIKE TO DISCLOSE THAT I'M A SENIORMY FAMILY MOVED FROM HARTSDALE TO, TO HARTSDALE FROM BROOKLYN WHERE I WAS BORN.
AND, AND, UH, I WENT TO THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL AND THEN TO SCARSDALE HIGH SCHOOL.
I NOW LIVE IN HARTSDALE OFF EAST HARTSDALE AVENUE.
AND I ALSO JUST DISCLOSED THAT I WAS PARTICIPATED IN THE DEFEAT OF THE SECOND ATTEMPT TO INCORPORATE, UH, EDGEMONT.
I WANT TO CALL ATTENTION TO SOMETHING WHICH IS HISTORICAL AND I THINK IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW.
THERE WAS A SIMILAR SITUATION BACK MANY YEARS AGO.
MY FATHER WAS ON THE EDGEMONT SCHOOL BOARD, AND GREENBERG SI UH, SIX WAS THE EDGEMONT DISTRICT IN SEVEN WAS, UH, HARTSDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
HARTSDALE WANTED TO COMBINE WITH EDGEMONT, AND EDGEMONT DID NOT WANT THAT, AND IT DID NOT HAPPEN.
AND THAT CONSEQUENTLY THERE WAS A MERGER OF SEVEN AND EIGHT, WHICH WAS FAIRVIEW.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S NOW CENTRAL SEVEN, WHERE ALL MY CHILDREN WENT, THREE CHILDREN AND MY, MY WIFE'S TWO CHILDREN.
SO, UH, THIS IS NOT A NEW SITUATION.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO, FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND IN EDGEMONT.
AND I HAPPEN TO BELIEVE THAT THE SCHOOL SITUATION IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE IN EDGEMONT.
AND I THINK THE HISTORY WILL BEAR THAT OUT, THAT THAT WOULD NOT AFFECT THIS, EVEN IF THEY STAYED IN THE TOWN OR LEFT, IT WOULD NOT AFFECT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT.
BUT THERE WAS A, A CANDIDATE WHO WAS THE HEAD OF THE EEIC, BOB BERNSTEIN, WHO RAN FOR SUPERVISOR AGAINST PAUL FINER.
UM, BUT BOB, UH, IF I ASKED THE EDGEMONT FOLKS, AND I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW THIS, IF BOB BERNSTEIN HAD WON AND BECOME SUPERVISOR, I DON'T THINK THAT THIS EVER WOULD'VE HAPPENED.
MY BELIEF IS THAT THIS IS A ZONING SITUATION AND A LAND USE SITUATION PRIMARILY.
I THINK THAT WE HAVE A FANTASTICALLY HAPPY SITUATION IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA AS IT STANDS NOW, AND POLLS AND PAPERS APPARENTLY SHOW THAT.
UM, AND, UH, I THINK, UH, IT'S TOO BAD TO BREAK THAT UP.
SO I, I WOULD, I WOULD, UH, JUST CALL THOSE THINGS TO YOUR ATTENTION.
JULE WILLIAMS JOHNSON, PLEASE SPEAK.
I'M NOT GONNA SAY ANYTHING EARTH SHATTERING.
I JUST WANT TO, UM, EMPHASIZE SOME THINGS THAT WERE ALREADY SAID.
I REALLY, UM, CONCUR WITH WHAT MARSHA KEY SAID AND WHAT CAROL ALLEN SAID.
THIS, UH, REPORT IS HEAVILY EDGEMONT, HAS A HEAVILY EDGEMONT EFFECT.
UM, AND I REALLY FEEL I'VE SPOKEN WITH THE, UM, UH, FOR GREENBERG GROUP THAT CAROL ALLEN HEADS AND I REALLY, UH, WE, WE'VE SPOKEN WITH ATTORNEYS, IT IS SO, UM, HURTFUL TO KNOW THAT THERE'S A LAW ON OUR STATE BOOKS THAT DISENFRANCHISES PEOPLE.
AND FOR THIS TO BE AN IMPACT STATEMENT THAT DOESN'T ADDRESS THE FACT THAT THAT LAW CUTS OUT, UH, THE REST OF GREENBERG IN A VOTE IN THIS DAY AND TIME.
THIS IS NOT A TRUE IMPACT STATEMENT AT ALL.
AND FOR YOU NOT TO INDICATE THAT AN UNREVISED OR AN UN UH, RETRACTED LAW IS STILL ON THE BOOKS AND DOESN'T ALLOW PEOPLE TO VOTE ON SOMETHING.
SO THAT ON SOMETHING THAT IS SO GOING TO HEAVILY AFFECT SUCH A SWATH OF THE TOWN OF GREENBURG MAKES NO SENSE.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT I FOUND VERY INTERESTING AT, UH, IS
[01:55:01]
THAT SO MANY OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE CONCERNS THAT ANY MUNICIPALITY WOULD HAVE, WHETHER, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU SKIMMED OVER THE WATER, UH, SUPPLY, BUT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF THE WATER, THE CHLORIDE, THE FLUORIDE.UM, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT, UH, ROAD MAINTENANCE ON THE WHOLE, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT SIGNAGE, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT ROAD.
UM, UH, FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE OR CHARGING STATIONS, WHICH EVERYBODY NEEDS NOWADAYS.
UM, AND THE OTHER QUESTION I HAD IS WHEN WILL THE FULL REPORT BE ISSUED? DID I MISS THAT OR WAS THAT SPOKE WITH? APRIL.
I DID MENTION IT AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF MY REMARKS, BUT GO ON.
I DON'T WANNA CUT INTO YOUR TIME.
SO TO, UM, TO BILL'S POINT, UM, I DO FEEL THIS IS A ZONING AND A CODE ENFORCEMENT, UH, ISSUE AT THE HEART.
AND AT THE START OF THIS, UH, THAT WAS A BIG ISSUE THAT THE EDGE ROUND SECTION OF TOWN DIDN'T FEEL THAT THEY WERE RECEIVING THEIR DUE, UH, RIGHTS AND HAVING EFFECTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT.
AND NOW TO HEAR THAT THEY WILL CONTRACT WITH THE TOWN FOR ALL POLICE SERVICES, FOR THAT CODE ENFORCEMENT, UH, IS ODD.
AND JUST AS, UM, YOU'VE INDICATED SEVERAL TIMES, AND IT WAS ON ONE OF THE SLIDES THAT, UH, REQUESTS FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND OTHERS WOULD BE NON-BINDING.
SO WOULD THAT THEY'RE INDICATING THAT THEY WOULD, THEY WOULD CONTRACT WITH THE, UH, GREENBURG POLICE.
THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SAYING NOW, BUT WE, BUT WE HAVE NO PROOF THAT THAT WOULD, UH, PAN OUT FOR THE, UH, AFTER, YOU KNOW, IF FOR THE FIRST YEAR OR YEARS AFTER.
AND I KNOW EVERYONE'S VERY UPSET ABOUT THE CURRENT LAWS AND UPSET WITH, UH, SENATOR ANDREA STEWART COUSINS HER OUT, HER OUT.
I'M ADVISING YOU THAT NOT ONLY THAT, I UNDERSTAND YOUR UPSETNESS WITH THAT, BUT YOU SHOULD ALSO BE UPSET WITH, UH, ASSEMBLY WOMAN AMY POLLAN.
NOT ONLY DOES SHE REPRESENT PEOPLE IN EDGEMONT THAT WOULD LIKE TO SUCCEED, BUT SHE REPRESENTS THE WHOLE OF EDGEMONT.
AND THAT MEANS SHE REPRESENTS PEOPLE IN EDGEMONT THAT DON'T WANT TO SUCCEED.
AND SHE PUT STOP HOLDS ON EVERYTHING THAT THE SENATOR TRIED TO DO TO, UH, HELP US HERE.
HOW ARE YOU? UH, CHRISTOPH WITH GREENBURG UNIFORMED FIREFIGHTERS? UM, MY APOLOGIES.
THE QUESTION HOPEFULLY IS A SIMPLE ONE.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
IF IT'S ALL ENCOMPASSING, IT'S GONNA GET PULLED INTO THE VILLAGE.
UH, THE PD BY STATE STATUTE HAS TO, UH, BE PROVIDED BY THE TOWN IF THEY DON'T CREATE ONE.
DOES THE STATUTE TALK ABOUT EMS AT ALL? BECAUSE THE PD CURRENTLY OPERATES, THE EMS FIRE DEPARTMENT RUNS FIRST RESPONSE.
UM, SINCE THE, THE GREENBERG POLICE DEPARTMENT IS THE PRIMARY AMBULANCE, UM, AND ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT PROVIDER, UH, THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO SINCE THAT'S INTEGRAL TO THEIR, THEIR OPERATION.
SO THEY'D HAVE TO BE OBLIGATED, THEY WOULD BE OBLIGATED TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE, BY THE WAY IT'S SET UP CURRENTLY.
THEY, THEY'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT EM FOR THREE YEARS.
[02:00:01]
AT FIRST I WAS UNINFORMED AS TO, I THOUGHT WE'D GET DEFINITE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT NUMBERS WE WOULD GET OR WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN GREENBURG SHOULD EDGEMONT SECEDE.BUT THE FIRST PRESENTER SAID THERE WAS NO CLEAR, UM, LEGAL GUIDANCE.
UM, I WOULD THINK THAT SHOULD BE IN PLACE.
AND WHEN YOU GAVE US THE INFORMATION AS FAR AS BOUNDARIES, I MEAN, EDGEMONT WOULD HAVE TO PRESENT THE BOUNDARIES, AND WE WOULD HAVE TO KIND OF DECIDE IF THAT IS THE RIGHT BOUNDARIES.
I THINK A COURT OF LAW WOULD HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN ALL THAT.
SO YOU HAD A LOT OF IFS IF THIS WOULD HAPPEN.
UM, YOU HAVE A, A, I THINK A COURT OF LAW WOULD HAVE TO BE INVOLVED IN ALL THIS.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHO, WHO ASKED FOR THE STUDY, AND I WASN'T SURE WHAT YOU WERE GETTING AND WHAT INFORMATION YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GIVE TO THE TAXPAYERS.
UM, I WOULD THINK THAT EDGEMONT WOULD HAVE TO BE THE PERSON, NOT THE PERSON, THE PEOPLE TO PRESENT, UM, THEIR BOUNDARIES AND THEIR PLANS.
AND I GUESS THAT GREENBERG WOULD HAVE TO GO TO COURT AND DETERMINE IF THAT IS THE CORRECT BOUNDARIES.
BUT YOU'RE SAYING YOU DON'T HAVE THE BOUNDARIES, AND SO YOU CAN'T GO FORWARD WITH ANY PLAN UNLESS SOMEONE LAYS OUT A PLAN AND SAYS, THIS IS THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE, AND THEN WE REFUTE IT.
UM, THE BOTTOM LINE IS, I'D LIKE TO KNOW, IS THERE ANY CONSIDERATION BY THE STATE IF THE PLAN DOES GO THROUGH TO SEND SOME FUNDING TO GREENBURG TO ALLEVIATE THE TAXPAYER'S BURDEN? SO ARE YOU GONNA ANSWER QUESTIONS? YES.
I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT.
UM, I HAVEN'T HEARD OF ANY STATE FUNDING BEING PROVIDED TO, UM, MITIGATE THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF INCORPORATION.
IT COULD HAPPEN, I SUPPOSE, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THAT.
AND I DID ASK PAUL IF HE WOULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PROCESS FOR INCORPORATION AND A VOTE.
THE, THE PART OF THE, UM, INCORPORATION BEGINS WITH THE, THE PETITIONING PROCESS.
UM, AND THE PETITIONING PROCESS HAS HAPPENED, UM, AND THEN BEEN CHALLENGED A COUPLE OF TIMES IN THE LAST DECADE.
UM, AND THERE IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THERE IS ANOTHER PETITIONING PROCESS THAT COULD HAPPEN IN THE, IN THE NEAR FUTURE BASED ON A, UM, A SURVEYED MAP THAT WAS UNDERTAKEN BY SOME OF THE, THE ADVOCATES ONCE THE PETITION IS ACCEPTED AS VALID.
UM, AND THE, THE BOUNDARIES ARE ACCEPTED AS BEING VALID, ACTUAL BOUNDARIES OF SOMETHING THAT CAN BE BROUGHT INTO EXISTENCE.
THEN THERE'S A, A VOTE PROCESS THAT WOULD GO INTO PLACE THAT'S GOVERNED BY, BY, UH, BY STATE LAW.
YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG THIS PROCESS WOULD TAKE FOR THE INCORPORATION OF IT? IF IT DOES? IT IS, IT IS MONTHS IN TIMEFRAME.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THE TIMEFRAME'S OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I, I WASN'T REALLY PREPARED TO, TO GO INTO THAT TONIGHT.
LET ME ASK YOU, WHAT WAS YOUR CHARGE? WHAT WERE YOUR CHARGE TO DO TO EXAMINE I'LL, I'LL TAKE THAT, PAUL.
SO, UM, WE WERE ENGAGED BY THE STATE, UH, UH, THROUGH MAJORITY LEADERS STEWART COUSINS'S OFFICE TO PROVIDE AN INDEPENDENT AND NEUTRAL ASSESSMENT OF THE FISCAL AND OPERATIONAL IMPACTS OF AN EDGEMONT VILLAGE.
SO, UM, A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED TONIGHT, MM-HMM,
AND I KNOW THAT'S DISAPPOINTING TO HEAR, UM, BUT THAT IS THE FACT OF THE MATTER.
WE WERE ENGAGED ON A PARTICULAR CONTRACT.
AND SO ISSUES LIKE WHETHER THE VILLAGE INCORPORATION LAW THAT JUST PASSED THE NEW LAW, UM, OVERSEEING INCORPORATIONS IS A GOOD IDEA, OR WHETHER PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF THE INCORPORATION AREA SHOULD BE ALLOWED.
SOME KIND OF A SAY IS JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT WE WERE ASKED TO LOOK AT AS PART OF THIS STUDY.
WHAT WERE YOU ASKED TO DO? I'M NOT FAIR.
THE FISCAL AND THE OPERATIONAL IMPACT.
SO EVERYTHING WE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT, HOW DO THE PEOPLE IN THE THEORETICAL VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT RECEIVE SERVICES? MM-HMM.
AND THEN WE DID THAT WITH ANOTHER SCENARIO WHERE THERE ISN'T CONTRACTING.
NOW THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS WE COULD HAVE DONE INNUMERABLE OTHER SCENARIOS, RIGHT? THEY CONTRACT FOR THIS, BUT NOT THAT THEY FORM THEIR OWN POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THEY GO TO THE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THIS COULD GO ON AND ON AND ON.
AND SO REALLY WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO IS TWO MAIN SCENARIOS THAT DO PROVIDE, WE HOPE SOME USEFUL INFORMATION TO THE
[02:05:01]
COMMUNITY.BUT I WILL BE THE FIRST TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEY DO NOT ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS.
I AM, UH, I'M A, UH, PARENT AND, UH, LAW AND A RESIDENT OF HARTSDALE.
AND FULL DISCLOSURE, I'M ALSO A MEMBER OF THE GREENBURG CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD.
UM, SO AS A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, I KNOW THAT WE PRETTY MUCH HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT, THAT WE'RE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE EFFECT OF THE TAX BASE.
I, I KNOW YOU'VE DONE YOUR BEST TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT THE LEAST VIOLENT AND HORRIBLE POSSIBLE SCENARIO.
PROBABLY THE BEST CASE WON'T HAPPEN.
UM, I, I WE'RE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT A POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW, REDUCTION IN SERVICES.
UH, WE DO A LOT OF WORK WITH THE THEATER YOUNG COMMUNITY CENTER.
WE THINK IF THAT, IF THINGS GET CUT BACK, AND IF PUSH COMES TO SHOVE, THEN SOME OF THE SERVICES OUR STUDENTS USE, THEY MIGHT GO AWAY.
WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT, UH, LOCAL RESIDENTS WHO ARE PARENTS WHOSE, WHOSE UH, THEY MAY HAVE THEIR HOURS REDUCED OR LOSE THEIR JOBS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HAVE ALL KINDS OF CONCERNS AS A SCHOOL BOARD.
UM, SO YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S A PROBLEM.
I WANTED TO ASK A QUESTION TONIGHT.
AS AN INDIVIDUAL, I'M NOT PERHAPS AS KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE DEMOGRAPHICS AS PERHAPS I SHOULD BE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, AS THE TOWN, THE TOWN OF GREENBURG AS THE OVERRIDING GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY OF A TERRITORY THAT INCLUDES EDGEMONT, UH, HAS A PERCENTAGE OF ITS PROPERTY AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO NOW IF EDGEMONT COMES AND BECOMES A SEPARATE GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY WITHIN THE LARGER TOWN OF GREENBURG, THEN DO THE SAME STANDARDS APPLY? THAT IS, DOES EDGEMONT THEN NEED TO HAVE A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF ITS PROPERTIES BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHICH MEANS PROBABLY SMALLER UNITS? IS THAT A REQUIREMENT? I DON'T KNOW IF ANY, I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON THIS.
I DON'T KNOW OF ANY REQUIREMENTS THAT FORCE ANY COMMUNITIES IN NEW YORK STATE RIGHT NOW TO HAVE A PERCENTAGE OF THEIR PROPERTIES AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO AGAIN, I SAID I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON THIS.
SOUNDS LIKE THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO KNOW A LOT MORE AND THERE IS DEBATE AND LEGISLATION AND DIFFERENT KINDS OF PROGRAMS PROGRAM.
BUT AGAIN, AS FAR AS I KNOW, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A REQUIREMENT FOR A A PERCENTAGE THAT AFFECTS EVERY, EVERY SINGLE I'M SORRY, WHAT? WELL, YOU DIDN'T DO YOUR IMPACT STUDY.
THAT'S PART OF THE EFFECT STUDY.
UH, REQUIREMENTS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN COMMUNITIES WASN'T SOMETHING THAT WE FOCUSED ON.
BUT IF IT IT PERTAINS HERE, WE CAN CERTAINLY, UM, INCLUDE IT.
UH, FROM ZOOM, DAVID, I, UH, HELLO.
I'M A WESTCHESTER COUNTY LEGISLATOR REPRESENTING EDGEMONT AMONGST OTHER PARTS OF GREENBURG.
MY APOLOGIES FOR NOT JOINING YOU IN PERSON.
I'M LITERALLY, AND HE'S CALLING FROM THE MATERNITY WARD.
I'M LITERALLY CALLING FROM THE MATERNITY WARD.
UH, FIRST CAPITAL PROJECTS, ASSEMBLYWOMAN CHINKY MENTIONED THIS EARLIER.
UH, FLOOD MITIGATION, LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT MIGHT AFFECT THE VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT, THAT WHERE THE BURDEN OF IS IS BORN BY THE TOWN CURRENTLY.
DID YOU TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT? UM, YOU KNOW, MY OFFICE IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE TOWN ON TROUBLESOME BROOK AND THE POTENTIAL COST OF FLOOD MITIGATION THERE, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, THESE ARE LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS.
DID YOU GUYS LOOK AT THIS AT ALL OR NO, ONLY IN TERMS OF THE ONGOING OPERATION OF, OF THE PUBLIC WORKS AND THEN THE, UH, RETIREMENT OF EXISTING DEBT.
SO, SO THE ANSWER TO THAT IS NO THEN.
RIGHT? UM, AND THEN, THEN MY SECOND QUESTION, YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE VERY MUCH WORTH EXPLORING, RIGHT? I MEAN, FOR THE SAWMILL RIVER OR THE ARMORY EXPLORER OF ENGINEERS CONDUCTED TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE PRICE TAG OF LIKE LITERALLY TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR FLOOD MITIGATION, RIGHT? AND THIS IS IN 2002, RIGHT? SO I THINK THIS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, SHOULD BE EXPLORED FOR A VILLAGE OF EDGEMONT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE COSTS OF THIS, YOU KNOW, AS ASSEMBLYWOMAN, SHIKE MENTIONED, ARE POTENTIALLY EXTREMELY HIGH.
UM, AND THEN THE SECOND THING I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT IS LITIGATION COSTS, RIGHT? SO WE WERE TALKING KNOW, YOUR PRESENTATION I THINK DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF LAYING OUT THE POTENTIAL AREAS OF LITIGATION AS SOMEONE, AS A MUNICIPAL LAWYER WHO DEALS WITH LITIGATION BETWEEN MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, IN LOOKING AT PAST PRECEDENT AND LOOKING AT OTHER INCORPORATIONS, WAS THERE LITIGATION POST INCORPORATION? 'CAUSE I WOULD ASSUME THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT ALMOST INHERENTLY WOULD BE PART OF THE START OF COSTS FOR INCORPORATION,
[02:10:01]
RIGHT? I MEAN, IF THE OWNERSHIP OF THE ENTIRE WATER SYSTEM IS GOING TO BE LITIGATED, RIGHT? THAT WOULD INHERENTLY COST POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, RIGHT? AND DID YOU HAVE ANY PAST PRECEDENTS FOR THIS? NO.WE COULD NOT FIND ANY PAST PRECEDENTS.
I DON'T THINK THERE ARE ANY PAST PRECEDENTS, AND I WOULD NOT TRY TO MODEL OUT WHAT LITIGATION'S GONNA COST.
CONGRATULATIONS, UH, UH, GINA JACKSON.
AND I, AND I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE MAJORITY LEADER BEFORE COMING IN THIS NIGHT TONIGHT THAT I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THIS PRESENTATION.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT I WILL, I'M GOING TO ECHO WHAT MOST WHAT EVERY, JUST ABOUT WHAT EVERYONE SAID, THIS REALLY SEEMS VERY ONE SIDED.
THIS DOES NOT REALLY GIVE THE FULL PICTURE.
AND I KNOW THAT WE'VE MET WITH YOU.
I KNOW THAT WE SU WE'VE GIVEN YOU INFORMATION.
I KNOW THAT WE'VE GIVEN YOU INFORMATION AND I'M JUST HOPING, I'M HOPING THAT YOU WOULD TAKE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE GIVEN TO YOU.
YOU'VE, YOU'VE HEARD, YOU'VE LISTENED TO EVERYONE IN THE AUDIENCE AND WHAT THEY'VE SAID TO YOU AND INCLUDE THIS AND MAKE IT A TRUE IMPACT STUDY.
EVERYONE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT, NOT JUST ONE YEAR, BUT THE, THE DURATION OF HOW LONG.
SO IT'S CALLED FORECASTING SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW IT'S GOING TO BE AFFECTING ALL OF GREENBURG, THE INCORPORATED AREA.
AND I JUST THINK THAT, IT'S JUST UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS PRESENTATION DID NOT GIVE, THAT IT'S REALLY GIVING JUST REALLY ONE SIDED, ONE SIDED.
AND, AND I LITERALLY AM JUST VERY UPSET AND VERY DISAPPOINTED.
AND I'M JUST HOPING, BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE KNOW THIS REPORT HAS TO BE TO THE STATE APRIL 1ST.
I BELIEVE ERICA YOU MENTIONED THAT EARLIER, CORRECT? CORRECT.
SO APRIL 1ST THAT YOU TAKE THE NEXT TWO WEEKS THAT YOU REALLY TAKE ALL OF THE INFORMATION AND SHOW EVERYTHING OF THAT THE TRUE, THE TRUE STORY OF WHAT THIS IMPACT AND WHAT, HOW THIS CAN IMPACT EVERYONE.
I BELIEVE EDGEMONT RESIDENTS SHOULD KNOW AND DEFINITELY ALBERT, EVERYONE OUTSIDE OF EDGEMONT RESIDENCE.
AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO THAT.
SO I, I, AS A BOARD MEMBER AND TRULY EXPRESSING MY DISAPPOINTMENT IN THIS PRESENTATION, BECAUSE I'M THE ONE WHO'S PROMOTING, LIKE, YES, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN INDEPENDENT STUDY TO SHOW THE TRUE COST OF WHAT IS GOING TO BE, IF, IF THERE'S AN INCORPORATION WAS TO HAPPEN.
AND I WILL SAY, MR. LEWIS, I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU DID NOT COME OUT AND JUST REALLY SPEAK TO ALL OF US BECAUSE WE, WE, WE WHAT CAME OUT.
AND I JUST THINK THAT IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, RESPECT WE WOULD.
I JUST THINK THAT YOU SHOULD REALLY, WE SHOULD REALLY HEAR FROM YOU.
I BELIEVE JEFF SHERWIN, I KNOW I SAW YOU EARLIER.
I KNOW YOU'RE PART OF THE, UM, EICI JUST THINK THAT WE REALLY SHOULD HEAR FROM YOU AND THAT WE SHOULD NOT WALK AWAY.
I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD HEAR FROM YOU FROM ZOOM.
COLLEEN BRATHWAITE, YOU NEED TO SAY YES.
COLLEEN, COLLEEN, TURN ON THE MICROPHONE.
WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SWITCHED, YOU MUTED ME.
NO, NO, NO CONVERSATION IN THE AUDITORIUM.
SO MY SECOND QUESTION IS, GIVEN THE LEVEL OF THIS CONTENT WITH THIS IMPACT STUDY, CAN THE TOWN BOARD REQUEST FROM SENATE MAJORITY LEADER, ANDREA STEWART COUSIN ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO PROVIDE THE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT THE TOWN REQUIRES? OR DO WE HAVE TO DO IT AS A GRASSROOTS PETITION?
[02:15:07]
THAT'S A QUESTION.I I'M NOT REALLY IN A POSITION TO ANSWER THAT.
I'M SURE THE TOWN CAN REQUEST WHATEVER IT LIKES FROM THE MAJORITY LEADER OR WHOEVER ELSE THAT IT WANTS TO REQUEST FROM.
THERE ARE NO MORE NAMES ON OUR LIST.
AND THERE'S, THERE'S NOBODY ELSE ON ZOOM.
I DIDN'T SPEAK AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, BUT BECAUSE I WANTED TO HEAR WHAT PEOPLE HAD TO SAY, UM, THE FRANCIS, OH,
I DIDN'T SPEAK AT THE BEGINNING BECAUSE I WANTED TO HEAR WHAT THE PUBLIC HAD TO SAY.
YOU MIGHT WONDER WHY I'M SITTING UP THERE, BUT I HAVE NO NAMEPLATE.
I'M NOT HERE AS A TOWN BOARD MEMBER.
I WAS ONE OF THREE PEOPLE THAT WERE INVOLVED IN A VERY, IT'S A VERY SMALL GROUP THAT WAS APPROVED BY ANDREA STEWART COUSINS TO WORK WITH C-G-L-C-G-R ON THIS REPORT.
IT WAS JOHN LEWIS FROM THE EIC, THE EDGEMONT CORPORATION COMMITTEE.
AND THEN THE TOWN BOARD WAS ASKED TO, I'M DOING, I'M DOING WHAT I NOT SUPPOSED TO BE, I'M SUPPOSED TO BE ADDRESSING YOU.
UM, AND THEN THE TOWN BOARD WAS ASKED TO PICK SOMEBODY TO GIVE THE OPPOSING VIEW.
AND OF COURSE, MY FELLOW LOVELY FOUR OTHER BOARD MEMBERS SAID, FRANCIS, IT'S YOU, RIGHT? AND I SAID, I'M NOT GONNA DO IT.
I'M NOT GONNA DO IT UNLESS THERE'S SOMEBODY FROM EDGEMONT WHO'S OPPOSED TO INCORPORATION, GIVES THE OPPOSING VIEW BECAUSE I'M AN ELECTED OFFICIAL AND WHETHER YOU ARE FOR INCORPORATION OR OPPOSED TO INCORPORATION, I REPRESENT YOU.
AND SO THE TOWN BOARD RECOMMENDED AND EVENTUALLY THE, THE MAJORITY LEADER AGREED THAT MICHAEL SCHWARTZ WOULD, WHO LIVES IN EDGEMONT, WOULD GIVE THE OPPOSING POINT OF VIEW.
AND MY MAIN GOAL WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WHATEVER DATA WAS, UH, WAS, UH, PUT FORTH, MADE IT INTO THE REPORT.
AND I'M DISAPPOINTED THAT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
AND, AND I'M SPEAKING AND THEY WORKED HARD, BUT THEY ARE IN AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.
'CAUSE WRITTEN INTO THE LAW, STATE LAW WAS ONE.
AND IT HAD TO BE CGR OR A SIMILAR COMPANY.
AND THEY HAD TO GET THIS DONE BY MARCH 31ST.
'CAUSE WE'D HAVE TO GO TO THE STATE AND HAVE THEM PASS A NEW LAW TO EXTEND THE DEADLINE.
SO THIS WAS A SELF, UH, UH, UH, NOT SELF NOT BEING ME.
IT WAS AN, THERE WAS A BASICALLY A A, A CRISIS CREATED BY THIS EXTREMELY UNFAIR CARVE OUT FOR ONE AREA OF THE ENTIRE NEW YORK STATE AND NO PLACE ELSE.
BUT I, WHAT I REALLY WANT TO GET AT IS, IT'S UNCONSCIONABLE TO ME TO HAVE IN THE REPORT THAT OPAB THE OTHER THAN THE OTHER THAN, UH, PERSONAL SERVICES, IN OTHER WORDS, OTHER THAN PENSIONS, BASICALLY IN THE TOWN OF GREENBURG, THAT MEANS HEALTH BENEFITS.
AND NOBODY REALLY CARED SO MUCH ABOUT THE HEALTH BENEFITS WHEN THE INSURANCE RATES I AM GONNA GO OVER WHEN THE INSURANCE RATES, UH, WAS NOMINAL.
BUT WE KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENED TO INSURANCE RATES.
THEY'RE SKYROCKETING AND SKYROCKETING.
THE TOWN'S INSURANCE RATES DOUBLED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, DOUBLED THAT, THAT BENEFIT THAT HAS BEEN ACCRUED BY OUR WORKERS WHO HAVE WORKED FOR THE TOWN FOR YEARS AND EARNED IT AND HAVE NOW RETIRED.
APPARENTLY THE EIC THINKS IF WE INCORPORATE, WE CAN WALK AWAY FROM HAVING TO PAY WHAT THEY HAVE ACCRUED WHILE THEY WERE PART OF THE UNINCORPORATED AREA.
AND WHAT THE CGR HAS PUT INTO THEIR REPORT IS WE CAN'T FIND ANY CASE LAW ON THAT.
RIGHT? WE CAN'T FIND, WELL, LET ME GIVE YOU A HYPOTHETICAL.
[02:20:01]
THEY CAN SHIFT IT ON THE REST OF THE REMAINING UNINCORPORATED AREA.HARTSDALE INCORPORATES THEY CAN SHIFT IT ON THE REST OF THE UNINCORPORATED AREA.
UH, MAYFAIR NORWOOD INCORPORATES EVENTUALLY EVERYBODY INCORPORATES.
DOES THAT THEN MEAN THAT ALL WORKERS NO LONGER GET THE BENEFITS THAT THEY DESERVE IT? THE TOWN WILL TAKE THIS TO COURT.
THE TOWN WILL TAKE THIS TO COURT.
THE REASON WHY LIABILITIES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS REPORT IS BECAUSE THERE'S A FINITE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND THEY BUILT A, WHAT IS IT, A SKINNY GOVERNMENT THAT'S JUST BARELY ABLE TO MAKE IT SO THEY HAVE A 0% INCREASE THAT THEY CAN PRESENT TO THE VOTERS WHEN WE KNOW THAT IF YOU INCLUDE THOSE LIABILITIES, THERE'S NO WAY THEY CAN AFFORD TO INCORPORATE.
AND THAT IS WHAT TROUBLES ME THE MOST ABOUT THIS REPORT.
IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT IT SHOULD STATE EXACTLY WHO WORKED WITH CGR ON THIS, IT WAS SOMEBODY WHO WAS FOR INCORPORATION FROM EDGEMONT, SOMEBODY OPPOSED TO INCORPORATION FROM MONTH AND A TOWN BOARD MEMBER.
WE'VE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH.
WE'VE HAD TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF EMAILS BACK AND FORTH, CRITIQUES OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
I THINK THEY'RE GETTING THE MESSAGE, AND THAT'S WHAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS WAS.
THEY CAN'T HAVE ANOTHER PUBLIC HEARING.
THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO GET THIS REPORT TO THE STATE NEXT WEEK NO MATTER WHAT.
SO ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TIME TO ANSWER DOESN'T MATTER.
'CAUSE THE STATE LAW THAT CARVED THIS OUT SOLELY FOR EDGEMONT STATES THAT THIS, NO MATTER WHAT IS GOING TO THE STATE AND IS GONNA BE POSTED ON THEIR WEBSITE.
AND IT'S GONNA BE GOOD FOR 16 YEARS FOR ANY INCORPORATION EVENT BY NOT EDGEMONT, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO SIGNED THE, THE 2017 OR THE 2019 PETITION, THEY HAD TO WITNESS NOT SIGNED, WITNESSED THOSE PETITIONS.
ONLY THOSE FEW MEMBERS OF EDGEMONT CAN GO THROUGH AND BE CARVED OUT.
THIS IS SO, SO DISPROPORTIONATE.
IT IS UN IT'S UH, IT'S NOT EQUAL PROTECTION.
AND THE TOWN HAS ALREADY RETAINED LI UH, ATTORNEYS.
AND WE'RE GONNA TAKE THAT TO COURT.
IF YOU DO SOMETHING AGAINST THE PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE SHALL GO TO THE FINGER AND GO ON BOTH.
CAN I JUST WAIT ONE MORE COMMENT.
IF ANYBODY SPEAKS OVER THEIR TIME IN A TOWN BOARD MEETING, DON'T REMIND ME OF THIS.
PLEASE DON'T REMIND ME OF THIS.