Board of Trustees

Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 449 THREE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED SIXTY-SIXTH REGULAR MEETING Rutherford Hall Village Hall November 9, 2016 A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Scarsdale was held in Rutherford Hall in Village Hall on Wednesday, November 9, 2016, at 8:00 P.M. Present were Mayor Mark, Trustees Callaghan, Finger, Pekarek, Samwick, Stern, and Veron. Also present were Village Manager Pappalardo, Deputy Village Manager Cole, Assistant Village Manager Richards, Village Attorney Esannason, Deputy Village Attorney Garrison, Village Treasurer McClure, and Assistant to the Village Manager Ringel. ******** The minutes of the Board of Trustees Regular Meeting of Tuesday, October 25, 2016 were approved on a motion entered by Trustee Finger, seconded by Trustee Pekarek, and carried unanimously. ******** Bills & Payroll Trustee Pekarek reported that she had audited the Abstract of Claims dated November 9, 2016 in the amount of $849,978.76 which includes $18,464.32 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 Pekarek and seconded by Trustee Samwick, the following resolution was adopted unanimously: RESOLVED, that the Abstract of Claims dated November 9, 2016 in the amount of $849,978.76 is hereby approved. Trustee Pekarek further reported that she had examined the payment of bills made in advance of a Board of Trustees audit totaling $78,771.44 which were found to be in order and she moved that such payments be ratified. Upon motion duly made by Trustee Pekarek and seconded by Trustee Samwick, the following resolution was adopted unanimously: Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 450 RESOLVED, that payment of claims made in advance of a Board of Trustees audit totaling $78,771.44 is hereby ratified. ******** Mayor’s Comments Mayor Mark stated that he had comments on one topic this evening regarding the recent water bill: “Residents received water bills last week and complaints about the high level of the bills poured over the internet. The short answer as to the high level of the bills received by some residents is that the most recent bill covers a portion of the summer – a period in which lawn sprinkler systems are in use. That usage increases the volume of water and causes many residents usage numbers to exceed the volume of water that is billed at the base rate per unit, with water volume in excess of that amount being billed at a rate that is three and a half times the base rate. The present Village water rates are $2.50 per unit (100 cubic feet (cf), which equals 748 gallons) up to 50 units (5,000 cf). Over 50 units, the rate is $8.75 or 350% the base rate. This rate structure has been in place for years. However the effect of the rate structure was made more noticeable because the Village increased water rates in the most recent budget. There is a brief summary of the recent history of Village water rates in the 2016-2017 Adopted Budget (posted on the Village web site). The Village buys its water from New York City and Village rates are driven by what the City charges for water. Since 2012, the New York City base rate has increased 23.3% and the New York City excess rate has increased by 12.9%. As a result, the Village has raised its rates three times over that period. Most recently, in fiscal year 2014-2015, there was a rate increase from $1.95 to $2.05 per hundred cf to compensate for increased New York City water rates. That rate increase generated enough funds, along with use of a small amount of fund balance for normal water operations and proposed water system capital projects. There was no rate increase in fiscal year 2015-2016 and the base water rate for that fiscal year was the lowest in Westchester County. The present base rate of $2.50 per unit is within the bottom 10% of rates in the County. The fiscal 2016-2017 Village rate increase was put in place to support much needed capital facilities improvements to the Ardsley Road and Boniface water tanks. Improvements to the Ardsley Road tank include painting, roof replacement and rehabilitation of the manway entrances, overflow piping and the replacement of the altitude valve. The Boniface tank improvements include painting, repair of the concrete capstones, improved ventilation and replacement of several valves. These improvements are estimated to cost approximately $3,000,000. An explanation of Village water rates can be found on the Village web site under the Water Department tab.” Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 451 Mayor Mark recognized Village Manager Pappalardo, who will give further details about the water rates. Mr. Stephen Johnson, Superintendent of the Water Department is also present this evening to answer any questions during the public comment section of this meeting. ******** Manager’s Comments Village Manager Pappalardo stated that the water bill the Mayor referred to, which resulted in a significant number of phone calls to Village Hall, was the November quarterly water bill for the summer months of June, July and August. Most residents expressed their concerns about their bill being too high in comparison to prior years. One of the common themes of the concerns raised has been the length of the billing cycle contributing to bills being higher than they should have been through an inappropriate triggering of the excess of use rate tier. To that point, it should be noted that the Village water billing program utilizes a proration computerized function that recognizes longer than standard billing cycles and adjusts accounts such that usage for days in excess of a standard billing cycle is deferred to the next billing cycle which avoids unnecessary excessive use fees. As part of the normal review process, the Village has been working over the past week to recheck a number of the high volume accounts and cross reference with the system proration results. After multiple tests, it was found that the proration function for this particular billing was inadvertently overridden which resulted in additional water units being billed at the excess rate at the tail end of the billing cycle. This has not occurred previously and certainly impacted the roughly 1,600 water bills for customers whose use was in excess of 50 units of water for the November 1st quarterly bill. The average customer credit based on this situation for these 1,600 water customers will be roughly $132.00. The Treasurer’s office is in the process of entering the corrected data and will post a general notice on the Village website of this development and the Village’s corrective action. Thereafter, adjusted balances for each account will be available through the on-line payment function on the website. Residents with additional water billing questions or concerns may contact the Water billing department out of the Treasurer’s office at 722-1172, or email the Treasurer’s department at Treasurer@scarsdale.com or a service request may be submitted online through the Village’s new website using the “Let Us Know” link on the home page which is www.scarsdale.com. With respect to Scarsdale water rates, generally, in regard to the excess of use rates specifically, it is important to note that Scarsdale water rates are amongst the lowest in Westchester County and the rate structure, including the excessive usage charge. This excess rate which is triggered when more than 50 units of water, with one unit equivalent to 748 gallons is consumed within the billing cycle. The rate is driven by a combination of local Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 452 water and sewer infrastructure maintenance and capital needs and fees charged to Scarsdale by our water supplier, New York City. The Village has struggled to minimize water and sewer rate increases; water rate increases averaged just 2.8% per year over the ten year period from 2005 to 2015. New York City’s entitlement rate to the Village of Scarsdale has increased a total of 280% or roughly 10% annually on average and their excess charge has increased 231% or roughly 9% annually on average for that same period of time. The 2016 rates represent a necessary increase to keep pace with New York City rates and the aging infrastructure needs, and it is likely that water rates will continue to rise. The Village will make every effort to remain among the least expensive of Westchester County communities when it comes to how much our residents must pay for water. Additionally, the Village will continue a long standing effort to work with its peer communities comprising water district #1, to formally challenge New York City’s rate setting, a battle that has been underway for decades. The work is starting to gain traction as for the first time in over a decade the city did not raise their rates in 2016. That being the case, the Village of Scarsdale is amongst the highest per capita water users of all water customers served by the city of New York. The City’s fee structure incorporates an excessive use pricing tier in part to encourage water conservation measures. A number of water conservation strategies can be deployed by residents to help reduce water bills while avoiding unexpected sharp increases associated with leaking fixtures, sprinkler systems, etc. Some key strategies to monitor and/or reduce one’s water consumption include actions such as checking the water meter periodically to determine if the consumption is as expected; don’t wait for the water bill to arrive before reviewing consumption. Consider purchasing equipment that can help monitor water consumption. There are commercial products available that can graph usage, send email or text alerts about excessive consumption and other tools to help manage water consumption. The Village is also in the process of purchasing some wireless radio transmitters to be placed on residential water meters which will allow the Village to remotely read the meters and consumption management monitoring can also be applied in those situations by the customer. Completion of this system upgrade, however, is years away and subject to available budget appropriations. Another strategy for residents to explore are low flow plumbing fixtures and to use aerators on faucets to reduce water flow. Residents can consider reducing frequency of lawn watering. Lawns benefit from deep and infrequent watering. An inch per week of watering will promote strong root growth. Residents should also check their irrigation systems for leaky pipes, valves, or spray heads. These are major issues that are seen frequently when people call to complain. If you have a leak in your irrigation pipe you would not be able to see it and it can go on for months. Consideration should be given to replacing turf grass or a portion of turf grass with native plantings which require significantly less watering. Rain water harvesting options should be explored such as cisterns and rain barrels that can help to offset the use of potable water for outdoor watering. Leaf mulching and grass cycling should be considered to help retain soil moisture. Residents can also do their own research on water conservation strategies. Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 453 The Village has worked aggressively to keep water and sewer rates, charges and fees amongst the lowest in the County. Even with the 2016 increase, the Village of Scarsdale’s water rates are amongst the lowest of all municipalities in Westchester. Given the pressure on drinking water resources and the aging infrastructure that is relied upon to safely pump and store the drinking water, it is unlikely that significant rate relief is on the horizon. It is anticipated that there will be some upward pressure on water rates in the future, so employing conservation practices can make a significant difference for individual residents. Village Manager Pappalardo stated that the continued cooperation of the residents is appreciated concerning the necessity of these cost increases as the Village works to maintain and improve the water utility and the sanitary sewer systems. ******** Public Comment David Raizen, speaking as President of the Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps, (SVAC) stated that last month SVAC sent out their annual appeal for donations. He gave a brief background stating that SVAC provides three ambulances staffed by volunteers 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and one paid paramedic rides in the ambulance around the clock. They do approximately 1500+ calls per year in Scarsdale. Very little mutual aid is required into Scarsdale whereas SVAC provides a large amount of mutual aid into the neighboring communities. Last year he had reported that the annual fund drive was extremely disappointing. SVAC’s total budget is approximately $600,000, the majority of which is payroll for the paramedics and insurance. Their goal is to raise $250,000 through donations which was easily done in past years. This year they have mailed 5,356 letters in the Village and in one month have received 430 responses. That would be typical of the first two or three days roughly five years ago. This year the mailings have been out for a month and there have only been 430 responses. Of the donations themselves, which total approximately $75,000, if it were not for several donors who donated $5,000, 14 people gave $1,000 – the SVAC would be in the tank. He stated that he was at this meeting to appeal to the community to please donate to SVAC. A second mailing will be sent out in the next couple of weeks – the SVAC needs the assistance of the residents. Mr. Raizen stated that SVAC is acutely aware that residents in the Village are of the belief that tax dollars pay for ambulance service and that is just not the case. The ambulance corps survives by donations from residents and by billing for service for ambulance calls. SVAC cannot continue to operate in the red. This will be the second year if the fund drive does not come through that they will be substantially in the red. Mayor Mark thanked Mr. Raizen for the services that SVAC provides. Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 454 Trustee Veron asked Mr. Raizen if he knew how much it would cost taxpayers if the ambulance corps was not available. Mr. Raizen responded that the cost for one vehicle would be $1 million. He stated that some of the criticisms he has heard at meetings is that SVAC did not accept credit card donations. Therefore, in this past fund drive, the ability to use a credit card was included which is relatively costly – a percentage of the donation is given up towards the credit card fees. He noted that 33 people have donated by credit card and it doesn’t account for $2,500 in donations. Trustee Finger stated that aside from SVAC being a great service, it has been studied at various times over the years by the Village and the benefit derived from the ambulance corps is tremendous in every way. He stated that their service is appreciated and that he will go home and write a check tonight. Mr. Raizen stated that he and the Mayor spoke recently with the Presidents of the Neighborhood Associations and one of the points that was made at that meeting was the difference between having a commercial service versus a group of volunteers who are doing this because they want to do the right thing for their fellow human beings and the community. In being in this role for a very long time, he stated that Mayor after Mayor identifies the ambulance corps as the jewel of the community. He added that he will be with the ambulance corps for 40 years this June. There is a misnomer that the ambulance corps is paid for with taxes and he added that people are not acutely aware of the advantage of this group of people over someone who is being paid to drive an ambulance. Mayor Mark stated that clearly this is a lifesaving service; it is rendered by the ambulance corps. The fact that that they are a standalone 501-C3 organization and do their own fundraising is a huge benefit to the budget of the Village. Having this organization as a standalone organization in the Village is a tremendous asset. He urged all residents to give what they can to this organization. Ron Schulhof, Springdale Road, stated that residents can get a free rain barrel from Westchester County Parks Department. Also, there is a wireless controller that hooks up to Wi-Fi and it will look at the weather forecast and automatically turn the water off if rain is in the forecast. He stated that he has friends that have installed this device and they are very happy with it. Ron Parlato, 1 Sherbrook Road, stated that he will send a check to SVAC tomorrow to help out. He recounted a story back in 1997 when the SVAC was needed for a worker who went into anaphylactic shock. David Raizen and the SVAC came immediately to the site and were able to get the worker breathing again. Last year, his roofer was stung by a bee, dropped down about six feet, and stopped breathing. Mr. Raizen showed up in his own car before the ambulance arrived, took his knife, took his shirt off and got the worker breathing again – this worker would have died. He suggested that those in the audience and Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 455 those watching the meeting write a check for the SVAC, putting in a little extra to cover the amount that the credit card company takes. He thanked Mr. Raizen for his service. Marissa Ying, 6 Boulder Brook Lane, stated that she just moved to Scarsdale about a month ago from Queens and she was shocked by the water bill. They normally paid approximately $100 per quarter for water in Queens and the bill they just received was for $1,800. There are only four of them that live in the home and they have only used the water for 1 ½ months. Mayor Mark stated that the Village Manager had reported that the program that is used for billing had an error in it and there will be some credits given where it is determined that there was a mistake. It could be in part due to that. He stated that she should call the Treasurer’s office to discuss her situation. Ms. Ying stated that several potential issues were checked; however to check the water meter, she was told it would cost $350.00. Mr. Johnson stated that she should call his office and he will send someone out to verify the meter reading – there is no charge for this service. If there is a problem with the meter, there is a charge to ascertain that the meter is working correctly. If it is accurate, there is a fee. If it is not, there is no fee to check it and the water bill will be adjusted based on the amount of water actually being used. Village Manager Pappalardo informed Ms. Ying that she should give Mr. Johnson her contact information and he will send someone out to look at this tomorrow. Village Treasurer McClure can look at the bill to see if there are any discrepancies. He further stated that on average, the water that was being used during the summer months, this November 2016 billing was the highest that they have seen in the past six years. There was a lot of water used this past summer. Coupled with an increase in the water rate may have to do a lot with the surprises on the amount that people are paying. If there are problems with leaks or running toilets or other things of that nature, that will lead to a high water bill and residents need to make sure none of these things are happening. Whatever goes through the water meter, residents are responsible for the charge. Matthew Miller, 8 Roosevelt Place, spoke about the revaluation and a problem that could occur in the future that no one else has addressed. In 2002, he was not in favor of the building moratorium. In 2004 he spoke to the Board about the building moratorium again while the FAR was being discussed. Again, in 2012 and spoke about the revaluation, stating that it would cause great problems. The reason that the reval will cause problems is that 55% of Scarsdale residents are empty nesters and not using the schools. There were two kinds of people that were most adversely affected by the reval: one was the empty nesters that were not using the schools and the others were those who bought homes smartly, buying a less expensive home and renovating it because they couldn’t afford the taxes on a more expensive home. The problem is that the reval has slowly created lost value Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 456 now in the upper end of the market. The values of the homes are back to 2002 levels. Two economic storms have come in – in the last two years, peoples’ money is not making money. Also, the taxes have been raised. There will be a tremendous amount of people that will come in and reduce their taxes. Mayor Mark stated that the Village has a 2016/17 Budget of approximately $55 million. Approximately $38 million of that is supposed to come from real property taxes. One of the many issues that he sees there is that this puts an enormous amount of pressure on real property taxes to generate the municipal budget funds that they need to fund the Village. This is a political quandary because the solution to fixing that particular part of the model lies in Albany. If there were sufficient pressure put on Albany to increase the amount on non-real property tax revenues that municipalities could collect, some of the issues that arose in the reval, not all of them, but some of those issues and some of the issues with the empty nesters would be mitigated if Villages could collect more in sales tax. If Villages could collect a higher percentage of wireless cell phone revenues and other sources of revenue that are available to the State but not to the municipalizes then some of the pressure would come off of the real property taxes. Mayor Mark asked Mr. Miller to perhaps think about ways the Village could approach Albany and tell our representatives and governor that the Village would like some changes in the laws there that would benefit municipalities. Robert Harrison, 65 Fox Meadow Road, urged people to contribute to the Scarsdale Ambulance Corps. He also spoke briefly about the water bills, and asked about the $132 credit being given to some customers. Village Treasurer McClure stated that the $132.00 is an average amount for the 1600 homes. The credits will vary from a few dollars to a significant amount depending on the usage. This will be calculated individually based on usage and based on the formula that the Village has used for many years. This will result in either a credit on the account or a lower bill that people should be able to view before making their payment. It does not mean anyone that had excess usage will receive a credit; only those who fit the parameters which she explained to Mr. Harrison. Mr. Harrison discussed an article in the Scarsdale Inquirer regarding the revaluation. He stated that he was appalled when reading this article on how flawed the process was. The reval was totally mismanaged and an example of malfeasance by a municipality. He urged the Board to sue J.F. Ryan for his flawed reval and fee of $245,000 and $6,000 fee for appearing at a public meeting on August 17th as well as any other charges. He stated that the Assessor and her assistant should be fired by the Village Board. Mr. Harrison next stated that there are still a number of FOIL email requests on reval that have not been filled by the Village Attorney and the Village Manager. These requests relate to emails between our current Mayor, the previous Mayor and the Assessor’s Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 457 office as well as emails between the current Village Board and the previous Village Board and the Assessor’s office. He asked why the Village was stonewalling on these requests. He urged the Board to release the emails. Mr. Harrison stated that he had a copy of a response from Amy Paulin to a resident regarding reval. He read the letter to those present. In this letter Assemblywoman Paulin states that she is prepared to take legislative action as the Town Board directs her to take to address the situation. He noted that in the Board’s packet is a letter from Phil Maresco who he met at the SNAP meeting on Monday regarding Ms. Paulin’s letter. Mayor Mark stated that he addressed this at length at the last meeting. Mr. Harrison stated that all meetings should be recorded – every Committee of the Whole meeting should be videotaped for the community. Mayor Mark replied that Trustee Veron is working with the Ad Hoc Communications Committee on this issue. Trustee Veron stated that the Communications Committee is not only seeking comment from its committee members but also from all residents. The new website has an opportunity for residents to send feedback. She encouraged residents to tell them what they would like to see done. She thanked Mr. Harrison for his points and asked him to continue to send his recommendations. Village Attorney Esannason responded to Mr. Harrison’s comment regard FOILs received on the revaluation. The one particular FOIL request from a resident, which he mentioned at the last meeting, the Village turned over 14,834 emails in July. On October 13th, the Village turned over 15,496 emails. There are approximately 3,600 emails that were outstanding that the Village believes to be intra agency emails. Under the Public Officers Law, Freedom of Information Law, the Village is allowed to exclude internal communications that do not constitute statistical tabulations or data, directions to staff that affects the public, or is a final agency determination. Last week approximately 749 emails were reviewed and 203 of these were turned over to that particular resident. The Village continues to work through the list. There are approximately 3,000 left. It is a very time consuming effort. The Village is doing the best they can with the resources they have. There are other responsibilities and duties outside of FOIL and if that is kept in mind, one will understand this is not the only thing the employees are required to do. Village Attorney Esannason stated that of the emails not released, 18 constituted an Attorney Client privilege, 31 were non responsive to the request and 497 were intra agency communications. He stated that if you reflect on the comments that were made by the public and if you reflect on the article, it is self-evident that the Village is not withholding anything and very open with disclosure of the emails and the contents therein. Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 458 There being no further comments, Mayor Mark closed the public comments portion of the meeting. ******** Finance Committee Upon motion entered by Trustee Samwick, and seconded by Trustee Pekarek, the following resolution regarding Adopting Internal Control Policy for 2017 was approved by a unanimous vote: WHEREAS, New York State General Municipal Law (GML) Section 104-b requires the Village Board to review its procurement policies and procedures on an annual basis; and WHEREAS, the Village Board last reviewed and adopted the Internal Control Policy #201 of the Village of Scarsdale Administrative Policies & Procedures Manual, on November 10, 2015, pursuant to Section 104-b(4) of the General Municipal Law; and WHEREAS, staff reviewed and discussed the Internal Control Policy and does not recommend any changes to the existing policy; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Internal Control Policy be adopted in accordance with the attached November 09, 2016 document, hereto referred to as “Internal Control, Policy # 201, November 09, 2016.” AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Pekarek Trustee Samwick Trustee Stern Trustee Veron Mayor Mark ******** Upon motion entered by Trustee Samwick, and seconded by Trustee Pekarek, the following resolution regarding Adopting 2017 Village Investment Policy was adopted by the vote indicated below: WHEREAS, the Village’s Investment Policy provides that the Finance Committee of the Village Board, acting as an Investment Committee shall, at least Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 459 annually, formulate a written investment program and submit same to the Village Board for approval; and WHEREAS, the Village Board last reviewed and adopted the Investment Policy, Policy # 501 of the Village of Scarsdale Administrative Policies & Procedures Manual, on November 10, 2015; and WHEREAS, recognizing the importance of the Village’s Investment Policy, Village staff on an annual basis reviews said policy and recommends any proposed modifications to the Village Board for consideration; and WHEREAS, staff performed said review and is not recommending any changes to the existing policy; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the 2016-17 Village Investment Policy be adopted in accordance with the attached November 09, 2016 document, hereto referred to as “Investment of Village Monies, Policy # 501.” AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Pekarek Trustee Samwick Trustee Stern Trustee Veron Mayor Mark ******** Upon motion entered by Trustee Samwick, and seconded by Trustee Pekarek, the following resolution regarding Acceptance of a Gift to the Scarsdale Public Library was approved by a unanimous vote: WHEREAS, pursuant to Policy #106: “Gifts to the Village of Scarsdale” of the Village of Scarsdale Administrative Policies & Procedures Manual, acceptance of all gifts valued at $500 or greater must be approved by the Village Board of Trustees; and WHEREAS, the Gellin Zalaznick Foundation, Inc. has made a $750 donation to the Scarsdale Public Library; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that the Village Board hereby accepts the gift of $750 from the Gellin Zalaznick Foundation, Inc. to the Scarsdale Public Library; and be it further Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 460 RESOLVED, that the Village Treasurer take the necessary steps to accept this financial gift of $750 and deposit in the Scarsdale Public Library Budget Account TE-91-.22 – “Miscellaneous Gifts”; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby extends their heartfelt thanks and great appreciation to the Gellin Zalaznick Foundation for their generosity and commitment to the Scarsdale Public Library. ******** Fire Commissioner Upon motion entered by Trustee Callaghan, and seconded by Trustee Veron, the following resolution regarding Service Time Extension for Fire Captain Jeffrey D. Gaskin was approved by a unanimous vote: WHEREAS, Fire Captain Jeffrey D. Gaskin has requested an extension of his service time beyond the thirty-year limit established by Local Law #1 of 1970; and WHEREAS, said local law requires Village Board of Trustees approval of an extension at least one year prior to the firefighter completing thirty (30) or more years of service; and WHEREAS, Fire Captain Jeffrey D. Gaskin has been recommended for such extension by Fire Chief James E. Seymour IV, conditioned on his passing the necessary physical examinations provided by the Village during Calendar Years 2017 and 2018; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that Captain Jeffrey D. Gaskin of the Village of Scarsdale Fire Department is hereby granted a one-year extension of his service time in the Department from November 19, 2017, to November 19, 2018; and be it further RESOLVED, that such one-year extension is conditioned on Fire Captain Jeffrey D. Gaskin passing the annual physical examinations to be given in Calendar Years 2017 and 2018. ******** Municipal Services Committee Before reading the resolution, Trustee Pekarek made the following statement: Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 461 “This resolution is to authorize a Food Scrap Composting Program and create an Ad Hoc Oversight Committee. The Board of Trustees has been grappling with this environmental and sustainable practice for some time. The Sustainability Committee has been an advocate of this practice coupled with a responsible fiscal approach to providing this service for the community. The plan represented in this resolution will provide residents the opportunity to drop off their food scraps at the Village’s Secor Road Recycling Center and appears to be both low cost and fairly straight forward to implement and maintain. We believe that the plan will accomplish our goals of waste reduction via composting providing a service to our community for a reasonable cost, working collaboratively with community members in concert with municipal staff, providing education and direction to all who choose to participate and to review and provide feedback to the Board of Trustees to evaluate this new service. Among other data points we should evaluate Village usage patterns, carting fees and commercial composting facilities location as this relates to our carbon footprint. We will keep all of you aware of the implementation date and look forward to news and metrics from the Ad Hoc Committee on Food Scrap Recycling. I would like to thank Michelle Sterling and Ron Schulhof for their commitment to this idea and for presenting the Board of Trustees a project plan that is doable and to also thank the Village staff for their assistance in moving this forward in a timely fashion.” Trustee Stern stated that there are many cities that have adopted Food Composting routinely. This is a precursor to thinking about food composting as a way of sustainability and managing food intake. His personal hope is that this will become widely adopted by all the Village residents. Perhaps then this can become a Village wide practice as is recycling for plastic, metal, etc. Upon motion entered by Trustee Pekarek, and seconded by Trustee Veron, the following resolution regarding the Authorization of a Food Scrap Composting Program and Creating an Ad-Hoc Oversight Committee was approved by a unanimous vote: WHEREAS, The United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that food scraps account for approximately 15% of municipal solid waste, with composting such organic materials being an important waste reduction strategy; and WHEREAS, resident interest in food scrap recycling is evidenced through the success of the Scarsdale school district program and other similar initiatives, but at-home composting methods are both impractical and not suitable for meat, fish, dairy, bread, rice, pasta, oils, bones, and shells; and WHEREAS, a drop-off site located at the Village Recycling Center on Secor Road would support resident access to a commercial-grade food scrap Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 462 recycling service that meets community needs in a cost-effective manner; and WHEREAS, the creation of an ad-hoc committee consisting of residents with experience in food scrap recycling and Village staff would work to monitor program implementation and conduct outreach and education regarding the new service; and WHEREAS, the Village Board of Trustees discussed this initiative at its Agenda Committee Meeting on October 25, 2016, having reached consensus that the program, as outlined above, should be implemented for a start-up investment of $1,000 - $2,000, with estimated annual operating expenses of $4,000 - $5,000; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that a food scrap recycling program, as further described in an October 20, 2016, email from Ron Schulhof, attached hereto and made a part hereof, is herein established and shall be funded through the existing FY 16/17 DPW operating budget; and be it further RESOLVED, that an Ad-Hoc Committee on Food Scrap Recycling be formally established as of the date of this resolution for a period of 18 months with the following members appointed: Ron Schulhof, Springdale Road Michelle Sterling, Brayton Road Benedict Salanitro, DPW Superintendent Stephen Arangio, Sanitation Foreman ; and be it further RESOLVED, that the Committee’s charge is as follows: 1. Coordinate program implementation; 2. Monitor program success and make recommendations for improvement; and 3. Provide public program education and outreach to residents AYES NAYS ABSENT Trustee Callaghan None None Trustee Finger Trustee Pekarek Trustee Samwick Trustee Stern Trustee Veron Mayor Mark ******** Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 463 Written Communications Village Treasurer McClure reported on behalf of Village Clerk Conkling stating 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. She reported that eight (8) communications have been received since the last regular Board of Trustees meeting held on October 25, 2016. Two (2) communications regarding water issues were received from Irina and Michael Per, 11 Aspen Road and Judy Kerr. The remaining six (6) communications were received from the following from the following: • A memo from Brian Gray, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation regarding Hyatt Park • A letter of the Scarsdale Forum Sustainability Committee in Support of the Scarsdale Parks report, also attached, in opposition to paving a portion of Hyatt Field. • An email from Carol Silverman regarding the proposed parking area at Hyatt Field. • An email from Betty Blume regarding the proposed Fire Department Upgrades. • An email from Philip Maresco, 43 Ferncliff Road regarding the 2016 Revaluation • An email from Susan Levine, Ardmore Road, regarding the proposed Library renovations. ******** Other Committee Reports Trustee Stern reported on the Sustainability Committee as it relates to the use of water. He reminded residents that grass is 85% water and 15% nutrients. If you don’t leave the grass cuttings on your lawn, you are throwing away the water that you so dearly paid for. A very easy solution to reducing your water bill is for you or your gardener to leave your grass clippings on your lawn. They go quickly into the earth and help you water your lawn and you will save a lot of money on your water bill. ******** Village Board of Trustees 11/9/2016 464 Liaison Reports Trustee Callaghan reported on behalf of the Fire Department, stating that a retirement dinner for Bill Sirocco who retired from the paid department after 32 years of service was held. Trustee Callaghan stated that Mr. Sirocco approached him and the Mayor and asked that they read into the minutes of the Board meeting the fact that he has enjoyed his service here very much and hasn’t had a bad day since he started in Scarsdale as a firefighter; the residents were very respectful of his service. Trustee Callaghan next reported on behalf of the Parks and Recreation Council, stating that there was a meeting of the Council on November 3rd at which time they finalized their particular proposals concerning Hyatt Field. He stated that the PRC does not support the proposed construction of a 27 space parking lot on the left side of the noted field #1. The PRC does support all other aspects of the Village proposal pertaining to the creation and promulgation of “No Parking” zones on the eastern side of Potter Road and the northern side of Lee Road as well as the construction of three additional parallel parking spaces along Boulevard. With respect to the parking regulations proposed for Potter Road, the PRC also supports the widening of Potter Road by 3 ft. as an additional safeguard to insure emergency vehicles have access to Potter Road during periods of high park usage. Trustee Veron stated that she would like to advise the community that in addition to the Trustees studying comparisons to other libraries throughout similar municipalities, the Trustees did embark on a field trip on October 29th, arranged by the Library Director and Library Board. The Trustees had the opportunity to visit and talk to the heads of libraries in the neighboring communities of Darien, Connecticut as well as in Mamaroneck. They discussed not only the visions that they had for their libraries of the future to meet the current and future needs of the residents, but also to understand the public/private partnership and to take a look at their newly renovated or newly built library. It was very informative. She stated that she also visited a library in Cambridge, Massachusetts that had similar goals to develop a library for the future. The Board has been doing their due diligence to understand what the neighboring communities are doing as they consider a library for the future. ******** There being no further business to come before the Board, on a motion entered by Trustee Finger, and seconded by Trustee Stern, the meeting was adjourned at 9:23 P.M. Donna M. Conkling Village Clerk