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Published: 05 March 2012

Created: 05 March 2012

Last Updated: 05 March 2012

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On the eve of their 100th anniversary, the Greenacres Association held a Town Hall Meeting at Greenacres School on Thursday night March 1. Representatives from all major Scarsdale Village organizations were on hand to provide an update on Village affairs and the meeting was well attended by Greenacres neighbors and Village trustees.

Mayor Flisser, who is near completion of one year of her two year term, told the group that plans for the Fox Meadow flood remediation project were moving forward. Bids are currently under review with construction planned to begin in April. She asked residents with homes along the watercourse to give the Village access to their property to de-silt and repair the course.

Reporting on the Village budget, she relayed that the Board overrode the tax cap to allow for storm water remediation, sewer line and road repairs. The Village budget will go up 5.5%.

In his remarks, Village Manager Al Gatta conveyed concern about keeping Scarsdale independent in light of the tax cap. He believes that the state government imposed the cap to put pressure on local governments to merge and share services. Since the cap prevents local governments from increasing taxes and fees to fund rising expenses, he fears that the state is forcing consolidation on local municipalities.

School Board President Jill Spieler and School Superintendent Michael McGill were up next with updates on education and the school budget. Spieler reported that the Board and Administration are working on a school budget that is “right for Scarsdale,” without considering arbitrary spending caps. The Board will present their budget to the community at the March 5 meeting. The budget will come in under the cap due to projected decreases in school enrollment, lower salary costs and savings on energy and health insurance. The budget of $141.6 million represents a 3.81% tax increase for Scarsdale residents and a 2.64% increase for those in the Mamaroneck strip.

McGill told the group that the school is designing an education for the 21st century, teaching students to think creatively and critically and linking the work of Scarsdale students to international standards. The 2012-13 budget includes funds for the newly formed Center for Innovation to investigate how technology can be integrated into the educational program. The school is also looking at ways to redesign the physical plant to reflect new learning methodologies and allow venues for collaborate learning.

Greenacres School Principal Jerry Young thanked the Greenacres Association for the new basketball courts at the school. He reports that they are used by both students and the community. In light of two incidents of exposure at the playground he asked the community to be vigilant and take action if they see something unusual.

According to Fire Chief McCain, The fire station adjacent to Village Hall and the training station on Secor Road will both be remodeled in the coming year. Fire Station #1, built in 1923, is badly in need of repair. The supports will be reinforced and it will be remodeled to accommodate larger fire engines. The building at the recycling center will be renovated so that it can be used for training.

Representing the Police Department, Andrew Matturo reported that there were 18 burglaries in Scarsdale in 2011, 7 of those in Greenacres. He reported that police met with concerned residents, increased patrols in marked and unmarked cars, are scanning license plates in the area and are going door to door in the affected areas to tell residents how to safeguard their homes.

Suzanne Busby, Director of Parks, Recreation and Conservation said that the recreation brochure will be out in a few weeks. You can now renew pool and recreation passes online using the new system.

And speaking for the Scarsdale Ambulance Corps. Steve Rambone made a plea for more volunteers. SVAC will train willing adults (18 years+) and relies on volunteers and contributions to respond to over 1,000 calls each year.

Barry Meiselman, Chair of the Greenacres Centennial Committee shared plans for the upcoming celebration. There will be a gala at the Scarsdale Golf Club on June 2, a time capsule will be created, trees will be planted and a house tour is scheduled for fall, 2012. Participation is welcome. Anyone who wishes to get involved should email Barry at barwest2@aol.com.

Thanks to Greenacres Association President Kathy Steves and the Board of the Greenacres Association for producing an informative program.

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Published: 11 March 2012

Created: 11 March 2012

Last Updated: 11 March 2012

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There’s a good reason the League of Woman Voters of Scarsdale calls their candidate’s panel a forum rather than a debate. Under Scarsdale’s Non-Partisan system the Citizens’ Nominating Committee selects candidates for nomination for Village trustee, minimizing the occurrence of contested elections and partisan politics.

As a result, at the LWV Forum held on Thursday March 8 there was virtually no disagreement among the three candidates selected by the CNC. On the panel were veteran trustees Kay Eisenman and Jonathan Mark who are seeking second two-year terms on the Board of Trustees and David Lee, who is running for the first time.

A fourth, independent candidate, Harry Reynolds, might have sparked some controversy, but he declined the invitation,

Scarsdale League President Marylou Green

Will you tell your children that you can't tell them why the mayor was elected because it's a secret?

When they ask you why you voted for the mayor, if you didn't know why the mayor was nominated, what will you say?

When they ask you why people vote for mayor and trustees when it seems no one ever runs against them, what will you say?

When they ask you if Scarsdale is a democracy in which the reason for electing everyone is a secret, what will you say?

If your children seem to be smiling at you in a kind and gentle way, and you ask them why they are smiling at you in that way, and they say, "It's a secret,” what will you say?"

The League’s carefully orchestrated format allows for candidates’ opening and closing statements, questions from the League to the panelists and questions from the audience. Since all questions are formulated before the discussion begins, many were repetitive and touched on subjects that the candidates previously addressed.

In her opening statement Trustee Eisenman explained that she has worked as a planner for Westchester County for 23 years, and in that capacity does environmental reviews of projects giving her a broad understanding of development and land use issues. As a trustee, she has grappled with similar projects and learned to listen carefully to all and evaluate evidence with an open mind. She chaired the Village’s Conservations Advisory Council for many years and is enthused about a new move to mulch leaves in place on Village lawns rather than blow them to the curb to be carted away. She believes this new initiative will cut costs for fuel and labor and benefit the environment.

David Brodsky, Miriam Flisser, Dan Hochvert

Through his work he has learned to listen carefully, draw out the facts, be fair and open-minded and treat others with respect.

Another Scarsdale native, Trustee Jonathan Mark said that his “Parents moved here in the early ‘50’s for many of the same reasons he likes Scarsdale today.” His father served on the TVCC and his mother was an elementary school teacher. Mark attended Dartmouth and Columbia Law School and initially turned his efforts toward his career, while supporting his wife’s volunteer work in the Village. He also said he has learned to listen and understand complex situations and said he would be honored to serve again.

When asked about what experiences qualified them to serve, Lee added that he is a “people person,” and is “approachable by the community.” Mark said, “I believe I understand process. Many times in hearing issues, the process is as important as the substance itself.” Eisenman explained that her work in the PTA allowed her to “get to know the Village from the ground up.” In addition to the PTA, she served on the board of the Scarsdale Adult School, the Board of Architectural Review and the Conservation Advisory Council, giving her “a good background to serve.”

As for challenges facing the board, Mark replied, “funding and prioritizing difficult issues,” and “getting the reval underway” if approved. For Eisenman, the primary challenge is “dealing with a difficult fiscal climate in light of the 2% tax cap,” and Lee mentioned, “storm water, drainage, flooding” and “sewer line maintenance and repair.”

The conversation then turned to flooding, when the panelists were asked what the Village can do to assist residents who have storm water damage. Mark said that the Village was expecting a plan in April to alleviate flooding in the Sheldrake River and would then consider issuing bonds to finance the work. Eisenman said that the Board can “make people aware of what they could get from FEMA,” and also said that the Village plans to line sewer pipes and maintain storm water sewers. A storm water project extending from George Field to Harcourt woods will help residents in Greenacres and Fox Meadow.

On the 2% tax cap, Lee said, “I agree with the Governor doing this as a reminder for fiscal discipline and allowing communities to override it as a safety valve.” Mark said, “I won’t say I disagree with the tax cap – and it certainly was a big factor (in budget discussions.) I do object that it caps taxes without capping mandated expenses such as the pension fund. The State did not address what is driving up taxes and forced the Villages to make difficult decisions. I am not a big fan of the way in which it was implemented.” Eisenman said, “the Governor did this to make municipalities consolidate. The 2% cap is not really 2% because it excludes some expenses including pension increases above 2% and a growth factor.” Without the cap, we probably would have come up with the same budget as we did.”

In her closing statement, Eisenman gave a nod to the Non-Partisan system, saying, “I think that the Non-Partisan system is the reason that Jon, David and I are sitting here. I had never contemplated being a trustee, but was asked by the Mayor to serve. We are fortunate to have that system because it is not a political system but brings out people who want to serve. I am grateful for that system.”

Village Justice John Galloway, who has already served for 17 years, will run unopposed for another term. In his remarks he said, I am very pleased to be nominated for another four-year term. I have had 17 years as Village Justice and have enjoyed it.

The Village election will be held at Scarsdale Library on Tuesday March 20th from 6-9 am and 12 – 9 pm. Absentee ballots are available at Village Hall.

(Pictured at top: Daivd Lee, Kay Eisenman, Jonathan Mark and John Galloway)

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Published: 29 February 2012

Created: 29 February 2012

Last Updated: 01 March 2012

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At the 2-28-12 meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, Mayor Flisser responded to a petition about the Scarsdale Village Building Department, signed by over 200 residents. After hearing comments from a few residents at meeting on February 22nd Flisser concluded that some of the dissatisfaction is not with the Building Department at all, but with the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Architectural Review, some of which are regulated by state law. In addition, there appears to be confusion among residents about whom has jurisdiction over what, and whether issues are between neighbors or between residents and the Village. She noted that changes in the water table and watercourses have also contributed to the problems. The Board will continue to discuss the issues raised and to look for solutions. A subsequent meeting on these issues is planned for 6:55 pm on March 19th and the public is invited to attend.

Her full comments are published below.

Override: In other business, the Village Board passed a resolution to override the state imposed 2% tax cap, which is permitted with a 60% vote of the Board of Trustees. Trustee Steves explained that the override will prevent the Village from paying penalties if the cap had to overridden due to an error or to supply funds needed to provide the “appropriate level of service.” He also explained that the some expenses are exempt from the cap – so though the budget may go up 4%/ the Village would still be in compliance with the cap, allowing legal exemptions.

At the public hearing, Robert Berg of Tisdale Road spoke in favor of the override, saying that additional capital expenditures were necessary to fund the tax revaluation and renovation of the firehouse adjacent to Village Hall.

Fees: The Board of Trustees agreed to raise Village fees for a host of services, including:

Water service connection
Street service connection charge
Fire protection
Commercial connection fee
Repairs to damaged water meters
Testing water meters
Temporary discontinuance of water service
Fire hydrant use
Water charges for construction se
Water use charges
Neighbor notification fee for BOA, BAR and CHP applications
Parking fees for Christie Place and Freightway Garages
Towing charges

These increases are projected to raise an additional $102,000 that will be used for the repair of Village roads.

Gifts: The Board approved a gift from the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks to fund landscaping at Audrey Hochberg Pond Preserve adjacent to the Scarsdale Library.

Here are Mayor Flisser’s comments concerning the Building Department:

We recently received a petition concerning complaints about the Building Department, which was signed by over 200 residents. In response to the petition, we held a Municipal Service Committee Meeting on Feb 22. The meeting was well attended by residents, Village Board members (all were present) and Staff. The residents present were given the opportunity to review personal experience with Building issues.

Some general points expressed became apparent:

1) The dissatisfaction is sometimes not actually with "The Building Dept." In fact, some Scarsdale residents are unaware of the jurisdiction of the Building Department.

2) Land Use Boards' decisions, particularly Planning& ZBA, are part of the dissatisfaction expressed. The BAR doesn't seem to be part of this issue as stated, but residents sometimes think the BAR has wider jurisdiction than it does, and express building issue concerns at BAR meetings (about storm water, demolition, and trees preservation, for example.)

3) The Legislation and rules that govern the Land Use Board decisions may be part of the reasons for dissatisfaction.

4) Changes in our water table and water courses, due to development, and/or water events, have contributed to these issues.

5) Residents are unsure what the Villages' jurisdiction is, and what constitutes an inter-neighbor dispute. This is a confusing situation that requires education.

6) It is generally unclear which complaints are appropriate for the Building Dept/Engineering Department to respond to, how it responds and what the usual for practices for response are.

a) It is often not apparent which complaints require representation by professional personnel, and which do not.

7) Residents are unaware how many complaints are handled, and what procedures are for serious actions by the Village (i.e. Stop Work Orders.)

8) Some better behavior by builders, i.e. voluntary screening, etc, as given by examples at the meeting, would do much to calm neighborhoods during construction phases.

9) Building procedures, and the Building Dept itself, is an important interface between residents and government, and needs better public inter-relations process.

10) Ecology/Sustainability solutions, i.e. best practices re water use, etc, should be developed and encouraged.

11) Some enforcement issues were mentioned by residents, especially concerning Article 254 (Storm water management.)

This above list is from notes that I took from residents' comments at the meeting.

Land Use regulation, Open Space Preservation, Development Impacts on our community's environment (both natural and financial); Regulation of Private Property and other items presented, should be seen in the context of a major issue of our time, Development vs. Preservation. In addition, Administrative management practices concerning building must be improved to create more efficiency, better resident and neighborhood satisfaction with the process, and better final outcomes.

The Village Board will continue to define these issues, and to search for solutions to the problems voiced, at upcoming meetings.