Steves Gives State of the Village Address at the Scarsdale Forum

Scarsdale Mayor Bob Steves took the podium at the Scarsdale Forum meeting on October 3 to give his State of the Village address. Referencing troubles in Washington D.C. Steves joked that the Village Board has not voted to shut down the local government.

He reported that the Village was continuing to grow, move forward and change and said that the state of the Village was a reflection of those who contribute their time to Village government. Calling Scarsdale a "relatively small community," he encouraged everyone to participate in "constructive dialogue."

He reported that the Village completed Fiscal Year 2012-13 with a surplus of $215,000 despite $1,000,000 in expenses relating to the recovery from Hurricane Sandy. Though revenues were slightly less than projected, Village Managers were able to keep expenses in line and ended the year in good shape.

The total Village budget was approximately $43 million, with 70% of the revenues derived from real estate taxes. Though the Board wrestled with the state imposed 2% tax cap, they balanced the need to contain expenses with the demand for services and ultimately decided to raise taxes beyond the cap to meet resident's needs.

Steves told the group that 37% of the budget is spent on public safety for Scarsdale's own police force and firefighters who also call on resident volunteers at times.

On the issue of water he said that watering restrictions would soon be lifted to allow residents to water their lawns on their own schedules. Work on the Reeves Newsome Pumping Station has been completed and renovations are currently underway at a pumping station near the Hartsdale Train Station. Once complete Scarsdale should have increased water capacity. Though Water District #1 was hit by a lawsuit about safe drinking water by the EPA, Steves asserted that our water is safe and that the County is looking for ways to treat our water with ultraviolet light to bring it into compliance.

Other updates include the following:

• A new sewer tax that has been levied on residents will allow the Village to repair the infrastructure.
• The Popham Road Bridge renovation is complete and work on the Crane Road Bridge on the Bronx River Parkway will continue for quite some time.
• Storm water retention projects have been completed at George Field and Cooper Green, with some funding received through grants from the County. The final leg of the project is at Harcourt Woods and that work will be done soon.
• The Board is looking at ways to preserve neighborhood character. They are examining building requirements including FAR and setbacks and discussing how historic properties can be saved.
• The tax revaluation data collection process is now complete and residents will see their new assessments on the July 2015 tax bills.

Though there were few questions from the audience, one senior citizen, Maggie Schwartz, took the opportunity to seize the mic and recite a litany of complaints about Scarsdale. Her monologue touched a plethora of issues including crime, noise, senior services and emergency response. She complained that two dogs have been barking at a neighbor's home for the past eighteen years and said the only time she got a reprieve was when thieves robbed the neighbors and let the dogs out. She complained that seniors need to share school buses with students and that their outings are often cut short when buses are needed to pick up children at the end of the school day. Discussing a recent senior trip to a restaurant at Arthur Avenue in the Bronx she said, "I had just started to eat my spaghetti when we all had to rush out of the restaurant and board the bus so that it would be back in Scarsdale in time to drive the children home. Why can't we spare a bus for the seniors?"

She went on until David Irwin said, "we are going to have to cut you off now." Looking around, Schwartz said, "Why? I don't see anyone else who wants to speak!"

Steves addressed many of Schwartz's complaints and said, "If you are not getting the attention you need, let me know."

Also at the meeting, Former School Board Presidents Liz Guggenheimer and Jill Spieler were honored for their service by the Scarsdale Forum. The two served together for six years and saw the community through controversial discussions regarding the school budget and the Superintendent earlier this year. Scarsdale Forum President David Irwin presented each with a gift from Wilson and Son Jewelers to thank them for their work on behalf of Scarsdale.