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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Yorktown Town Board Work Session - November 28, 2023

Town Board — Tuesday, November 28, 2023

BodyYorktown, New York

SessionTown Board

DateTuesday, November 28, 2023

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:25:28

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

0:05

Good evening, everyone.

0:06

If you could please rise for the pledge to the flag.

0:14

Mary, would you lead us in the pledge to the flag, please?

0:16

Absolutely.

0:17

I graduated.

0:18

We just did a flag of the United States of America.

0:21

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:24

One nation under God.

0:26

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:31

If we could all please remain standing for a moment of silence.

0:35

Please keep in mind all of our first responders, police, fire, ambulance, EMTs that service us on a daily basis in this great town of Yorktown.

0:44

And also, please keep in your thoughts and prayers all of our military personnel here at abroad that keep our freedom where it is today.

1:03

Thank you.

1:04

Amen.

1:08

Let me get my agenda here.

1:11

And we will go from there.

1:18

How's everybody doing?

1:19

Everybody have a good Thanksgiving?

1:21

Excellent.

1:22

Excellent, excellent.

1:25

There it is.

1:32

There's that.

1:33

Okay.

1:35

So for our uh opening remarks tonight, I want to uh remind everybody that uh actually let uh Ed do this because he came up with this tonight.

1:48

Do you want to just uh go over that with uh oh and it's uh I gotta tell you something.

1:52

Pizza is graciously gender uh uh donated by councilman Sergio Esposito who probably flips it with his own hands.

2:00

That's right.

2:00

All right.

2:02

So the uh teen center will be in operation the next three Fridays.

2:07

They will be uh offering uh free admission instead of the normal ten dollars.

2:12

Um the on December 1st they will have uh pizza donated by Sergio.

2:19

Uh I believe on the 8th, if they uh approve it, they will have ice cream emergency donated by Ed.

2:27

And then on the 15th, they will be doing their holiday party.

2:32

And uh they will have pizza and different snacks there.

2:36

So it's a it's great.

2:37

I was just there uh last Friday.

2:40

Uh I believe they had about 30 kids in attendance.

2:44

Uh they were all having a great time.

2:46

The gym was operational, so they had basketball going on.

2:50

Uh they had their computers going, they had crafts going, and they had some other um uh some other activities at pool table the kids were utilizing.

3:01

So it's really a lot of fun.

3:03

Uh we had some volunteer parents and they're always looking for that.

3:07

Uh one of our lions, Tony, uh, is looking to volunteer there.

3:11

Uh he had a great time playing basketball with the kids.

3:14

Uh I guess he remembers his kids growing up.

3:17

Now he's he's dealing with the grandkids growing up, but had a fantastic time.

3:21

And uh anyone interested could contact the teen center, why t t c dot org, I believe.

3:30

Yorktown teen center.

3:33

No, that's okay.

3:34

Uh um or you could you could email info at Yorktown T C dot org.

3:39

There you go.

3:40

Perfect.

3:41

All right, thanks, Ed.

3:42

Um, we have a few uh announcements, and then we'll get on with our our uh program for tonight.

3:49

Um wreaths across America, folks, is uh in full operation.

3:56

Uh on Saturday, 1216.

3:59

Wreaths across America will be putting wreaths on all veterans that have this that have died uh on their gravestones.

4:08

Um I bought two to have placed.

4:11

They're 17 dollars a piece.

4:13

Um and you can order one and uh have it placed on a a uh sorry that's rude.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Transportation Safety████████████████████20%

Parks and Recreation██████████████14%

Community Engagement████████████12%

Budget Equity Analysis███████████11%

Public Health███████7%

Procedural██████6%

Public Engagement█████5%

Public Hearings████4%

Youth Programs███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Yorktown Town Board Work Session - November 28, 2023

The Yorktown Town Board held a work session on November 28, 2023, beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance and a moment of silence for first responders and military personnel. The meeting included announcements, a proclamation, presentations on the 2022 audit, a children's hospital fundraiser, pool resurfacing options, and a designated driving service, followed by resolutions and votes.

Announcements & Proclamations

Teen Center: Free admission for the next three Fridays (Dec 1, 8, 15), with pizza donated by Councilman Sergio Esposito on Dec 1 and ice cream by Ed on Dec 8. Attendance last Friday was about 30 kids.
Wreaths Across America: Saturday, Dec 16; wreaths placed on veterans' graves. Donations via website ($17 each).
Turkey Trot: 300 participants; proceeds to food pantries.
Shrub Oak Tree Lighting: Dec 9 (rain date Dec 10), 6:30 p.m., with crafts, a 35-member chorus, Santa, Mrs. Claus, a reindeer, and the Grinch.
Holiday Light Parade: Dec 2 (rain date Dec 3), starting on Front Street to Veterans Field, with tree lighting.
Proclamation: Supervisor Tom Diana declared November 28, 2023, as Albanian American Independence Day. JT from Gramercy restaurant spoke about the Albanian community's gratitude and contributions.

Discussion Items

2022 Audit Presentation: Auditor Alan reviewed the town's financial statements. Key points:
- Unmodified (clean) opinion issued.
- General fund fund balance increased from $26 million (end of 2021) to $31.25 million (end of 2022), a net change of $5.2 million.
- Revenues exceeded expenditures by $6.7 million; positive budgetary variance of $3.9 million on expenditures.
- Sales tax up ~$800,000; interest earnings up $486,000; state aid up $1.7 million; federal aid up $1.9 million.
- $2.7 million transferred to capital projects, reducing borrowing needs.
- Other governmental funds (highway, special districts, etc.) all showed positive balances.
- OPEB liability of $69.4 million, but actual pay-as-you-go cost was $2 million.
- No material weaknesses; a few control deficiencies noted.
Maria Ferrari Children's Hospital Fundraiser: Maria Alicio (local Yorktown family) and Kevin Cook (principal gift officer) presented a fundraiser tied to the family's elaborate holiday decorations. They requested donations via website (WMCHealthgiving.org, note "decorate for the kids") to support the hospital's pediatric trauma center. The display at 3784 Wildwood Street includes a QR code. The board expressed strong support.
Pool Resurfacing: Councilwoman Luciana and Jim Motorato discussed options for resurfacing the Shrub Oak pool. The original builder advised against fiberglass due to potential water intrusion and coping issues. Options include plaster/marble dust (2-3 year warranty) or a 60-mil PVC liner with 15-year warranty. Luciana recommended hiring an aquatic engineer to guide the project, ensure proper bidding, and address Department of Health requirements. The board agreed to proceed with obtaining engineer quotes.
Idle Transports Presentation: Joe, a Yorktown graduate, introduced a designated driving service that picks up both the person and their vehicle. The service uses a lockbox for keys and retrieves cars later. He plans to transition to a nonprofit and seek grants. Supervisor Diana shared a personal story about being hit by a drunk driver and offered strong support, including involving the town's grant writer. Councilwoman Luciana suggested integrating with community groups. The board unanimously expressed enthusiasm.

Key Outcomes

Resolutions Approved: The board voted on multiple resolutions (all passed, with one opposed):
- Authorized budget transfers: $61,000 to electricity for Granite Knolls (to cover a billing error); $5,821 from legal foreclosed sales to legal non-retained tax certs.
- Paid invoice to Civic Plus for web hosting/maintenance.
- Authorized amendment to Police Chief Robert Noble's employment agreement.
- Adjusted pay scale for Brianna Margie (Building Dept.) to $64,178 annually, effective Jan 1, 2024.
- Authorized memorandum with Westchester County for county clerk records access.
- Authorized agreement with Landline Communications for telecommunications/security audit.
- Accepted a $50,000 DASNY grant for a sensory garden at Granite Knolls Sports Facility (Councilwoman Luciana opposed, citing lack of project plans; grant can be returned if not used).
- Authorized final payment for 2019 police department roof repair/AC replacement.
- Approved managerial employee vacation buyout for Jenna Balcastro (35 hours).
- Approved budget transfer of $60,000 from water department salaries to water department purchase.
- Granted 6-month maternity leave to Christy Embler (police dept.), effective Nov 15, 2023, with conditions.
- Appointed Mike Campion as police sergeant (permanent promotional), effective Nov 29, 2023, salary $136,657 annually, subject to probation.
- Denied a 207C benefits application (RD).
Meeting Adjourned: Motion carried unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. If you could please rise for the pledge to the flag. Mary, would you lead us in the pledge to the flag, please? Absolutely. I graduated. We just did a flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. If we could all please remain standing for a moment of silence. Please keep in mind all of our first responders, police, fire, ambulance, EMTs that service us on a daily basis in this great town of Yorktown. And also, please keep in your thoughts and prayers all of our military personnel here at abroad that keep our freedom where it is today. Thank you. Amen. Let me get my agenda here. And we will go from there. How's everybody doing? Everybody have a good Thanksgiving? Excellent. Excellent, excellent. There it is. There's that. Okay. So for our uh opening remarks tonight, I want to uh remind everybody that uh actually let uh Ed do this because he came up with this tonight. Do you want to just uh go over that with uh oh and it's uh I gotta tell you something. Pizza is graciously gender uh uh donated by councilman Sergio Esposito who probably flips it with his own hands. That's right. All right. So the uh teen center will be in operation the next three Fridays. They will be uh offering uh free admission instead of the normal ten dollars. Um the on December 1st they will have uh pizza donated by Sergio. Uh I believe on the 8th, if they uh approve it, they will have ice cream emergency donated by Ed. And then on the 15th, they will be doing their holiday party. And uh they will have pizza and different snacks there. So it's a it's great. I was just there uh last Friday. Uh I believe they had about 30 kids in attendance. Uh they were all having a great time. The gym was operational, so they had basketball going on. Uh they had their computers going, they had crafts going, and they had some other um uh some other activities at pool table the kids were utilizing. So it's really a lot of fun. Uh we had some volunteer parents and they're always looking for that. Uh one of our lions, Tony, uh, is looking to volunteer there. Uh he had a great time playing basketball with the kids. Uh I guess he remembers his kids growing up. Now he's he's dealing with the grandkids growing up, but had a fantastic time. And uh anyone interested could contact the teen center, why t t c dot org, I believe. Yorktown teen center. No, that's okay. Uh um or you could you could email info at Yorktown T C dot org.

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