GroundReport.com

Status of Stop & Shop and Parking Garage in Dobbs Ferry

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:25:49 -0600

During the course of the campaign, voters have frequently asked us about the status of various matters that have been or will be presented to the Village Board.   The following are two of these questions.

What is happening with Stop & Shop? How big will it be and will Estherwood Avenue still be open?

On Tuesday, October 13, prior to the Board of Trustee’s meeting, a joint Planning Board and Board of Trustees meeting was held. Stop & Shop officials asked to make a presentation with new schematics outlining proposed plans for the Stop & Shop property. They presented two plans, both of which will be sent to the next phase of the GEIS for further vetting. The first plan had 161 parking spots and proposed keeping Estherwood Avenue open. The second plan which closed Estherwood Avenue had 182 parking spots. Both addressed the delivery truck question by cleverly lengthening the median on Walgrove Avenue, creating a buffer for the residents and an entrance at the rear of the parking area on what is currently the Scott Chevrolet site.

The size of the proposed store is now approximately 41,000 square feet. This includes a larger basement area, loading dock and building addition of 6,200 sq. ft.

Both Boards will be addressing these designs to see which would be the most effective and appropriate. In addition, traffic studies need to be conducted to see if changes in patterns and flow would be harmed in any way.   After all of the information is obtained, a decision will be made. However, the Board of Trustees does not favor a plan to close Estherwood.

Is this Board of Trustees still considering a parking garage behind Village Hall?

The Village Board has been constantly exploring ways to improve our downtown and business district. For many years, one of the most common complaints was a lack of parking which led to a lack of consumers. The Board commissioned a survey of areas in the Village that might be suitable for construction of parking facilities, including behind Cedar Street and Lower Main Street and the Waterfront.

At the August 18 regular meeting, representatives from the National Development Council presented the results of their survey. NDC recommended that it would not be economically feasible to construct stand alone parking facilities behind Cedar Street or along Lower Main due to the steep topography in those areas. They did conclude that it might be economical to build a garage in the lot behind Village Hall and that the most economical design on a per space basis would be three or four stories but that would cost several million dollars.


After careful review, and the input of many residents, the Board decided that at this time, the plan is not feasible due to the enormous expense and is looking into alternatives to this proposal. These include finding smaller satellite parking areas within the Village which can be developed at a much lower cost, utilizing potential parking areas at the 27 Main Street property, better enforcement of current parking regulations, encouraging business owners and employees not to park in front of their stores and the potential installment of a trolley which would loop through town and down to the train station parking lot.

         On Tuesday, November 3, Vote for David Koenigsberg for Mayor and Re-Elect Trustees Fred Broda, Paula Dambroff and Teresa Walsh!

           Thank you.

David Koenigsberg for Mayor
Fred Broda for Trustee
Paula Dambroff for Trustee
Teresa Walsh for Trustee

Dobbs Ferry Election Nov. 3 - Vote Democratic

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:06:29 -0500

Dear Friends and Neighbors

Election Day is on Tuesday. Please come out and vote for David Koenigsberg for Mayor and Re-Elect Fred Broda, Paula Dambroff and Teresa Walsh for Trustee.

During the campaign, our opponents have made some claims about our record. Don't believe what they say.

Village-School District Relations

The Dobbs Ferry-Republican Party candidates have made some noises about minor discretionary item budget cuts that may have an impact on the Dobbs Ferry School District’s budget. What they don’t want you to know, is that the Board of Trustees has cooperated with the School District in two significant ways: the Village Board provided support and assistance to the Dobbs Ferry School District in obtaining the “Safe Streets to Schools” Grant that will pay for the reconstruction of the staircase connecting Beacon Hill Drive to Springhurst School. In addition, the Village helped facilitate an agreement between the School District and the Masters School that is mutually beneficial. When the School District voiced objections to the Masters School proposal to build additional faculty housing on the basis that it would increase the number of students using our public schools, the Village Officials were responsive to the concerns of the School District. They proactively encouraged discussions between the two which resulted in the creation of a nursing position at Masters School. When the private school students use this nursing service, their home district reimburses the Dobbs Ferry School District generating several hundreds of thousands dollars of additional revenue.

Police Shared Services Study

The Dobbs Ferry-Republican Party candidates have criticized the current Village Board for joining with the Town of Greenburgh to obtain a grant to study potential areas for shared police services between the two municipalities. What they don’t want you to know is that former Mayor Joe Bova initiated this study after the recommendations of a similar study involving the Irvington and Dobbs Ferry police departments was published then buried in Irvington. That study, commissioned by the Board of Trustees in 2006 when Joe Bova was Mayor and Hartley Connett and Kathy Kay were Trustees, identified areas of cooperation between the Irvington and Dobbs Ferry Police Departments that could save money, including the costs and benefits of merging the two departments. Mayor Bova is on record as stating that while the Irvington study went nowhere, perhaps something positive could be gained by doing a similar study with Greenburgh. We don’t disagree with Mr. Bova.

The recent press release about the status of the still pending Greenburgh study makes clear that neither Dobbs Ferry nor Greenburgh is seeking a merger of the two departments; that option has never been a goal of ours and is officially off the table.

The DPW

Dobbs Ferry needed a new DPW building, preferably on a flat multi-acre piece of land. The Dobbs Ferry Party proceeded with an eminent domain land seizure on a steep slope sight requiring extensive excavation work. They undervalued the benefits of the central location of the existing facility and the lower cost of a replacement building there.

The DFP failed to agree to a purchase price for the underlying land before the start of construction. This failure left the Village in a very difficult and expensive negotiating position with the owners while costing residents hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest expenses while a Land Purchase resolution is worked out in the courts.

The rock wall at the site was cut improperly and resulted in a finished building that could not be occupied for safety and insurance reasons. Our Board corrected the problem with substantial NYS-approved fencing. We then received the insurance sign off, allowing for the building to finally be utilized.

Costs over-runs have contributed further to the problems. The original plan failed to include employee lockers, a lunch room and propane heating. These features had to be added at the last minute, taking a $5 million budget up to an $8 million budget.

Thank you for your support.

David Koenigsberg for Mayor

Fred Broda for Trustee

Paula Dambroff for Trustee

Teresa Walsh for Trustee

Green Initiatives in Dobbs Ferry

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:13:43 -0500

Green Initiatives.

By Trustee Larry Dengler

Posted by permission

“America is ready to turn the page. America is ready for a new set of challenges.”
-Senator Barack Obama

Part 1. What has been done.

--Our Village joined ICLEI, The International Conference of Local Governments on Sustainability.

Membership in this international conference is restricted to municipal governments. Our Village will benefit greatly by its participation in this movement.

ICLEI member municipalities receive access to the following products and services:
o Clean Air Climate Protection (CACP) software and training
o Tools, publications and other resources
o Guidance on performance_based contracts for supplies and services
o State, regional, national and international peer networking
o Technical, policy and communications expertise and assistance
o Annual training and leadership events
o Recognition and awards
o Representation at international meetings

We have already begun using and training in the CAPC software. This will enable us to measure our present carbon emissions and determine our actual goals for the future. We cannot measure our progress until we know our present level of carbon emissions. The benefits that will accrue to the Village include not only a nicer place to live and work but also healthier children and cleaner air and parks and other public places.

--The Village Board of Trustees has authorized and directed our Mayor to sign onto the "US Mayors Agreement on Climate Change" in the spirit of the Kyoto Protocol [Dobbs Ferry is first of the Rivertowns, except for Tarrytown, to do so]

Although the United States government did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol to reduce pollution from “greenhouse” gases, the main source of global warming, many local
governments, including Dobbs Ferry under the leadership of members of the Democratic Party, have taken the initiative. In 2005, the Mayor of Seattle, WA asked the mayors around the country to sign a document called the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The Agreement does not pledge each city or village to do the same thing. Although New York City and Dobbs Ferry have signed this same Agreement, we will not be building a 400_mile subway system like New York's. In the Agreement, each municipality pledges that it will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets of reducing global warming pollution levels to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. This will be done through a series of actions to be determined by the newly appointed Dobbs Ferry Mayors Task Force on Energy and the Environment. The Task Force will determine if any proposed actions are economically sound, will reduce costs over the short_ and long_term, and are reasonable, and will so advise the Mayor. In the Agreement, we have also promised to urge federal and state governments to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the target of the Kyoto Protocol. Signing the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement is a very positive move for the Village, and is consistent with other municipalities in Westchester.

--Enacted Leaf Blower Law

Our Village government has enacted modest restrictions on leaf blowers for public health and comfort, and to reduce noise, air pollution and carbon emissions. Gas powered leaf blowers may not be used between May 15th and September 15th, and again between December 1st and March 15th. Electric leaf blowers are exempt. The results are being studied. So far, there has been a positive public reaction.

--Energy Audit

Our Village government has commissioned an inquiry to show the Board of Trustees what a full energy audit should include for our Village. The results are just in showing us where we might start. Now our Village government must decide what
further evaluation can be done most effectively to reduce carbon emissions and save money and whether there are immediate projects that could be started immediately for these goals.

-- Initiated a "Walkable Community" Program

Our Village government initiated a "Walkable Community" program by negotiating a walkway on the old Belden Avenue right of way in connection with Board of Trustees approval of the Nagel Subdivision. This is the first of what we anticipate to
be many initiatives to promote walking. We worked with the Dobbs Ferry School District to obtain a $375,000 NY State grant to rebuild the Beacon Hill stairs. This will encourage more children to walk to school at Springhurst. We have also negotiated the placement of a walking path on Clinton Avenue where an actual
sidewalk would be impractical. We will open recreational and other walking paths and trails and find safe pathways for children to walk to school so that all residents have the option of walking or driving to more destinations in the Village.

Part 2. Looking Forward

The two big aims in proposing any green initiative are sustainability and lowering carbon emissions.

--Carbon Emissions

For our own health, for the health of our children and indeed for the protection of our planet, we must strive to lower carbon emissions by Village Government; and encourage lower carbon emissions in the private sector. We have also committed to doing this under the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

-- Sustainability

A sustainable village meets its current economic, environmental and social needs without compromising the ability of future generations of the village to do the same. It's that simple.

--Thinking Green

Many green initiatives don't seem green at first, that is, they don't start off with the idea, “Let's preserve the environment.” Most often Thinking Green begins with an effort to save money or energy or reduce the tax burden or improve quality of life.
For example, parking is on everyone's mind as the big, big problem in Dobbs Ferry. Most citizens have come to realize that there is no one solution to solve everyone's parking concerns. New parking lots alone will certainly help to a degree; however,
they may also increase other parking problems. A fair study of our parking situation turns up some surprising solutions. With shrinking sources of fossil fuels, it makes sense to study some types of small town mass transit as an additional solution to
parking. It also makes sense to address subjects which cause parking shortages, such as shopping needs. School buses already eliminate, in general, the need for children to be individually driven to school. Could we not try a free Village transport
for shoppers to enable them to park in only one place while shopping along Main and Cedar Streets? It might be cheaper than building a new parking lot. Another
solution is favorable housing for families who promise not to own a car. We must do other things like integrate land uses, look for acceptable distances between destinations, for example, to encourage walking between stores rather than driving.
The idea of sustainability is very useful, because it involves the environment, economics, education, livability, esthetics, and even social justice as well as other issues.

--New Zoning and Land Use Code

What do we hope to accomplish in the new Zoning Law and Land Use Code? Obviously, there are some things that belong in the one or the other, but not in both. But here, for simplicities sake, let's discuss them both together. Both codes should encourage smart growth, conservation of energy and sustainable development.
Some of the details belong in a new or revised building code. But without policy tructure in the Zoning Law, there will be little hope of improvements encouraged lsewhere. Besides the Carrot of Encouragement, local government also can use the
Stick of Penalty to get a better environment for working and living.

_Steep Slopes Law: To prevent landslides and other erosion, both locally destructive nd catastrophically widespread, and to preserve the character of our Village, we ust have a steep slopes law which encourages wise preservation of vertical terrain
and discourages leveling and destruction of steep areas.

_Green Building Codes: Model green building codes are being studied and evaluated.

_Tree Law: We have a law protecting our trees on Village land and on private land. his law can be strengthened as separately discussed.

_Other green initiatives discussed in this article are included in the new Zoning and and Use Code.

--Dark Skies

We generally think of well_lighted outdoor spaces as being safer. Public lighting egan as a way to provide some level of safety along rights of way for pedestrians nd to encourage nighttime activities and commerce. While exterior lighting is useful and generally required for commercial areas and public safety, conventional designs often result in continuously over-lighted areas. This results in glare and light pollution. Light pollution is wasted light from exterior lighting that is directed
upward or away from where it is needed. It is annoying, unhealthy and wasteful. The sky glow that we see and live in, here in Dobbs Ferry, that reduces the view of stars, is caused by wasted light and wasted energy dollars. There are well-
researched findings that excessive exterior lighting has been associated with insomnia and other sleep disorders.

A better way to approach the planning of lighting in the neighborhoods of Dobbs Ferry is a plan that uses light where it is most useful. The key uses are, to render vehicle and pedestrian traffic areas safe, to accent the facades of buildings, and to
guide us on our way. Today we can plan exterior lighting to eliminate glare, over-lighting and “light trespass”. Illuminated signs should be subject to the same cautions. In Dobbs Ferry, the level of exterior night lighting should also be based on
the type of place to be lit.

We will be proposing a dark skies ordinance in Dobbs Ferry such as has been successfully used in other places. By careful change to some of our laws and building codes, we can encourage the most beneficial exterior lighting throughout Dobbs Ferry.

--An Ever_improving Tree Law

Trees hold back water, prevent erosion, beautify, increase property values throughout a village, and turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. Trees are an important resource. It is well worth a moderate amount of effort to preserve, and encourage
the growth of, this valuable community benefit. We need to preserve our existing trees, both the remarkable ones and the ones that still need encouragement. We need to plant the right kind of trees, hardy native species, to replace the trees that have been lost in the last twenty and more years, to put new ones in better places than some of the old ones that have been lost. Local government can encourage best practices in tree culture and maintenance. Two improvements to our present Tree Law are neighbor notification of removal and an enlightened replacement policy when a tree is removed or lost.

--Waterfront Stabilization

Waterfront Park is the jewel of our Village. Protecting Waterfront Park is a combination of “sea walls” and beaches of between 2500 and 3000 linear feet. A seawall made about 60 years ago of stone riprap originally protected our waterfront's integrity. This was imperfectly engineered by present standards and is
in need of major repair or replacement. Indeed, we are told that its deterioration began much sooner than was expected by its builders. A new seawall of stones carefully placed and fitted together would give our Waterfront Park the defense it
needs to survive for many years to come. Our Interim Village Administrator has made the protection of our Waterfront Park her goal, and our Waterfront Committee is hard at work finding funds for its protection and improvement while at the same
time developing means to implement, at long last, the objectives and decisions of our own Local Waterfront Revitalization Committee, whose plans and report have been approved by the State of New York.

--Add Open Space

Dobbs Ferry has less protected open space, proportionately, than Manhattan. We don't have enough passive recreation space, and Village government should cooperate with the school district, which has the primary responsibility for playing fields. Our Conservation Advisory Board has identified over 400 acres in the village as unprotected open space. Some of this space is truly suitable for development while other parcels deserve protection for the public benefit. In some cases, the public benefit can be secured while the land itself remains in private use, for
example, a large stand of trees might be kept for the use of the owner, and the public still benefits from having the view and possible shade on the neighboring right of way.

_--Downtown

Continued green planning for Dobbs Ferry's downtown is a must. Good planning for the downtown must continue to include commercial, residential and recreational opportunities in this area of higher density. Continued mixed use will be beneficial
for the downtown. Good planning will provide for reduced carbon emissions and saving energy and money; its goal is to achieve sustainable growth; promote creation of attractive places for daytime and evening gathering, and grow sustainable shopping and commercial areas.

Bylaws: Dobbs Ferry Democratic Committee

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:32:08 -0500

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE OF ORGANIZATION

The name of this organization shall be the Dobbs Ferry Village Democratic Committee (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”).

The Committee shall initiate and institute all policies for the Village Democratic Party. The Committee shall act as the official body through which all Democratic activities or determinations are discussed and decided in the Village of Dobbs Ferry, as defined in Section 2 of Rules of the Democratic Party of the Town of Greenburgh as adopted in 1947 as revised.

The purpose of the Committee is to nominate and support candidates for Village Office, to support candidates running on the Democratic line at all levels of the party and to work toward the goals articulated by the Committee’s platform.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1: The membership of the Committee shall consist of:

Two (2) members of the Westchester County Committee of the Democratic Party representing each election district (“District Leaders”), who shall be elected in accordance with the laws and rules applicable to the election or appointment of such district leaders.

Not more than fifteen (15) additional members, who shall be enrolled voters of the Democratic Party residing within the Village of Dobbs Ferry (“at-large members”), who shall be elected by the District Leaders. Each at-large member shall work with the leaders of a designated district.

All members of the Board of Trustees and the Mayor who are elected on the Democratic line shall be ex officio members of the Committee during the term of such persons’ office and for a period of one year thereafter, and all Democratic candidates for the Board of Trustees or the office of Mayor who are enrolled voters of the Democratic Party and who shall not be elected to the offices for which they are candidates shall be ex officio members of the Committee for a period of one year from the date of their nomination for such offices.

Section 2: The officers of the Committee shall be known as the Executive Committee.

Section 3: Voting power of the committee shall be vested as follows:

With respect to decisions which, under applicable statute, may be made only by district leaders, each district leader shall have one vote.

With respect to all other matters, each member of the Committee shall have one vote.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, each member of the Committee and any resident of Dobbs Ferry who shall attend any meeting of the Committee shall be entitled to address a meeting on any matter, subject only to rulings from the Chair as to recognition, decorum and similar procedural matters.

Section 4: Committee members are expected to:

Work to elect Party candidates
Support the Party platform
Participate in Committee activities by attending as many meetings as possible and serving as an officer or on at least one standing committee
Get to know their districts
Carry nominating and designating petitions for party candidates.
Uphold fair and ethical standards in carrying out duties and responsibilities set forth herein.

ARTICLE III: MEETINGS

Section 1: There shall be an organization meeting held within six (6) days after the election of the members of the County Committee at the biennial election held in each even-numbered year in each election district within the Town of Greenburgh. Within three (3) days thereafter, the corresponding secretary of the Committee shall file with the corresponding secretary of the Greenburgh Town Democratic Committee a list of the names of the Executive Committee and their respective post office addresses. At such organization meeting, the district leaders may elect at-large members, and all members shall elect the offices of the committee.

Section 2: Regular meetings to conduct the normal order of Committee business will be held at a time and place convenient to the majority of the members, as designated by the chairperson, but not fewer than two (2) times each year.

Section 3: Special meetings of members for any purpose shall be called by the Chairperson at the request of three (3) or more members on at least twenty-four (24) hours notice.

Section 4: Members of the Committee shall be notified of all meetings by the chairperson or a designated representative at least three (3) days prior to the meeting except as otherwise provided in Section 3.

Section 5: Robert’s Rules of Order shall prevail at all meetings, unless suspended by three-quarters of those attending a meeting at which there is a quorum.

Section 6: A quorum shall consist of not less than forty percent (40%) of the members of the Committee, not including the ex officio members, provided, however, that if the matter to be determined is a matter which, under applicable statute, may be voted on only by district leaders, a quorum shall consist of a majority of district leaders.

Section 7: Members shall be entitled to vote in person. A majority of members voting shall be necessary to carry any motion or action.

Voting shall be “viva voce” or by a hand count unless any member requests a secret vote by ballot.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

Section 1: A chairperson, vice-chairperson, recording secretary, corresponding secretary and treasurer shall be elected from the membership of the Committee at the organization meeting of the Committee.

Section 2: In addition to the elected officers of the Committee listed in Section 1, the chairperson may appoint with the consent of the Committee two executive vice-chairpersons and assistant secretaries, who shall perform such duties pertaining to their offices as may be assigned to them by the chairperson.

Section 3: Officers shall hold office for two (2) years and may succeed themselves. They shall not receive any payment for their services.

Section 4: The chairperson shall be the chief executive officer of the Committee, preside at all meetings, have active management of the business of the Committee, have the right to appoint and dissolve special committees and be an ex officio member of special and standing committees.

Section 5: The vice-chairperson shall be the executive assistant to the chairperson and shall perform such duties as assigned by the chairperson including attendance at Town and County meetings. In the absence of the chairperson, the vice-chairperson shall assume the chairperson’s duties. (In the absence of both the chairperson and vice-chairperson, the Committee may elect someone from those present to assume the duties until the chairperson of vice-chairperson shall be present).

Section 6: The recording secretary shall attend all meetings of the Committee, both regular and special, and record all minutes, votes, and all the proceedings. These records shall be kept in a book and be available at all meetings. These duties shall also be performed for all special or regular committees. The recording secretary shall be responsible for all records and documents of the Committee. In the absence of the recording secretary, the chair shall appoint a secretary pro tem. The corresponding secretary shall be responsible for all correspondence of the Committee.

Section 7: The treasurer shall have custody of all Committee funds raised as dues or by any other means. He or she shall render a financial report at all regular meetings or at the request of the chairperson. The treasurer shall pay all bills and shall incur no indebtedness larger than fifty dollars ($50.00) unless approved by the full Committee.

If the treasurer is unable to perform his or her duties for any reason, all record and books that he or she is responsible for shall be given to the chairperson at the earliest possible date.

Section 8: Any officer may be removed in accordance with the following procedure:

If a request is filed with the chairperson, and signed by not fewer than three (3) members of the Committee, requesting the removal of any particular officer, the chairperson of the Committee shall send, or shall cause to be sent, a copy of such notice to each member of the Committee, together with the date of the next meeting of the Committee at which time such request shall be acted upon.
At such meetings, such officer may be removed by the votes of two-thirds (2/3) of the Committee members present.

ARTICLE V: INSPECTORS OF ELECTION

Section 1: Inspectors of election are appointed in accordance with Election Law by the Board of Elections on the basis of recommendations submitted by the Committee. The chairperson shall be responsible for submitting lists of recommended persons for appointment as inspectors of election as required by the established practices of the Village of Dobbs Ferry. In the preparation of such lists, the chairperson shall consult with the County Committee members for each district.

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEE ON VACANCIES

Section 1: The Chairperson shall appoint the following standing committees:

Committee on Vacancies & Nominating

Fundraising & Events

A standing committee shall consist of at least two (2) members.

Section 2: Vacancies in the district leadership and on the Executive Committee shall be filled by an election. This election shall be held after:

Announcement of the vacancy is made at a regular or special meeting;
A standing Committee on Vacancies, appointed by the chairperson, recommends a candidate. Candidates may also be nominated from the floor prior to the vote.
Due notice is sent to all members of the Committee indicating that an election to fill a vacancy is to be held.

ARTICLE VII: REMOVAL OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE

Section 1: The Committee, by vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of its members at a meeting at which there shall be a quorum, may remove any at-large member of the Committee if such person has failed to attend three (3) consecutive regular or special meetings of the Committee or who actively worked to elect candidates other than the Committee’s candidates in a Village Election. Any member who shall be removed in accordance with the foregoing shall, if such member is an officer, also be deemed removed from his or her office.

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS

Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended, supplemented or modified at a regular meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present by a majority vote. Members must be notified at least five (5) days prior to the meeting and at the same time a copy of the proposed changes sent to each member. At such meeting, amendments to the proposed changes may be made and adopted without further prior notice to the committee.

Platform

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:29:08 -0500

The Dobbs Ferry Democratic Committee

Statement of Principles

This Statement of Principles of the Dobbs Ferry Democratic Committee offers a vision of Dobbs Ferry as a welcoming, inclusive, and responsible community in which people care about each other and act with strength and effectiveness for the good of the whole community. We are proud of the cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of our population. We support elected officials who share these core values, and who act cooperatively and communicate openly and honestly as they allocate resources and develop the guiding principles that underlie the laws and initiatives that shape our community.

These are many of the values, priorities, and objectives that form the foundation of our Democratic platform:

1. Open and Responsive Government

We support full participation by Village residents in the decision-making processes of their elected officials. Our residents must have confidence that the focus of their public officials is on the needs of all members of our diverse community. There are a number of measures that will help achieve these objectives, including:

· Modification of Board procedures in order to make the Board’s activities more easily accessible to the community, including the order of business of public meetings; the form, content, and availability to the public of Board minutes, and other matters that are appropriate.

· Strict adherence by Village officials to the New York State Open Meetings Law, and making public documents readily available to the public as required by the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL).

2. Land Use Planning

Our master plan and zoning code must be updated to insure that future development will be consistent with community standards, will help strengthen our downtown, and better facilitate the preservation and protection of our health, our environment, and our quality of life. We support:

· Judicious use of waivers of our zoning and building codes.

· Coordination of land use review procedures with the Town of Greenburgh and our neighboring villages when proposed actions will have a major impact on both Dobbs Ferry and the surrounding area.

· Incorporation of Westchester County guidelines for affordable housing units as a condition of approval of new development, with renewed efforts to attract housing affordable to Village employees, young adults, and senior citizens.

· Adoption of the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP).

· Partnering with the school district and neighboring villages to improve and expand recreation facilities at minimum cost to the Village.

3. Environmental Stewardship

Preservation of open space helps safeguard our quality of life and enhances property values. In November 2001, our residents voted to bond $3 million to acquire and preserve open space. We urge the use of this fund in accordance to the criteria established by the Village Conservation Advisory Board (CAB), as well as judicious use of zoning and other land use tools, such as conservation overlay zones, land donations, and conservation easements.

· Revision of the steep slope law to preserve steep slopes and prevent destruction of scenic rock outcroppings.

· Protection of critical environmental areas as mapped by the Village Conservation Advisory Board.

· Improve care of Village trees through a strengthened tree ordinance that includes notification to neighbors of applications to remove trees, priority to planting native species trees, and a requirement that the Village employ or consult a certified arborist to maintain Village trees.

4. Energy Conservation

To promote cleaner air, protect the environment, and save money, we support energy conservation and efficiency measures that include:

· Implementation of energy conservation measures in existing Village buildings.

· Purchase of renewable energy for the Village when feasible, such as the currently available wind power.

· Updating our building code to incorporate higher energy conservation standards for new construction.

· Reduction of waste through increased recycling, composting, and public education.

5. A Vibrant, Economically Vital Downtown

We believe a lively and economically thriving downtown can be realized by implementing Village policies that will provide greater support to our existing businesses and do more to attract new business. Among the steps that can be taken to accomplish these goals are:

· Improvement of downtown parking and traffic flow.

· Development of Village policies that will attract new businesses, and cooperation with our existing businesses.

· Modification of our zoning code to support and encourage mixed use buildings, including residential apartments over commercial establishments.

· Continued attention to the wellbeing of our senior citizens by enhancement and expansion of activities in the Embassy Community Center and the Library.

· Enhanced access to community resources by construction of the Embassy Community Center-Library pedestrian link, to make better use of available parking.

6. Fiscal Responsibility

The Village budget process needs to include measures that will help keep costs down while planning for our future. We support:

· Development of a five year capital plan.

· Implementation of an expanded public budget review process providing public meetings with the Board and department heads.

· Enhanced efforts to attract new businesses to strengthen our tax base.

· Seeking additional government, private and corporate grants. Increased alternate types of in kind and outright donations.

· Exploration of shared services and procurement with neighboring Villages resulting in cost savings while not compromising the quality of services.

7. Public Health and Safety

Along with our support of our volunteer fire and ambulance services, we encourage other measures that will enhance public health and safety, among them:

· Updating the Dobbs Ferry 1993 Emergency Plan to reflect current needs and post 9/11 realities.

· Employment of the organic pest management practices by the Village to insure maximum protection of public health

· Maintenance and expansion of sidewalks for safer pedestrian routes.

· Study and develop a traffic flow policy to manage traffic flow, and reduce speeding.

8. Care of Our Infrastructure

To insure the continued viability of infrastructure we support:

· Creation of a plan for long-term maintenance and replacement for the continuing protection of Village sewers, roads, buildings, and other infrastructure.

· Prompt construction of a new Department of Public Works facility.

· Development of a plan for waterfront stabilization.

· The protection of a pure piped water supply readily available and affordable for all residents of Dobbs Ferry. We oppose the continuing trend to privatize our water supply, which tends to increase the rates paid by residents.

9. Historic Preservation

Our historic buildings and neighborhoods contribute to our residents’ enjoyment of their surroundings and enhance our quality of life. Measures that will preserve these buildings and neighborhoods should be explored, including those that will maintain the beautiful views of the Hudson River from the many vantage points within the Village.

We urge Dobbs Ferry residents to communicate comments and suggestions to us, and consider joining us at our Democratic Committee meetings, where we will continue to further our objectives and translate our principles into action.

Adopted May 2005

DF Democratic Committee

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:07:47 -0500

Reminder: the DF Democratic Committee meets on Monday, October 27th, 7:30pm, at the Embassy. All District Leaders are requested to attend (and hope everyone on copy will attend). Marie and Laurel have spoken to me and they are excused. The tentative agenda is shown below. Our bylaws and platform are posted on GroundReport , to ensure that everyone has copies. - Randy

I. Calling of the Roll

II. Reading of the Minutes from September 11, 2008 - Donna Cassell

III. Treasurer’s Report - Paul Sterne

IV. Announcements & Correspondence

A. BOT Meeting Tomorrow

V. Unfinished Business

A. Open Discussion (Paula, Fred, Teresa, Larry, Ed, David, Scott)

B. Recaps of the Ferry Festa & Barack the Vote Events

C. Election 2008

1. Coffee at the train station

2. Polling Places

3. Poll Watching Assignments & Certificates

4. Refreshments for Election Inspectors

5. Election Night

D. Update on Town & County Items - Suzanne Berger

VI. New Business

VII. Adjournment

Traffic and Safety in Dobbs Ferry

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:44:16 -0500

Questions about Traffic and Safety often come up in Dobbs Ferry, along with questions about parking, and not just at the beginning of the school year. In a small place like Dobbs Ferry, or the not much bigger area of the Rivertowns, these questions should be answered in a larger context: All kinds of transportation and the impacts on local quality of life and on global climate change.

Transportation is not just cars. In Dobbs Ferry we are fortunate to have in our village also one of the best mass transit railroads, Metro North, an excellent county wide bus system and nearby air transportation. However, the most important factor in maintaining a real community life is to have a walkable village to start with.

What do we do about it? Transportation questions come to the Village Traffic Committee. This committee, all volunteers, continuously studies the circulation of traffic within the Village and advises the Mayor and Board of Trustees as to its improvement; advises the Mayor and Board of Trustees as to placement of traffic control devices, vehicular and pedestrian safety issues, and matters concerning the Metro North Railroad; advises the Mayor and Board of Trustees on all matters affecting streets and sidewalks; regularly hears public requests and comments on issues of vehicular and pedestrian safety and Metro North operations from Village residents and advises the Mayor and Board of Trustees as to the appropriate response.

The Traffic Committee has six (6) members, one of whom must be the chief of Police or his/her representative, and one of whom must be the Village Metro North Liaison.

Although the Traffic Committee now works quite well, there are some changes that could improve the committee’s work and its morale. High on the list is some formal coordination with the Village Planning Board and with the Village Department of Public Works.

Most people think of the traffic committee as the guys who put up all those stop signs. It’s much more that that, and mostly the Committee reacts to requests for new stop signs by examining the request critically in view of NY State guidelines and often recommending against the request, unless it conforms to those guidelines.

In the past nine months, The Committee has studied these issues (list and comments follow) by going to the site, measuring the actual streets, walks, sightlines, etc., speaking with local residents and consulting with Village and Town workers. The Committee have then reported in detail and made recommendations to Village government, as appropriate.

Ashford Avenue Bridge Reconstruction. Members of the Committee met with local and State officials. When a traffic analysis, which the Village had requested, is complete, the project will be designed and the work will begin. The Village will be contacted for input during the design process, at the following stages: when the process is 30% complete, 60% complete and 90 % complete. Actual construction will not start until 2010 at the earliest. The Traffic Committee is invited to accompany the Village Administrator to design phase meetings. Recommendation was made that Village Trustees hold a community meeting to inform the public about progress.

Lefurgy and Ashford Blind Spot. Drivers waiting to make a left turn from Lefurgy onto eastbound Ashford Avenue cannot see oncoming cars eastbound when a truck or van is parked facing west on Ashford Avenue close to the Lefurgy corner. The committee suggested that a no parking zone be designated here. There was a concern that parking spaces would be lost for the business district here, but the Police representative will check to see whether sight lines could be extended in some other way at this location. The committee also noted, generally, that it might be desirable to restrict parking at corners by vehicle height in downtown areas, for this reason.

Cedar and Main Streets and the lower end of Main Street. The Committee has studied these hazards and made recommendations for better crosswalks at both ends of Main Street, a “Pork chop” traffic island at lower Main, and other improvements. In this case the committee has done a lot of fieldwork, measuring, photographing, monitoring traffic and research of regulations, to support its recommendations. These recommendations are working their way through the Village staffing procedure.

Other Actions. The Committee has also addressed and solved such varying problems as Ogden Place and Ogden Avenue signage confusion, handicapped parking at the riverfront parking lot, community access gates, and traffic control signs needing replacement. The placement of walkways and crosswalks are considered for improvement and overall safety and utility.

The Committee also reviews traffic violations and incident data to identify and advise on possible trouble spots.

The Committee supports the Safe Walk to School program and is promoting development of sidewalks and pathways in the village so that children are encouraged to walk safely to school on a regular basis.

The Committee hopes to continue this kind of activity to contribute to the livability of the village and the sustainability of its life.

Budget and Tax thoughts for Dobbs Ferry

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:39:23 -0500

Tough economic times will require a local budget response.

By mid August of this year financial firms globally have posted $493 billion in write downs and credit losses according to Bloomberg News. The World Bank reports this figure may rise to one trillion dollars. New York State is especially vulnerable to the financial service sector, “20 % of state’s revenue is Wall Street derived” Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has said.

David Patterson, New York’s Governor, has called the legislature into emergency session to address revenue shortfalls and the state’s growing deficit. NYS may have a $26 billion deficit in the next three years. Lower capital gains and bonus taxes lead the way in the revenue shortfall.

Governor Patterson has called for the state to reduce spending, including a cut in its support for state municipalities of 6%. The Village’s exposures to Wall Street’s problems are viewed to be no less acute than New York States. This is the economic back drop the village is faced with. Rather than propose unacceptable tax hikes for fiscal year 2009-2010 the village needs to focus as best it can on conserving resources and becoming as efficient as possible this year.

A brief review of important Budget and Tax questions follows.

Q. Is the Village solely responsible for a resident’s property tax?

Dobbs Ferry residents receive four separate tax bills on their property. Besides the Village, two other issuing entities, the School District and the County/Town send bills. Two bills are sent from the School district, one due in September and one due in January. The School District bills are 64% of an average taxpayer’s annual total. One bill is sent from the County/Town and is due in April. This bill accounts for 14% of the annual total currently. The Village bill comes due in June and represents for 22% of the annual total. While each billing entity is responsible for its own budget and tax charge, it is possible that these entities may have interests that overlap. As entities look to provide the most efficient services to the community, it is possible to see examples of service sharing like, the Village offering its fields to the school district or the school district opening its buildings to the community for various events. These overlapping interests are negotiated directly between the entities. The tax bill for Village component of the total property tax will cost the typical resident taxpayer ($2,012.40). Assuming a 10,000 assessed valuation at a tax rate of 201.24.

Q. What categories are included in the Village Budget? How much is spent in these categories?

The Village Administrator is the budget officer for the Village of Dobbs Ferry. The Administrator is supported by the Treasurer. The Treasurer’s function is central. Revenue and expenses are monitored by the Treasurer. Using data from past experience and reasonable projections, the budget is formulated for the coming fiscal year. This process culminates in late April and is voted on by the Board of Trustees in early May. The Board of Trustees looks carefully at both income and expenses. They review individual lines, categories and the totals. If adjustments are required the board will act accordingly.

It is a requirement of the New York State Comptroller’s Office that the Village of Dobbs Ferry submit an annual report. The Village files the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report “CARF” and has elected to have it audited. Dobbs Ferry regularly receives the Government Finance Officers Association (“GFOA”) Certificate of Excellence. The award is for excellence in financial reporting.

Below are the Categories and Percentage Weightings that make up the 2008-09 Budget. Some key statistics include: The total adopted Budget for 2008-09 is $15,786,837 vs. $14,758,108 a 6.97% increase. Real Property Tax accounts for 63.04% of total income. Public Safety is 26.10% of total expenditures, closely followed by Employee Benefits at 22.19%. The Appropriated Fund Balance is 8.55% of total income or the adopted budget.

Q. What is the fund balance? How big is it? How big should it be?

Dobbs Ferry maintains several funds. They include the General Fund, the Library Fund, the Special Purpose Fund, the Debt Fund and the Capital Projects Fund. Each is important but, the General fund is primary. The General Fund and the Library Fund are the two funds that are adopted by Board of Trustees annually. Simply viewed, the General fund can be compared to a person’s checking account. Tax receipts and fees accumulate in the General Fund, then as Village expense are paid out, the fund decreases.

The term “Fund Balance”, references the account balance of General Fund at the close of the fiscal year. The Unreserved and Undesignated Fund Balance as well as the Total Fund Balance of the General Fund can be use as a measure of the General Funds liquidity when compared to the Total Budget. For instance,

Fiscal Year Unreserved % Total % vs. The Total Budget

Undesignated %

2008 N/A N/A

2007 22% 33%

2006 14% 24%

Unreserved/ Undesignated fund balance should range between a maximum of 25% & a minimum 5% of the total budget. The 2008/09 budget calls for a fund appropriation of 8.55%. Fund Appropriation is the use of fund assets as a revenue source. This year’s withdrawal of ($1,350,000) to supplement the revenue shortfall is essentially taking money from the checking account to make the budget. This rate of draw on the General fund may subject the previously mentioned liquidity ratios to pressure. This is a real concern. 8.55% is a large percentage of the budget to be funded with Village savings. A weak economy may further expose the other funding shortfalls. Relying on saving and unanticipated revenues to balance the budget is not in the long term interest of Dobbs Ferry. This practice should be scaled down in fiscal year 2009 -2010. Unanticipated revenues should be used for short term debt reduction, should they occur and the budget allowing.

Q. What is the village debt? What are the borrowings used for? How much do we pay in principal and interest?

Total debt outstanding as of May 31^st, 2008 was $15,270,000. This amount is comprised of $13,130,000 of Serial Bonds and $2,140,000 of Bond Anticipation Notes. The bonds and Notes help fund items like the Library, the DPW Garage & Equipment, Police & Fire Equipment, the Waterfront Field, and Street Repaving and Reconstruction. Dobbs Ferry’s Debt ratting is “Aa3” by Moody’s Investor Services. The budgeted Debt service cost for principal and interest in 2008-09 is $1,472,598. Dobbs Ferry’s five year Capital Indebtedness shows growth from $8,366,000 at May of 2004 to $15,270,000 at May of 2008. The increase reflects large capital projects like the new DPW building.

Q. Can you explain the annual budget process?

The fiscal year starts June 1^st and ends May 31st the following year. During the fiscal year the Treasurer and the Village Administrator are the front line in maintaining fiscal discipline and identifying any issues of concern financially. Individual trustees monitor areas of involvement where they hold special interest. This year revenue that will be available from mortgage recording taxes may not perform as budgeted. The Village has been informed of potential short falls in this area (-31.7%). A 31.7% decline in mortgage recording tax to the Village might cost it 1.62% of total budgeted revenue.

Making a budget is a process that evolves though out the year. Budget forecast accuracy increases as spending and revenue data accrue. As April arrives data is becoming sufficient to guide the Treasurer, Administrator and Board in developing the Budget for the coming fiscal year. Dobbs Ferry does not have many expense categories that are easily reduced. Union contracts and standard escalation clauses cover much of the budget. Reductions in discretionary spending or areas of public safety usually and predictably have political ramifications. All and all it is difficult to slow the budget’s growth.

When economic pressure builds to a point that cuts must be made attrition is a logical place to start. Building efficiency into the budget is always important but critical in tight economic times. Generating real cost reductions stemming from the village’s investment in the new DPW facility are a priority.

Above all else being disciplined in spending is the key. It has been said “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” This quote was made for budgeting. Maintaining key metrics and staying the course on longer term trend lines is essential.

Q. What can Dobbs Ferry do to slow spending and tax increases?

This year the tax rate was increased to $201.24 from $192.06 or an increase of 4.78%. The General Fund and the Library Fund combined showed a year over year increase of 6.97% ($14,758,108 vs. $15,786,837). Obviously the property tax rate increase of 4.78% is not sufficient to cover a budget increase of 6.97%. This differential of 2.19% plus the Fund appropriation of 8.55% equals 10.74%. Barring the receipt of any significant unanticipated income or future budget cuts the Village is likely to see a double digit tax increase as it responds to the revenue shortfall.

Residents do not want to see double digit increases. Tax increases can be slowed if we look seriously at the following points that will promote efficiency and increase discipline in the budgeting process.

Review ways to increase individual and departmental efficiency.

Utilize Metrics that are specifically targeted to control spending.

Cap YoY percentage rate increases for the budget

Village tax rates must better align with budget increases

Avoid Fund Appropriations as a source of funding

Consider caps on Fund Appropriations

Use unanticipated revenue to pay down debt

Monitor the variance of Village tax rates vs. CPI to protect seniors

Promote service sharing wherever possible

Consider budget cuts for non essential services

Consider attrition as a means to reduce under funded budgets

Data:

Village Bond Ratting “Aa3” Moody’s Investor Services CAFR 2007

Population 10,622 (2000 Census) CAFR 2007

Mean Median CAFR 2007

Income Income

======== =========

Per Capita $ 35,090 $ N/A

Household $ 97,727 $ 70,333

Family $ 144,581 $ 93,127

Reference:

Village of Dobbs Ferry, New York

Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Fiscal year Ended May 31, 2007

The Office of the Treasurer, Sara A. DiGiacomo

Village of Dobbs Ferry, New York

Independent Auditors’ Report on Communication of Internal Control Matters Identified in the Audit

May 31, 2007

O’Connor Davies Munns & Dobbins, llp

Open Letter from Mayor Seskin - Abolish the DF Police Dept?

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:31:53 -0500

On September 11^th , a day of national mourning, the Dobbs Ferry PBA sent a letter telling you that the Mayor and the Board of Trustees are seeking to abolish the Dobbs Ferry Police Department. Nothing is further from the truth.

Let’s look at the record. On July 14, 2007 the Dobbs Ferry PBA requested that former Mayor Joseph Bova pass a resolution seeking grant money to study shared services with the Greenburgh Police Department. On that date, at the request of the Dobbs Ferry PBA, Mayor Bova, Trustee Koenigsberg and I met with the Greenburgh PBA and members of the Greenburgh town board. Mr. Hennessey, President of the PBA, explained the benefits of sharing services including improved union benefits as well as access to better training facilities.

On November 13, 2007, at the request of Brian Hennessy and the Dobbs Ferry PBA, Mayor Bova proposed a resolution authorizing the village to seek a grant from NY State to study ways in which the Dobbs Ferry Police Department and Greenburgh Police Department could share, combine and/ or eliminate duplicative services in order to save taxpayer dollars while increasing or maintaining the police services that we currently enjoy. In December, 2007 as newly elected Mayor of Dobbs Ferry, I submitted a letter of support along with one from Dobbs Ferry Police Chief Betsy Gelardi and Supervisor Paul Feiner to authorize Village Administrator Anthony Giaccio to author and submit a grant application to the State.

In July, 2008, the State of New York granted our request and provided approximately $75,000 to engage a private entity to perform the study, which would be similar to the study that provided suggestions about how Dobbs Ferry and the Village of Irvington could share police services. This was to be precisely the same study which was performed in Dobbs Ferry’s failed effort to share services with the Village of Irvington. Once again it was to identify areas where the police departments could share, combine and/ or eliminate duplicative services in order to save tax dollars while increasing or maintaining the police services which we currently enjoy. Unfortunately, when accepting state money, state guidelines require that we perform a comprehensive “head to toe” study of each of the Police Departments involving all possible scenarios which may or may not be realistic or acceptable to the Village.

On July 14, 2008, both the Village of Dobbs Ferry and the Town of Greenburgh approved a REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS to seek bids for the performance of the study. Presently no one has been retained and the study has not yet been conducted.

When completed, the results of the study will be made available to the public and the Village will be free to accept or reject any or all of the recommendations. Any of the recommendations which may be accepted will be reviewed and adopted in a public forum. I would like to make it clear though, that there is no intention to abolish the Dobbs Ferry Police Department and a decision could only be accomplished by a referendum voted upon by the entire Village and not by an act of the Mayor or the Board of Trustees.

We as a Village must question why the PBA would seek to spread fear and untruths in the community. That answer is simple; The PBA fears the changes which may come from such a study, which may ultimately affect their jobs. However, the Mayor and Board of Trustees have a responsibility to our residents, who are already over burdened by high taxes, to investigate any and all sources for saving taxpayer dollars. I continually hear the complaints of our residents who are paying $20,000, $30,000 and $40,000 a year in taxes, that they can’t afford to live in Dobbs Ferry any longer. With declining revenues and reduced monies coming from the State, we have no choice but to examine every area where we can save money; the only alternative is to continue to raise taxes even more and that is simply unacceptable. The Dobbs Ferry Police Department has 28 officers and many of them do not live in Dobbs Ferry or share yours and my tax burden.

Three members of the Dobbs Ferry Police Department are currently assigned to task forces which we currently participate in with the Town of Greenburgh: S.W.A.T. team, Marine Unit, the Ceremonial Unit as well as the Drug and Alcohol Task Force; in fact, one of our officers is assigned full-time to the Drug and Alcohol Task Force, spending a great deal of his time policing other communities in the County, some of which do not even participate in the Task Force itself. Nonetheless, Dobbs Ferry taxpayers bear the burden which includes tens of thousands of dollars in overtime. It may no longer be appropriate in these dire economic times to take three Dobbs Ferry taxpayer supported Police Officers to participate in activities away from the Village full-time; activities which not only do not directly help our Village but in fact benefit our neighboring Villages who choose to save their taxpayer dollars by not participating! As a taxpayer, you have a right to question precisely what our officers do in these task forces and what results they have reaped for the Village of Dobbs Ferry in the last year.

Like you, I live in this community with my family and pay the same taxes that you pay. Safety is my primary concern both for my family and yours. There is no good reason why we can’t work together to explore ways to save our taxpayer dollars while increasing or maintaining the benefits which we currently enjoy. So the next time someone for the PBA sends you a letter to discourage you from exercising your right to “know” or to put you in fear for your safety, take a long hard look at who’s sending it and ask yourself why they would be sending it to you. You might be surprised at the answers you get!

Mayor Seskin asked me to posted this letter on GroundReport as a way of entering it into the cyber-report.

Shared Services: What Is Their Role in Dobbs Ferry’s Future?

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:14:34 -0500

A striking feature of local government in Westchester County is the number of local jurisdictions that exist in the county, in the form of towns, villages, school districts, sewer districts, fire districts, etc. While most residents enjoy and prefer the benefits of local control over governing bodies that provide for their schools, police and road and sanitation services, the multiple layers of government come with a high price tag.

Local governments are being challenged to keep taxes down yet continue to provide the many services that residents have come to expect in terms of schools, parks, recreation, police, fire, senior citizen programs, to name the most obvious. The high cost of so many local governmental entities has become the target of officials in Albany as the New York State Government has created a task force to encourage the consolidation of local governments and to foster creative solutions to reduce the cost of local government. The need to do so is becoming even more acute as the current real estate driven recession is reducing the non-tax income of local governments amid proposals to impose caps on local property tax increases. Under these circumstances, local governmental officials are well advised to explore ways to streamline government and reduce duplication and redundancy.

One way to reduce the cost of local government is to identify duplicative programs and turn over programs or responsibilities that are already being performed by other government agencies. For example, the Village election voting process, when held in March, incurred a cost that was borne by the Village alone. When held in November, the cost of running the Village elections is picked up by the County Board of Elections, which is already running elections for the town, county, state and national offices. Indeed, Dobbs Ferry’s decision to hold elections in November was recognized by the Governor’s Office for the cost savings being realized as a result of that change.

The cost of running local government can also be held down by taking advantage of the enhanced purchasing power that comes from combining purchases with other government units. Recently, the Villages of Dobbs Ferry, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington, Ardsley, Sleepy Hollow and Elmsford joined with the Town of Greenburgh in the purchase of asphalt for road paving projects, which helped to keep down the price paid by the Villages. Westchester County has a web based service to permit local governments to join with Westchester County in the purchase of goods and supplies to take advantage of volume discounts from common vendors.

A third approach to holding down the cost of local government is for neighboring Villages or jurisdictions to share in the operation of government programs. Dobbs Ferry has been active in this regard, most notably in the provision of certain police programs. Dobbs Ferry has been a participant with the Town of Greenburgh Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Drug and Alcohol Task Force and shares the cost of a Marine Unit river patrol boat with neighboring Hudson River villages.

Dobbs Ferry has been active over the years in exploring ways to share certain aspects of police services in order to hold down the cost of policing in the Village without sacrificing the high level of protection and professionalism of the Village’s Police Department. The cost for Dobbs Ferry’s Police Department is approximately $3.5 million dollars per year, almost 20% of the total Village budget, so it is logical to look for ways to hold down the cost of this budget item.

The first attempt to share services occurred when it was proposed that the Villages of Ardsley and Dobbs Ferry share a night dispatcher to take calls during the usually quiet overnight shift. A strong proponent and advocate for this step was former Dobbs Ferry Police Chief George Longworth. While this step would have provided considerable savings to both villages, opposition in Ardsley prevented the program from going forward.

More recently, in 2007, the Villages of Irvington and Dobbs Ferry commissioned a study to identify areas where the two Villages’ police departments could combine administrative and staffing activities to reduce costs without sacrificing services. This analysis, published in July 2007, identified several ways the Villages could combine forces to hold down costs. Two areas were to combine dispatching and the conduct of criminal investigations. The availability of modern communications technology makes possible the consolidation of radio dispatching services in one location to service the two Villages with the other Village providing detective and criminal investigation activities for both Villages. Both steps could result in a net savings overall.

But, once again, opposition in Irvington to even considering such a minimal step, due to the fear of losing control over policing activities in the village, prevented serious consideration of this report’s recommendations.

New York State, as part of its effort to encourage local governments to consolidate or combine the delivery of services and acquisitions, now offers grants to help local governments to take steps to reduce overlap and duplication of the delivery of governmental services. According to the State, numerous grants have been issued to local governments, including school districts, towns, villages, counties and others to combine efforts with the goal of reducing duplication and streamlining local government. Towns and villages have teamed up to purchase trucks, snow plows, street sweepers, bucket trucks, and machinery to clean and monitor storm and sanitary sewer systems. The cooperating localities can all use such capital equipment on a shared basis, rather than each entity buying its own equipment to be used on a less than optimum basis. Other grants have been awarded for the purchase of joint fuel storage and dispensing facilities and the merger of police information and dispatching between a city and its county to create a unified dispatch and information system. One grant was awarded to permit neighboring upstate cities and municipalities to form a health insurance consortium to manage costs and provide better quality health benefit programs for municipal employees.

In other instances, some upstate Villages have obtained funding to study the process of dissolving the local village government and merging with the surrounding town. In other instances, neighboring villages and towns have obtained funding to study the process of abolishing a village police department to permit the local Town and or the State to provide police protection. This was done in Westchester County’s Town of Cortlandt, which dissolved the town police department in favor of the Westchester County and New York State Police providing police protection throughout the town.

Shortly after the failure of the effort to consider some sort of cooperation or sharing of police with the Village of Irvington, certain members of the Dobbs Ferry Police Department Union and the Town of Greenburgh’s Police Department Union approached then Mayor Joseph Bova and members of the Greenburgh Town Council to explore ways for the two departments to share services or combine efforts in order to save each government some money as well as enable union members to enhance their health insurance coverage by combining the two police forces to create a larger risk pool. Mayor Bova, then Trustees Scott Seskin and David Koenigsberg met with the union representatives and town council members to discuss commissioning such a study. As a result of those informal discussions, the Town and Village jointly applied to New York State and were awarded a grant of over $75,000 to commission a study to evaluate areas in which the two police departments could share services and or combine forces in some fashion. A request for proposals was recently issued for experts to conduct and prepare the study.

The proposed study will involve an analysis of the functions, staffing and finances of the two departments and governmental entities, as well as the legal aspects for entering into shared municipal services agreements or the combining or merging of portions or all of the departments. The study process will include public hearings and/or meetings to obtain the input of the public in terms of ideas and suggestions for how the two departments could work together to become more streamlined and more efficient. Following the issuance of any such report, the public will be invited to comment and react to any recommendations made by the study. While certain actions, such as sharing services or enhancing cooperation can be implemented by means of action by the Trustees, any more drastic steps such as merger or elimination of a department will, by law, have to be put to a vote via a public referendum.

The purpose of the study is not only to describe the alternatives, but to identify the relative costs of doing nothing, sharing services, merging certain functions and/or merger or dissolution. The goal is to provide the members of the public with as much information as possible so that the citizenry can best decide how they want to pay for police services in the future. In the meantime, the Village government will continue to explore ways to streamline its operations to minimize expenses and hold down taxes but maintain the high level of services and protection we all enjoy.

September 12, 2008,

Post by Paul Sterne with written permission of the author David Koenigsberg, Deputy Mayor/Trustee, Village of Dobbs Ferry