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Eastchester REVIEW THE

April 1, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 14 | www.eastchesterreview.com

Playland review deadline extended to late April By JAMES PERO Staff Writer

Lilly Grass defends an Albertus Magnus player during Bronxville’s season opener on March 28. The defending Class C champions got off to a good start in 2016, cruising past the Falcons 19-4. For more, see page 15. Photo/Mike Smith

Village of Tuckahoe tentative budget outpaces tax cap By KILEY STEVENS Staff Writer The village of Tuckahoe has drafted its first copy of the tentative municipal budget for the fiscal year of 2016-2017. The budget currently comes in at $12.2 million, nearly a 3 percent increase from last year’s budget. The budget currently exceeds the tax cap of 0.12 percent by 4.04 percent. The Board of Trustees has already authorized Village Administrator David Burke to override the tax levy cap. However, the board has not yet decided on whether or not an override will be necessary. According to Burke, there will be no new positions created within the village this year. Based on the tentative budget, property taxes are set to increase by 4.16 per-

cent. The current year’s budget required an override of the tax cap. The budget notes nearly a 30 percent decrease in the village treasurer’s salary, which Burke explained has been cut to a parttime position since last year when the former full-time treasurer was not reappointed. Burke added that the village is unsure of the future of their current part-time treasurer or how long they will stay in their position. In the Police Department, a 2.01 percent raise is proposed for all 23 members. There are only three capital projects proposed within the budget: the purchase of a police vehicle, a new Ford F-250 for the Department of Public Works, and a road resurfacing project, totaling $179,000. The road resurfacing project will consist of

general paving of village roads, according to Burke. Trustee Steven Alfasi, a Republican, said that the decision to vote in favor of being able to exceed the tax cap is important in case of an unforeseeable event or disaster that may require extra funds. “We’ve voted not to tie our hands,” Alfasi said. Mayor Steve Ecklond, a Republican, told the Review that in upcoming budget meetings, it will be the goal of the village board to trim down the budget. He added that the 0.12 percent tax cap makes creating a budget incredibly difficult, citing that a village basically has to maintain a flat budget, with no increases, to meet the cap. “[Meeting the tax cap is] pretty unrealistic when you have un-

funded mandates built in to your budgets,” the mayor said. Ecklond also said that the village has been forced to trim its budget for years to align itself with the tax cap, and thinks the village workforce is an appropriate size to accommodate the needs of Tuckahoe residents. “We do not have any plans of reducing our labor force,” he said. Ecklond mentioned that the village has some savings coming by way of insurance lines, which will help decrease the village expenses for the upcoming fiscal year. “We’re going to make sure that we budget appropriately in looking at both the revenue and expense side of the balance sheet,” he said. CONTACT: kiley@hometwn.com

An agreement between Westchester County and the management company Standard Amusements to transfer management of Rye Playland will spill over into late April as the Board of Legislators works to whittle down the deal’s $58 million in countyfunded capital projects. A newly proposed deal by members of the county Board of Legislators, according to board Chairman Michael Kaplowitz, a Yorktown Democrat, would suggest a new price tag of $30 million in county-funded infrastructure projects, cutting the former proposal by nearly half. As a part of an amended agreement struck between Standard and Republican County Executive Rob Astorino’s administration, which was reached in late February, Standard is also planning to invest $30 million of its own money into making necessary improvements to the park. Ned McCormack, spokesperson for Astorino’s administration, said that the new proposed dollar amount isn’t set in stone, but will be part of an ongoing conversation with the Board of Legislators and Standard. “The negotiations are between Standard and the board,” McCormack said. “If they come up with a number that’s less than $58 million then that’s between them.” According to Kaplowitz, the proposed $30 million in county-funded projects for the park represents a much more feasible split between the two partners. “We showed that a 30/30

[split] is the sweetest spot,” Kaplotwitz said in reference to both partners putting in $30 million. “It’s a significant investment but it reduces our financial cost quite a bit.” Kaplowitz added that through 2027, the deal with Standard will ensure that the county spends $4 million less than they would if there weren’t a deal agreed upon. Additionally, proposed legislation—which will be voted on by the Board of Legislators after press time—aims to extend the current agreement’s March 31 deadline until April 29, effectively prolonging Standard’s option to walk away from the deal. According to Kaplowitz, Standard has showed a willingness to negotiate with the county. “They’ve shown quite a bit of flexibility so far,” he said. The latest extension of the deadline comes after a string of alterations to an agreement originally struck between Standard and Astorino in June 2015 to transfer over management and operations of the park to the private company. While the initial agreement proposed only $22.5 million in county-funded capital projects to the ailing 88-year-old amusement park, an amended agreement introduced in February 2016 nearly tripled that amount. Since the newly amended agreement was introduced, backlash from members of the county board—who claim that the terms of the new agreement are too burdensome on PLAYLAND continued on page 5