Report by Town Supervisor Gerrard at LWV roundtable on just about everything, Part I

A close look around town

Spring!
March 19, 2010
by Christine Yeres

Supervisor Barbara Gerrard bought residents up-to-date on town issues in a two-hour “round table” discussion yesterday sponsored by the League of Women Voters at the Chappaqua Library. She reported on more than a dozen issues, taking questions from residents after each.

New alert system for residents: Nixle.com

For several months the New Castle Police Department has used a free Internet alert system, Nixle.com, to issue emergency notices to residents in conjunction with the town’s E-alert system. The town board has decided to use Nixle.com as well.  The change will be completed by the end of April.  See today’s article in NCNOW.org, “Super-customize your email alerts from the town,” by clicking HERE.

Chappaqua Crossing and the financial effects of Reader’s Digest’s departure

Gerrard explained that there is no immediate financial effect of Reader’s Digest’s departure from Chappaqua Crossing, since Reader’s Digest will continue to pay rent through the end of December 2010.  Some Digest staff members will make the move from its headquarters at the end of June, the rest in September or December. 

The current zoning of the property permits developer-owner Summit Greenfield to lease space to no more than four tenants, one of which alone must occupy 220,000 square feet.  The town board recognizes, the supervisor reported, that in the current economic climate, it will be difficult to find another tenant the size of Reader’s Digest.  “Since most people are concerned about the traffic implications of an increased number of commercial tenants, we want our consultants to look at the possibilities for more tenants based on traffic effects rather than on the number of tenants.”  [In its application for zoning changes, Summit Greenfield is asking for a complete lifting of the four-tenant cap to allow an unlimited number of tenants.]
 
Gerrard explained that Summit Greenfield’s “current taxes are not based on their income at this time. But if they have no rental income, they can come back and grieve their taxes. Their assets are based on the value of the rents that come in.  If they can show that rental income has dropped, for example, by 80%,” it would be difficult for the town to contest.

Summit Greenfield delivers Final Environmental Impact Statement

Summit Greenfield’s final environmental impact statement arrived at town hall on Monday, March 15.  Although it is now called “final,” Gerrard explained, “It’s not final until the town board says it’s final, but it’s not a draft anymore.  Right now, it’s more like a ‘proposed final’ environmental impact statement.”  Board members have copies of the documents, the town’s consultants and attorneys will review it [at Summit Greenfield’s expense] and eventually, Gerrard stated, “the town board will accept some version as final and then we’ll evaluate the proposed changes to the property.”

A resident asked whether, in a certiorari claim, Summit Greenfield would be required to prove it had made efforts to rent the property.  “There are several levels,” Gerrard responded, “at which they get to speak.  They would grieve [their current assessment], then, if we don’t agree, it goes to court.”  Gerrard confirmed that Summit Greenfield is currently asking for a reduction in its assessment by around half.

A resident asked whether Summit Greenfield would decrease the number of residential units in its application if the town were to grant it more commercial tenants.  Gerrard responded that there would be some sort of negotiation process, but “not exactly quid pro quo.” She confirmed that the public would have an opportunity to weigh the proposal.  The board, she said, will soon create a new, dedicated email address to receive comments in this last stage of the environmental review process. 

Bridge construction update

Describing the bridge potholes as a “super-challenge” this winter, Gerrard explained that if the weather had remained mild longer last November and December, the contractor, Conti Construction, would have poured the concrete of the new deck on the south lane of the bridge then.  Conti will resume work on Monday, March 29.  By mid-April the south lane of the bridge will be poured and will need to cure for one month.  By mid-May it will be opened to traffic and demolition of the north lane and bank will begin.  Gerrard said three weeks ago that the finish date for the bridge will be sometime in the fourth quarter of 2010.  Landscaping on the south side of the bridge, however, will begin soon, in consultation with the town’s Beautification Advisory Board.

Intersection of Routes 133 and 120

Last year, the state held three information and discussion sessions for residents to learn what the Department of Transportation thinks will work best for the intersection: a T.  Plans are in the works to redo the intersection.  One neighbor’s driveway is extremely close to the proposed redesign of the intersection and DOT is working with that resident to find a solution. Construction could begin as early as this summer. 

Another bridge project that could impact local traffic

In April 2011 New York State’s Department of Transportation plans to begin replacement of the northbound bridge across the Croton Reservoir, the base and supports of which have deteriorated to a point beyond repair.  In order to do it, traffic will have to be diverted starting at the Taconic Parkway’s intersection with Route 134 and will share the southbound lane and bridge until the work is completed, which will occur, the State believes, eight months later.  Although it won’t affect New Castle directly, the diversion will affect traffic on local state roads including Route 100 and Route 9.

Update on the town budget

The county’s sales tax revenues are down by 5.48%, reported Gerrard, but since Town Administrator Gennaro Faiella conservatively calculated the revenues would be down by 5%, the town “isn’t off by much.”  For the past three years, in fact, said Gerrard, “we’ve only been off by half of a percent.”

Although mortgage tax revenues fell from around $123,000 in January of 2008 to around $63,000 in January of 2009, they recovered somewhat in January 2010, climbing to $92,134. Gerrard reminded residents that the town’s budget is around $35 million, half from revenues, half from taxes. The town board has already begun to look at next year’s budget, anticipating that “state revenue certainly will not increase.”  She said that for the current budget, the town had reduced staff by one full time and two part time employees and confirmed that the town board “will look at attrition as a way of cutting back” town staff and the police department.

Pressing for legislative action on:

Police dispatch

Gerrard reported that through the Municipal Officials Association, she is working to persuade State representatives to reduce several mandates.  “We know Albany doesn’t have money to give us,” she said, “but they can reduce our burden and we can pass that on to taxpayers.” She gave as an example the New York State law that allows Westchester police departments “to tell [the town administration] that we can’t have a civilian dispatcher [as opposed to a sworn police officer],” a change, she noted, that would save the town $230,000 per year.  “Elsewhere in the state,” she continued, “there are civilian dispatchers. But we can’t have them in our towns because of a state law that affects only Westchester.  We met last year with the delegation and we’re still trying [to change that law].”

 

Better use of electronics

“When your bank pays your real estate taxes, it does it electronically. But the town is required to send out paper tax bills and receipts, spending thousands of dollars in postage and printing,” explained Gerrard.  “We’d like a web-accessed, PIN [personal identification number]-controlled way for you to see your record. ‘How much did I pay last year? Or three years ago?’ We think the public would like that, but the state statute, which was written probably long before computers existed, doesn’t allow it. We want the state to allow jurisdictions as sophisticated as ours, where perhaps only 10% of the community would still need mailed notices and receipts, to use electronic delivery as an alternative.” 

The town board will try again to reduce garbage pick-ups from two to one

The board relented last autumn, vowing to pursue it again next year to save the $200,000 for residents, and to educate them more thoroughly the next time.  “From an environmental standpoint,” Gerrard explained, “fewer trucks rolling through town and greater participation in recycling mean less landfill and more income for the town [recyclables are sold to recycling businesses].”  The town’s Sustainability Advisory Board plans to work with the Chappaqua library and schools, said Gerrard, to raise awareness and promote recycling.  “New Castle is a very children-oriented community,” observed Gerrard, “and people here recognize that it’s our children’s world, and what are we going to leave them?” See our article this week by Sustainability Advisory Board member Laura Rossi-Ortiz, “Be a force for change: Go green.”

Editor’s note: The remainder of the topics discussed by Supervisor Gerrard at the roundtable will be covered in a second article next week.