Village Board Adopts 2026-27 Budget, Acknowledges Denim Day, Condems Antisemitism and more

The Scarsdale Village Board covered a lot of ground at a fast-paced meeting on Tuesday Night April 28, acknowledging Denim Day, offering new information on Con Edison’s response to problems with the gas main installation, commenting on the recent antisemitic incident and finally approving the 2026-27 Village budget.

Denim Day

The Board and staff were all dressed in denim to mark “Denim Day,” and Mayor Justin Arest read a Denim Day proclamation to stand in solidarity with women against sexual violence. Wearing denim is a statement of support for survivors.

Antisemitic Incident

Both the Mayor and Trustee David Goldschmidt addressed antisemitism, with the Mayor saying, “I have been in communication with school leadership throughout, working closely with our Police Department, and my position is clearly reflected in the statement I have already issued.”

“I appreciate the Board of Education’s most recent statement, which I thought struck the right tone. I understand the administration has taken action with respect to those involved, and I hope that action was meaningful and appropriate. I am not in a position tonight to speak to the specifics, as that is within the school’s jurisdiction, not the village’s. And I believe that Board understands that while words definitely matter, what matters even more are the actions that follow, and that is what our community will be watching. I intend to remain engaged, and I expect that the village and the schools will work closely together as this community moves forward.”

Later at the meeting, Goldschmidt said, “I would also like to address the deeply troubling antisemitic incident that occurred at Scarsdale High School ten days ago. I echo and support the mayor’s remarks. The conduct displayed by the students or students involved is wholly unacceptable and cannot be dismissed as a youthful prank. Acts of hate and expressions of antisemitism have no place in our community, certainly not in our schools.”

“Accountability is essential, and I trust that the school administration will respond appropriately. But this moment calls for more than discipline – it calls for reflection and reaffirmation. It is an opportunity not only for students, but for all of us, to re-commit to the values upon which this nation was founded.”

“As we approach the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding, it is worth recalling the enduring principles of tolerance and liberty that define us. In 1790, George Washington wrote to the Hebrew congregation at the Touro Synagogue in Newport Rhode Island, affirming a vision of a nation grounded in religious freedom. He wrote that the Government of the United States “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,” and that all who live under its protection need only conduct themselves as good citizens. He offered a hopeful promise that “everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

“At times in our history, we have fallen short of this ideal. Today, we must ensure that we do not lose sight of it again. I expect the school administration and the Board of Education to seize this moment to reinforce these fundamental democratic values.”

“As a Trustee, I take seriously my obligations as the mayor has stated—to safeguard the safety and security of all our residents, whether on our streets, our recreational fields, or in our schools. We will remain vigilant to ensure that every member of our community can live without fear and with the full dignity they deserve.”

Con Edison

The Mayor offered an update to residents along Walworth Avenue and Fox Meadow Road whose lateral sewer lines may have been damaged when Con Edison installed a large gas main. He announced that an FAQ about the issue was now available on the Village website.

Furthermore, he said that the utility would be hand delivering letters to potentially impacted home about schedule inspections with an independent vendor. These are expected to be completed in about a month, providing residents are able to schedule them. Following the inspections, Con Edison has agreed to hold a meeting with the Village to discuss next steps.

Winston Burrell

The Mayor noted the passing of Village employee Winston Burrell. He said, “It is with great sadness that I share the passing of Winston Burrell, a member of our Facilities Maintenance team, who left us on Thursday, April 23.

Winston joined the Village of Scarsdale in March 2008, and for 18 years he was a steady and familiar presence here at Village Hall. He often worked late into the evening, taking care of this building during meetings like this one, right here in Rutherford Hall.

Those who knew him remember not just the work he did, but how he did it. Winston greeted everyone with a fist bump, something many of us will remember. He also had a quiet way of looking out for people, often making sure staff got to their cars safely after long nights.

When my term as Trustee ended in 2022, I made sure to thank Winston in my closing remarks. His smile and wave at the end of a long night was something I came to expect and appreciated, and something that I will certainly miss. Winston was a proud husband and father, and he will be deeply missed by his family, by our staff, and by everyone who knew him.”

Comments from Village Manager Alex Marshall

Marshall reminded everyone that county tax bills are due April 30. Due to policy changes at the post office, some mail does not get postmarked on the day it is dropped in the mail. However, you can request a postmark in the Post Office so that your payment will be dated before the deadline.

Next she said that Destination Scarsdale and the Farmer’s Market kicks off in Scarsdale Village on Sunday May 3 from 8:30 to 1:30pm. She encouraged everyone to come to the Village to enjoy the market and special events which will be held every Sunday through November.

Last, the Village will begin water main flushing on May 4 and if you want to know you’re your home will be affected, refer to the schedule of water main flushing on the Village website.

Public Comments

Former Village Trustee and Board of Education member Jonathan Lewis also spoke about the antisemitic incident: He said, “The antisemitic event at Scarsdale High School is serious and has policy implications that need to be considered jointly by the Village Board and the School Board. Events like these can be precursors to violence. In that context, this event is a warning.

When I served on the village board we worked collaboratively with the board of education to put in place a memorandum of understanding that created greater operational jointness between the village and the school district on matters of safety. I encourage both boards to review those materials and to continue to consider ways to strengthen and enhance that process. This process involved, at the village level, quarterly strategic planning meetings with the village chief of police, the village fire chief, the police commissioner, the village manager, and the head of the Scarsdale volunteer ambulance corps. The purpose of these meetings was to identify ways to increase jointness between our first responders, and special consideration was given to how those first responders should collaborate if they needed to respond to a threat to our schools. As a result of those meetings and conversations, new technologies were deployed. In addition, a joint rehearsal was staged so that fire, police, and ambulance could practice responding to a mass casualty event. It is particularly important that our volunteer ambulance team participate. I would encourage both the village board and the board of education to ensure that these practices are continuing and that we continue to consider ways to improve.

In the spirit of non sibi, we should also be thinking of how the lessons we learned from these experiences can be shared beyond our village and our school district. Please know that Assembly person Amy Paulin and Senator Shelly Mayer have proposed legislation now that they are working to move forward that seeks to encourage other school districts and municipalities to apply lessons we have learned. In particular, it provides funding opportunities - specifically for the type of digital mapping technology that provides first responders with the critically important time sensitive information they need to respond and save lives: This legislation is Assembly bill A.10120 and Senate bill S.9039. I would encourage you all to support it.”

Another speaker spoke about Project Ready, a community based organization to support individuals with intellectual and physical challenges. The group provides parent support, resource navigation and inclusive programming and other services. Learn more at ProjectReady.org.

Adoption of the Village Budget

The Board voted unanimously to adopt the 2026-27 Village Budget, which had been in the works for many months, much of it the work of the prior Village Board. The three new board members acknowledged the efforts of former trustees and agreed that though the tax increase was above the tax cap of 3.65%, it was necessary to meet Village obligations and retain services.

The Mayer said, “The FY 26-27 budget before us is the result of a thorough and collaborative process that has spanned several months….. A central theme throughout this process has been the continued rise in costs, particularly pensions and healthcare. These are not discretionary expenses if we intend to maintain the level of services our residents expect and deserve.

That said, rising costs cannot become an excuse for complacency. They haven’t, and they won’t. We will continue to look for efficiencies in our operations, invest in technology that both saves money and improves the resident experience, and challenge ourselves to do more with what we have.

But we also need to be honest about the scale of the issue. The biggest pressures we are facing cannot be solved by one municipality acting alone. Real solutions will require leadership and action at the state level.

If affordability is going to mean anything in this state, it must be matched with a serious focus on long-term sustainability. Otherwise, we are on a path that risks pushing people out and undermining the very workforce that delivers essential services and has earned the benefits they were promised.

We cannot allow that to happen.

In the year ahead, our focus will be twofold. First, continuing to improve our own budgeting and operations. Second, working with partners to push for real solutions to these structural challenges.”

Everyone on the board weighed in with their thoughts on the budget and you can see their full comments below.

Deputy Mayor Gruenberg

I will be voting yes to adopt the FY 2026–2027 Village Budget.

This budget reflects more than six months of careful, sustained work by the Board and staff. Through multiple work sessions, we examined expenses department by department, challenged assumptions, and identified efficiencies, while also focusing on key drivers like infrastructure, capital planning, and revenue trends. That level of rigor gives me confidence in this budget.

Even after the Tentative Budget was filed, that work continued. The updates before us tonight include further refinements and reduce the tax levy from 5.36% to 5.17%, or approximately $408 for the average household. We work hard to keep taxes as low as possible while balancing fiscal responsibility with the exceptional services our community relies on and staff provides.

This budget reflects rising non-discretionary costs, particularly in personnel and benefits, while holding the line on staffing with no increase in full time positions. It also makes the deliberate use of fund balance to offset one time capital expenses, supporting critical infrastructure and long-term priorities while easing the immediate burden on taxpayers.

At the same time, we remain mindful of the Village’s broader capital commitments and the importance of pacing investments responsibly.

This is a thoughtful and balanced budget that reflects both fiscal discipline and forward planning. I am grateful to our staff and my colleagues for their collaboration and care throughout this process. I also want to recognize Former Trustee Gans for his leadership of the finance group, and Trustee Kofman and the Mayor for their diligent work.

Finally, I want to thank our Village Manager for her steady leadership. Thank you to the Deputy Treasurer, Village Manager’s office and Tom Vouzakis. We are deeply appreciative.

Tim Foley

To echo Mark Twain, I didn’t have time to write a short statement, so I wrote a long one instead.

This is certainly an odd calendar for those of us who are new to our roles as Trustees. Statewide election law sets a March election, followed by an April swearing in, and then, when we’ve barely had a cup of coffee in our new roles, another state law requires us to vote on a budget that had been worked, reworked, and sweated over for months before we arrived on the scene. We’re essentially weighing in at the eleventh hour.

That makes me all the more personally grateful for the work that former Trustees Gans, Mazer, and Wise, my current fellow Trustees, and especially the staff have put into this budget, which reflects a meticulous attention to detail, a culture of constant improvement when it comes to working and reworking the numbers, and a commitment to delivering the best possible value for Scarsdale taxpayers.

Though we will vote to approve the budget tonight, our residents can be assured that this commitment to professional fiscal prudence will continue into the year that will follow. The past few years have supplied the proof, as our unassigned fund balance has increased some 69% since 2021 -- not because of urgent or planned transfers, but because of savings found and adjustments made during each of those years. For the 2025-2026 budget, we had planned to use $1.85 million on capital projects -- and we did! But we still are projected to net some $600,000 additional into the unassigned fund balance even after that spending by the end of the fiscal year -- essentially $2.45 million better than expected. That should promote a high degree of confidence that the Mayor, the Manager, and the staff are doing what they can, not just today but every day.

I am also grateful for past Board of Trustees for Scarsdale’s consistent fiscal health and for managing the village’s debt burden so well over the preceding years. The Office of the State Comptroller's Fiscal Stress Monitoring System (FSMS) says that the median debt service for villages as a percentage of revenues is 8%. This year, Scarsdale is expected to be only 1.6% putting us in superb and enviable shape to make the major capital investments we need to deliver benefits for our members that will last a generation or more -- including the pool.

On the operations side, the increase in the tax levy certainly gave me pause and, new as I was, made me spend a lot of time checking and double checking the budget tables. But the reality is that the fundamentals of our operational budget have not changed. Nearly 70% of it is comprised of personnel and benefits. This budget does not increase the number of staff -- indeed it has a decrease of 2 full time positions -- and averages a standard 3% increase for compensation. But we will pay nearly as much in benefits as we do in salary this year, and must swallow a 8.3% increase in benefits that we have few if any options to mitigate.

It’s worth mentioning that Westchester County just had to enact a budget with a property tax increase after a decade and a half of zeroes or modest decreases. The initial County Executive budget had a much higher property increase than what is being proposed in Scarsdale’s budget, and it was only trimmed down with an 8% cut across all departments and a reduction in 180 positions. And it should be said the County property tax levy is only 23% of its revenues while it is 73% of ours. No matter how you look at it, I don’t think our residents have the appetite to patiently endure the contraction and the shrinking of the services that they expect and deserve that would be necessary to meet the tax cap target this year. There may someday be more efficiencies to wring out of the system through technology and future use of AI, but that day is not today.

Importantly, this budget isn’t just about maintaining the status quo. It continues to make important investments in the future of Scarsdale -- most notably in the $4.1 million in capital improvements for stormwater improvements in anticipation of the new normal of frequent extreme weather events.

Therefore, on balance, I am comfortable voting yes for this budget, but my analysis and our conversations have suggested three areas that ought to also be our focus moving forward, alongside a continuing commitment to efficiency.

First, having property taxes be 73% of our revenues is high, even for Scarsdale, and suggests there is a lot more work to be done to create incentives for more business and economic development, creating the conditions whereby we could increase the sales tax we receive, looking at property taxes on commercial properties not just residential, and applying for outside funding from the county, state, or federal government. Anything we do in these areas will help stabilize the property taxes our residents will pay in future years.

Second, the Mayor had suggested as part of a colloquy with Anne Hintermeister that we might revisit the village’s policy of a percentage target for our unassigned fund balance of 15-20% of revenues. We are anticipating being over that threshold for this year. Just as a matter of good governance, if we have a policy, we should try to follow it; and if we think the target it sets is wrong or too inflexible, we should change it. The recommended ranges by the Office of the State Comptroller and the Government Finance Officers are overlapping but not the same, and some tweaking may well be in order. I agree that using fund balance for operations is a giant red flag for rating agencies, even when branded as tax relief, and ought to be avoided unless we’re in a true fiscal crisis. But it’s worth the conversation as to whether we’re being ambitious enough in our capital projects, particularly for flood mitigation and stormwater management, given anticipated future needs.

Finally, just as an observation, tucked into the details of the budget is a tale of two Parking Garages. The Freightway Garage is budgeted to have $460,000 in revenue from parking permits, but we’re going to have to invest $416,000 in capital repairs just to keep it limping along and prevent more spaces from being structurally unusable. The village continues to shoulder all of the financial burden of what is clearly a distressed property. In the meantime, the parking garage built as part of the public-private partnership at Christie Place nets nearly as much revenue for the village -- $430,000 -- but we’re only budgeting $30,000 in improvements -- and that’s for new equipment. There is simply no way you can look at the math on Freightway and think that makes sense for our taxpayers and our budget long-term, making the wisdom of the public process to discuss what our community would prefer to see on the site -- and the guardrails we’d want to set up to make sure we’re getting the best possible outcome -- all the more clear and pressing this year.
Thank you for patience, and thank you to the staff for such superb work on this budget and all year long.

David Goldschmidt

I would like to begin by thanking the Village Manager and the entire staff for their dedication and professionalism in guiding us through the budget process this evening. Crafting a responsible budget is never an easy task, and your hard work, diligence, and commitment are evident at every stage.

This Board has been mindful of the burden that any tax increase places on our residents. We approached this process with a clear reluctance to exceed the statutory tax cap and worked diligently to keep the tax levy as low as possible. While some had hoped the increase would remain within the 3.65% cap, the reality of contractual obligations, built-in wage adjustments, and rising healthcare and pension costs made that goal unattainable. Even so, we exercised discipline by minimizing discretionary spending while continuing to meet our responsibility to maintain and improve our aging infrastructure. Let me be clear: we do not take tax increases lightly. I remain committed in the coming year to closely monitoring costs and striking the right balance between fiscal responsibility and the high level of services our residents expect and deserve. I commend my fellow Board members for sharing this commitment.

Jason Kofman

I want to thank the Village Manager, the Deputy Treasurer and the rest of the Village team for your diligent work on this exercise, which has been many months in the making and in full transparency for our residents.

I support passage of this Budget. I am satisfied that we are setting the Village Tax levy at the point that optimizes the delivery of services expected by our residents, provides appropriate compensation for Village staff, and provides the Village with the financial resources to support important and, in some cases, long-awaited capital investments.

While I am not happy with the size of the Village Tax levy - - like all Scarsdale homeowners I would prefer it to be lower - - it is appropriate in order to support the operational needs of the Village. As a reminder, mandatory personnel expense increases soak up over 90% of the tax levy, leaving very little funds to support other investments. And as we have stated multiple times, this Budget contains no increase in Village headcount and actually requires elimination of 2 part-time roles.

I also support the Fund Balance strategy set forth in this Budget. It provides the Village with a robust financial backstop in support of the Village’s Aaa credit rating while giving us flexibility as we decide how to finance capital spending the for coming fiscal year. As a reminder, we expect a significant amount of capital spending to come.

In sum, I support passing this budget and I encourage my fellow Board members to support passage as well. Thank you.

Ron Schulhof

I believe the proposed budget continues to deliver services that our residents expect, funds new and important projects, and is fiscally responsible with our taxpayer dollars.

As has been mentioned throughout the budget process, mandated costs (such as healthcare) continue to rise significantly each year, which makes it increasingly difficult to fund other areas of the budget without placing an undue burden on residents. I am grateful for the hard work of the Village Manager, Village Staff, Mayor and the previous Board, who worked diligently to manage those costs while ensuring Scarsdale continues to receive the services, projects, and capital improvements that make our Village such a wonderful place to live.

As in prior years, the budget process was transparent, deliberate, and collaborative. Thank you to the residents who shared their feedback throughout.

Scott Silberfein

Tonight, I will be voting in support of the adoption of the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27. I am confident that the extensive work, collaboration, and careful iterations that went into the budget's development have produced a budget that thoughtfully balances many competing priorities including maintaining essential services and operations for our residents, meeting our contractual obligations, and exercising prudence and discipline with precious taxpayer dollars.

Thank you to our dedicated staff, current and former trustees, and the members of our community who contributed their time, input, and thoughtful comments throughout the budget process.