North Salem Town Board Meeting and Worksession – March 11, 2025: Day Camp Fees, Resolutions, and Watershed Discussion

The Town Board met in person and via Zoom on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at Town Meeting Hall, 66 June Road. The board honored retiring Lt. Neil Caputo, approved February 2025 reports and a lengthy list of resolutions, set 2025 Day Camp dates and fees, adopted an amended Community Center usage policy, and discussed East of Hudson Watershed Corporation finances and board/committee vacancies.

Retirement Proclamation

• The board presented a proclamation honoring Lt. Neil Caputo, who served 43 years as a North Salem police officer after being appointed on December 14, 1982, and rose to sergeant and then lieutenant on September 27, 2016.
• The proclamation also recognized his 45-plus years as a volunteer with the North Salem Fire Department since September 10, 1979, his service as an EMT with the North Salem Volunteer Ambulance Corps, and his full-time work as Westchester County Fire Coordinator.
• The board proclaimed March 11, 2025 as "Neil Caputo Day" in North Salem and wished him well in retirement.

Agenda Resolutions

• Approved the February 2025 monthly reports of the Building Inspector, Highway Department, Planning Board (financial), Police Department, Receiver of Taxes, Recreation, Supervisor, and Town Clerk.
• Approved payment of town bills totaling $222,403 and highway bills totaling $103,750.37.
• Authorized promotions of Michael Castellano and Sal Ravallo to part-time police lieutenants at $52.15 per hour, effective April 6, 2025.
• Authorized the supervisor to sign the Westchester County Health Department application for the 2025 permit to operate the public water supply for Town Hall/Library and to pay the $130 annual fee.
• Authorized inclusion of the North Salem Tax Office information insert in the 2025 April state, county, and town tax bills.
• Authorized NYS DOT snow and ice adjustment calculation worksheets and a five-year municipal snow and ice contract extension. The effective date was corrected during discussion to July 1, 2024, with expiration June 30, 2029.
• Authorized the supervisor to sign the Westchester County Shared Services distribution agreement.
• Authorized an AriaFiltra inspection/maintenance agreement for the filtration system at Peach Lake Environmental Center for $27,250, paid by New York City DEP. The board removed the proposal date from the resolution and referenced proposal number OPP2331189.
• Accepted an increased Verizon Wireless removal bond from $45,000 to $60,000 for the facility at 39 Delancey Road, based on the March 5, 2025 Planning Board referral and town engineer's recommendation.
• Appointed Town Clerk Maria C. Halusko as a marriage officer for a term ending December 31, 2027.
• Amended the standard schedule of fees to add a $25 one-day marriage officiant license fee.
• Waived the local $17.50 marriage license fee for active-duty military personnel, with the state waiving its $22.50 fee.
• Authorized the Town Clerk to apply for a 2025-26 NYS Archives Local Government Records Management Improvement Fund grant of up to $75,000 for a records vault at the North Salem Community Center.
• Authorized Deputy Town Clerk Andrea Akeesian to attend the NYS Town Clerks Association Conference in Syracuse from April 27-30, 2025, with conference, hotel, and mileage expenses totaling up to the amounts in the resolution.
• Approved the request from St. James Episcopal Church to hold a march in support of Ukraine on Saturday, March 16, 2025, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with police road closure and overflow parking at the courthouse.
• Approved Crystal Blue Cleaning Service agreements for deep cleaning and for recurring per-visit cleaning of the Justice Court and Police Department.
• Released a $484.37 building-department engineering escrow for 6 Lost Pond Lane, payable to Henry D'Auria.
• Approved a $170 refund to Cassie Gilchrist for return of a 2024-25 fall parking permit.

Discussion Items

• Day Camp Fees: Recreation staff recommended a $1-per-day tuition increase, making 10-day sessions $750 and the July 4 holiday-week session $675, with non-resident fees $70 higher and a $60 early-bird discount for registration/payment by April 1. Registration will open first for residents and school district residents, then for non-residents. The board approved Session 1 June 30-July 11, Session 2 July 14-25, and Session 3 July 28-August 8. Enrollment discussion noted 411 paid sessions in 2024 by 276 unique campers, down from 529 sessions in 2023; unavoidable operating costs are $152,000, with busing costing about $81,000. Staff and board discussed exploring school-district buses to reduce future costs.
• Community Center Policy: The board adopted the amended policy for the North Salem Community Center at 3 Owens Road, last amended September 12, 2023, with revisions dated February 27, 2025. The changes codify alcohol-use limits and give the facility director authority to manage traffic and notify attendees when adult-level content is being hosted. The board also heard about a sold-out free concert by Whirlwind at the center and the launch of monthly programming.
• East of Hudson Watershed Corporation: A board member who served as EOHWC treasurer explained the corporation's history, including NYC DEP's $37.4 million contribution, county WQIP funds, phosphorus-reduction targets (North Salem's target is 19.7 kilograms; total bubble-compliance target is 459 kilograms per five-year cycle), and completed projects. He expressed concern that the next five-year compliance cycle is not fully funded, estimating $30-40 million needed versus about $15 million available, and noted that North Salem schools have not undertaken eligible parking-lot projects even though schools are MS4 permittees without numeric targets.
• Board/Committee Status: The board reviewed its liaison list, removed the Open Space and Mountain Lakes Committees (with open space work to be handled through the comprehensive plan update process), and identified missing or vacant posts including the Zoning Board of Appeals, Board of Assessment Review, Historic Preservation Commission, Planning Board, and Town Housing Board. Vin Farrell, who had submitted a resignation from Capital Planning, asked to rescind it because he is remaining in North Salem as a renter.
• Additional Discussion: The board noted rising Con Edison delivery charges in northern Westchester, from 5.9 cents per kilowatt-hour four years ago to over 14 cents with ancillary charges, and discussed possible engagement with the Public Service Commission.

Key Outcomes

• All resolutions before the board were approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition; no roll-call tally appears in the transcript.
• The board set 2025 Day Camp dates and fees with an April 1 early-bird deadline, adopted the revised Community Center policy, and approved the police lieutenant promotions.
• The board directed continued work on EOHWC funding advocacy, committee liaison updates, and paperless/accounting-system improvements.