Westchester County Committee Meetings: October 26, 2026

The Infrastructure & Housing, Budget & Appropriations, Public Safety, and Legislation committees of the Westchester County Board of Legislators convened in a series of joint sessions on October 26, 2026, from 10:32 AM to 12:33 PM. The meetings addressed a wide array of topics including the approval of new long-term improved leases at Westchester County Airport, a charter revision to loosen the professional engineer requirement for two department heads, expanding the County Attorney's authority to initiate certain lawsuits, and instituting a new notice-of-claim requirement for non-tort claims against the county.

Minutes Approval

• Minutes from the committee meetings of September 14, 22, 29, and October 5, 2026, were approved by unanimous votes in the relevant committees.

Consent Calendar

• Routine non-controversial items were discussed, including the renewal of the County Police Academy Intermunicipal Agreement (2026-493) for instructional services and a regional hazardous materials partnership agreement (2026-495) with Dutchess and Putnam Counties, which allows Westchester to accept a $15,000 federal grant through PHMSA with a personnel time match. Both items were approved and sent to the full Board.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public provided testimony on the day's agenda items.

Discussion Items

Westchester County Airport Hangar Leases (Items 2026-510 through 2026-515)

• The committee discussed three sets of public hearing resolutions and local laws authorizing new lease agreements for Hangars V and W at Westchester County Airport. The new leases transition tenants from ground leases to improved leases. Airport Manager Francisco Tejada and Deputy County Attorney David Vutera presented the terms.
• Interlaken Capital Financial Services (Hangar V): 20-year initial term; $41 per square foot; 3% annual escalation; estimated first-year rent of $1.8 million.
• Pepsico, Inc. (Hangar V): 5-year initial term, plus two 5-year renewal options; $41 per square foot; 3% escalator. The shorter term was requested by Pepsi due to internal leadership transitions.
• International Business Machines Corp. (Hangar W): 15-year term with a termination clause for the county after 10 years, plus two 5-year renewal options; $43 per square foot; 3% escalator.
• Tenants will now be responsible for all maintenance and structural improvements. The leases include voluntary restrictions on nighttime flying, which was highlighted by staff as a unique community benefit. Legislators (Nambiar, Barr, Williams Johnson) raised questions about whether the 3% escalator and lock-in terms (particularly the 20-year for Interlaken) fully leverage the county's market position. Airport staff committed to follow up with detailed market analysis data comparing Westchester's rates to those at peer regional airports (Teterboro, Bridgeport, Morristown). All six items were signed by the Infrastructure & Housing and Budget & Appropriations committees.

Charter Revision: Commissioner Qualifications (Items 2026-501 / 2026-502)

• Deputy County Executive McDonald presented a local law to remove the requirement that the Commissioners of the Department of Public Works & Transportation (DPWT) and the Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) be licensed professional engineers (PE). She argued that the roles have evolved to require skills in large-scale program management, public policy, and administration, citing her own tenure leading NYS DOT without a PE license.
• Legislator Pujat expressed support. Legislator Conzio questioned the potential impact on salary structures. Legislator Smith voted against the item. The measure passed the Budget and Legislation committees, sending it to the full Board of Legislators. A successful vote by the full Board would send the question to a mandatory public referendum since it alters the county charter.

County Attorney Authority (Items 2026-519 / 2026-520)

• The Law Department sought an amendment to the county charter authorizing the County Attorney to initiate actions for defense, indemnification, insurance coverage, and contribution without first obtaining prior approval from the Board of Legislators. This was presented as an efficiency measure for handling routine disputes with contractors and their sureties, particularly where 90-day deadlines for third-party actions apply.
• Legislator Barr expressed concern over the loss of board oversight. An amendment was adopted requiring the County Attorney to submit a notification to the County Board at the same time an action is commenced under this new authorization. The items passed as amended.

Notice of Claim for Non-Tort Claims (Items 2026-521 / 2026-522)

• The committee approved a local law, modeled on a City of Newburgh ordinance, requiring claimants to file a written notice of claim within 90 days for non-tort actions (such as contract claims and Article 78 proceedings) against the county. The Law Department described this as a mechanism to provide the county with early notice of potential litigation.

Litigation Authorization Against Surety (Item 2026-504)

• The committee authorized the County Attorney's office to retain alternative outside counsel to pursue litigation against a surety company on a construction bond, with fees not to exceed $50,000. The need arose because the county's usual counsel for such cases, Irish Shulman, faced a conflict of interest.

Receive and File

• The committee accepted a semi-annual status report on the Westchester County Watershed Planning and Flood Mitigation Program covering January 1 to June 30, 2026, as well as a communication regarding a SIECOM collector license valued at $10,000.

Key Outcomes

• Approvals: All airport lease items (2026-510 through 2026-515), the Police IMA (2026-493), and the Hazmat Partnership (2026-495) were approved by their respective committees and referred to the full Board of Legislators.
• Directives: The amendment adding a notification requirement for the County Attorney's new litigation authority was formally adopted into Items 2026-519/2026-520.
• Next Steps: The local laws authorizing the airport leases will require a public hearing (date to be set) and approval by a two-thirds majority of the full Board of Legislators. The charter amendments regarding commissioner qualifications will require approval by the full Board and subsequently a mandatory county-wide referendum.