Town of Orangetown: 2008 State of the Town

STATE OF THE TOWN

Town of Orangetown

Supervisor Thom Kleiner

January 7, 2008

On behalf of returning councilmembers Marie Manning and Denis Troy, new members Mike Maturo and Nancy Low-Hogan, and those who were sworn in again with us tonight - Town Clerk Charlotte Madigan, Highway Superintendent Jim Dean and Judge Paul Phinney - it is my pleasure to welcome you to the first meeting of the 2008-2009 Orangetown Town Board.

I also want to acknowledge and thank John Edwards and Teresa Kenny, our Town Attorneys, Police Chief Kevin Nulty, Superintendent of Parks and Recreation Rich Rose, Assessor Brian Kenney, Finance Director Charlie Richardson, Environmental Management and Engineering Director Ron Delo, Building Department Director John Giardiello, Tax Receiver Bob Simon, and Personnel Director Eileen Schlag - and all the men and women who make this Town work. Again, thank you to all.

I also want to thank Suzanne Barclay, my executive assistant who was recognized previously, and my secretary Donna Morrison. I'm also happy to report that Pam Miles, who was my first executive assistant, will be rejoining us to fill an existing part time position.

(Acknowledgment of elected officials present.)

I finally want to recognize and thank my wife Deborah, my daughters Caroline and Susannah, my mother Marlene and Morrill Cole.

It is always helpful at times like these to look back and see what has been accomplished, to note those times where we fell short and, particularly, to look forward to things we wish to accomplish in the future. So, in a moment I will outline the most significant issues facing our town. But before I do, it is important to establish the governing philosophy for those things that we will try to accomplish together.

There are two reasons to do this. First, this board has the first true Democratic majority in almost two decades. And it is the first time since 1973 that a 4-1 Democratic majority is starting out a term. The public needs to know what to expect from this board.

Each member of this new majority is fiercely independent, beholden to no one but the residents whom they serve and not interested in serving any particular constituency, region of the town, political boss or special interest group. I cannot expect, nor would I even suggest, that their party affiliation would dictate whether they would support any particular initiative that I put forward.

What I do expect is that my ideas and our collective efforts will get a balanced hearing and a lively debate - one that does not shun the public, but invites them to participate and takes energy from their collective wisdom.

I have also long made it clear that if I were ever to achieve a majority I would treat the members of the minority as equal partners. That will be the case: Information will be shared, all members will be advised in advance regarding issues of consequence and each member will be an equal partner in the running of town government. We had a good start in that regard on Saturday when the full Board screened 15 excellent candidates for the town attorneys' office and our land use boards.

So what will remain the same and how will things be different?

Finances, taxes and budgeting

Over a number of years the Town Board has worked collaboratively to keep taxes and spending as low as possible while providing the services that our residents expect and deserve. This will not change. The Town is in good fiscal shape; last month, Moody's Investor's Services praised the Town's “conservative budgeting” and “healthy reserve levels.”

How things will be different: What is changing is the nation's economy and the very real possibility of a recession. In response to that possibility, the 2008 budget assumes lower mortgage tax revenues and building permit revenues. We will need to continually monitor revenue trends throughout 2008 and make spending adjustments where necessary. We will work with the Board very early in 2008 on the 2009 budget to look for efficiencies and budget savings and to find innovative ways to reduce costs.

Even if the economy rebounds, the day to day challenge of residents struggling to make ends meet and stay in this community is something that must continuously be recognized by the Board and be considered in everything we do.

RPC

After an RFP process, Hovnanian was selected to build active adult housing on a portion of the property we acquired from the State. The Town paid $5.9 million for 348 acres in January, 2003. When they close, Hovnanian will pay the Town $24 million for the right to develop about 80 of those acres. This Board is committed to using those funds primarily for tax and debt relief.

We are continuing to aggressively move ahead to allow the applicant to appear before the Planning Board as quickly as possible. The current challenges in the housing market are well known and we will work with the developer to expedite this project.

How things will be different: We will pay particular attention to architectural detail and aesthetics and energy efficient building. We will begin that process by appointing members to our land use boards who will bring new expertise to those boards and make the RPC project and all new development better.

Senior Housing

The Planned Adult Community (PAC) zone authorized by the Town Board has, in part, worked the way the Board had intended: Two major high quality developments for people 55 years of age and over have been approved by the Planning Board. One is almost completed, and the other is about to begin construction. However, other than those affordable units mandated by the PAC law, there is a lack of affordable housing for Orangetown seniors.

How things will be different: The Masons' proposal on Western Highway has the greatest potential to address our seniors' affordable housing needs. That proposal will be given a hearing in the next several weeks before the Town Board so that we can determine if it should move forward.

Drainage

All Town Supervisors have been disappointed by the County's failure to work effectively with the Town engineers to conduct a countywide drainage study. We need the County to take the lead since the most critical drainage problems involve County streams. We will renew our push for progress on this in coming weeks. Through the efforts of Ron Delo and Jim Dean, Orangetown has had much better success at making improvements in those areas under our immediate jurisdiction.

Recreational Fields

The new baseball fields are completed and the soccer fields are in the process of being finished. We are fortunate that, even after our soccer contractor defaulted, new contractors were hired by the bonding company to allow that project to proceed. Sod has now been laid - at no additional cost to the Town - on part of the soccer complex. This will allow the fields to be used as scheduled.

Implications for the future: The completion of these fields will open up existing fields for new and growing sports, including lacrosse. More generally, this Town Board will continue its strong advocacy for both the leagues and other recreational activities, and will work diligently with our Parks and Rec Director, Rich Rose, to accomplish that.

Traffic Calming

Of all of the issues that residents call about, the most frequent concern is speeding on our local roads. Particular trouble spots include Lexington Road and Concord Drive in Tappan, but many other area residents have expressed their concern as well.

To address this, Highway Superintendent Jim Dean has been researching what communities around the country are doing to calm traffic and make streets safer for pedestrians and drivers. We've formed a traffic calming committee made up of the Highway Superintendent, the Police Chief and the Director of the DEME. They, and others, will establish the criteria for establishing where new traffic calming devices are installed and will make a presentation to the Town Board for our consideration in the coming weeks.

Route 303

The short term measures that we have implemented based on the Sustainable Development Study have improved safety and saved lives. But we have been frustrated by the slow bureaucratic pace that has delayed implementation of the big ticket recommendations, such as medians to increase safety and improve aesthetics. On a parallel track, the County has finally received the go- ahead to implement Quiet Zones in the 303 corridor. Once safety gates are installed, train conductors will no longer be required to use their horns at intersections. This will significantly improve the quality of life for residents.

What will be different? Recently I met with Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee and Astrid Glynn, new Commissioner of New York State Department of Transportation. We will work with her to fast-track the release of the funds needed to complete the most significant recommendations of the Study.

Hamlet Center Revitalization

Improvements have been made in the hamlet centers of Pearl River - where poles have been removed, sidewalks and curbing have been installed - as well as Tappan, Sparkill and Blauvelt.

How things will be different: Parking as well as the park in Sparkill Center will be studied by a landscape architect this winter. We will be asking Sparkill residents to participate in the design process. Councilman Mike Maturo, who has already been helpful in focusing us on Sparkill issues, will be a critical player in this discussion. We will also continue to collaborate with the Pearl River Chamber of Commerce to determine the priorities for revitalizing the downtown. We will, in addition, work with the County to ensure that their infrastructure improvements in Tappan are expeditiously completed.

Building, Zoning and Planning

The Building Department and Director John Giardiello have activated a hotline that residents can use to alert the Code Enforcement Officers about potential violations. This will act as a clearinghouse for complaints regardless of which inspector eventually responds to that complaint. The Town's website will also soon include a “tip of the month,” which will advise homeowners of building issues and safety reminders.

Applications to the land use boards will also now be accompanied by digital photographs of the site locations to assist the Board members and to better inform the public during the review process. The new Chair of the Planning Board will also propose other innovations to make that Board more user friendly for the applicants and more accessible for members of the general public.

School and State Taxes

How will things be different: The Orangetown Town Board will urge our state legislators to develop a realistic plan for changing the school tax funding formula. This is an issue that Councilwoman Nancy Low-Hogan passionately spoke about during the campaign. Democrats and Republicans alike have stated their frustration in relying so heavily on the property tax to fund our schools. To date, no concrete and realistic alternatives to that formula have been put forward.

We will also work with our school districts to share expenses where we can to achieve savings.

Labor Relations

For 12 years I have personally had good relations with our employees and the leadership of the CSEA and the PBA. Our current disagreement with union leadership on the issues of employee contributions to health care premiums has made for a challenging labor-management bargaining session, but one that is an inevitable consequence of the changing nature of health care in our country.

How things will be different: Many of the difficult issues between labor and management won't simply go away because of the change in Board composition. We are in mediation with the CSEA and will work to bring that process to a successful resolution that benefits the employees and the Town as a whole. Despite the differences that separate us in these negotiations, we appreciate and value the work done, day in and day out, by our employees.

Environmental Issues/Climate Control

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, there is now clear evidence of climate change as a result of global warming in the Hudson Valley. Decreased snow falls, rising sea levels and warmer temperatures have been documented. It is no longer theoretical or happening somewhere else. We particularly honor those 13 scientists from the Lamont Dougherty Earth Science Laboratory here in Palisades who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore last year. But what can we do about this global problem?

How Things will be different: This Board will pass the Mayors Climate Control Protection Act, as over 750 municipalities have already done. The County of Rockland, under the leadership of Legislator Connie Coker and Chair Harriet Cornell, is one of those municipalities that has signed on. Signatories to this document agree to take steps to begin to reduce their carbon footprint. Numerous organizations have developed concrete actions and programs - such as the Sierra Club's Cool Cities - that we may wish to adopt and adapt for Orangetown. To sift through all of the possibilities and determine which projects make sense for us, we will ask for citizen input and expertise.

The Siemens Corporation completed an energy audit last summer of Town facilities and recommended projects for lowering the Town's energy use and reducing expenses. Ron Delo will present these ideas at the workshop on January 22 at 8 p.m. We are also likely to tighten our tree preservation ordinance, and will look at hybrid vehicles for the Town's fleet. If you would like to join in these efforts, please call my office.

Business/Economic Development

Regardless of party control, Orangetown has long followed conservative land use practices with regard to zone changes and subdivision development. That philosophy, which benefits residents, as well as businesses looking to relocate to Orangetown, will continue.

How things will be different: We will continue to encourage economic development and business opportunities. The designation of the Empire Zone on the former Mercedes property will allow us to attract additional companies to that site (Hunter Douglas has already committed to locating there). We have been working with the REDC and the RBA to find economic development opportunities on land at RPC that Hovnanian will not be building on, as well as at the Bradley Industrial Park.

But we must also be mindful that regional issues affect not only residents, but businesses as well. So, this Board will be even more vigilant in monitoring the Tappan Zee Bridge study and advising the Town about the impacts, in following the relicensing procedure for Indian Point, and tracking the FAA Flight Redesign Study and the potential for additional flights over our heads. All of these projects could potentially dramatically affect our quality of life.

Relationship with River villages

When I was first elected to this office in 1995 and living in Grandview, I said we would break down the psychological barrier that existed between the three parts of Orangetown: Pearl River to the west, Orangeburg and other hamlets in the center and the River villages to the east. We have never really been successful in doing that, but we have made other progress.

Our decision to take over the aging sewer system in the River villages has not only been critically important for the River villages residents, but also for our environment since sewer spills often ended up in the Hudson River and that affects us all.

How things will be different: We now have a bona fide resident of the River villages on this board: Nancy Low-Hogan. As chairwoman of the South Nyack Planning Board, she also brings specific knowledge and expertise that will benefit all Orangetown residents. Mike Maturo also has done a lot of work in the hamlets of Sparkill, Tappan and Palisades. There will be a new level of respect and cooperation with our friends to the east. And we will make a better effort to tap the talent there for the benefit of all our residents.

The next two years will be a very exciting time for the members of this Board, and, hopefully, for all Orangetown residents. We have a vibrant, smart, committed Board that will work across party lines and prior divisions to make Orangetown better. To be sure that you know what we're doing, we will continue the newsletter that we started last fall, we will hold town meetings in different parts of the Town, and we will improve our website.I would appreciate hearing from you how we might serve you better.

We look forward to having each of you join us on this journey. Thank you.

Created by creator. Last modified 2008-01-17 15:25:23.