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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Town of Yorktown Organizational Meeting — January 2, 2024

Town Board — Tuesday, January 2, 2024

BodyYorktown, New York

SessionTown Board

DateTuesday, January 2, 2024

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 33:06

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

0:03

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the first of the year town board organizational meeting.

0:12

If we all could please rise for actually January 2nd, 2024.

0:16

Please rise for the pledge to the flag.

0:19

And Mora, could you lead us at a pledge to the flag?

0:22

I pledge the allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:27

To the Republic for which it stands.

0:29

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:37

Thank you.

0:37

And if we could just please remain standing for a moment of silence.

0:42

And this day marks the one year, and I hate to call it an anniversary of Captain Kenny Scroy's death of our Yorktown PD.

0:54

So please keep him in your thoughts and prayers and his family also.

1:00

And please keep all of our first responders, police, fire, ambulance, EMTs, in your thoughts and prayers, along with the greatest men and women in the world that defend our freedoms on a daily basis in the military.

1:24

Thank you.

1:26

Amen.

1:31

Okay.

1:32

It's been 15 years since my mom has passed.

1:39

Okay, we're going to do introductions from my right.

1:43

Good evening, Diana Quas, Town Clerk.

1:46

Councilman Ad Lachterman.

1:49

Supervisor Tom Diana.

1:51

Sergio Esposito, Councilman.

1:53

Luciana Howitt, Councilwoman.

1:56

Councilman Patrick Murphy.

1:58

Adam Rodriguez, Town Attorney.

2:00

I'd like a welcome, welcome Patrick to the table.

2:03

Thank you, Pat.

2:05

Welcome.

2:05

Here's to a good four years for you.

2:08

We're looking forward to your your guidance on a lot of things.

2:12

Thank you, everybody.

2:13

And a big we'll miss you, Mary.

2:14

And Kabocha.

2:16

Yep, we'll miss you.

2:17

She's not going to miss us.

2:18

Now her Tuesday nights are back to being her own.

2:23

Sit back here.

2:23

Don't worry.

2:24

Oh, and she's gonna heckle us.

2:26

Yes.

2:27

I'll have to drop off the candy at your house.

2:30

Um reports from the supervisor.

2:34

Well, you know, um we have many retirements coming up, as you'll see in as we go through the agenda.

2:40

And um, you know, at first when all these retirements started to come in, I wonder if it wasn't me.

2:47

Uh and everybody was just abandoning ship.

2:50

But um, no, we have a lot of people that have a lot of years on, and and and and notably served a great portion of their lives right here in the town of Yorktown.

3:01

We have one of the greatest staffs here of any town, as far as I'm concerned in Westchester County.

3:07

Um, and they do a heck of a job.

3:09

You know, some of the people you don't even see, like the people that say in the sewer department, you never see them.

3:14

Nobody knows what happens there.

3:16

You throw something down a drain that goes away if you got sewer, and as long as it keeps going away, we're all happy.

3:23

Um and then uh little update um on the fluoride project.

3:29

Um fluoride, uh there's still a glitch with the pump software as of today at noontime.

3:37

Um the pump continues to run uh even though the fluoride is satisfied, um, which isn't a good thing.

3:45

So they have, I believe it is Smith coming in to look at that particular um uh software.

3:52

Um, and then there's a MOU that needs to be signed from us to joint waterworks, the moving of a fence and a gate, the moving of a fence and a gate in the MOU isn't a big deal.

4:03

Um, but the the fluoride pump that continues to run due to software issues is um and that's that's about all I have right now.

4:13

And I just want to welcome everybody back.

4:15

I hope that everybody had a wonderful holiday season.

4:18

Um it's still upon us a little bit.

4:20

Um, and I hope that uh everybody has a healthy prosperous new year.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural███████████████████████████27%

Public Engagement██████████████████████████26%

Public Safety████████8%

Veterans Affairs████████8%

Water And Wastewater Management████████8%

Historic Preservation███████7%

Personnel Matters██████6%

Public Hearings█████5%

Libraries█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Town of Yorktown Organizational Meeting — January 2, 2024

The Town Board held its annual Organizational Meeting on January 2, 2024, at 7:30 PM in the Spadaccia Meeting Room, following an executive session at 6:30 PM. The meeting covered retirements, reappointments, budget transfers, organizational resolutions, and public comments. All motions passed unanimously unless noted.

Consent Calendar

All personnel actions (retirements, resignations, reappointments) and resolutions were approved en bloc by a single motion, without separate roll-call votes, functioning as a consent agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

Mark Lieberman (resident on Well Street) requested that the Town Board add The Examiner (a weekly newspaper) to the official newspapers list, noting that Yorktown News is now bi-weekly and Journal News rarely covers Yorktown. He also listed 17 water main breaks in 2023 and asked for a detailed plan to reduce them.
Susan Siegel (53-year resident) urged the Board to finalize an intermunicipal agreement (IMA) with the Northern Westchester Joint Waterworks to fix the fluoride system, which has been non‑operational for 11 years despite a legal requirement to fluoridate. She asked for a timeline within the next week or two.
Sarah Wilson (32-year resident) announced the second annual “Beyond the Dream” event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, January 15, 1–3 PM at Grace Lutheran Church), sponsored by Yorktown for Justice and other groups.

Discussion Items

Fluoride Project Update (Supervisor Thomas Diana): The fluoride pump continues to run due to a software glitch; a technician (Smith) is expected to address it. An MOU with Joint Waterworks for moving a fence and gate is also pending.
Official Newspapers: Supervisor Diana and Town Clerk Quast indicated they are considering adding The Examiner but noted it is a drop‑paper, not mailed to every home. They will continue to look into it.
Water Main Breaks (Supervisor response): No detailed plan was presented, but Supervisor acknowledged the list provided by Mr. Lieberman.
Polar Plunge Announcement: Jim from Parks and Recreation promoted the Jan. 6 event at Sparkle Lake (9–11 AM), with proceeds going to the Friends of Yorktown Parks and Recreation.
Poet Laureate John McMullen read a short poem reflecting on the year 2024 and global conflicts.

Key Outcomes

Retirements Accepted: Ken Rundle (Water Dept., 37 yrs, effective Jan. 15), Cheryl Kastuk (Assessor’s Office, 11 yrs, Jan. 28), Donna Andrews (Finance, 48 yrs, Feb. 1), Anthony Cuccovia (Sewer Dept., Jan. 11), Adele Hobby (Museum, Dec. 31, 2023).
Resignation Accepted: John Winter (Central Garage), effective Dec. 30, 2023.
Reappointments:
- Gennelle MacNeil – Town Comptroller ($151,088)
- Barbara Korsak – Receiver of Taxes ($118,352)
- Maura Weissleder – Deputy Town Clerk ($98,136)
- Diana L. Quast – Registrar of Vital Statistics
- Maura Weissleder – Deputy Registrar of Vital Statistics
- Elena Panagi – Sub Registrar of Vital Statistics
- Joseph Falcone – Parks & Recreation Commission (term to 12/31/2030)
- Robert Garrigan – Planning Board (to 12/31/2028)
- Robert Phelan – Planning Board (to 12/31/2024)
Marriage Officers Appointed: Supervisor Thomas P. Diana (term 2024–2025, $75 per ceremony), Town Clerk Diana L. Quast (term 2024–2027, $75 per ceremony).
Vacation Carryover Approved: Paul Vasillo (3 hrs), Michael Hecker (3 hrs), Gennelle MacNeil (135.5 hrs).
Budget Transfers Authorized:
- Sewer Dept.: $10,732.75 from Sludge Removal to overtime.
- John C. Hart Memorial Library: $137,685 from Fund Balance for NYS matching construction grant (fire sprinkler pipes, community/storytime room renovation).
- Additional $122,307 from General Fund (ARPA) for individual study rooms.
Organizational Resolutions Approved:
- Bi‑weekly salary payment authority.
- Mileage rate set at 67¢/mile.
- Fiscal report to State Comptroller within 120 days.
- Comptroller authorized to make tax refunds up to $2,500.
- Application to NYS Division of Youth for recreation/youth grant.
- Agreements with Nor‑West (therapeutic recreation) and sports clubs (Shrub Oak Athletic Club, Yorktown Athletic Club).
- Delegates to NYS Association of Towns: Supervisor Diana (voting), Councilman Murphy (alternate).
- Bank depositories designated: JP Morgan Chase, PCSB Bank, Signature Bank, TD Bank; also accounts for Town Justices.
- Blanket contract authority for Supervisor: up to $12,500 per contract, not to exceed $50,000/year.
- Highway Superintendent authorized to purchase equipment up to $7,000 without prior approval.
- Official newspapers: Journal News and Yorktown News (with consideration of adding The Examiner).
- 2024 Town Board meeting schedule adopted (three meetings per month, generally).
- Supervisor appointed Lorraine Morano as Executive Assistant and Councilman Edward Lachterman as Deputy Supervisor.
- Liaison assignments to boards/committees were approved.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned by unanimous vote shortly after the resolutions were passed.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the first of the year town board organizational meeting. If we all could please rise for actually January 2nd, 2024. Please rise for the pledge to the flag. And Mora, could you lead us at a pledge to the flag? I pledge the allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. To the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. And if we could just please remain standing for a moment of silence. And this day marks the one year, and I hate to call it an anniversary of Captain Kenny Scroy's death of our Yorktown PD. So please keep him in your thoughts and prayers and his family also. And please keep all of our first responders, police, fire, ambulance, EMTs, in your thoughts and prayers, along with the greatest men and women in the world that defend our freedoms on a daily basis in the military. Thank you. Amen. Okay. It's been 15 years since my mom has passed. Okay, we're going to do introductions from my right. Good evening, Diana Quas, Town Clerk. Councilman Ad Lachterman. Supervisor Tom Diana. Sergio Esposito, Councilman. Luciana Howitt, Councilwoman. Councilman Patrick Murphy. Adam Rodriguez, Town Attorney. I'd like a welcome, welcome Patrick to the table. Thank you, Pat. Welcome. Here's to a good four years for you. We're looking forward to your your guidance on a lot of things. Thank you, everybody. And a big we'll miss you, Mary. And Kabocha. Yep, we'll miss you. She's not going to miss us. Now her Tuesday nights are back to being her own. Sit back here. Don't worry. Oh, and she's gonna heckle us. Yes. I'll have to drop off the candy at your house. Um reports from the supervisor. Well, you know, um we have many retirements coming up, as you'll see in as we go through the agenda. And um, you know, at first when all these retirements started to come in, I wonder if it wasn't me. Uh and everybody was just abandoning ship. But um, no, we have a lot of people that have a lot of years on, and and and and notably served a great portion of their lives right here in the town of Yorktown. We have one of the greatest staffs here of any town, as far as I'm concerned in Westchester County. Um, and they do a heck of a job. You know, some of the people you don't even see, like the people that say in the sewer department, you never see them. Nobody knows what happens there. You throw something down a drain that goes away if you got sewer, and as long as it keeps going away, we're all happy.

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