Westchester County Parks & Environment and B&A Joint Meeting – July 13, 2026
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Westchester County Parks & Environment and Budget & Appropriations Committees Joint Meeting – July 13, 2026
This joint meeting of the Parks & Environment and Budget & Appropriations Committees was called to order at 10:12 AM by Budget & Appropriations Chair Tyrae Woodson-Samuels, with Parks & Environment Chair Erika Pierce taking over for that committee’s items at 10:38 AM. The meeting adjourned at 11:10 AM. All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The minutes from the May 26, 2026, and July 7, 2026, meetings were approved unanimously.
Discussion Items
- Westchester Community College 2026–2027 Budget Items (303, 304, 305): The committee approved three items: setting a public hearing for August 3, 2026, at 10:30 AM; adopting public hearing rules; and suspending rules to provide flexibility during the budget process.
- Credit Card Fee Amendment (Item 299): Budget Director Larry Sol and County Attorney John Nolan presented an item authorizing county departments to recoup credit card processing fees. The committee identified an inconsistency in the committee report—changing “will require” to “may require”—and noted the need to clarify coverage for debit cards and foreign transaction fees. The item was approved with the correction.
- Senior Services IMA (Item 300): Acting Director of Program Development Shareen presented intermunicipal agreements with Yonkers and New Rochelle for livable community regional host services for seniors. Approximately 440 units of service were provided to 1,680 individuals in 2025. The item was approved and referred.
- Tibbetts Brook Park Pool Rehabilitation Bond Act (Item 301): Acting Parks Commissioner Peter Tartaglia and Rob Lopane requested $800,000 for design of pool rehabilitation. They reported that the pool, originally rebuilt in 2009, has settling and deterioration, including cracking tiles, a leaking slide, and an outdated filter room. The pool reached its capacity of about 2,000 on July 2–4 during a heat wave, requiring staff to turn people away. Chair Pierce emphasized the pool’s importance for residents without alternative swim options. The bond act was approved and referred.
- Flood Mitigation Bond Act (Items 316–318): Assistant Commissioner Dave Kavinga presented a $550,000 bond request for stormwater infrastructure on Powder Horn Road in Ardsley, adding the area to the recon stormwater reconnaissance plan. The project, within the right-of-way, is ready for construction and expected to take a few months. The committee also discussed future watershed plans and green infrastructure. The items were approved.
- Airport Counsel Renewal (Item 306): County Attorney John Nolan requested renewal of two outside law firms for FAA matters, with a $200,000 aggregate cap ($100,000 each). He explained that only Kaplan Kirsch was used for a Part 13 complaint that was dismissed; the Wicks Group was retained at lower hourly rates for potential minor matters. The renewal was approved.
Key Outcomes
- All action items were approved unanimously by voice vote.
- The committee report for Item 299 was amended to change “will require” to “may require” regarding credit card fee recoupment.
- Items 301 and 316–318 were referred to the full Board of Legislators.
- The meeting adjourned at 11:10 AM.
Meeting Transcript
We got time. Okay. Great. Thank you. This meeting is being recorded and summarized. Maybe we noticed. We'll double check. All right. All right. Good morning, everyone. Today is July 13th. I'm legislator Woodson Samuels, chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee. I'm gonna start out by facilitating a roll call votes. If I can find my tally sheet, committee coordinator. Ethan. Uh tally sheet. I don't have a tally sheet. All right. Well, in the interroom, I will use uh our sign-in sheet as a makeshift tally sheet. And that's uh all right. So I am present. Um guarding leader hosting perfect time, sir. Legislator non BR. Yeah. Legislator Pierce Committee Vice Chair Tubio Present. Here Legislative Williams Johnson and Chairman Goshi. Okay, we have a full house, and uh we are opening at 1012 a.m. That'll be yes. I am happy to open infrastructure and housing committee. Um here vice chair peers present, legislator, legislative non-BR. Okay. All right, so our first three items we're actually gonna be taking together package. Uh we have we'll be speaking about it together. Sorry, absolutely. Oh so we have items 303, 304, and 305 would deal with the WCC 2026-2027 budget. Uh the first item covers the public hearing, which will be setting for August 3rd, 2026 at 20:30 a.m. The second deals with the public hearing rules, and the third item deals with the suspension of rules to give us more flexibility during the public hearing and budget process. Uh so um Ethan, can we take these together or do we have to take these individually? I don't have the tally sheet individually individually. All right, so can I have a motion for item 303? So have a motion in a second. Um, and I also want to acknowledge for the record we've been joined by legislative bar before we tally a vote for this item. Um in a second. Um all in favor? Any opposed? The ayes have and can I have a motion for 304? Motion motion and a second, all in favor, any opposed. The ayes have it, and finally, for this tranche of items uh 305, motion and a second. Motion section. All in favor.
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