Statement on the Proposed 2017-18 Village Budget from the LWVS
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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This statement was read at the April 12, 2017 Scarsdale Village Board meeting by Janice Starr and Joan Frankle for the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale:
The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale (the "League" or "LWVS") held a membership meeting on Monday, April 3, 2017 to evaluate the 2017-2018 Tentative Village Budget (the "Budget"). We thank Village Manager Steve Pappalardo, Deputy Village Manager Rob Cole, Village Treasurer Mary Lou McClure and Trustee and Liaison to the LWVS Deb Pekarek for attending the meeting and addressing our questions relating to the budget, as well as potential issues going forward.
The League supports the 2017-2018 Budget. We commend the Village staff, former Mayor Jonathan Mark, the Board of Trustees (the "Board") and its Finance Committee for conducting a well-managed, thoughtful process and proposing a budget that evidences careful planning, taking into consideration both the current and anticipated needs of the Village.
The League supports the budget of $56,432,806, representing a year-to-year increase of 1.75% or $968,267.
We will now address the details of our consensus opinion.
PROPERTY TAX LEVY
The proposed property tax levy increase is 2.19%, or $861,543, which corresponds to a tax rate increase of 4.10% or approximately $223 for a Village homeowner with an average assessed property value of $1,505,000. This homeowner would pay roughly $6,770 in Village taxes in 2017-2018, representing approximately 18.29% of the homeowner's total property tax bill.
The League understands it was necessary for the Board to vote to exceed the state-mandated cap on the tax levy increase (or "tax cap") of 1.37%, or $516,436. We recognize that strict and consistent adherence to the state-imposed tax cap levy would make maintaining current services and facilities unsustainable. In addition, we appreciate the restrictive nature of the state's tax cap calculation for the Village. In particular: (1) the tax cap legislation does not provide municipalities with the same advantages afforded to school districts, specifically exemption of capital improvement projects and debt service payments; (2) the cap does not include state-mandated cost increases such as Health Care cost increases, which increased by over 12% this year; and (3) the cap is not a fixed 2% cap, but actually the lesser of 2% or the Consumer Price Index, which makes it unpredictable and therefore difficult for municipalities to budget effectively and responsibly, year-to-year, under the state Tax Levy law.
We understand that reforms to the current state property tax levy law are a "tough sell" in Albany. However, the League encourages the Village to continue to advocate for changes to the law that would benefit municipalities. Reasonable reforms to the current law would include: calculating the tax levy limit based on a fixed 2% cap, as opposed to a fluctuating measure of inflation, so that municipalities can budget and plan from year-to-year and into the future; allowing the same exemptions for debt service and capital expenditures as currently allowed for school districts; and including an exemption for any increases in employee health care and other mandated costs in excess of 2%.
The League also recommends that the Village engage the community in Village advocacy by giving residents relevant information and specific action items to directly lobby the State government on these issues.
GENERAL FUND BALANCE
The League supports the rationale provided for the proposed budget's $190,000 increase in the use of fund balance. Specifically, the following factors were considered in determining next year's fund balance: adequate reserves to deal with unplanned emergencies; maintenance of fund balance within 10-15% of prior year's budget; and mitigation of tax increases, especially considering this year's health insurance cost increases of 12%. We recognize and appreciate that rating agencies consider a fund balance within 10-15% of the prior budget a healthy range given the Village's active capital improvement policy, and that this is a critical factor in maintaining the Village's Aaa rating.
WATER RATE INCREASES
The proposed water rate increase adds $105 to the proposed tax increase of $233 for a total increase of $348 for an average household assessed at $1,505,000. There are additional water rate increases already planned for the next several years. Despite this year's increase, our water rates will still be among the lowest in Westchester county.
The League understands and supports the current need for the proposed water increase which reflects actual increases in the cost of water in addition to the need to replenish the Village's self-sustaining Water Enterprise Fund, which was used to finance the renovation of Scarsdale's two pumping stations (Ardsley Road and Reeves Newsom). We commend the Village on the effective use of the Water Enterprise Fund, without overburdening taxpayers, as evidenced by Scarsdale's favorable water rate in comparison to other Westchester communities.
We further commend the Village for communicating to the public via email and mailing a list of
"tips" for how residents might conserve water and avoid higher water bills. We encourage the Village to continue to make this a part of ongoing communication with the community, and ask that this information be prominently highlighted on the Village website.
We also support the Village's continued efforts to investigate the most effective way to price water in our community to encourage conservation and cost management.
CAPITAL PROJECTS
The League supports the funding of capital projects in the amount of $7,051,500 in the proposed budget.
The League also recognizes that the Village is always looking for government grants as sources of funding for the capital plan and we support and commend the Village's ongoing efforts and effectiveness in obtaining grants. However we appreciate that grants are by no means a reliable source of funding, and that available grants frequently are not responsive to our Village's capital project priorities.
We also support the Village's approach to prioritizing projects according to a "triage system," with those projects that must be addressed for safety reasons at the top of the list, followed by less pressing, but nonetheless needed projects, and then "wanted" projects at the bottom, including those that improve community aesthetics.
We recognize that each year for the last decade the Village Board and Administration have made difficult decisions to strike a balance between responsibly addressing capital needs and keeping tax increases at manageable levels for Scarsdale taxpayers. We further recognize that in each budget year, the choice of projects is the result of many considerations, including state mandates, operational necessity to maintain core services, and operational efficiency (spending now in order to save in the future).
As we have in the past, the League again recommends that the Board and Village Management make a greater effort at the outset of the budget process to educate the community about the list and associated costs of various proposed capital projects, and which projects would have to be deferred or downgraded in the upcoming fiscal year if the Board were to propose a budget that is at or under the tax cap.
While we acknowledge that community involvement in the selection of capital projects spending is neither feasible nor productive, the League appreciates the Village's use of ad hoc committees to engage broad community input, and thus help ensure broad community support, in the process of project planning and execution. The League recommends that the Village develop a more visible and accessible way to publicize the names of ad hoc capital project committees to the community, to gain even broader input.
ROAD REPAIR
The allocation for road repair in the proposed budget is approximately $580,000 which, along with a $95,000 grant from the "Pave New York" program, plus an anticipated $500,000 in current year surplus, amounts to $1.75 million for road repair this year. This would represent an increase of over 30% relative to the 2016-2017 fiscal year's budget allocation for road repair of $1.337 million.
We are pleased that the Village has applied for grants and that they are making use of budget surplus to address the condition of the roads. We also commend the Village for effectively negotiating with Con Edison to perform and pay for "curb-to-curb" road repairs following Con Edison's gas line work on village roads, and for successfully lobbying for state legislation to improve standards for Con Edison's responsibility in making such road repairs.
The League understands that 1 mile of road repair costs the Village approximately $350,000, and that the current level of appropriation allows for the repair of only 3 - 4 miles of the 72 miles of Village roads per year. Although, it is the League's opinion that the rate at which the Village currently plans to address road repair is not sufficient, we do not support bonding or other borrowing as a way of paying for additional road repair. We agree with the Village Board and Administration that incurring debt for ongoing road repair would significantly add to the debt service costs in the operating budget and, considering that the useful "life" of the repaired roads would be no longer than the bond term, bonding road repair would be fiscally imprudent and irresponsible.
Given the recent attention voiced by members of the community regarding the pace of Village road repairs, we recommend that the Village consider using any additional surplus that might arise in order to increase the allocation for road repair in the proposed budget, keeping in mind the other less visible infrastructure needs that also must be addressed. The League further recommends that the Board and Village Management make a greater effort at the outset of the budget process to educate the community about the issues and trade-offs associated with maintaining our roads in the current fiscal environment.
The League acknowledges that some of the roads that are in the worst condition are state or county roads for which the Village has neither the responsibility nor the authority to repair. Further, we acknowledge that the Village Administration has repeatedly asked the state and the county to repair the sections of their roads that run through Scarsdale, to no avail. We recommend that the Village continue to press the state and county on their respective responsibility to maintain their roads, and to explore possible agreements with the state and county that would allow the Village to address repairs on those roads and be reimbursed by the state and county on reasonable terms. We further recommend that the Village inform the community about what individual residents might do to achieve improved county and state road conditions.
Finally, the League recommends that the Village publish and regularly update the list of Village roads for which planned surface repair is being delayed due to Con Edison or other repair schedules.
STAFFING
The proposed level of Village staffing is flat relative to the 2016-2017 fiscal year at 252 full-time equivalents, including Library personnel. This total level of personnel is approximately 10 FTEs lower than the level 30 years ago.
The League recognizes and commends the Village for maintaining the current level and quality of village services, even as staff numbers have decreased over time. However, we are concerned about the long-term viability of current levels of staffing, given the increasing need for individual staff members to perform multiple tasks and the increasing complexity of many of the Village staff responsibilities. Scarsdale, unlike many other municipalities, has a dedicated Capital Projects Manager, without whom the Village would be unable to efficiently and effectively address the annual list of capital projects. However, there are other areas for which the Village should but does not have designated managers, such as communications and environmental sustainability. The League recommends that the Village consider and plan for additional managerial staff for these and other critical areas in the near future.
We reiterate our previously expressed concern about the Village's ability to continue to attract and retain quality staff and departmental leadership in a competitive environment. We are particularly concerned given the fact that many current department heads are approaching retirement age and that younger hires are subject to higher state-mandated pension contribution rates that, together with rising health care contributions, negatively affect their overall compensation.
PROPERTY REVALUATION
The League commends the Village Manager's expressed intent to reintroduce the subject of a review of the revaluation process with the new Mayor and Board of Trustees and to address property owners' concerns that arose over the last two revaluation cycles. We support an independent expert review of each of Scarsdale's 2014 and 2016 property revaluations to move the community forward in developing a transparent process of regularly scheduled Village-wide property appraisal. The League recommends a process by which the Village conducts a village-wide property appraisal at least once every five years (as per the state-recommended guideline). Further, the League supports the Village Board's and Administration's goals of effectively balancing the issues of revaluation costs with those of quality and scope, while maintaining assessments at 100% market value and achieving equity and fairness in property taxation.
DOWNTOWN COMMERCIAL VITALITY AND DEVELOPMENT
The proposed budget does not address this issue, except as it pertains to parking revenue and enforcement. The League is concerned about the apparent decrease in downtown vitality and development and commends the Village for creating a working group to begin to engage the merchant community in discussions on how best to address topics collaboratively such as parking, empty storefronts, and the lack of diversity in commercial establishments. In addition, at the last Village Board meeting, the Trustees agreed to hire a planning and consulting firm to consider the development of the Freightway Garage and adjacent open lot in conjunction with a steering committee of local residents to further promote commercial development and revenue generation. This is a positive example of engaging community residents from the outset of a major community undertaking.
BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
As in years past, the League commends the Village for engaging in a transparent budget development process. This year we applaud the following initiatives: videotaping and broadcasting more budget meetings on Scarsdale Public TV, both live and on-demand; improved communication and accessibility of budget-related information on the village website; and improved timing and release of the first and second drafts of the Village budget. We recommend taping and televising more budget-related Board meetings in the future, including the all budget-related Finance Committee meetings.
SHARED SERVICES
The League commends the Village on the shared services and cooperation between the Village and the School District, an excellent example of which is the newly-developed Food Recycling program. We encourage the Village to continue to explore more ways to work together with the School District.
TEEN CENTER
We recognize the need to cut support for the Scarsdale Teen Center, given the withdrawal of support from the School District and the evolution of the needs of young people in our community. The League supports the Village's efforts to develop additional programming for teens within the Recreation Department.
In conclusion, we thank you for the invaluable assistance and cooperation that was extended to us in our study of the proposed budget. We commend the Board and Village Management on the timeliness and quality of the data and analysis provided during the budget process and applaud the professionalism and dedication with which the Village Manager, Deputy Village Manager, Village Treasurer, Mayor and Trustees developed the 2017-2018 Tentative Budget. Thank you for considering our comments.
Sincerely,
Janice Starr
LWVS Village Budget Chair
Deb Morel
LWVS President
Kids Recycle Sneakers for a Good Cause
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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For the past three years, Scarsdale's Leah Glucksman has been collecting gently used sneakers for the Max Cure Foundation and the Dunk Your Kicks campaign. DYK's initiative is intended to raise awareness of the fight against pediatric cancer while also helping the environment by keeping old "kicks" out of landfills. The money raised through the resale of this affordable footwear helps low-income and military families living in the U.S. with a child battling this disease.
Leah is now a senior at Scarsdale High School and is passing the torch of responsibility to her younger brother Dean, a ninth grader as SHS. He enlisted the help of his two friends, Marc Ifrah and Jack McEvoy, to expand the outreach. This year alone, the boys collected 283 pairs of footwear. To accomplish this, they set up drop boxes at local institutions - Barry's Bootcamp, FlyWheel Sports, Ripped Fitness, Westchester Reform Temple, The Jewish Community Center of Harrison and Congregation Kol Ami.
In addition to the sneaker-collection effort, Dean added his own twist to the awareness campaign - the first annual Max Cure Foundation March Madness NCAA basketball bracket. Through this inaugural event, Dean raised $1,200 for the foundation.
The Servant of Two Masters: On Stage at SHS this Weekend
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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The Servant of Two Masters is on stage at Scarsdale High School this Friday and Saturday nights, March 31 and April 1 at 7:30 pm. The play is a timeless 17th century Italian comic masterpiece by Carlo Goldoni about a servant so hungry he takes on two jobs to survive. In this updated and modernized text, the performance is different every night. The actors improvise along with the written text in the style of commedia dell'arte.
The show, under the direction of Drama Club advisor Barbara Malecki is a physical comedy that depicts a play within a play. With many twists and surprises, it portrays multiple romances, a woman masquerading as a man, and of course, a servant struggling to serve two masters at once
Playful costumes, dancing, audience participation, and improv create a bold, fun, and hilarious show that will be sure to leave you in stitches!
The performances will be in the Scarsdale High School auditorium on March 31st and April 1st at 7:30.
Tickets are available at shsdcsotm.eventbrite.com or at the door.
Fun for all ages!
Photos by Hannah Glickenhaus, Text by Stephen Orlofsky
"The Sleeping Beauty" Headlines Westchester Theatre of Dance Annual Concert
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Enchanting ballet with lovely fairies, magic spells and fairy tale characters will perform in "The Sleeping Beauty" with music by Tchaikovsky, choreography/staging by Justin Sherwood (after Petipa), and New York City guest artist Joel Levy, at The Westchester Theatre of Dance annual concert on Saturday, March 25 at 8:15 pm, and on Sunday, March 26 at 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm at the JCC's Bendheim Performing Arts Center, 999 Wilmot Road, in Scarsdale. The Westchester Theatre of Dance is the resident dance company of the JCC of Mid-Westchester Dance School. The concert will feature additional dance selections in Hip Hop, tap, salsa and classical ballet to showcase JCC Dance School students and faculty.
Saturday tickets are $28, or $23 for students and seniors, which includes a dessert reception after the show. Sunday matinee tickets are $23, or $18 for students and seniors.
Buy tickets online here or in person at the JCC Front Desk, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale. For more information, contact: Jayne Santoro, Director, JCC Dance School (914) 472-3300, x320.
Photos by Jon Thaler – see more here:
What We Risk Losing
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- Written by: Madelaine Eppenstein
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(Letter from Madelaine Eppenstein)
Here's something to think about before the Village election for Mayor and Trustees tomorrow, March 21: A free press is one of the foundational cornerstones of our, and indeed of any, democratic society, and it is considered a fundamental human right to be able to promote the dissemination of information and receive it. That freedom extends to the editorial pages of our local press outlets, both print and online, giving us as members of our community access to a variety of opinions, and the opportunity to form our own opinions. Anyone who disagrees might also take note of what the late Senator from New York, Daniel Patrick Moynihan said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts."
While we still have a chance before the Village Board and Mayoral election this Tuesday, March 21, let's put aside the distortions of political rhetoric which have been imposed on the heretofore tranquil civil discourse we have enjoyed under the non-partisan democratic system in Scarsdale, and take a look at the relevant facts that may not be widely known but should be important to the electorate in our community. It's not too late for independent, objective fact checking!
Every year, not just some years, due to a system of staggered terms Village Board positions come up for a vote by the entire electorate of our community in Scarsdale's long tradition of non-partisan, democratically representative elections. This year the non-partisan candidates of the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan party (SCNP) who are seeking your vote on March 21 are Dan Hochvert for Mayor, and Matt Callaghan, Carl Finger and Seth Ross for Trustees. You'll find them at the top of the ballot on ROW A.
These are the candidates who were selected by you and your neighbors earlier this year, in a rigorous vetting procedure to determine the most qualified among them. Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth are the only candidates who have years of hands on, real time Village Board experience in Scarsdale governance, and the demonstrated competence to address the needs of the community through their work on the Board and Board-appointed councils.
Although there is a contested election this year, these long-time Scarsdale residents who seek your vote on the Row A-SCNP slate are the only candidates running who were nominated by your thirty elected representatives – six of them from each of the five school district neighborhoods – on the non-partisan Citizens Nominating Committee (CNC). The CNC consists of a large group of nominators who became members after being elected by neighborhood voters. This is Scarsdale's democratically run tradition of leadership, in which the most qualified Scarsdale residents are vetted, nominated, and ultimately voted by the electorate into Village office without partisan politicking.
There are compelling reasons why you should vote for the Row A-SCNP slate on March 21. This year an opposition group of four self-appointed candidates put themselves in the running for these Board positions, explicitly promising to disrupt Scarsdale's established non-partisan framework. They call themselves the "Voters' Choice Party." This slate's campaign has turned against the non-partisan ideal by targeting the integrity of duly elected Village Board members and the CNC itself as part of their opposition agenda. Although under New York State law they were permitted to run by petition (or could have appeared on the March 21 ballot by write-in), no matter how well-meaning they may be, not one member of this opposition slate has ever held elected office in Scarsdale, nor has any served on the CNC as a nominator.
In this context, it is important to consider the core values and qualities we expect from our community leaders in this election. If you attended the League of Women Voters candidate forum on March 7 at the Scarsdale Library, or have viewed it online here. , you can see for yourself that there is a distinct, objective difference in experience and approach between the Row A-SCNP candidates and the newly formed VCP. Here's a reasonable definition of experience and competence: Dan Hochvert is a recent two-term Village Board Trustee and Planning Board Chair. Matt Callaghan and Carl Finger are Trustees on the current Village Board, and Seth Ross was a recent chairman of both the Planning and Zoning Boards. Both individually and collectively, the SCNP candidates have far more in-depth and practical experience in Village governance than any or all of the self-appointed candidates on the VCP slate. Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth have verifiable track records of maintaining our well-run Village, which in fact is run day to day by the Village Manager. They each have a history of listening to the concerns of the community, and working collaboratively as team members in civic activities or on boards of numerous other organizations. They believe in fact-based problem solving and tackling the challenges of Village governance lawfully, fairly and responsibly, without resorting to personal attacks, false narratives, or unfounded litigation to get their way in Village affairs. You still have time to obtain more information about the SCNP slate here: www.scarsdalecitizens.org.
Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth have actually engaged faithfully in municipal governance, making nuanced, tough decisions on our municipal budgets, balancing costs with the needs and expectations of residents, communicating with the public and responding to our concerns, and understanding the unique regulations impacting municipalities like Scarsdale that differ markedly from the those governing the private sector. Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth have the requisite qualifications our community can rely on for dedicated and responsible leadership in Scarsdale.
In contrast, you can observe for yourself that most members of the so-called "choice" slate have a demonstrably thin record of sustained, significant civic engagement compared with Dan's, Matt's and Carl's many years of service on the Village Board and their combined record with Seth of decades of profoundly significant civic and volunteer service in Scarsdale. You can judge for yourself whether the VCP candidates support a platform that offers some clearly erroneous and even fiscally unsound ideas about how the Village actually does or should work. They claim to be team players but have unjustifiably attacked the reputation of individual, sitting Board members without any grounds for doing so as part of their campaign. A fact to consider too is that, if elected, these opposition candidates, with their lack of governance experience and qualifications, would comprise a majority of the seven-member Village Board.
We risk disenfranchising the voters of Scarsdale if partisan politics were to supplant Scarsdale's system of elective government. When you come out to vote, you will not only be protecting this system in which voters of Scarsdale participate and devote their time and energy, but you will also be supporting the non-partisan tradition of governance under which Scarsdale has flourished and become one of the most well-run, respected and admired communities in the nation. Scarsdale long ago established a democratically representative system for electing highly qualified residents to run our government without partisan, divisive politics. Voting for Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth on the Row A-SCNP slate helps to ensure support for these principles and traditions into the future. In turn, they are the leadership team that is uniquely qualified by their familiarity with the issues, their experience with municipal governance and budgets, and their willingness to discuss and weigh the Village's options going forward with input from residents, staff and their fellow trustees. Importantly, they believe in fairness for all residents, including those who believe their properties may have been inaccurately assessed in recent property tax valuations.
Our democratic, non-partisan system of governance is worth preserving and protecting. On its website, here's what the League of Women Voters of Scarsdale has to say about Scarsdale's non-partisan system, without endorsing any particular candidate or slate:
"The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale has studied and supports a nonpartisan election system that selects candidates without regard to major political party affiliation for the selection of the village board and mayoral candidates in Scarsdale. As we do every year, the League monitors both the village (CNC) and the school (SBNC) election systems." http://www.lwvs.org/voterinfo.html
Consider that the alternative to this system might inevitably lead to the same endless campaign cycles that erode confidence and instill gridlock in our state and national politics. That unacceptable alternative is where candidates usually focus on one narrow, hot-button issue, even though there are many others of importance to the electorate. It's the alternative where candidates baldly claim – without evidence or verification – that the system is broken and they're the only ones who can fix it, or claim credit for the prudent decisions made by those in actual charge of the complex management of the Village.
The non-partisan system is the framework by which Scarsdale avoids the polarizing upheaval of contested elections and instead produces candidates of experience, competence, integrity and commitment to the welfare of the whole community, not just special issues or interests. Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth, have volunteered to run on the Row A-SCNP principle that they will serve the interests of all of us to the best of their abilities, without the distractions of divisive tactics and rhetoric, lawn signs or robocalls. You've been able to judge for yourself at their open houses and forums during the campaign season that Dan, Matt, Carl and Seth know what they're talking about because they've got years of practical experience serving Village government. They are focused on prudent fiscal management and fact-based solutions to issues important to the community. They believe in changing what doesn't work, and enhancing what does work, through consensus building and just plain bringing the community together.
If this makes compelling sense to you as a Scarsdale citizen, please come out to vote, and get out the vote of your friends and neighbors on March 21 at the Scarsdale Library to help keep Scarsdale's non-partisan system alive, with candidates Dan Hochvert for Mayor, and Matt Callaghan, Carl Finger and Seth Ross for the three open Village Trustee seats on Scarsdale's Village Board. Vote Row A all the way!
Madelaine Eppenstein
Fox Meadow
Submitted in my capacity as an individual, nearly 24-year resident of Scarsdale, and not on behalf of any organization. For full disclosure, I am a proud member of the Citizens Nominating Committee, the Campaign Committee of the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party, the Board of the Scarsdale Forum and Chair of its Municipal Services Committee, and the Board of the Friends of the Scarsdale Parks, Inc.
