Pleasantville Police Department Budget Work Session – March 6, 2026

The Pleasantville Village Board of Trustees held a work session devoted to the Police Department's draft budget for fiscal year 2027. Chief Gretzner and Lieutenant Wolden reviewed the expense and revenue pages with the board; no formal resolutions or votes were taken. The draft will be combined into the tentative village budget to be posted on/about March 20, followed by public hearings. The agenda/transcript header lists the meeting as Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM, while the supplied meeting timestamp is March 6, 2026, 12:00 UTC; the latter date is used in this summary.

Police Expense Overview

• Salaries shown are 2025 figures because the PBA contract remains in negotiation; 2026 salaries will be higher, and the board noted contingency funding has been budgeted for the eventual increase.
• The chief indicated he expects to retire during the fiscal year, likely around June, after the budget cycle; the backfill process would start after June, so no replacement cost is anticipated in the current budget year.
• Overtime was described as the hardest number to project: the 2026 budget/projection is 450, and the department is trending lower because of a younger/newer force. Traffic-control reimbursements for Con Edison work and comp time are contributing factors.
• The equipment line rises because of two proposed 360-degree, 12-megapixel cameras: one on Washington Avenue in the business corridor and one in the Old Village, using fire department locations for hardwired connectivity to avoid recurring cellular fees. The chief cited past cases where Old Village camera footage would have aided investigations.

Drone Program

• The police requested a five-year, all-in drone contract at $20,000/year covering hardware, software, training, and replacement; the plan would initially train four operators and use thermal imaging for searches, special events, and other public-safety calls. Nearby municipalities with drones were cited: Bedford, Bronxville, Scarsdale, Eastchester, Rye, Greenburgh, and Yonkers.
• Chief Gretzner and Lieutenant Wolden described the drone as a force multiplier and a scalable way to begin building in-house capability, noting the county has loaned drones and pilots for the music festival.
• Several trustees were skeptical or opposed to including it this year, citing likely infrequent use, the county drone/helicopter resource nearby, rapidly changing technology, recurring cost growth, and the need for data. One trustee said he would support it if the board could find offsetting cuts; another preferred to wait and watch technology improve.
• Outcome: the drone was set aside — "out as of the moment, pending your reconsideration" — unless the board later finds funding offsets.

Firearms, Training, and Equipment

• The department proposes moving from .40-caliber to 9mm handguns: 22 new 9mm pistols at $16,500, plus red-dot sights, after purchasing three training pistols the prior year. The firearms vendor offers $225 credit per old gun; officers may buy back their service weapons.
• The change is driven by ammunition availability/cost, recoil/control, and improved 9mm round performance. The firearms training line has fluctuated; prior ammunition shortages delayed spending.
• The department budgets $20,000/year for the 10-taser contract, including cartridges, batteries, and replacement on a 2.5-year cycle.
• Holster purchases include duty holsters for 22 members plus extras and administrative/plainclothes holsters.
• Ballistic vests are replaced on a five-year cycle; this year's higher line reflects officers hired in cohorts such as 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021.
• Body-worn cameras are the main driver of software support; Power DMS policy management/accreditation work is still ongoing, and the board asked to review the accreditation timeline in a future work session.

Computers, Communications, and IT

• The department plans five scheduled computer replacements plus two training-room computers; laptop/desktop life is typically five to seven years. Trustees suggested considering tablets and using current-year unspent funds for some purchases.
• Mandated recording systems include iRecord at $2,270/year and the phone recorder at $2,255/year. The MTA radio console service contract covers support/updates.
• An internet connection for the DataMaster was already completed and should be removed from the budget.
• When asked about the fire department's proposed $50,000 radio upgrade, the chief said the plan is logical; MTA is not currently accepting new agencies onto its system, so adding the fire department to the police MTA radio system is not an option at this time.

Vehicle Fleet

• The department has two Mustang Mach-E EVs (one detective car and one administrative car). Lack of home charging has caused real operational problems: cold-weather range can read about 120 miles on a full charge, one driver reported 33% charge with 40 miles to go, another waited 45 minutes for a public level-3 charger, and a commute of 22–26 miles could not be reliably managed without home charging.
• The police proposed replacing the aging 2015 Taurus and buying a hybrid Explorer for the chief, converting one Mach-E to a low-profile "ghost car." Trustees questioned the need for two new cars and suggested instead converting the EVs to patrol cars, adding a third EV to allow one to charge while two are in service, or installing home chargers where legal.
• Trustees noted home level-2 chargers cost roughly $1,400 installed and that EV charging under NYSERTA can be about 3 cents/kWh, making the economics attractive if legal barriers can be resolved. County funding may cover about 50% of public charger costs, and a Con Edison site visit was scheduled to examine the Southern Table/Wooden Fire lot.
• Outcome: no vehicle purchase approved. Staff were directed to research home-charger legality and cost, EV patrol conversion costs and other departments' experience, and report back.

Revenues and Other Items

• The revenue side is small, consisting mainly of parking permits, parking tickets, and the FDS contractual percentage of collections; no significant revenue changes were discussed.
• Crossing guard funding is level with the current adopted budget; the force is fully staffed after turnover in January and February.
• The Nissan Leaf used by parking enforcement officers is still operating acceptably, while the building department Leaf is being considered for replacement.
• The department's Harley-Davidson motorcycle is old but maintained; a grant request has been submitted for its eventual replacement.

Key Outcomes

• The draft police budget remains preliminary and subject to change before and after the March 20 tentative budget posting.
• The drone program was not included in the current draft absent an identified funding offset.
• The DataMaster internet connection line was removed from the proposal as already completed.
• The board directed further research on EV charging/home charger options and EV patrol conversions before making vehicle decisions.
• No formal resolutions were adopted; this was a work session.