Peekskill Common Council Work Session - November 3, 2025
Peekskill Common Council Work Session - November 3, 2025
The Common Council held a work session on Monday, November 3, 2025, at 6:30 PM. The meeting covered budget highlights, a food insecurity emergency response, street closures, a payment in lieu of parking program, a kitchen incubator bid award, a Verizon franchise agreement, and a police DWI patrol program. Council also discussed liaison reports and concerns.
Discussion Items
- 2026 Budget Highlights (Toni Tracy, Comptroller): Tracy presented a summary of the 2026 budget process, including a proposed tax levy increase of 3.5% above the state cap. The impact on the average homeowner (assessed home value $9,707) would be $7.39 per month increase, compared to $4.53 if staying at the cap. The fee schedule for building permit extensions was proposed to be scaled: 10% for the first six-month extension, 25% for the second, and 50% for the third. Council members expressed concerns that the fees were too high, especially for small projects. Council requested comparisons with neighboring municipalities (e.g., Yorktown charges $250 or 5%, whichever is less). The comptroller agreed to bring back a full analysis.
- Food Insecurity Emergency Response (Jonathan Zamora, Greg, Nutrition Department): Zamora reported on the rapid establishment (within 72 hours) of a food distribution program following the cessation of SNAP benefits. The program includes three daily distribution slots (8-10 AM, 12-2 PM, 5-7 PM) starting Wednesday, November 5. They have 98 volunteers and have received $65,000 in pledges, enough for two weeks. DoorDash deliveries via United Way will serve homebound residents. Priority groups are the elderly, disabled, and families with children under 5. The city manager commended the team. Council discussed potential federal restoration of SNAP benefits and the need for a longer-term plan. A resolution to approve the action will be brought next week.
- Street Closure for Reindeer Run: The St. Patrick's Committee submitted a parade permit application for December 6, 2025, from 10-11 AM to collect toys and non-perishable food for families in need. The route starts and ends at the Central Firehouse, avoiding Park Street. Council noted the event coincides with the tree lighting. The closure will be brought back for approval.
- Payment in Lieu of Parking (PILOP) – Carol Samuel, Planning: Samuel presented a memo to proceed with a payment-in-lieu program for downtown parking. Council raised concerns about impacts on small conversion projects (e.g., commercial to residential). The fee is halved for conversions, but members asked for a minimum project size exemption. Samuel noted that projects can appeal to the ZBA for waivers. The matter will be discussed further in executive session due to legal guidance on affordable housing restrictions.
- Kitchen Incubator Bid Award – Matthew Rudikoff: Rudikoff requested council authorization to submit the low bids to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for permission to award, due to the government shutdown. The project has a 6% contingency. Council expressed support but noted that the source of $1.4 million (CDBG loan repayment funds) needs a full discussion regarding permanent versus revolving loan use. The item will return for final award after EDA approval.
- Verizon Franchise Agreement – City Attorney: The proposed five-year cable franchise renewal agreement had a public hearing with no comments. Council will bring it for approval on November 10. Councilman Brian asked about defunct wires left by service changes; the attorney will request Verizon to address removal. Council also discussed city powers to remove abandoned utility wires.
- STOP DWI Patrol/Datamaster Program – Chief Deleuski: The chief presented a renewal of a partnership with Westchester County providing $8,400 per year to fund overtime for DWI enforcement. The program has resulted in 5-10 arrests per week. Council approved bringing back a resolution.
- Police Locker Room HVAC Project: The city manager announced a NYSERDA grant covering 75% ($36,000) of a $48,000 project to provide an HVAC solution at the police station. The contract will be brought back next week.
- Council Liaison Reports:
- Councilman Scott reported on the Youth Bureau's recent activities, including college tours, a civic training, and upcoming Thanksgiving food drive. The bureau is understaffed and seeks more community involvement.
- Councilman Douglas noted the Conservation Advisory Council meeting moved to November 20. He asked for legal clarification on the affordable housing ordinance and a scaffolding ordinance.
- Councilman Fernandez requested a handicapped parking sign repaint on Phoenix Avenue and a fee waiver for CHOP (food distribution) during the declared emergency due to the SNAP crisis. A discussion ensued about fairness to other nonprofits; the city manager offered free use of the riverfront or library neighborhood center, but the organization declined. The matter will be further discussed.
- Councilwoman Talla advocated for postponing the winter parking regulation start to January 1 to reduce hardship for residents. Council agreed to place the item on a future agenda.
- Other Updates: The wayfinding signs are installed; Halloween party at senior center; youth jobs program graduation; and a food drive box will be placed at City Hall for CHOP.
Key Outcomes
- Most agenda items will be brought back as resolutions at the November 10, 2025 regular meeting.
- The budget fee schedule for building permit extensions requires further comparison with other municipalities; comptroller will report back.
- The food insecurity emergency response will continue; a resolution for approval is scheduled for next week.
- The kitchen incubator bid authorization was endorsed; funding source discussion to continue.
- The Verizon franchise agreement and police DWI program will be voted on at the next meeting.
- An executive session was held to discuss matters involving personnel, finances, and real property.
- Council directed the city manager to schedule further discussion on winter parking regulations and the fee waiver for food distribution events.
Meeting Transcript
We have a presentation and then a couple of agenda items and an executive session for discussion of matters concerning the medical financial credit or employment history of a particular person, persons, or corporation. Or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline suspension, dismissal, or removal of a particular person, persons, or corporation. Any discussion of matters related to proposed acquisition sale or lease of real property. So at this time, I'll turn it over to our city manager. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Good evening. Uh tonight we have a short uh agenda for the regular part of the meeting, and we're gonna start off with Tony Tracy, our comptroller who's gonna talk to us about the 2026 budget highlights. Tony. I forgot it. Good evening, Mayor and City Council. Good evening. Good evening. So as the city manager said, we are here with a wrap-up of the 2026 budget process. So it's kind of just a summary of some of the things we've already talked about. This first page is just a quick overview for the public, also, but of the budget process. So we begin in uh July, where we uh distribute packages to the department heads. It gives them several years of history as well as current information as to spending and revenues and things like that, and then they can use that to build their budget. During the month of August and September, there are meetings between the city manager, the comproller, and the department heads to determine what the budget projected numbers will be and the numbers for the following year. On October 1st, we submitted the city manager tentative budget to the city clerk and presented it to the council and the public. And November 1st was the common council budget, which is also uh that has been posted in the library and it is also on the website as of as of last Friday. And now at this point, uh by New York state law, we have until December 1st for the council to adopt a budget. It is planned for next week, November 10th. Uh this slide, I just left it in here just to again kind of point out to the to the public mostly, but that the general fund total of expenses really only 16 percent of that is something that anybody has control over. So again, we have 84% of the general fund budget is mandatory expense for salaries, New York State retirement, liability, health insurance, debt service, and things like that. Okay, on this slide, it's showing a calculation of the tax rate, and the tax rate is a levy increase of 3.5 percent, which we had also gone over that. But the next slide, I do have a comparison of that rate. Uh so versus if we had stayed at the cap. So what you'll see at the top part of the page is the seven dollars and thirty-nine cents increase that the proposed rate would be on the average value, the value of an average house, which from the assessor's office is nine thousand seven hundred and seven dollars. The rate is three hundred and sixteen dollars and twenty-five cents. So that is an effect of about seven dollars and thirty-nine cents for the average homeowner per month. If we had stayed at the cap, the rate on the bottom half shows as three dollars and twelve three hundred and twelve dollars and seventy-one cents. That is a an effect on a monthly amount of four dollars and fifty-three cents. So it's just showing that there is a very slight difference in the fact that we went over the cap on a monthly basis to a homeowner. And this slide is going back to our conversation on the fee schedule. So we just have a couple of items on here, but one of the items brought up by the council at the last conversation was the building permit extension fee. It is currently listed as 50 percent of the original permit fee that the person paid for the permit in the first place. So we've got a proposal that we've put in here that for a first six-month extension, it would be a 10% fee of the original. If they go to another six months, it would be 25%. And for the third six month period, then it would go up to the 50%. And the reason behind these fees is as the building inspector had mentioned, there is a little bit of a push to get someone to complete a project, but this kind of scaled down version of it, maybe it gives somebody a little room for things that are beyond their control. So that was a proposal that is now in there for the fee schedule. And on the other part of it, the parks and recreation fees, there was a question about certain fees, whether they were for individuals or for groups. So in the fee schedule, we have blocked off uh on the left column, we've put a block out there to say these are group rental fees. Some of them are grouped now as lesson-based fees. So we've just tried to define that to make it a little more clear. Tony? Yes. Did we get any comparisons for other places for that fee? Because even at if you had a um smaller project and a ten thousand dollar um permit fee, you're still talking a thousand dollars. Right.
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