North Salem Town Board Meeting — February 24, 2026

The North Salem Town Board held its Regular Meeting/Worksession on February 24, 2026, in person and via Zoom. The agenda listed both 6:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. start times; the transcript opens with the meeting being called to order. The board approved previous meeting minutes and a series of resolutions, then held worksession discussions on gas-powered leaf blowers, pickleball, the records management grant, the heat pump bid, and the police chief's request to hire an officer.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes of the December 16, 2025 Public Hearing Continuation (2026 Preliminary Town Budget) and December 16, 2025 Special Meeting/Worksession were accepted as delivered after corrections.
• Re-appointed Supervisor Warren Lucas, Councilman Brent Alasana, and Historian Susie Thompson to the Records Advisory Board for terms expiring March 15, 2028.
• Authorized an hourly longevity bonus of 46 cents for Highway MEO Victor Ganela, effective March 1, 2026, after completing 10 consecutive years of full-time town service.
• Authorized the Supervisor to seek bids for labor, materials, and equipment needed to install interior plumbing and a PFAS removal system at the Sunset Ridge Water District treatment/pump building at 1 Ridgeway, per the attached bid document.
• Authorized an $875 expense to General Code to codify and supplement 2025 legislation and print three hard copies of the supplemental code pages.
• Authorized the Supervisor to sign Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation Intermunicipal Agreement 25-934-M for snow and ice removal on county roads for October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2030. The Supervisor indicated he might delay signing for a few days until insurance responsibility is clarified after a county-road guardrail strike.
• From the floor, the board approved a $923 expenditure for FortiClient software on the town's routers, after noting it was needed to address AI-related vulnerabilities and that delaying could increase the price.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Virginia, speaking from the CAC, said Westchester County is considering a summer ban on gas-powered leaf blowers and the CAC recommends North Salem support the ban if asked. She cited noise and emissions concerns but placed the strongest emphasis on biodiversity: powerful blowers remove leaves that provide habitat for insects, which in turn support birds and the broader food chain. She personally favored public education over legislation, clarifying that was her own view rather than the CAC's position.
• Kurt Golden, a local landscaping business owner, voiced concerns about a ban. He said his transition to electric equipment has required about 132 batteries per day for a four-person crew, two generators, roughly 100 batteries on hand, and a $50,000 investment, and that the generators produce more noise and emissions. He recommended a more structured noise ordinance, stronger enforcement and public education first, and asked whether the town would exempt itself from any ban and buy its own electric equipment. He also noted enforcement challenges involving agricultural exemptions.

Discussion Items

Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers

• Board members observed that North Salem currently has no gas leaf-blower restrictions, while many Westchester municipalities have partial or near-full bans: partial bans include Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Greenburgh, New Castle, and New Rochelle; near-full bans include Bedford, Bronxville, Irvington, Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye Brook, Scarsdale, and Yonkers.
• The town spends approximately $50,000 per year collecting leaves and has no good disposal site; several members expressed interest in encouraging mulching, leaving leaves on site, and public education rather than continued curbside pickup.
• The board agreed the topic involves multiple sub-issues—noise, emissions, biodiversity, lawn maintenance, disposal, and enforcement—and was not ready to send a vague referral to the Planning Board. Possible next steps included a public education video with the school district, work by CAC/CSC, and direct discussion with landscapers.

Pickleball

• The board revisited the Recreation Committee's recommendation of 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Saturday, for pickleball. Some players wanted later hours, but the committee's recommendation was described as already accounting for player input and homeowner concerns.
• Members discussed accepting the recommendation for the spring and reassessing in summer; one member suggested possible summer evening hours, such as 5-7 p.m., because courts are about 100 feet from nearby houses.
• No vote was taken, but the board planned to place the decision on the next meeting agenda so it could be implemented before spring play begins.

Records Management Grant

• The Town Clerk said a records management grant application is due April 1, with grants up to $75,000, and requires a defined storage location and detailed project plan.
• The vault can fit roughly 130 additional boxes after re-shelving, but existing shelving is non-standard (36- and 48-inch shelves instead of 42-inch), wasting space. The board agreed to include standard shelving, temperature/humidity controls, a dehumidifier, and selected digitization (about $400 per box) in the application.
• The Town Clerk expressed concern that a distinctive box containing roughly 1,800 handwritten historical documents was not where she expected it in the vault, though it may have been moved.
• The board directed the Town Clerk to proceed with the grant application.

Heat Pump Bid

• The town has a $286,000 grant for heat pump work. Three bids were received; the low bid was about $169,000 and the next bid about $192,000. An outside review by Larry Nisman of Phoenix found one bid not valid and stressed using a certified Mitsubishi installer.
• The low bidder had not yet supplied references; the Supervisor sent a certified letter and a follow-up email that day. No bid was awarded. The project may also include replacing some AC units with heat pumps through a change order.

Police Chief Request to Hire New Police Officer

• Police Chief Tom requested one additional officer to increase headcount and cover shifts. Board members voiced support and did not object; the chief was expected to proceed, with possible Civil Service position-count steps.
• The board also discussed the state's $35,000 earnings cap for retired officers collecting pensions, which makes rehiring retired officers difficult. A proposed increase to $50,000 was described as stalled in the Assembly, with State Comptroller DiNapoli cited as an obstacle. A board member suggested contacting the Comptroller's office.

Key Outcomes

• All formal agenda resolutions, plus the $923 router-software expenditure added from the floor, were approved with all in favor.
• No leaf-blower legislation was adopted; the board will continue public education and refine options before considering a referral to the Planning Board.
• Pickleball hours remain undecided; the board plans to decide at its next meeting, likely by adopting the 9 a.m.-noon recommendation for the spring.
• The Town Clerk was directed to apply for the records management grant by April 1, including vault shelving, climate controls, and digitization.
• The heat pump bid was not awarded; references are still being obtained from the low bidder.
• The police chief's request to hire one officer was supported; follow-up on the state retirement-earnings cap is planned.