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Record of Proceedings

Pleasantville Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting - 2025-04-15

Village Board of Trustees & Boards — Tuesday, April 15, 2025
BodyPleasantville, New York
SessionVillage Board of Trustees & Boards
DateTuesday, April 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:59:13

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:02

Welcome to the work session for the Village Hub Pleasantville Board of Trustees.

0:06

Today is Monday, April 14th.

0:08

We are starting with a work session.

0:11

We marked our regular session at 8 p.m., which includes the public hearing on our forthcoming budget for the next fiscal year.

0:20

We are anticipating it somewhere 8, 815, something like that.

0:24

County executive Ken Jenkins is going to drop by for a brief report from the county.

0:29

So there we stay.

0:33

First item on our agenda is a discussion uh regarding uh soldiers and sailors playground reconstruction.

0:41

Uh Mike, are you there?

Speaker 2

0:45

I'm here.

0:46

How's everybody doing?

Speaker 1

0:48

We hear

Unassigned speaker

0:49

you.

Unassigned speaker

0:50

All

Speaker 1

0:50

right.

0:50

So first item was soldiers and sailors playground reconstruction.

0:54

I I will share my screen so anyone who might be watching uh on Zoom can see the plan.

1:03

This is similar equipment to what we put at Nanny.

Speaker 2

1:10

Yeah, so all three playgrounds will be from the same company, uh landscape structures.

1:15

Uh and all three playgrounds will be a little different, a little unique to each other.

1:20

Uh at Soldiers, uh, that is the layout you see now.

1:24

Uh we do have some.

Speaker 1

1:26

So

Speaker 2

1:26

just

Speaker 1

1:26

to be clear, this is the parking lot end

Unassigned speaker

1:30

where

Speaker 1

1:30

my

Speaker 2

1:31

uh no.

Speaker 1

1:33

This is the parking lot correct, correct.

1:36

Okay, so this is the parking lot in.

Speaker 2

1:38

Correct.

Speaker 1

1:39

And and uh so then the playing fields are here.

Speaker 2

1:43

Yep.

Speaker 1

1:44

Okay.

Speaker 2

1:45

Um this playground, we do have some pretty neat uh inclusive pieces that we added into this park.

1:52

Um you know, all three parks will have some inclusive pieces, uh, but we did kind of focus on trying to get a few more uh into soldiers here.

Speaker 1

2:08

So there's the lay of the land.

Speaker 3

2:11

Yep.

Speaker 1

2:12

All right.

2:13

So um you had a schedule that proposed to demolish in the fall.

Speaker 2

2:19

Yeah, so the schedule tentatively would be to take down in September.

2:23

I believe we're penciled in for a third and final community build.

2:29

Uh the second weekend in October.

2:32

Uh again, that's penciled in, but uh, we will definitely be looking to

Unassigned speaker

2:36

do

Speaker 2

2:37

another community build and get it done in October.

Speaker 1

2:40

Okay.

2:42

And then you had budget numbers 170.

Speaker 2

2:49

170.

2:50

That's that's all in the whole project.

Speaker 1

2:52

Okay.

2:53

And we have some grant money.

Speaker 2

2:56

Yeah, so we have a grant.

2:58

Um, and we've been splitting that up amongst the three playgrounds.

3:01

I believe we're assigning it's uh, I think it's 91,000 for each playground.

Unassigned speaker

3:06

I think

Speaker 2

3:06

we got a total of two 75 is the grant if I'm not mistaken.

Speaker 1

3:12

Okay.

3:13

So this is all

Speaker 4

3:14

planned and intended.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation██████████████████18%
Public Safety████████████12%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████9%
Parking Regulations███████7%
Water And Wastewater Management█████5%
Community Events█████5%
Youth Programs████4%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Pleasantville Village Board of Trustees Regular Meeting - 2025-04-15

The Village Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on April 15, 2025, preceded by a work session at 7:00 PM. The meeting included a public hearing on the Fiscal Year Ending (FYE) 2026 budget, brief remarks from Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins, discussion of several operational items, and approval of 17 resolutions. Key topics included playground reconstruction, camp scholarships, parking enforcement, outdoor seating, the annual budget, and the hiring of special counsel to contest Con Edison's rate increase.

Public Hearing: FYE 2026 Village Budget

  • Village Administrator Eric presented the preliminary budget: General Fund appropriations of approximately $20.5 million, with a tax levy of $13,992,190, resulting in a tax rate increase of 2.37% (up from 2.25% in the tentative budget due to a decrease in assessed valuation). The Water Fund will see a 9.5% rate increase, and the Sanitation Fund a ~$19 increase per single-family household.
  • Mayor and trustee salaries were increased by $1,500 each (mayor to $7,500, trustees to $5,000), and $13,000 was added to the camp scholarship line.
  • Public commenter Jonathan Cunningham (14 Pedigale Lane) raised concerns about: (1) the cumulative impact of water rate increases (likely ongoing ~10% annually) and the need for grant funding, noting that a prior $5M federal grant application for water tank replacement was reduced to $2.4M and then eliminated; (2) extending the 10% property tax break for volunteer firefighters (currently only for county tax) to other volunteer boards (Zoning, Planning, and the Board itself) as a recognition and recruitment tool; (3) the pool fee schedule, arguing the differential between in-village and out-of-village fees should be at least $175, and that the out-of-village individual fee of $405 vs. family fee of $875 creates an arbitrage opportunity ($405*2=$810 < $875). He also suggested the fee schedule needs further tweaking. The Board acknowledged these points but stated no changes would be made this year as rates were already published.

County Executive Briefing

  • Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins reported on the county's $2.5 billion budget, maintaining AAA bond ratings (Fitch, S&P; Moody's AA1 positive outlook), $50 million for affordable housing, $303 million for public safety, and other initiatives. He noted sales tax revenue was volatile: January +20%, February +10%, March -20% compared to prior year, attributing the drop to declining consumer confidence. He highlighted the county's reliance on $700 million in federal funding and the uncertainty around federal grants. He also mentioned progress on red-light camera legislation and the county's support for mental health and flood mitigation.

Discussion Items

  • Soldiers and Sailors Playground Reconstruction: Superintendent Mike reported the project budget is $170,000, with $275,000 in grant funds allocated across three playgrounds ($91,000 each). Demolition is scheduled for September with a community build in October. The design includes inclusive equipment from Landscape Structures.
  • Camp Scholarship Applications: 15 applications received (9 for senior camp, 6 for team travel camp), totaling $19,505 in foregone tuition. $7,000 is available from the CM account, and the Board allocated an additional $13,000 to cover all applicants. Discussion included future program tweaks (e.g., limiting to senior/junior camp only, requiring a minimum payment) and potential annual fundraising.
  • Parking and Traffic Enforcement: Police Chief Pressner reported enhanced enforcement on Wheeler Avenue and around schools (Manville, Ashland, Bedford). Enforcement focuses on changing behavior, not just ticketing. Parking enforcement officers are sometimes pulled for crossing guard duty, but new hires have reduced this. A new loop detection system has improved traffic signal timing at Wheeler and Bedford. Specific concerns about Ashland/Bedford intersection and double parking were addressed with dedicated patrols.
  • Outdoor Seating: The Board discussed retaining outdoor seating at Seoul (as a public space with synergy) but not at Vela on Washington Avenue due to limited sidewalk space, nighttime-only operation, and parking concerns. The Board decided to continue the Seoul arrangement but not to extend seating to Vela.
  • Pool Reconstruction: Change Orders #11 ($59,731.20 for pool cover), #12 ($34,871.76 for shade canopy), and #13 ($517,534.59 for soil disposal) were authorized. Soil removal began April 15 due to PCB contamination and compaction issues.

Key Outcomes (Resolutions Passed)

  • Res. 2025-129: Approved minutes of March 24 and April 7, 2025.
  • Res. 2025-130: Approved FYE 2025 budget transfers totaling $59,890 (General Fund) and $1,715 (Water Fund).
  • Res. 2025-131: Approved payment of claims for FYE 2025 totaling $984,891.82.
  • Res. 2025-132: Approved payment of claims for FYE 2026 totaling $40,500.
  • Res. 2025-133: Authorized Village Administrator to execute MOU continuing participation in the Westchester Power Community Choice Aggregation program (50% renewable default).
  • Res. 2025-134: Donated two Pleasantville Music Festival tickets to Arc Stages.
  • Res. 2025-135: Authorized hiring of Gabrielle Vines as Panther Club Recreation Leader (part-time, $22/hr).
  • Res. 2025-136: Authorized Change Orders #11, #12, #13 for pool reconstruction total $612,137.55.
  • Res. 2025-137: Approved Community Scholarship Fund 5K Walk/Run on May 17, 2025 (6:30-11:00 AM, road closures).
  • Res. 2025-138: Acknowledged Justice Court Audit for FYE 2024.
  • Res. 2025-139: Approved Memorial Day Parade on May 26, 2025 (10:00 AM, route from Bedford Road School to Memorial Plaza).
  • Res. 2025-140: Approved Holiday Lighting Ceremony on December 7, 2025, at Memorial Plaza Civic Space (6:00 PM, parking restrictions).
  • Res. 2025-141: Donated two Pleasantville Music Festival tickets to Select Human Services.
  • Res. 2025-142: Authorized hiring Joel R. Dichter of Dichter Law LLC as special counsel to represent Westchester municipalities in Con Edison's electric and gas rate case before the Public Service Commission; total fee not to exceed $100,000 split equally among participating municipalities (minimum 20; 38 have agreed, making Pleasantville's share ~$2,600).
  • Res. 2025-143: Accepted retirement of Police Officer Peter Burns (effective April 25, 2025).
  • Res. 2025-144: Approved surplusing of a 1992 Ford F-450 SD (estimated salvage $450).
  • Res. 2025-145: Accepted retirement of Police Sergeant Samuel Caccamise (effective April 22, 2025).

The Board then entered executive session to discuss real property and legal matters. The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 28, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the work session for the Village Hub Pleasantville Board of Trustees. Today is Monday, April 14th. We are starting with a work session. We marked our regular session at 8 p.m., which includes the public hearing on our forthcoming budget for the next fiscal year. We are anticipating it somewhere 8, 815, something like that. County executive Ken Jenkins is going to drop by for a brief report from the county. So there we stay. First item on our agenda is a discussion uh regarding uh soldiers and sailors playground reconstruction. Uh Mike, are you there? I'm here. How's everybody doing? We hear you. All right. So first item was soldiers and sailors playground reconstruction. I I will share my screen so anyone who might be watching uh on Zoom can see the plan. This is similar equipment to what we put at Nanny. Yeah, so all three playgrounds will be from the same company, uh landscape structures. Uh and all three playgrounds will be a little different, a little unique to each other. Uh at Soldiers, uh, that is the layout you see now. Uh we do have some. So just to be clear, this is the parking lot end where my uh no. This is the parking lot correct, correct. Okay, so this is the parking lot in. Correct. And and uh so then the playing fields are here. Yep. Okay. Um this playground, we do have some pretty neat uh inclusive pieces that we added into this park. Um you know, all three parks will have some inclusive pieces, uh, but we did kind of focus on trying to get a few more uh into soldiers here. So there's the lay of the land. Yep. All right. So um you had a schedule that proposed to demolish in the fall. Yeah, so the schedule tentatively would be to take down in September. I believe we're penciled in for a third and final community build. Uh the second weekend in October. Uh again, that's penciled in, but uh, we will definitely be looking to do another community build and get it done in October. Okay. And then you had budget numbers 170. 170. That's that's all in the whole project.

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