Town Board’s Decisions Hurting Businesses

In another recent email blast, Mr Feiner all but admitted he and his Board have helped to hurt business along Central Avenue. He said, “The Austin Ave & Ridge Hill developments have hurt businesses located on Central Ave. And the soon to open up Rivertowns Square shopping plaza off the Saw Mill River Parkway will hurt local businesses even more.” Mr Feiner has never met a major project or developer he has not endorsed or supported. While these two examples were not approved by he and his Board, the Unincorporated Town is full of similar projects, showing his largess to developers by his actions. Although there is now one he's gone against, The Jefferson in Ardsley.
 
More importantly, many residents, business owners, the G10 and others concerned with all of the regulations, fees, fines, permits, etc., that business owners are faced with from the Town have warned of the ill-effects it will have on not only our retail businesses, but our service industries in general. One example several years ago was when the Town Board directly tried to create a fine through a “new regulation” addressed specifically against the Apple Farm.
 
It seems that one of the Board members had gone to the Apple Farm and saw the flimsy wooden and/or cardboard crates stacked on the sidewalk after being delivered that morning. Seizing on an opportunity to balance the Town’s budget given its lawsuit payments and fines, a discussion about safety ensued. Of course the end result was a new regulation with a fine. This was never about safety. And, the sidewalk is on private property and doesn’t even fall under the aegis of the Town.
 
There is little left in our Town that isn’t taxed, regulated, or fineable, has a fee attached to it or allows for simply something you can do without government overreach fondling our wallets. And when there does happen to be something not regulated, requiring a fee or is, perish the thought, free, there’s a politician researching how to write a new bill to allow government to tax it! Is it any wonder people are voting with their feet? But, it turns out Greenburgh is not alone.
 
The City of White Plains released their proposed budget several days ago. As do all politicians, they bemoaned the NYS 2% Tax Cap as the cause for their financial woes. The reality is the tax cap is superficial and the real issue is their lack of budgetary and financial savvy. Let’s take a look at a few of their budget changes. The low hanging fruit, if you will, are the successful businesses that won’t do more than balk a bit and then pay up. Case in point is the Cabaret Licensing that was just approved by the White Plains Council to the tune of a 400% increase from $500 per year to now $2,500 per year! In White Plains these cabaret licenses must be renewed yearly, effective July 1, 2016. Although, come election-time, you’ll hear them all profess, “I’ll fight for you!”
 
According to White Plains Common Council President James Kirkpatrick, “But we had a ridiculously low tax cap this year — one tenth of one percent — and we haven’t raised some of these fees in a long time.” So, there you have it, a valid reason to increase fees 400% - simply because it hasn’t been done in a while. He claimed that cabaret licensing required a significant amount of work by city staffers to review and administer these applications. Hello? This is why you have these staff members, to do the City’s work, review applications and paperwork. Why are some taxpayers being taxed a second time and forced to pay twice for services?
 
The state tax cap has limited the amount of money local governments can raise through taxes to two percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. For Greenburgh it is about the same as White Plains, which is 0.12 percent. However, all these various Boards must do is vote to go beyond the tax cap and then they can do whatever they feel the need to do. The real problem is fear. None of them want to be the bad guy who voted openly to raise taxes.
 
Fee increases are also coming for eateries that provide sidewalk seating and service during the spring and summer. Those businesses currently pay $7.50 per square foot of public sidewalk that is used. Beginning July 1, the rate will be $8 per square foot. Coin operated laundries in the city will see their annual licensing fee escalate from $50 to $150 for those with 30 machines or fewer, and from $100 to $250 for laundromats with 31 or more machines.
 
All businesses will be charged more for alarm permits, with the annual license renewal doubling from $100 to $200 a year. Businesses will also see an increase in the cost of the annual fire inspection required by city fire code, from $4.20 per $1,000 of assessed value to $5 per $1,000 — a 19 percent increase.
 
Most business owners never saw it coming. Commuters and residents won’t be spared from fee increases either, with the price of city parking permits going up by varying amounts, depending on type of permit and location of the lot or garage. The residential alarm permit application fee remains the same at $50, but the annual permit renewal cost has been doubled from $25 to $50. Also going up, from $7.50 to $10, is the cost of obtaining a police accident report. The price of a police Good Conduct certificate, which is sometimes requested by potential employers, is rising from $5 to $25. Look around in White Plains when you are searching for a parking space. There is no place you can park for free. Frankly, many have stopped shopping in White Plains for that reason alone.
 
So why does all of this matter? It’s simple really. Again, in his daily email blast, where Mr Feiner discussed Austin Ave & Ridge Hill developments and the impending Rivertowns Square shopping plaza off the Saw Mill River Parkway, his solution is to shut down one lane or one side of Central Avenue and treat it like a street fair once a month. Not only is this absurd, it would be a logistical nightmare from a safety, traffic, travel and crowd control standpoint. Frankly, it’s not a solution, it’s another Feiner deflection away from the real issue – over-development. Plus, all we need is one senior to drive the wrong way or get confused and turn into the wrong area and it was all for naught.
 
Here’s a better idea. Plan a budget that works within the amount of money the Town takes in through all of its current revenue streams. Then start reviewing those that have been inactive, unused or ignored and delete them. Then begin to incorporate a Comprehensive Plan for each city, town, village and community and adhere to it. Most important, however, is to have the politicians, who know nothing about operating a successful business, get out of the way of business and let them do what they do. They are the experts and they will figure out the solution.
 
Finally, Mr Feiner, as you approve these major building proposals throughout the Town, you have been told by many how these projects will affect business. Sadly, while you and your Board refuse to listen, many residents, especially those with kids, are too fearful to take a bike ride on our streets because you have over-developed the area and there is just too much traffic. There is no cohesive planning to develop and more importantly maintain walking and biking throughout our Town. Why fix it when you can talk about it? This has to stop. Only then will we get A Better Greenburgh.