From the Mayor
Dear Larchmonters,
Happy Spring! In local government this is when the new year really begins – we finish fine-tuning the budget, begin regular annual maintenance around the Village and start rolling with our capital projects. In the spirit of spring and new beginnings, this month I asked Village Administrator Justin Datino to write a portion of the monthly newsletter. Enjoy – I’ll be back at the end with some additional news items.
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From the desk of Village Administrator Justin Datino
2022/23 Tentative Budget
Each year the Village Board, along with its Finance & Budget advisory committee and the Village’s professional staff, review the budget in detail. Typically, this review coincides with the preparation of the next year’s budget, which we begin in January and complete in April. The annual budget preparation process ensures that essential services are being delivered according to the quality and efficiency standards set by the Village Board.
Like households in Larchmont, the Village is feeling the financial pressure of the current times. The cost of electricity is up 25% for 2022; fuel costs have doubled in one year; health and general liability insurance are expected to increase 10-12%; all in addition to inflationary pressures realized on the procurement of goods and services.
Despite these significant obstacles, a “New York State Property Tax Cap compliant” tentative budget was presented to the Village Board at its March 14, 2022 Board Meeting. It proposes a tax rate decrease of 1.43% with a tax levy increase of 2.38%. Strong home sales and improvements to private properties are driving factors in a 4.57% increase to the Village’s total valuation, which in turn creates a broader base upon which to collect the property tax revenue needed to operate the Village.
As proposed, the 22/23 Tentative Budget maintains all services and funds significant capital improvements in the Village. Improvements to emergency communications, purchase of hybrid vehicles, road paving, sidewalk repairs, and sanitary sewer and stormwater improvements are all included in the 22/23 Capital Budget. The tentative budget has been posted to the Village’s website and the Village Board will be holding a public hearing on April 18, 2022 at 7:30pm to receive comment on the budget in advance of considering its adoption. New York State Law requires that the Village adopt a budget no later than May 1st.
State / Federal Investment to Village Infrastructure
The Village’s elected officials and professional staff remain diligent in their efforts to advocate for State and Federal assistance as it pertains to the burdensome, multi-million-dollar cost to maintain our 100+ year old infrastructure and facilities. Recently staff discussed the Village’s infrastructure concerns with Congressman Bowman’s office, where we highlighted the following needs:
· Our drinking water and sanitary sewer infrastructure is over 100 years old and requires immediate investment to remain fully operational.
· The Larchmont Reservoir’s two dams are a constant concern, for which the Village needs resources from the State and Federal Government to properly maintain these structures.
· The Village’s sidewalks and roadways, which are essential to transportation, recreation, and quality of life, are in need of repairs and replacement.
· Village Hall and DPW buildings, both around 100 years old, currently require major repairs and replacement of the roofs, gutters, windows, HVAC, and other building systems which have simply out lived their useful life by decades.
The mounting cost of these capital investments to Village infrastructure are significantly more than what our 6,600 residents can shoulder alone.
We encourage our residents to also advocate for their Village directly to your State and Federal representatives.
Capital Projects
While we anticipate and hope to receive State and Federal support to repair and improve our infrastructure, the Village is chipping away at some of this work within the resources it can allocate for several projects.
The Village’s annual road resurfacing program was delayed in 2020 due to COVID, but work is underway to prepare for paving this spring. Prior to paving a Village roadway, all the sub-surface utilities are assessed, and repairs are made to reduce the need to “open up” the road in the near future. Currently, the Village’s DPW is reviewing the sanitary and storm sewer pipes within this year’s planned paving areas and making any repairs that are needed. The Village is also proactively replacing any known lead water service lines with copper lines.
The Village’s paving contractor has completed repairs/replacement of the ADA ramps within the paving area, and the curbing contractor will start work in April to reset or install curbing as needed. This “curb to curb” approach ensures that the investment in infrastructure will provide the longest useful life possible, protecting the community’s investment for decades to come.
Also on-going are sidewalk repairs. The Village recently engaged the services of Precision Sidewalks. This company grinds out minor to moderate tripping hazards on Village sidewalks for a fraction of the cost of a complete section by section replacement. Using this process, identified defects will be repaired more quickly and with the savings realized many more locations can be fixed each year.
The Village’s DPW recently completed a project to convert all 750 streetlights in the Village to high efficiency LED streetlights. It’s estimated the Village will use about 60% less electricity for streetlights than it used prior to the conversion.
Additional projects are identified in the Village’s Annual Capital Budget and 5-year plan, which is located in our annual budget document.
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Sad news
On March 11, 2022 Larchmont firefighter Lt. John Veteri passed away from 9/11-related illness. Lt. Veteri was a 22-year veteran of the LFD who volunteered to work on the pile at Ground Zero. Lt. Veteri received a Line of Duty funeral in Carmel, NY on Wednesday, March 16. RIP.
