Dear Scarsdale Friends and Neighbors,
It looks like spring may finally be here!! Please write to the
Mayor
and
Board of Trustees
and encourage them to make decisions that are good for
all
of Scarsdale.
Mayor Hochvert and the Board of Trustees did not reappoint a talented Scarsdale resident to the Board of Assessment Review (BAR), the important group of residents that determines our tax grievances. Together,
these volunteers decided over 1,800 property tax grievances and quietly fixed problems of over-assessment. Your neighbor or you probably benefited from their years of expertise in real estate valuation and tireless volunteer hours reviewing cases. When terms of two members expired, the Village Board only reappointed one, but never told the other that she would not return.
Should the Village summarily dismiss one of its most capable and dedicated volunteers without an explanation
? Residents have been writing Mayor Hochvert and the Board of Trustees to demand accountability for their actions and to reinstate one of the most effective volunteers you may not have known was working on
your
behalf. Please add your
voice
and ask that talented volunteers be treated fairly!
Unfortunately, the Mayor and Board of Trustees are also not explaining to residents why they are insisting on giving discounts to residents who use an excess amount of water. The new proposed water rate makes almost 90% of residents bear more of the burden than the remaining 10%.
Additionally, the Mayor and BOT are still insisting on passing a punitive tree ordinance that will make
it more expensive for homeowners to remove trees that they are concerned may pose a danger to their homes or properties even if they are not dead, dying, diseased or imminently hazardous.
The ordinance infringes on our property rights,
but will not impede developers from clearcutting.
Please come to the
Tree Ordinance Hearing
on April 24 at 8pm at Village Hall and have your views known!
Feel free to forward our newsletter to other residents. We welcome them to sign-up by
emailing
us.
Shabbat Shalom and Have a Good Weekend!
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More than Half of Your Water Bill Increase Will Subsidize
a Cut to the Excess Rate,
Not
Capital Projects
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By increasing the base water rate from 2017 and lowering the excess rate, the Mayor and Trustees are asking almost 90% of Scarsdale residents to subsidize the remaining 10%.
The cost of the excess rate cut is
actually greater
than the amount raised for capital improvements.
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Silence of the Mayor and Trustees is Deafening
The Board of Trustees’ decision on April 10 not to reappoint a highly qualified and experienced member of the Board of Assessment Review (BAR) has raised serious questions about appropriate policies and procedures. I understand many of the challenges that you face as Board members. However, I do not respect your silence on the issue of your decision not to reappoint Ms. Curley, a willing volunteer, to the BAR. Your silent message is deafening.
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Why are the Mayor and Trustees Mistreating a Talented Volunteer?
Kudos to The Scarsdale Inquirer for pointing out the refusal of the Village Board to renominate resident volunteer extraordinaire Jane Curley to the Board of Assessment Review ("BAR"). Jane is among the most qualified members we’ve ever had — she’s been a licensed New York State real estate appraiser, a licensed New York State real estate agent, and professionally she works for one of the world’s largest banks, validating financial models.
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Scarsdale Must Have a More Reliable Power Grid
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Recently, the Scarsdale community sustained significant damage to trees, infrastructure, houses, and power supply, as well as the high cost of emergency response. I respectfully recommend that Village Hall takes immediate steps to lead us in initiating a near-term, broad, and future focused program to improve reliability of our power grid. For better resource use and better service, we need to move quickly to develop and implement a sustainable long-term plan.
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The Scarsdale Forum is Not Living Up to Its Promise
In the last two years that I have been on the Forum Board, I have witnessed numerous conflicts of interest and questionable ethical practices.
I am making the
painful
decision to resign from the Forum Board
. I want to volunteer in organizations where leadership respects research, new chairs are not running Borgia vendettas against people with whom they disagree, no one is hiding survey results, or writing reports to whitewash the painful effects of the Ryan property revaluation.
Read more
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Recent Voters Choice Party Speeches and Articles
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Tree Ordinance Hearing, Tuesday April 24 8:00pm
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The Mayor and Board of Trustees are holding a hearing about the proposed Tree Ordinance this Tuesday, April 24 at 8pm at Village Hall. All residents are welcome to attend and participate in public comment.
The proposed tree ordinance is
here
. Pages 68-124 have the proposed ordinance, Village memos and comments by residents who spoke against the proposed tree code in March. This
link
leads you to a Frequently Asked Questions page and other relevant documents.
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The Mayor and Trustees will present Village Hall priorities for 2018-19 this Tuesday, April 24, at 6pm on the second floor of Village Hall.
We believe that the Scarsdale Mayor and Board of Trustees need to solicit community input to establish short- and long-term priorities. Because Scarsdale does not have a long-term financial model and plan, it is imperative that Village Hall create a long-term financial model in order to test the fiscal stability of our municipality in times of financial market and economic downturns.
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Scarsdale Schools
2018-2019 School Budget
The Board of Education approved the 2018-2019 school budget on Monday, April 16 with a vote of 6-1. All budget documents are on the
Scarsdale schools website
.
School Board Election on May 15 is Contested
The League of Women Voters of Scarsdale is holding a candidate forum on
April 30
7:30 - 9:30pm at Village Hall
. School board elections are different than Village elections. Candidates run for specific seats. Alison Singer is running uncontested for one seat. Woody Crouch and Pam Fuehrer are running for the other seat.
The Board of Education election and budget vote are May 15 at the Scarsdale Middle School. The polls are open from 6am -9pm.
School Calendar
The
calendar
for 2018-2019 has been finalized. This school year, winter break is
two
full weeks from December 24 to January 4.
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Your Comments Are Requested
Scarsdale Village
The Village would like to hear from you if you experienced any problems during the two big winter storms. You may write to
Storm Stories
; this email automatically forwards to the NY State Public Service Commission. There is a State Assembly Task Force being formed to find solutions outside of ConEd responses.
Procedure Committee
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Save Scarsdale Forever
A resident of 26 years, Lika L. Levi, has been advocating for good governance and the preservation of Scarsdale's
village in the park
image since 2013. Her latest blog is about very large houses being built in Scarsdale.
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Have Your Voice Heard!
Please take a look at the
calendar
to see the dates for upcoming Village meetings. If you cannot attend meetings, please write to the
mayor
and to the
Village clerk
with any of your questions or concerns.
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Out and About
Westchester Family has an
events calendar
with lots of fun activities this weekend for the family. NY Metro Parents Westchester also has an exciting line-up of
events
listed for April and May.
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