Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees Regular Meeting – March 23, 2026

The Village of Larchmont Board of Trustees held its regular meeting on Monday, March 23, 2026, with the full board in attendance along with Administrator Katzine, Assistant Administrator O'Neill, and the village attorney. The agenda included police personnel recognition, the tentative FY 2026-27 budget presentation, public hearings, several resolutions, and public comment concerning a restaurant's special permit. No agenda or minutes were provided; this summary is based solely on the raw transcript.

Consent Calendar

• The board approved a consent agenda by a single motion covering: an intermunicipal agreement with Westchester County and New York State Police for a traffic/criminal software use and dissemination program; a request to NYS DOT for an exclusive pedestrian signal phase at Route 1/Boston Post Road and Beach Avenue; relocation of a designated accessible handicap parking space on Palmer Avenue; adoption of the New York Local Government Records retention and disposition schedule; appointment of Administrator Katzine as records management officer; authorization to submit a grant application to the NYS Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund; authorization to hire special counsel for Westchester municipalities monitoring the Con Edison rate settlement; and adoption of the FY 2026-27 village-wide schedule of fees and charges.
• A professional services agreement with Munistat was pulled from the consent agenda for additional review and was not voted on.
• Minutes were approved for the October 20, 2025 and November 17, 2025 regular meetings and for the February 23 and March 9, 2026 work sessions. The mayor stated she was not present for the March 9 work session and did not vote on those minutes.
• Trustee Parray reviewed the March 23, 2026 bill list, Job ID 425-139, totaling $607,155.72, and the board approved payment.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Tony Joffrey, attorney for Locals 10538, requested a copy of a new B Lying Associates report and said the Sound Sense mitigation work has been completed. He asked that a sound test be scheduled as early as that week, stated Locals has spent tens of thousands of dollars on sound testing and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars while operating without events and music, and requested that the board consider renewal of the special permit at the April 6 work session. He argued the venue is one decibel away from the unnoticeable or tolerable range and that previous testing occurred at levels considerably louder than planned events.
• Helen Mach, attorney for Jules Delvecchio, commended the board for rejecting Locals' demand to reinstate the permit. She argued that Locals' live band and DJ use is not a permitted dining and entertainment establishment use, citing a first floor of about 600 square feet and 14 seats versus a second floor of over 1,200 square feet and 41 seats, plus standing spectators near apartment bedrooms. She urged the board to consider whether the use should be allowed at all and to revoke the special permit. She also requested at least five business days' notice of testing for Trinity Consultants, copies of all correspondence and reports, and disputed that the testing was complete or based on correct ambient noise and representative conditions.
• A resident asked about the proposed entertainment permit law; the board explained it would clarify the existing annual $175 restaurant entertainment license process.

Discussion Items

• Personnel & Honors: Mayor Bower and Deputy Mayor Finelli presented a retirement proclamation to Lieutenant Ron Nathan/Knudsen after 37 years of village service; the transcript gives conflicting versions of the surname. The police chief recommended and the board approved the promotion of Sergeant Daniel Calapai to police lieutenant and Detective Nicholas Field to sergeant. Officer Emmanuel Aguilar was sworn in as a probationary police officer after graduating from the police academy in January.
• FY 2026-27 Tentative Budget Presentation: Administrator Katzine, assisted by Assistant Administrator O'Neill, presented the tentative budget. The process included an internal kickoff on December 9, 2025, department submissions on January 9, 2026, work sessions in January and February, an all-day budget workshop on March 2, and delivery of the tentative budget the prior Friday. Budget drivers included collective bargaining contracts, state-mandated pension costs ($477,000 more for all village operations, mostly in the general fund), interest and economic uncertainty, and future infrastructure decisions. New positions were reduced from a requested 5.5 FTE to 2.5 FTE, including a secretary to the village administrator, conversion of the assistant building inspector from part-time to full-time, and a full-time building department office assistant. Other proposals included a placeholder HR consultant, records and agenda management technology, cybersecurity costs, additional camp counselors, and conversion of the village engineer position to building inspector. The general fund tax levy for current FY 2025-26 is $16,975,915; the proposed FY 2026-27 levy is $17,353,978, an increase of $378,063, or 2.227%. This is $6,105 below the tax cap of 2.263%, so administration recommended authorizing a higher levy as a precaution. The budget also projected $300,000 in mortgage tax, $625,000 in fines and forfeitures, and use of assigned and unassigned fund balance for one-time capital costs. The water fund includes a proposed 4.5% water usage fee increase; major capital needs such as lead line replacement, dam updates, leak detection, and vacuum truck replacement are expected to be borrowed, with debt service reflected in FY 2027-28. Leak detection borrowing could save $350,000 to $600,000. Parking and sewer funds had no significant changes; parking debt service is paid off, and the sewer fund has a modest declining balance. Proposed fee changes included a 5% increase in commuter parking permit fees, residential building permit fees from $18 to $19 per thousand and commercial from $30 to $32 per thousand, and an increase in refundable park event security deposits. The village also announced a Westchester County Complete Streets Program grant with a 50% cost share of $150,000 village and $150,000 county for safety improvements at Monroe/Locust and Palmer/Parkway intersections, plus a $75,000 records management grant application and $251,000-$252,000 in sewer maintenance capital.
• Public Hearings & Local Laws: A public hearing was opened and closed on the proposed authorization to exceed the tax cap; no questions were raised. The board adopted the local law authorizing a real property tax levy in excess of General Municipal Law § 3-c as a precaution while the current proposed levy remains under the cap. A public hearing was opened and closed on a proposed local law to regulate conduct in village parks; the board adopted the law to memorialize and standardize park rules. The board scheduled a public hearing for April 27, 2026 on the FY 2026-27 tentative budget, and also scheduled a public hearing for April 27, 2026 on a proposed local law regarding entertainment and entertainment permits for restaurants.
• Other Board Actions: The board approved a 60-day extension of the ambient background music trial permit under the same terms and conditions; the current trial expired that day. The board approved the 2026 public space use permit program rules. In-street dining will not be offered this year because, after two accidents where vehicles hit barriers, the barriers were determined not to provide real protection. The sidewalk dining program will be expanded to operate year-round. The Flint Park renovation project was tabled to a future work session.
• Reports: The police chief reported no significant police activity, announced Hector Zapata's retirement after 31 years of service, and reported that the department received New York State accreditation on March 5 in Albany, a goal discussed for at least 30 years. About one-third of New York State law enforcement agencies are accredited. The fire chief reported advanced extrication training earlier that day, water rescue standby for the March 8 Polar Plunge, mutual aid to a two-alarm house fire in Pelham Manor on March 20, a Rye house fire response on February 27, and a new SCBA cascade system donated by the Deirdre Jordan Coleman Foundation. He also reminded residents about leaf blower regulations and not blocking sidewalks with yard waste. The annual spring egg hunt is Saturday, March 28, and registration filled within 30 hours. Trustees highlighted upcoming community events: Earth Day celebration and Play It Forward sports equipment swap on April 25; Arbor Day tree planting on April 24; Memorial Day Parade on May 21; Sidewalk Sale May 28-31; Larchmont Palooza music festival on June 6; summer camp June 29 through August 7; and the March 14 Larch Madness basketball event with about 80 players.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted the tax-cap authorization local law by voice vote.
• Adopted the park conduct local law.
• Approved the police promotions and the new probationary officer's oath.
• Approved the consent agenda, minutes, and bill list.
• Approved the 60-day background music permit extension and the 2026 public space use permit rules.
• Scheduled April 27, 2026 public hearings for the FY 2026-27 tentative budget and the proposed entertainment permit law.
• Tabled the Flint Park renovation project.
• Deferred the Munistat professional services agreement for additional review.
• No vote was taken on renewal of the Locals special permit; the applicant's attorney asked for a decision at the April 6 work session, while the neighboring property owner's attorney urged revocation.