Town To Spend Over $12+ Million Tuesday Night

Tuesday night promises to be a bonanza of spending of taxpayers money beyond their control and worst nightmares. It promises to also be a gravy train to contractors based on the agenda that is posted on the Town's website.

First up under Decision heading, shown below, is the Town's increase in taxes through rate increases for Water and Sewers. Of course the Town budget promises another tax increase when they pass the budget. Mr Feiner will posture that the Board stayed under the 2% NYS tax cap at 3.4%. The mainstream media will validate whatever he says. We hope the Town Comptroller attends this meeting, but this time comes prepared to actually provide answers to the public’s questions and doesn’t say, ”I don’t know and will have to get back to you.” 

DECISION
- To consider the Proposed 2014 Capital Budget and the 2015-2016 Capital Plan of the Town of Greenburgh. The capital budget was released to the public on May 28th.
- To consider a proposed increase and improvement of the facilities of the Town's Consolidated Water District
- To consider a proposed increase and improvement of the facilities of the Town's Consolidated Sewer District.

Next up under the heading of Supervisor is an ongoing and pending controversy coming from the Town Board, where the Town Board plans to condone anti-trust actions in Greenburgh by approving a request of the remaining three automotive dealerships left in Greenburgh on Central Avenue to block any competition from coming in through the adoption of this law(below). Many have fought to stop this debacle but since the attorneys for the three car dealerships have made the case, Mr Feiner wants this passed and so it will be. These attorneys also represent numerous developers friends of Mr Feiner in the Town. What passing this change does is keep any other auto dealer from gaining access or participating in selling or repairing automobiles on Central Avenue. Here's what it says on the agenda:

SUPERVISOR FEINER
Introduction of Local Law amending Section 285-29.1 of Chapter 285 of the Code of the Town of Greenburgh entitled “Zoning,” to allow owners of pre-existing motor vehicle sales uses, motor vehicle sales lots and accessory motor vehicle repair facilities in the Central Avenue Mixed-Use Impact District to apply for a special use permit from the Town Board to alter and/or expand existing facilities.

Of course, the "mother lode" on the agenda of what taxpayers will be forced to pay for is a plethora of bond issues that total 25 expenditures by our count. This doesn't include the three-quarters of a million dollars in certiorari refunds to also be voted upon Tuesday night. The certiorari refunds are due to (mostly) businesses challenging their tax assessments. Since revaluation has never been done for the 22 years Mr Feiner has been in office, the Town, schools, fire districts, sewer districts, etc., are compelled to refund the money. So when Mr Feiner complains about the high salaries of other employees, whether they are Town employees or not, he is disingenuously trying to deflect attention away from what he is costing the taxpayers.

Here's a list of what will be presented, ultimately voted upon and wonder what this is going to cost us: COMPTROLLER – 993-1528 - CO 1 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $5,100,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York to pay the cost of the Increase and Improvements of the Facilities of the Town's Consolidated Water District in said Town - CO 2 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuances of $500,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York to pay the cost of the Increase and Improvement of the Facilities of the Town's Consolidated Sewer District in said Town - CO 3 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $1,000,000 bond of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Employment of Experts to Assist in a Program of Revaluation of Real Property, in and for said Town - CO 4 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $100,000 bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of a Comprehensive Engineering Study to Replace the Falling Timber Retaining Wall at the Highway Garage, in and for said Town - CO 5 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $500,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Installation of LED Street Lighting at Various Locations in the Town - CO 6 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $154,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay cost of the Acquisition of Computer Servers, Routers and other Equipment and Software for various Town Administrative Purposes, in and for said Town - CO 7 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $250,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York to pay the cost of the Construction or Reconstruction of Various Sidewalks or Curbs, in and for said Town - CO 8 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $223,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Acquisition and Installation of Communication or Transmission Systems Improvements, in and for said Town - CO 9 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $64,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the purchase of Equipment and Vehicles for use by Various Town Departments, in and for said Town - CO 10 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $45,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Installation of a Fire Suppression System for the Ammunition Room at Police Headquarters, in and for said Town - CO 11 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $80,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Installation of Guide Rails at Various Locations Along Town Roads, in and for said Town - CO 12 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $50,367 Bonds for the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the purchase of Various Equipment for Installation or Use in Town Buildings, in and for said Town - CO 13 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $134,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Acquisition of Various Replacement Passenger Vehicles to Replace Similar Vehicles in Service for Three Years or More, or in the Case of Police or Fire Vehicles, One Year or More, in and for said Town - CO 14 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $350,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Acquisition and Installation of Drain Pipe and Related Drainage Improvements Along Old Saw Mill River Road, in and for said Town - CO 15 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $350,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Acquisition of an Automated Refuse Collection Vehicle, in and for said Town - CO 16 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $175.000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Construction of a Retaining Wall at the Police Department Headquarters, in and for said Town - CO 17 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $870,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the purchase of Equipment and Vehicles for Use by Various Town Departments, in and for said Town - CO 18 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $130,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of Improvements to the Town of Greenburgh Library, Including Installation of a Supplemental Boiler and Modification of the Circular Flower Bed, in and for said Town - CO 19 - 7/08/14 A Resolution authorizing the issuance of $92,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of improvements to the Police Department Headquarters, in and for said Town - CO 20 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $155,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of Improvements to the Town Court House, in and for said Town - CO 21 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $25,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the purchase of Traffic Signal Transfer Switches, in and for said Town - CO 22 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $50,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Replacement of Doors and Related Reconstruction Work at the Lois Bronz Facility, in and for said Town - CO 23 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $1,500,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of the Resurfacing of Various Town Roads, in and for said Town - CO 24 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $45,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of Security Enhancements and Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Improvements to the Department of Public Works Facility, in and for said Town - CO 25 - 7/08/14 Resolution authorizing the issuance of $162,000 Bonds of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, to pay the cost of Various Improvements for the Greenburgh Nature Center, in and for said Town The fact that Mr Feiner has lumped all of these expenses into one summertime meeting for a total bond expenditure of $12+ million is wrong. Keep in mind this doesn’t include the money for paying the fine for the $6.5M* Fortress Bible Church discrimination guilty verdict! With it, the total is $17.5+ million! It's a clever ploy to ensure the path of least resistance for himself and the Board by scheduling all of this during the summer months and after a big holiday weekend. ABG hopes to see more than the G10 and many more residents come out and speak against this. Without having enough time to evaluate all of these, and knowing Mr Feiner has at least a three-to-two vote to move these forward, all we can think about is the military term BOHICA**. It’s a shame taxpayers must be treated this way by their elected officials. But, as the willfully ignorant, they allow it. It’s time for them to go. Only then will we see A Better Greenburgh. * $1M is covered by Town insurance. However, since Mr Feiner was found guilty of discrimination, destroying evidence and lying under oath in Federal Court, the insurance policy does not have to pay the remainder of the guilty verdict fine of $5.5M – the Unincorporated taxpayers must. ** Bend Over Here It Comes Again.