OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Yorktown Town Board Meeting - May 20, 2025

Town Board — Tuesday, May 20, 2025
BodyYorktown, New York
SessionTown Board
DateTuesday, May 20, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:18:09

Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

Good evening and welcome to the town board meeting of May 20th, 2025.

0:12

If we could all rise for Pledge of Allegiance.

0:19

Howard, would you uh lead us off?

0:21

Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, between liberty and justice for all.

0:35

And if we could remain standing for a moment of silence, as we are coming out of uh EMS week, uh police week, nurses week, those who care for us, uh, and also coming up upon Memorial Day, where we uh celebrate the sacrifice that has given us our freedoms uh for those that have paid the uh ultimate sacrifice in battle.

1:00

Uh please uh hold them to your heart in special prayer.

1:13

Thank you.

1:19

Introductions to my right.

1:21

Good evening, Diana Quaston, town clerk.

1:25

Uh Supervisor Ed Lachterman and uh today uh Councilwoman Hawat would not be with her as she is uh with with us as she is with her husband today, who is being recognized for EMS Week uh and and saving a life and bringing someone back to life.

1:41

So Joe Esposito, Deputy Supervisor.

1:46

Patrick Murphy, Councilman, Susan's Eagle Council women.

1:50

Good evening, David Chen, acting town attorney.

1:54

Okay.

1:56

All right.

1:56

Um, you know, I'm gonna go pretty quick with uh with the the different uh with my report for the town today, just because we have a lot on the agenda.

2:06

Uh I will uh you know, just we had four grand openings in the last couple of days, uh, which is great.

2:13

Uh business in Yorktown is really booming.

2:16

Uh our um our small business owners have been very uh excited about the changes that are happening, uh those that that bring both business opportunity and those that bring residents in, as that gives them a client base to uh to go through.

2:35

Uh so uh uh Sergio, uh what do we have today?

2:40

We had uh Mr.

2:41

Chick and Miss Dim Sung.

2:43

Yeah, yep, they had a great grand opening, and uh their food's really good.

2:46

Yep, and then on Sunday it would have uh the Taekwondo.

2:50

We had uh WSJ Taekwondo and we had uh Mind and Movement Pilates.

2:56

Yeah.

2:56

So uh there's great uh some great spaces as well.

3:00

Mind of Movement is over uh right next door to Domino's, uh WJS is next to the well, it's in the old Yorktown pharmacy.

3:09

And uh Miss Dim Sung and uh Mr.

3:12

Chick are right on the corner of um Kear Street and 118.

3:18

Uh so that was great, and then we are as I said, coming up on Memorial Day.

3:23

So we have um we have the drum roll.

3:28

Q is signed.

3:29

Uh we we will have three celebrations here in the town of Yorktown as we normally do.

3:34

The first is at 9 a.m.

3:36

over behind Lakeland High School.

3:38

There uh to the east side, if you're looking at the building, the left of the high school around the back, there's a courtyard with a Vietnam memorial that was donated uh by actually Tom Diana's class.

3:51

I think that was uh well I'm not gonna I'm not gonna bother to guess.

3:55

Uh Tommy was a few years before me.

3:58

Um then uh I want but I want to you know what I'll I'll guess I think it was 73.

4:03

And then um after that we go over and we do a joint ceremony with the Mohegan Lake Fire Association, and they do it do it at the World War II Memorial, right by the uh Lakeland uh administrative building and the John C.

4:20

Hart Memorial Library, and then when we leave that, we go over to uh the Patriot, I'm sorry, the Veteran Memorials Circle, right next to the Patriot Skate Park down here.

4:34

And uh we have our our Memorial Day celebration followed by our parade, which will go from here to Veterans Road, and then break out from there.

4:45

Uh there are also some some other ones around uh and looking forward on Friday to the uh uh JOC, the Jefferson Owners Corporation uh Memorial Day celebration as well.

4:57

Uh so uh please feel free to come to those.

5:00

Uh so uh please feel free to come to those and if you do come to the parade uh right after the parade, our museum will be open.

5:06

And uh into what time, Diana?

5:08

The museum will be open from 12 30 to 2 or basically right after the parade till two o'clock um to showcase our uh Memorial Day exhibit.

5:18

I got to very good.

5:20

And uh if you have not ready to visit our museum, the museum is located in the old sixth grade school if you've been around.

5:27

If not, the Albert A.

5:28

Capolini Community and Cultural Center.

5:31

And uh it is a uh it's a wonderful, wonderful space, uh with some great things and uh our uh new curator, Amy Swan has been doing fantastic work there and some new programming uh under um under the supervision of our clerk's office and great job on that.

5:48

Thank you.

5:49

All right, Sir Joe.

5:51

Um yeah, so um uh a little while ago we had something called in Yorktown we had the Sorentino Cup and uh what ended up happening uh um is uh about I think this was the 43rd annual Sorrentino Cup.

6:05

But years ago, uh there was a young uh a young man who was in Yorktown high school.

6:11

He was a tri-athlete, he played three different sports.

6:14

Uh baseball was his favorite sport, and uh he suddenly passed away while he was still in high school.

6:21

And uh actually his uh his sister, Alisa Statler, um Lisa Sorantino Statler is a teacher in our in our high school.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Solar Power Generation█████████████████████████████████████37%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Environmental Protection████████8%
Procedural██████6%
Taxation█████5%
Public Safety█████5%
Zoning Regulations█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Battery Energy Storage████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Yorktown Town Board Meeting - May 20, 2025

The Yorktown Town Board met on May 20, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included reports on community events, a debate over a budget tax rate error and sewer financing reform, public comments on various topics, and a public hearing on proposed changes to solar energy regulations. Key decisions included the appointment of a new police captain and the setting of a future public hearing.

Consent Calendar

  • Accepted resignation from Michael Stagel in the Highway Department.
  • Appointed Justin Flores as Motor Equipment Operator.
  • Authorized a 401A special pay plan for managerial employees.
  • Authorized collective bargaining agreement with Superior Officers Benevolent Association (2025-2027).
  • Authorized agreement with the Chief of Police (2025-2026).
  • Established a Police Captain position and appointed James Grant as provisional Police Captain, effective June 2, 2025, at an annual salary of $190,238.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jay Copstein: Supported reinstating Police Captain position; raised concerns about tax rate error and illegal signage at a new business.
  • Howard Gould: Proposed adding "public health" to town motto; shared PSA on prostate cancer; criticized traffic conditions.
  • Larry Killian: Clarified that he first raised the tax error at the April 15 meeting; requested correction of budget numbers.
  • Mark Lieberman: Asked for updates on Project Maple gas pipeline; criticized Secretary of Defense's remarks about women in service.
  • Sarah Wilson: Reminded residents about proper flag etiquette on Memorial Day; noted tattered flags in town.
  • Jan Chandani: Clarified that vendor list removal was due to misuse, not cybersecurity breach; asked about Underhill Farms sidewalk changes and grant funds.
  • Dan Strauss: Thanked litter pick-ups; criticized the board's focus on development over sewers; opposed ground-mounted solar farms in residential areas.
  • Michael Hickens: Defended Councilwoman Siegel, saying she was treated unfairly; urged board to acknowledge tax error and improve transparency.

Public Hearing on Solar Regulations

  • Jay Copstein: Suggested wording fixes in the proposed law; questioned warning signs.
  • Bob DeAngelis: Opposed the ban on ground-mounted solar; argued solar farms are beneficial and asked the board to trust the planning department.
  • Laura Cuspar: Opposed the ban; emphasized need for clean energy and noted Yorktown is 90% residential, making a ban effectively total.
  • Howard Gould: Opposed ground-mounted solar farms; suggested combining with traffic circles.
  • Michael Hickens: Opposed blanket ban; called for case-by-case review and acknowledged climate change.
  • Stephanie Pratt: Supported ban in residential areas; cited visibility concerns from her property and preservation of town character.
  • Sarah Wilson: Represented Climate Smart Community Task Force; opposed ban, favored stricter setbacks and two-phase permitting.
  • Miguel Quintania: Opposed ban; urged board to trust planning board and consider energy needs.
  • Jan Chandani: Opposed ban; suggested prioritizing rooftop and parking lot solar; criticized lack of sustainability requirements in new developments.
  • Dan Strauss: Opposed ground-mounted solar in residential areas; argued it changes town character and is driven by profit.
  • Leo Wigman: Offered assistance from Sustainable Westchester to review solar law options.
  • Mark Lieberman: Opposed solar in residential neighborhoods; supported requiring solar on new developments.
  • Clifford Davis: Supported ban; cited similar laws in other Westchester towns; said ban aligns with comprehensive plan.
  • Ron Kamen: Represented Business Council of Westchester's Clean Energy Action Coalition; opposed ban; argued solar is needed for grid reliability and community savings.
  • Randy Pratt: Supported ban; noted planning board had made mistakes on previous solar projects; emphasized preserving open space.
  • John Colangelo: Developer of Jacob Road solar project; opposed ban; said project is well-sited and invisible from roads; requested not to kill the project.
  • Michael Beaks: Opposed ban; referenced carbon sequestration data showing solar farms are beneficial.
  • Former Supervisor Tony Gilbert: Opposed total ban; favored case-by-case review as done for other successful projects.

Discussion Items

  • Supervisor’s Report: Reported four grand openings (Mr. Chick, Miss Dim Sung, WJS Taekwondo, Mind and Movement Pilates). Upcoming Memorial Day ceremonies at three locations. Noted Sorrentino Cup, Murphy Cup, Fam Jam fundraiser raising over $30,000. Thanked St. Pat Seniors for food donation to VA hospital.
  • Councilwoman Siegel’s Statements:
    • Tax Rate Error: Stated that the 2025 budget used incorrect assessed value, showing 6.6% increase instead of actual 7.4%. Called for correction and clearer tax bill heading.
    • Sewer Financing: Expressed frustration that a plan to consolidate sewer districts and reform financing was being delayed. Urged board to act before June 30 deadline. Supervisor responded that he prefers water-consumption-based fees and wants to avoid new taxes; board is still studying the issue. Heated exchange occurred regarding transparency and closed-door discussions.
  • Proclamations: Read proclamations for Armed Forces Day (May 16 ) and Memorial Day (May 26). Presented to Dan Strauss and noted.
  • Personnel: Approved various personnel actions, including establishment of Police Captain position and appointment of James Grant.
  • Solar Law Amendment: Board discussed draft versions. Councilwoman Siegel voted against the resolution to adopt the SEQR for the battery storage law, explaining that she preferred a floating zone concept or case-by-case review rather than a ban. Supervisor and others supported the ban on residential ground-mounted solar as a safety measure. Public hearing held; many residents spoke. Board agreed to keep written comment period open for 10 days before final vote.

Key Outcomes

  • Police Captain Appointment: Unanimously approved establishing position and appointing James Grant.
  • Public Hearing Set: June 17, 2025, for 2258 Sawmill River Road property (Balin) and a tree permit.
  • Contract Awarded: GHD Services Inc. for website redesign and maintenance ($19,743).
  • Solar Law: Public hearing closed; written comments accepted until May 30; board will deliberate further, considering a floating zone option.
  • Sewer Consolidation: No vote; discussion deferred to future work sessions.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the town board meeting of May 20th, 2025. If we could all rise for Pledge of Allegiance. Howard, would you uh lead us off? Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible, between liberty and justice for all. And if we could remain standing for a moment of silence, as we are coming out of uh EMS week, uh police week, nurses week, those who care for us, uh, and also coming up upon Memorial Day, where we uh celebrate the sacrifice that has given us our freedoms uh for those that have paid the uh ultimate sacrifice in battle. Uh please uh hold them to your heart in special prayer. Thank you. Introductions to my right. Good evening, Diana Quaston, town clerk. Uh Supervisor Ed Lachterman and uh today uh Councilwoman Hawat would not be with her as she is uh with with us as she is with her husband today, who is being recognized for EMS Week uh and and saving a life and bringing someone back to life. So Joe Esposito, Deputy Supervisor. Patrick Murphy, Councilman, Susan's Eagle Council women. Good evening, David Chen, acting town attorney. Okay. All right. Um, you know, I'm gonna go pretty quick with uh with the the different uh with my report for the town today, just because we have a lot on the agenda. Uh I will uh you know, just we had four grand openings in the last couple of days, uh, which is great. Uh business in Yorktown is really booming. Uh our um our small business owners have been very uh excited about the changes that are happening, uh those that that bring both business opportunity and those that bring residents in, as that gives them a client base to uh to go through. Uh so uh uh Sergio, uh what do we have today? We had uh Mr. Chick and Miss Dim Sung. Yeah, yep, they had a great grand opening, and uh their food's really good. Yep, and then on Sunday it would have uh the Taekwondo. We had uh WSJ Taekwondo and we had uh Mind and Movement Pilates. Yeah. So uh there's great uh some great spaces as well. Mind of Movement is over uh right next door to Domino's, uh WJS is next to the well, it's in the old Yorktown pharmacy. And uh Miss Dim Sung and uh Mr. Chick are right on the corner of um Kear Street and 118. Uh so that was great, and then we are as I said, coming up on Memorial Day. So we have um we have the drum roll. Q is signed. Uh we we will have three celebrations here in the town of Yorktown as we normally do. The first is at 9 a.m. over behind Lakeland High School. There uh to the east side, if you're looking at the building, the left of the high school around the back, there's a courtyard with a Vietnam memorial that was donated uh by actually Tom Diana's class. I think that was uh well I'm not gonna I'm not gonna bother to guess. Uh Tommy was a few years before me. Um then uh I want but I want to you know what I'll I'll guess I think it was 73. And then um after that we go over and we do a joint ceremony with the Mohegan Lake Fire Association, and they do it do it at the World War II Memorial, right by the uh Lakeland uh administrative building and the John C. Hart Memorial Library, and then when we leave that, we go over to uh the Patriot, I'm sorry, the Veteran Memorials Circle, right next to the Patriot Skate Park down here. And uh we have our our Memorial Day celebration followed by our parade, which will go from here to Veterans Road, and then break out from there. Uh there are also some some other ones around uh and looking forward on Friday to the uh uh JOC, the Jefferson Owners Corporation uh Memorial Day celebration as well. Uh so uh please feel free to come to those. Uh so uh please feel free to come to those and if you do come to the parade uh right after the parade, our museum will be open. And uh into what time, Diana? The museum will be open from 12 30 to 2 or basically right after the parade till two o'clock um to showcase our uh Memorial Day exhibit. I got to very good. And uh if you have not ready to visit our museum, the museum is located in the old sixth grade school if you've been around.

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