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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees Meeting - February 23, 2026

Village Board of Trustees — Monday, February 23, 2026

BodyLarchmont, New York

SessionVillage Board of Trustees

DateMonday, February 23, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 16:36

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Good evening and welcome to the Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees meeting.

0:04

It is Monday, February 23rd, 2026.

0:08

In attendance this evening is the uh entire board, the village attorney, um, administrator Kat Scene, Assistant Administrator O'Neill.

0:17

Um, and now we will do the Pledge of Allegiance as best we can on Zoom.

0:23

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

0:28

And to the Republic for which we should one nation under God, indivisible, indivisible with liberty and justice rural.

0:40

Never works well.

0:41

Okay.

0:42

I do not have any comments this evening.

0:45

Um, Administrator Catsine, do you have um a report or are you going to wait until the resolution section?

0:53

Uh just a personal note that I need to remember to share the American flag next time we do the uh Thank you.

0:59

That would help.

1:00

Hopefully, we have no more Zoom meetings and no more snow.

1:02

Knock on wood.

1:04

Um, I would just like to thank once again our emergency uh responders, our emergency staff, police, fire, and DPW and water department um for all that they do, uh, especially during these um tenuous times.

1:19

Um we the Department of Public Works has been out for the past 24 hours.

1:25

Uh plus uh 24 hours plus uh cleaning out the snow uh cleaning working on the snow.

1:32

Um they have they will be taking a break for the evening, but they will be back first thing in the morning to continue with the snow operations.

1:39

Um we will be uh communicating any changes in parking or in other uh regulations around the village as a result of the state of emergency that is ongoing.

1:51

Um we'll be communicating that through our email newsletter as well as our website and social media.

1:57

Um so please stay tuned to that.

1:59

But other than that, I'm hoping that everyone in Larch Fund has uh has had a safe past uh 36 hours, 24 hours, and um and that uh we continue to get out of this.

2:11

Thank you so much, and I echo that.

2:13

I I want to say a huge thank you to our our police and our fire and our DPW for um going above and beyond as always.

2:22

All right, next up, uh village attorney's report.

2:29

Nothing tonight, Mayor.

2:30

Thank you.

2:31

Um we do not have the village treasurer with us this evening, so we will move on to the police chief, and I believe is it Lieutenant Paprota who's in attendance this evening.

2:42

Yes, ma'am.

2:43

How are you?

2:44

I'm good.

2:45

How are you?

2:45

I'm good, thank you.

2:47

Uh so I'm gonna keep this report very brief.

2:50

Uh the village has just experienced its second significant snowstorm of the season, and I would just like to thank all the residents for doing their part by staying off of the roadways.

3:00

Their cooperation allowed for DPW to clear the streets, and as many of you can see by just looking outside, their hard work is evident throughout the entire village.

3:09

Um, and that's really all I have to say.

3:12

Thanks for watching.

3:14

I don't have any for you.

3:16

Thank you.

3:17

All right, have a great evening.

3:18

Thank you so much.

3:20

Thank you, Jeff.

3:21

All right.

3:21

Next up is our fire chief, Chief Valentine.

3:25

I saw you on there as well.

3:27

Okay.

3:27

There we go.

3:29

Hello.

3:29

All right, hello, everybody.

3:31

Um, so good evening, Madam Mayor and all members of the board.

3:35

Uh again, I hope you're doing well after last night's blizzard.

3:38

We do have a bit more snow forecasted later this week, but far less than the conditions we just experienced.

3:43

Uh, I also have a shortened report this evening.

3:45

Uh during the prolonged period of frigid temperatures experienced in both the first and second weeks of February.

3:51

The Larchmont Fire Department responded to multiple incidents directed uh related to the extreme cold.

3:57

These responses included electrical fires caused by compromised wiring, a mutual aid roof fire resulted from flying frozen pipes, and numerous water-related emergencies.

4:08

Our firefighters also operated at several incidents involving burst water pipes, where they secured affected electrical systems within buildings to reduce the risk of fire and further damage.

4:18

In light of these recent freezing conditions, we do strongly encourage residents to take the appropriate precautions to prevent frozen pipes, particularly when traveling or leaving their homes unattended for an extended period.

4:30

Additionally, following the recent snowfall, please ensure that all exterior vents, including those for dryers, furnaces, and hot water heaters are kept clear of snow and debris.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████75%

Public Safety██████████16%

Budget Equity Analysis████6%

Youth Programs██3%

Summary of Proceedings

Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees Meeting - February 23, 2026

The Board of Trustees met virtually via Zoom on Monday, February 23, 2026, to address post-blizzard operations, receive department reports, approve several resolutions, and schedule public hearings. The meeting was held under a state of emergency due to the recent snowstorm. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

Approved participation in the Long Island Sound Watershed Intermunicipal Council (LISWIC) intermunicipal agreement, a revived organization for shoreline protection, flood mitigation, and stormwater management.
Approved the scheduling of 2026 village event dates as compiled by the recreation director.
Authorized three stipends: acting village treasurer duties ($601.53/week), FOIL management ($200/week), and building department support and land use coordination ($300/week), with payments ceasing upon hiring and training of permanent staff.
Set a public hearing for a proposed local law authorizing a real property tax levy in excess of the New York State tax cap (noted as a procedural step, not necessarily indicating intent to exceed the cap).
Set a public hearing for a proposed local law to amend the village code regulating conduct in village parks.
Approved payment of bills for batch 424297 totaling $313,968.47.
Also approved actions from prior work sessions: a $10,000 contract with Prachademic Partners for village treasurer recruitment; a salary increase for employee 100896 to $81/hour effective January 1, 2026; termination of employee 101030; appointment of Brittany O’Neill as registrar of vital statistics and licensing agent; a stipend for employee 100653 for handling FOIL requests; sale of vehicle PD411 to employee 007507573 at fair market value; and authorization for the village administrator to execute a service agreement with A1 Computer Services for disaster recovery cloud backup, pending review of comparable alternatives.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public addressed the board.

Discussion Items

Emergency Operations and Thank You: Mayor and trustees expressed gratitude to police, fire, DPW, and water department personnel for their 24+ hour snow-clearing efforts and response to extreme cold. Police Lieutenant Paprota thanked residents for staying off roadways. Fire Chief Valentine reported on incidents from frozen pipes and electrical fires, and urged residents to clear exterior vents, maintain fire hydrant access, and keep sidewalks clear of ice and snow within 24 hours after snowfall stops. He noted a second, smaller snowstorm forecasted later in the week.
Trustee Reports: Trustee Fennelly announced the “Launch Madness” basketball tournament on March 12 at the Homic Gym from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and thanked retiring officer Ron Knutsen for 37 years of service. Trustee Parray echoed thanks to Knutsen and DPW, and reported a $387.50 expenditure for a cobra head replacement on the parkway and a $963.11 suction head lift cylinder for the street sweeper.
Administrator’s Report: Administrator Katzine presented the resolutions and noted that the LISWIC group had been inactive for roughly 10 years and is being revived. He clarified that the tax cap public hearing is a budget-timing requirement, not a decision to exceed the cap. He also reviewed prior work session approvals, including the recruitment of a new village treasurer after James Kazorla accepted a position in New Rochelle.

Key Outcomes

All resolutions and public hearing schedules were approved unanimously by the board.
The board authorized the administrator to proceed with stipends for interim duties and to cease them upon hiring permanent staff.
Public hearings were set for the tax cap override and park conduct code amendment (specific dates not provided in the transcript).
The meeting adjourned after approval of bills and a motion to adjourn.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees meeting. It is Monday, February 23rd, 2026. In attendance this evening is the uh entire board, the village attorney, um, administrator Kat Scene, Assistant Administrator O'Neill. Um, and now we will do the Pledge of Allegiance as best we can on Zoom. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States. And to the Republic for which we should one nation under God, indivisible, indivisible with liberty and justice rural. Never works well. Okay. I do not have any comments this evening. Um, Administrator Catsine, do you have um a report or are you going to wait until the resolution section? Uh just a personal note that I need to remember to share the American flag next time we do the uh Thank you. That would help. Hopefully, we have no more Zoom meetings and no more snow. Knock on wood. Um, I would just like to thank once again our emergency uh responders, our emergency staff, police, fire, and DPW and water department um for all that they do, uh, especially during these um tenuous times. Um we the Department of Public Works has been out for the past 24 hours. Uh plus uh 24 hours plus uh cleaning out the snow uh cleaning working on the snow. Um they have they will be taking a break for the evening, but they will be back first thing in the morning to continue with the snow operations. Um we will be uh communicating any changes in parking or in other uh regulations around the village as a result of the state of emergency that is ongoing. Um we'll be communicating that through our email newsletter as well as our website and social media. Um so please stay tuned to that. But other than that, I'm hoping that everyone in Larch Fund has uh has had a safe past uh 36 hours, 24 hours, and um and that uh we continue to get out of this. Thank you so much, and I echo that. I I want to say a huge thank you to our our police and our fire and our DPW for um going above and beyond as always. All right, next up, uh village attorney's report. Nothing tonight, Mayor. Thank you. Um we do not have the village treasurer with us this evening, so we will move on to the police chief, and I believe is it Lieutenant Paprota who's in attendance this evening. Yes, ma'am. How are you? I'm good. How are you? I'm good, thank you. Uh so I'm gonna keep this report very brief. Uh the village has just experienced its second significant snowstorm of the season, and I would just like to thank all the residents for doing their part by staying off of the roadways. Their cooperation allowed for DPW to clear the streets, and as many of you can see by just looking outside, their hard work is evident throughout the entire village. Um, and that's really all I have to say. Thanks for watching. I don't have any for you. Thank you. All right, have a great evening. Thank you so much. Thank you, Jeff. All right. Next up is our fire chief, Chief Valentine. I saw you on there as well. Okay. There we go. Hello. All right, hello, everybody.

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