Board of Trustees

Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 392 THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-THIRD REGULAR MEETING Rutherford Hall Village Hall September 27, 2016 A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale was held in Rutherford Hall in Village Hall on Tuesday, September 27, 2016, at 8:00 P.M. Present were Acting Mayor Samwick, Trustees Callaghan, Finger, Pekarek, Stern, and Veron. Also present were Acting Village Manager Cole, Assistant Village Manager Richards, Acting Village Attorney Garrison, Village Treasurer McClure, and Village Clerk Conkling. ******** The minutes of the Board of Trustees Regular Meeting of Tuesday, September 13, 2016 were approved on a motion entered by Trustee Callaghan, seconded by Trustee Finger, and carried unanimously. ******** Bills & Payroll Trustee Veron reported that she had audited the Abstract of Claims dated September 27, 2016 in the amount of $1,737,346.81 which includes $44,714.67 in Library Claims previously audited by a Trustee of the Library Board which were found to be in order and she moved that such payment be ratified. Upon motion duly made by Trustee Veron and seconded by Trustee Pekarek, the following resolution was adopted unanimously: RESOLVED, that the Abstract of Claims dated September 27, 2016 in the amount of $1,737,346.81 is hereby approved. ******** Mayor’s Comments Acting Mayor Samwick stated that he had comments this evening from Mayor Mark that he prepared and will share with the public: Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 393 “The first is regarding the Preliminary Equalization Rate that was issued by ORPTS: As noted at the last Village Board meeting, the NYS Office of Real Property Tax Services has issued a preliminary equalization rate of 89.06. We had indicated that the Village might pursue an administrative appeal process in an effort to persuade ORPTS to revise its preliminary finding and instead issue a rate of 100. Since such a process requires expertise relevant to how ORPTS calculates the equalization rate, the Village retained a specialist whose work experience includes equalization rate challenges of the sort being considered. The specialist’s name is Laurence P. Farbstein, President of Industrial and Utility Valuation Co. of Latham, NY. The Village staff collected names of individuals who do this sort of work and after interviewing, considered Mr. Farbstein to be well qualified. He was vetted by the Staff by contacting municipalities for whom he has worked in the past and through web searches. That process yielded favorable information about Mr. Farbstein. The appropriate background check was conducted for Mr. Farbstein and did not reveal any concerning results. Mr. Farbstein charges $250 per hour for his services and his compensation for this assignment was capped at $7500. Mr. Farbstein has reviewed ORPTS’ treatment of the sales reported to ORPTS, those excluded from ORPTS analysis and ORPTS’ trending analysis over the duration of the assessment period. Mr. Farbstein’s analysis was forwarded to ORPTS for their review and consideration. The hope is that Mr. Farbstein's analysis will persuade ORPTS that our aggregate assessments are closer to 100% than ORPTS’ preliminary Equalization Rate. Note at that at this point the process is an informal one. We will consider whether or not it would be worthwhile to pursue a formal of ORPTS’ determination after we hear back from them and may or may not do so depending on what we learn from this informal process. The second topic, one of the items before the Board this evening, although it is planned to refer this item to Committee, is Consideration of Phase-In Legislation. A special meeting of the Town Board has been noticed for this evening. The sole purpose of that meeting will be to take up a resolution which if adopted, would request that our representatives in Albany start the State legislative process for enacting a law that would then permit the Village to adopt a Code provision that would phase-in certain levels of reassessed values over a period of time, likely three years. The possibility of pursuing this course was mentioned during the Mayor’s comments at the last Village Board meeting. It is not contemplated that action will be taken this evening and that the matter instead will be referred to a future committee meeting for consideration and public comment. However, should there be an interest in pursuing this course, we needed to get the process started in order to be timely in submitting materials to Albany. Even though the matter is a Town Board matter, if residents in attendance wish to comment on this subject during the public comment section of this meeting they should feel free to do so. Turning now to a Village operational matter, the Hyatt Park Comfort Station was vandalized recently. The newly completed comfort station at Hyatt Field was severely Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 394 damaged by vandals about ten days ago. The Village will undertake repairs. It is estimated there was about $2,000 worth of damage. Whether or not to install the comfort station was a neighborhood issue at the time the Hyatt Field playground was being built. In part as a result of the discussions that took place with residents at that time, use of the facility is limited to Scarsdale residents who purchase key fobs that allow for electronic access. Prompted by the recent incident, the Village Staff has been in contact with the Bramlee Heights neighborhood association, and will perform additional outreach to residents whose homes are adjacent to Hyatt Field, to revisit policies for the operation of the facility. At present, one thought is that if the facility is left unlocked during daylight hours so it can be made available to all who use Hyatt Field, which might take some pressure off of the present restricted use policy. There is a lively discussion of the access issue going on Scarsdale 10583.com with a range of views being expressed. No changes in the policy will be made until the Village Parks and Recreation Department has obtained some feedback from residents on this proposal – and it is possible that after considering that input the present use policy will remain in place. ******** Manager’s Comments None. ******** Public Hearing Trustee Pekarek introduced a Public Hearing to determine the number of taxicabs to be licensed in Scarsdale in 2017 pursuant to Section 272-3 of the Village Code. She noted that for thirty (30) years, the Board of Trustees has annually authorized the issuance of 25 taxicab licenses. For the past ten (10) years, the average number of licenses issued has been 23. As is customary, the Scarsdale Police Department did an unscheduled taxi inspection in August and September and found that all the vehicles were in compliance with all safety and other required documentation and were in presentable condition. The Police Department uses a checklist of approximately 21 items. These unscheduled taxicab inspections will continue in the future. Trustee Pekarek further stated that based on research provided by Village Clerk Conkling, current data noted a very slight increase both in population and weekday train ridership over the last five to six years. Nevertheless, the current maximum allowance of 25 taxicab licenses should continue to be adequate to meet the needs of the community for 2017. Trustee Pekarek moved opened the hearing to public comment, seconded by Trustee Finger and carried unanimously. Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 395 As there were no comments from the public, Trustee Pekarek moved to close the public hearing, seconded by Trustee Finger and carried unanimously. Upon motion entered by Trustee Pekarek, and seconded by Trustee Veron, the following resolution regarding the Number of Taxicabs to be licensed in the Village of Scarsdale for 2017 was approved by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, Village staff has reviewed the necessary areas of taxi service in accordance with Article II, Section 272-3 of the Village Code in order to recommend the number of taxicabs to be licensed in the year 2017; and WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees approved by resolution (attached) on September 21, 2015, the issuance of up to twenty-five (25) taxicab licenses in 2016, with the Village Clerk having issued twenty-three (23) 2016 taxicab licenses; and WHEREAS, based on population, train ridership data, and the number of licenses sold, Village staff has determined that the current number of 25 taxicab licenses is adequate for the proper supply of service throughout the Village in 2017; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that pursuant to Article II, Section 272-3 of the Scarsdale Village Code, the number of taxicab licenses to be issued in 2017 should be set at twenty-five (25); and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Clerk is hereby authorized to issue said licenses in accordance with the provisions of the Village Code. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None Mayor Mark Trustee Finger Trustee Pekarek Trustee Stern Trustee Veron Acting Mayor Samwick ******** Public Comment Ron Schulhof, Springdale Road, speaking as Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on LED Streetlights, stated that he had a quick update for the Board and the public. Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 396 He stated that as many are aware, the Village has been running a pilot on the LED streetlights on Mamaroneck, Heathcote, Springdale, Post, and Tisdale Roads for the last couple of months. The committee has recently sent out another request for public feedback on that pilot. However, earlier today the committee received an update from one of the manufacturers of the pilot lights that they are using. The Manufacturer stated that they will be making significant, positive changes to their fixtures in the coming months. This will impact how the committee thinks about this pilot and how they move forward while they wait for the updated fixtures. In the interim, the fixtures currently in place will be taken down – the lights on Heathcote and Post Road between Crane Road and Wayside Road. There will still be lights in those areas; the pilot lights will be replaced with the lights that were there before. The committee will be providing a much more detailed update as soon as they can; hopefully this week. If the public has any questions, the committee can be reached at LED@Scarsdale.com. Robert Berg, 32 Tisdale Road, stated that the proposed resolution to seek authorization from the Legislature to phase in the Ryan tax increases for certain qualified property owners is a really bad idea. The Ryan revaluation needs to be invalidated. If the Board is going to seek special legislation from the State Legislature and the Governor, the Board should ask for meaningful legislation – ask the Legislature to annul the Ryan revaluation because it completely failed the goal of assessing properties at 100% Fair Market valuation and reinstate the 2015 Assessment Roll. The Board should lobby the Legislature to give the Office of Real Property Tax Services an enforcement authority to make sure that municipalities conduct revaluations properly and give ORPTS the power to void them when the revaluations are done improperly. Robert Parlato, 1 Sherbrooke Road, stated that he would like to speak about the Board of Assessment Review (BAR). He asked what the qualifications were to serve on the BAR to enable those members to understand the proper practices of assessment and appraisals. Acting Mayor Samwick replied that he did not believe there was a ‘set’ qualification; however, he added that the process by which the BAR operates falls within the framework of New York State legislation and guidelines and is very strictly mandated. Acting Village Manager Cole added that the Village is always looking for interested citizens with skill sets that are appropriate for the BAR, and residents should submit their names for candidacy for appointment, as well as submissions for other Boards and Councils. This is how the Village can help make sure that the skill sets that are present in these committees actually represent the needs that each of them have when making decisions. Trustee Stern added that there is a short mandated training period for BAR members and asked Mr. Berg, who is a member of the BAR, to explain further. Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 397 Mr. Berg stated that the State requires that members of the BAR take a training course. Mr. Parlato stated that in his opinion, the BAR does not have the proper tools to make decisions and needs help from professionals – assessors, real estate brokers, and attorneys. He stated that he has reviewed many of the BAR’s decisions and he didn’t agree with them – they are not following sold comps and the numbers are all over the place. The BAR needs to be given the tools to do their job properly or there will be another big mess. Acting Mayor Samwick stated that he believed in the majority of the cases, appraisals are part of what is usually submitted for a grievance. Anyone who is not satisfied with the grievance procedure can bring it further through the SCAR process or an Article 7 process. Mr. Parlato argued that less people would go to court if the BAR had the proper tools to review the grievances. He then discussed his recent grievance that he took before the BAR and his displeasure with the results. He also stated that the Assessor is ignoring his deed restrictions on his Heathcote lots. Acting Village Manager Cole stated that the Village Administration has heard a variety of community concerns and comments about the Assessor’s office and as the Village begins to move forward from the 2016 revaluation, all of those comments will be taken into consideration and plans may be developed in the future that will more effectively address these concerns. A plan is being worked on to help to improve some of the aspects of the Assessor’s operation and the fairness in assessments in the community. He stated that he could not give him a plan at this moment; however, that type of effort is underway. The Village may in the future reach out to members of the community who are most well versed in this area to help define what that path forward might be. Mr. Parlato discussed with the Board and Acting Village Manager Cole the topic of the salaries earned in the Assessor’s office. Mr. Parlato stated that he deals with many Assessors’ offices throughout the County and does not see that kind of salary level for personnel anywhere else. Acting Mayor Samwick did note that as per Mr. Wolham of the ORPTS office, there is a ratio of employees in an Assessor’s office of 2 per 1,000 residents. Scarsdale’s ratios are not askew from the discussions he has had. He also noted to Mr. Parlato that in regard to the reval, there has been a lot of turmoil since the June 1st reval came out and the Board is actively reviewing every different element of it that they possibly can because it is unacceptable. This is not something that the Board is comfortable to let stand. Mr. Parlato continued, asking questions about the Assessor’s contract to which Acting Mayor Samwick informed him that the Board would not opine on those matters and Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 398 noted that an Assessor’s job is dictated by State regulations. Mr. Parlato stated that in his opinion, the Assessor should be terminated, and many others also. Mr. Parlato discussed at length the situation with assessment of his lots; Acting Mayor Samwick reminded Mr. Parlato that a Board of Trustees meeting is not the forum to discuss this. Mr. Parlato did not agree. Acting Mayor Samwick stated that it is important that the Board hears all of the issues they have listened very carefully to. The Board is aware of the situation and sympathize with it. It is everyone’s goal to have a fair tax roll. His point is that there is nothing this Board can do about that legally. Norman Bernstein, 14 Wakefield Road, stated that as he understands it, what is being considered is to provide a three year phase in for those who are going to get major increases in their tax assessments. But, at the same time, not to phase in the tax relief for those with the larger properties who are getting the benefit of the 2016 reval. Acting Mayor Samwick responded that there are primary criteria that are being contemplated right now and that are being requested to be reviewed by the State legislature. Those are similar to what Greenburgh and Ossining have recently done. That is a criteria test: one is that the assessed value went up by 25% in this reval and not based on any new construction, that the homeowner be STAR eligible and maintain residency in the home during the three year period. Mr. Bernstein stated that what the Board is contemplating is non- linear/asymmetrical. He is not opposed to giving the three year phase in to the people who are getting hurt the most; what he is concerned about is the reverse side which is that those who got the most benefit from the 2016 reval, their benefit is not phased in for three years but given immediately. Giving that benefit immediately and giving some relief to those on the lower side, shrinks the tax base and therefore increases the cost for everyone else in the middle. He warned the Board that if this is pursued, he and other residents will file suit – in his opinion, it is a fundamental denial of equal protection under the laws, and a fundamental taking of property without due process of law. Trustee Finger stated that procedurally, the Board is likely to defer the subject resolution to committee and to not vote on it today because it is the first time it has come up and because it is an important issue. There will be additional opportunities for residents to come and give the Board their thoughts. Mr. Bernstein thanked Trustee Finger for his comments; however, he stated that he wanted to raise another issue that the Board should think about which is that he knows there are some members of the Board who have benefited personally from the 2016 reval, so he asked the Board to think about whether those people who have benefited and whose Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 399 benefit under his approach would be reduced – those Board members may want to think about recusing themselves from voting on something which affects them personally. Acting Mayor Samwick noted that it is hard for the Board to pass a budget should Trustees be precluded from voting on an issue that affects them personally, as well as a number of things. However, he noted that Mr. Bernstein’s point is well taken. Robert Harrison, 65 Fox Meadow Road, inquired about a report submitted to ORPTS by Mr. Farbstein, a consultant hired by the Village. Acting Village Manager Cole explained that Mr. Farbstein’s report is an analysis of whether or not the preliminary equalization rate that ORPTS had announced is accurate or not. There is a period during which they accept informal challenges back and forth between the taxing jurisdiction and the State to make sure ORPTS didn’t overlook some form of adjustment that should have been undertaken. Thus, the Village engaged Mr. Farbstein to assist in that analysis; he presented findings which may adjust the equalization rate upwards or it may not depending on ORPTS review of his work. The point is to validate ORPTS work and/or propose an alternate scenario based on the Village’s analysis of the sales. Mr. Harrison stated that there was a solid review of Mr. Farbstein’s background and ability to do this kind of work. Acting Mayor Samwick stated that it is the intention of the Board to hold a Committee of the Whole meeting on this subject and the meeting is tentatively scheduled on October 13, 2016 at 6:00 P.M. Mr. Harrison stated that Ms. Kirkendall-Rodriguez submitted a written communication to the Board which he then read. The correspondence concerned the Assessor’s office and a petition to dismiss the Assessor. Mr. Harrison then expressed his concern over the abilities of the Town Board of Assessment Review (BAR) as Mr. Parlato mentioned earlier in his comments. He stated that his own grievance package with many pertinent documents included went before the BAR and he did not get any reduction. He stated that the BAR should be ashamed of themselves and that the entire Ryan reval should be voided. Acting Mayor Samwick thanked Mr. Harrison for offering his time as a community service to other members of the community helping them with the grievance process. He reminded the community that October 15th is the deadline if someone has already filed a grievance and are not pleased with the outcome, to file a SCAR petition or Article 7 grievance of the assessed value. Mr. Berg asked to respond briefly on Mr. Harrison’s comments on the BAR. He stated that members of the BAR are volunteers. They have local knowledge of the Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 400 market but they are not for the most part licensed appraisers. Jane Curley, their newest member was at one time a licensed appraiser and she is a very welcome addition to the BAR. They spent the entire summer looking through the 1,103 grievances. They met generally twice per week for three hours each time and had a total of 22 sessions. They did their duty and they did the best they could, given the circumstances they had with their knowledge. Mr. Berg stated that the companies that offer grievance services follow a business model of trying to minimize their out of pocket expenses at the BAR stage of the proceedings. They typically do not provide the BAR with an appraisal. They either provide nothing or some random sales with no analysis in the package. For the bulk of those grievances, they are denied because the BAR has no evidence to support a reduction in their value. What those services do then is that they still try to not use an appraisal and then go to the Assessor and try to negotiate to get a reduced value. That is why there was such a large number of denials by the BAR. An appraisal gives the best evidence of a fair market valuation of the property. The BAR generally gave those with an appraisal a reduction based on the evidence they presented. He stated that he did not sit on Mr. Harrison’s grievance because he is a friend of his, but since he raised the issue, Mr. Harrison’s appraisal was terrible. He has his options to go to SCAR and hopefully he will do so with a better appraisal. The fact that the BAR members are not professionals underscores the importance of having an assessment roll that is a good assessment roll and having a reval done properly. Acting Mayor Samwick thanked Mr. Berg and the other members of the BAR. They put in an unbelievable number of hours. The reval was extremely unfortunate and resulted in an enormous amount of work for the Board. Trustee Stern also thanked the members of the BAR, stating that they sacrificed their summer to do this work. He also stated that the Personnel Committee of the Board of Trustees struggle to find people who are appraisers to apply for membership to the BAR. Mr. Berg and the BAR have done an incredible job of performing their duties under great pressure and adverse conditions. Mr. Parlato stated that he wanted to thank Mr. Berg. He stated that he sat in a few of the meetings and that is why he came up with the idea that the BAR needs the tools and the backup to work with in dealing with grievances. He also thanked the Board of Trustees for the work that they do. Mr. Harrison stated that he did appreciate the work and time spent by the BAR; however, as Mr. Parlato has stated, they may need some help. Mr. Harrison stated that accompanying the letter informing him that there was no change to his assessment from the grievance procedure, there was a handout from the New York State ORPTS with a listing of corrections to the 2016 Tentative Assessment Roll and explanation of error. There are 36 properties on the list including his. Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 401 There being no further comments, Acting Mayor Samwick closed the public comments portion of the meeting. ******** Finance Committee Trustee Finger reported on the statements of expense and revenue for the various funds of the Village for the first quarter of fiscal year 2016-17. General fund appropriations were 34.18% spent as of August 2016. The Village refunded the balance of the 2009 debt issue which added a book expense of $7.1 million to expenditures. Exclusive of this, expenditures were 21.48% spent, a 0.16% decrease from the 21.64% in 2015-2016. General Fund Revenues other than property taxes are $11,585,840 through August 2016, including the revenue of $6,295,000 related to the bond refunding. Exclusive of the bond revenue, other revenue is down $8,635 through August 2016 from the 2015-2016 figure of $5,269,474. Building Permit revenue (included in License and Permit revenue) is $35,000 less than last year. Net Recreation Department revenue decreased $87,200 due to decreased enrollment in some programs. The Recreation Department expects to make up much of the deficit in September. Rental income dropped $192,000 due to the timing of receipts. The drop is offset by the increases in Department Fees of $18,800 and tax penalties and delinquent tax collections of $178,500. Decreases of $45,000 in Mortgage tax and $31,800 in Court Fines were offset by increases in gross receipts tax and cable franchise fees. The actual collection of Village taxes through August 31, 2016 is at 98.54%. This is an increase of 37 basis points from last year’s collection rate. ******** Upon motion entered by Trustee Finger , and seconded by Trustee Pekarek, the following resolution regarding the 2016/17 Financial Services Advisory Agreement was approved by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, A recent rulemaking of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) require written annual agreements between bond advisors and their clients; and WHEREAS, For many years the Village utilized the financial advising services of the Long Island firm of New York Municipal Advisors Corp. Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 402 (NYMAC), said firm having merged with Capital Markets Advisors, LLC; a few years ago; and WHEREAS, Capital Markets Advisors, LLC, recently advised the Village on the 2015 and 2016 bond refundings which resulted in combined savings to the Village in excess of $840,000 over the term of the issues; now therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Village Board of Trustees hereby authorizes the Village Manager to execute the 2016/17 Financial Advisory Services Agreement between the Village of Scarsdale and Capital Markets, LLC, of Great Neck, N.Y., in substantially the same form as attached hereto, for a term of one year; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is, herein, authorized to undertake all administrative acts required pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None Mayor Mark Trustee Finger Trustee Pekarek Trustee Stern Trustee Veron Acting Mayor Samwick ******** Municipal Services Committee Upon motion entered by Trustee Pekarek , and seconded by Trustee Veron, the following resolution regarding Authorization to Execute an Amendment to the Lease Agreement with New York SMSA Limited Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless for the 110 Secor Road Site was approved by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees adopted a resolution on October 28, 2008 (attached), authorizing the Village Manager to enter into a lease agreement (Lease) with New York SMSA Limited Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless (Verizon) for the installation of a wireless telecommunications facility on Village-owned property at the Recycling Center Smokestack (Smokestack) located at 110 Secor Road; and Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 403 WHEREAS, the Village Manager, on March 16, 2009, executed the Lease (attached), for a term of ten (10) years, containing two automatic five (5) year renewals; and WHEREAS, in 2015 Verizon requested Village approval to relocate its wireless telecommunication equipment to a vacated space located above its current position and install related ancillary equipment and an emergency generator, as identified in Exhibit A-1 of the lease amendment (attached); and WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 310-79 of the Scarsdale Village Code, in November 2015 the Planning Board renewed and amended the Special Use Permit (attached) to include the revised smokestack space and generator installation, conditioned upon an amendment to the lease and a Special Use Permit term of an additional five years from November 18, 2015 and ending on November 18, 2020; and WHEREAS, the Village and Verizon negotiated a lease amendment to include a year-to-year rent increase of $6,900, from $48,551.73 in FY 15/16 to $56,908.28 for FY 16/17, including an annual escalation clause of 3% or the increase in the CPI, whichever is greater; and WHEREAS, pursuant to a recent inspection, the lease amendment also requires Verizon to perform certain repair work to the Smokestack for an amount not to exceed $37,200.00; and WHEREAS, based on an overall site inspection of the 110 Secor Road Recycling Facility, certain site repair work and signage improvements have been identified, said work to be completed at Verizon’s expense, estimated at a cost of $25,000; and WHEREAS, this lease agreement amendment was originally submitted to the Village Board at its April 26, 2016 meeting, and subsequently tabled by the Board subject to further negotiation; and WHEREAS, the Village Attorney has reviewed the proposed amendment to the lease agreement and has approved as to form; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is herein authorized to execute an amendment in substantially the same form as attached hereto, to a March 16, 2009 lease agreement between the Village of Scarsdale and New York SMSA Limited Partnership d/b/a Verizon Wireless, which includes Verizon’s obligation to perform certain repair work to the Smokestack located at 110 Secor Road, relocation of wireless Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 404 telecommunications equipment, installation of an emergency generator, and other related site improvements, as further identified in the lease amendment; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Village Manager is herein authorized to undertake administrative acts as may be required pursuant to the lease agreement and amendment. AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None Mayor Mark Trustee Finger Trustee Pekarek Trustee Stern Trustee Veron Acting Mayor Samwick ******** Other Committee Reports None. ******** Liaison Reports Trustee Veron reported as liaison to the Advisory Council on Scarsdale Senior Citizens. She stated that the meeting was extremely well attended with active participation. She noted that there are significant efforts made by the Recreation Department with respect to programming to target it to the Scarsdale Seniors. The effort between the Scarsdale Seniors and the Recreation Department is appreciated very much. Trustee Veron reminded the community that the Personnel Committee of the Board is still accepting applications to the Ad Hoc Committee on Communications. There has been great interest from the community. Applications can be submitted through October 7th. The Committee’s charge is to support the communication platform that the Village will soon be releasing as well as devise a strategy to enable and improve communications between residents and local government. She thanked the Village Manager’s office for posting the materials that the Board receives in their packets on line attached to the agenda – all of the backup material that the Board receives can be accessed through the agenda on the Village’s website, www.scarsdale.com. Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 405 Trustee Callaghan stated that the great 9/11 ceremony that Captain Stephen Mulcahy ran was very remarkable, moving and worthwhile ceremony. As Fire Commissioner, Trustee Callaghan reported that a semiannual meeting of the paid firemen and the volunteers was held and the working relationship between those two groups is getting closer. He noted that he has been a member of the Fire Department for 37 years Trustee Callaghan reported that the Advisory Council on Parks and Recreation had a meeting last Tuesday. Improvements to the parking facility at Hyatt Field is being reviewed. The September 10th Jamboree that was held at Crossway was quite a success with approximately 500 participants. Trustee Stern commented on water bills, and stated that his water bill is $65.00 per month. He stated that he has a sprinkler system but he rarely uses it because he doesn’t have to use it. One of the reasons he doesn’t have to use it is because he recycles the grass cuttings, leaving them on the lawn. Grass is approximately 55% water so by having a landscaper collect the grass and have the Village then collect it, a good percentage of the investment in the water that is put on the lawn in the first place is lost. The grass clippings also make good fertilizer. He stated that the environment would be much better off, the lawns would be better off and people would save on their water bills if they grass cycled. Regarding leaf mulching, Trustee Stern stated that there is a clear savings in the use of fertilizer. With the new technology and equipment, the leaves are chopped up finely and the leaves are not noticeable on the lawn before they then go into the ground very quickly. The Village has been leaf mulching on all Village properties for approximately four years. Trustee Pekarek stated that the Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) has been studying, via a resolution from the Board of Trustees, solar installations, specifically on front facing properties. They have done an incredible job reviewing a variety of solar ordinances and proposals. The CAC also did a survey and received well over 250 responses. Their report will be delivered to the Board of Trustees within the week. At Secor Road and Palmer Road, Trustee Pekarek stated that the CAC is going to take an open space and transform it into a meadow. On October 8th and 9th, they need some community support, so if residents would like to volunteer to help, there will be a morning and afternoon session. Lee Fischman is the Chair of the CAC and Ron Schulhof is also a member. On October 25th at 6:00 P.M., Trustee Pekarek stated that the Municipal Services Committee is reviewing a traffic study that was commissioned by the Village. There is also a review of that traffic study by the Scarsdale Forum. Deputy Village Manager Cole added that there is a staff memo from the Police Department that describes some of their enforcement activities. Trustee Pekarek stated that all of these documents will be online. Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 406 She encouraged all of the environmental organizations and those interested to comment on this. If one cannot attend the meeting, written comments can be submitted to her or the Mayor. Trustee Finger reported on the Scarsdale Teen Center, stating that they are working very hard this year and have a lot of excellent programs. One, which many people know about, ‘Escape the Room’ is continuing and available for private groups. It is being refreshed and the themes are being changed. It has been very successful and it is a good way to support the Teen Center. Also supporting the Teen Center is the Guiding Eyes for the Blind and Westchester Chess Club which are two good organizations but are also using the facility appropriately and supporting the Center. Trustee Finger stated that lastly, in collaboration with the PT Council, the Center will bring a documentary called ‘Screenagers’ to the community. This movie looks at children’s growing reliance on technology to entertain themselves and what that has meant in terms of their social development. Board members Heather Panessa and Jennifer Costello brought the program to the Center Board’s attention to assist in a community dialogue on this topic. Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services will moderate the discussions and the Scarsdale Library will provide space and equipment to air the documentary, not once but twice. The dates will be Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:30 P.M. and Thursday, November 3rd at 9:15 A.M. ******** Written Communications Village Clerk Conkling stated that all communications received that are written to the Mayor and Board of Trustees can be viewed on the Village’s website, www.scarsdale.com under the Board of Trustees or Village Clerk section. Four (4) communications have been received since the last regular Board of Trustees meeting held on September 13, 2016. • An email from Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez attaching a Petition to Dismiss The Village Assessor • An email from the Aarts-Bekker Family, 2 Chesterfield Road, regarding unsafe traffic conditions on Fox Meadow Road. A response from the Manager’s Office is attached. An additional email from Peter Bekker was received thanking the Village for the prompt response in deploying a speed wagon to the area of concern. • An additional email from Mayra Kirkendall-Rodriguez setting forth various concerns which are addressed by Mayor Mark in his response attached. ******** Village Board of Trustees 09/27/2016 407 There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned at 9:31 P.M... Donna M. Conkling Village Clerk