The Tarrytown Link is issued the Friday after the regular Board of Trustees meeting, twice per month. Questions or concerns? Email us at newsletter@tarrytownny.gov.

We have wrapped up Halloween season in Tarrytown, and are already making plans for next year! In case you missed the 2025 parade, you can watch the video produced by Eddie Tenesaca of Eddie photography and see the excellent photos taken by Margaret Fox all on the Halloween Parade website.

This was the 23rd year of the Tarrytown Halloween Parade, and this annual extravaganza would not happen without the many, many volunteer hours contributed by the Halloween Parade Committee. Joanne Murray has lead this effort since the parade's inception, adapting her extraordinary organizational and coordination skills each year as the event has grown in size and effort. We are grateful to the vision and dedication of this incredible group! Committee members: L to R: Donna Puff, Veronica Black, JoAnne Murray (co-chair), Jessie Spellmann-Mignone, Not Pictured: Dan Walczewski (co-chair), Mary Kohrherr, Chris Brazil. Thanks to you all!

The Tarrytown Halloween Parade and events of the Halloween season take months and months of planning. Special thanks to Dan Walczewski, our Superintendent of Recreation, and his team, Allie Cirrincione and Samantha Arone, for all of the work they put in to coordinate the parade and seasonal fun. The Parade is an all hands-on-deck effort. Many thanks to Chief John Barbelet and Lt. Chris Cole and their Police Department team, Superintendent of Public Works Lou Martirano, General Foreman William McGuire and his team, and Anthony Ross, Parks Foreman, and his Parks Department crew, for keeping everything safe and orderly.

The Central Veterans Committee of the Tarrytowns will host a Veterans Day Ceremony at the Patriots Park monuments in the northeast corner of the park at 10:30am on Tuesday, November 11. Please join us to recognize the service of veterans to our community and our nation.

Highlights from the November 3, 2025 Board Meeting

Public Hearing Scheduled:

Reducing Barriers to Solar Panel Installation

The Board scheduled a public hearing for the December 15 Board of Trustees meeting to consider an amendment to the Village Code which would remove the requirement for Architectural Review Board approval for rooftop solar panel installation in the downtown Restricted Retail Zone. The proposed local law can be found at the end of the agenda from the November 3 meeting. The Village already uses the New York State Unified Solar Permit which streamlines permit approval for eligible installations that meet certain criteria. This would remove an additional approval barrier for installations downtown.

Coming Up

Congratulations to Mayor Karen Brown, Deputy Mayor Becky McGovern, Trustee David Kim and Trustee Effie Philipps-Staley on their re-election! They will be sworn in for their new term at the Organizational Meeting on Monday, December 1 at 7pm.

• Board of Trustees Work Session: Wednesday, November 12, 6:00pm
• Board of Trustees Regular Meeting: Monday, November 17, 7:00pm

Update on Alleviating Food Insecurity During the Federal Government Shutdown

This week, the leaders of the local food pantries serving the Villages of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow met to discuss ways they could work together to assist those who need extra help while SNAP benefits are delayed, reduced or cancelled. Many in our community have expressed a wish to help those who need it. Local food pantries are serving approximately 500 families at their distributions, and more than 1,000 people in our communities, and this was prior to the shutdown.

The following takeaways from that meeting may help those wishing to help, or those in need of assistance:

• If you would like to support food distribution organizations, donating money is the best way to do so. The organizations are able to purchase in bulk at discounted prices and stretch a dollar farther than any individual donor. This clickable flyer lists all of the local organizations working to alleviate food insecurity in the two Villages.

• On Tuesday, November 18th, all of the organizations will be getting together to host a joint registration event at the Warner Library from 6-8pm for anyone who needs assistance. This event will allow anyone in Tarrytown or Sleepy Hollow who needs assistance to register for multiple food distributions at once. No single food distribution event can provide adequate food for a month, which is why the organizations are collaborating to provide multiple layers of support.

• The organizations, with assistance from Diana Loja in Sleepy Hollow, have put together a comprehensive listing and calendar of monthly food distribution opportunities. Please share this with anyone who needs assistance.

• In addition to the food pantries, there are two other organizations specifically serving Seniors.
• The Neighborhood House provides a hot lunch every weekday for $3/meal. It is a substantial meal and is part of the Town of Greenburgh's Nutrition program.
• It Takes a Village is a volunteer organization that helps Seniors who wish to keep living in their homes. They will deliver groceries, or food pantry distributions to any Senior who is eligible.

• The Tarrytown Sleepy Hollow Farmer's Market (The TaSH) continues to provide $50 in SNAP tokens to SNAP card-holders while the shutdown is in place. You can donate to their Food Assistance Fund to support this initiative by clicking here.

• The Village has the listing of Food Assistance Resources on the Village website as well as a list of Community Service organizations with additional services. The Village website can be translated into any language with the toggle in the upper right corner of the page.

• For those who are interested in assisting a neighbor in need directly, or for someone who would like to sign up for an additional layer of support, the Village is working with community organizations to pair neighbors who want to assist, with neighbors who need assistance while the federal government shutdown is still in effect. If interested in signing up to be a "Grocery Buddy" fill out this form.

Holiday Sanitation Schedule

Veterans Day: Tuesday, November 11

Village Offices will be closed.

Sanitation Schedule:

Monday: Regular Monday Schedule

Tuesday: No Collection. Offices Closed.

Wednesday: Garbage - Regular Tuesday Collection. Recycling - Co-op and Condo Recycling Collection ONLY

Thursday: Garbage - No Collection. Recycling - Wednesday Recycling Schedule.

Friday: Garbage - Regular Friday Garbage Schedule AND Co-op Garbage Collection. Recycling - Commercial district cardboard only.

Friendly Reminder:Village Taxes Due in December

Pay by December 31 with no penalty

Please be reminded that the 2^nd installment of Village Tax is due in the month of December. Tax payments received after December 31, 2025 are subject to a 5% penalty. Please reach out to the Treasurer’s office at 914-631-7873 if you have questions. Tax payments can be paid in person at Village Hall, can be mailed as indicated below or can be paid online at Tarrytownny.gov. Thank you.

Dept. 11654/Tarrytown Taxes

PO Box 5211

Binghamton, NY 13902-5111

Or

Village of Tarrytown

One Depot Plaza

Tarrytown, NY 10591

Con Ed Rate Case Settlement

Westchester Coalition Secured Major Concessions from Utility

A coalition of 40 local municipalities in Westchester County, including the Village of Tarrytown, joined forces to become a party to Con Edison’s 2025 electric and gas rate case filings before the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC). Today the consortium announced that a three-year settlement agreement (known as a Joint Proposal) has been formally reached between Con Edison, the PSC staff, and other parties. The terms of the filed agreement are now public and represent significant progress for Westchester residents and businesses in ensuring fairer and more transparent utility practices.

The settlement includes major reductions to Con Edison’s original proposed rates, including an electric rate increase of thirteen point 4 percent (13.4%) that has been reduced to 2.8% on the total customer bill under the settlement and on the gas side, the original proposed nineteen percent (19%) increase has been reduced to 2% on the total customer bill. The agreement spans January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028, with similar annual increases of approximately 2.8% (electric) and 2.0% (gas) in the second and third years.

Key provisions were secured that benefit the Westchester consortium of municipalities. The Joint Proposal includes several items specifically negotiated by the Westchester Municipal Consortium to address longstanding disparities and improve communication and transparency. These include Annual Westchester Capital Investment Meetings to review capital project plans and compare investment levels in Westchester versus New York City. The meetings will also address storm preparedness, double-pole removal, streetlighting, and the impact of data centers on the local grid. Also included is the agreement by Con Edison to perform a cost analysis of underground vs. overhead wires. This study will help determine whether any cross-subsidization exists between regions and will be shared prior to the Company’s next rate filing.

Westchester Power Program to be Discontinued

Contract will not be renewed after 11/30/2025

Sustainable Westchester has informed us that the Westchester Power renewable energy program will be discontinued at the end of this year. This decision results from practical implementation challenges associated with recently-adopted State outreach and education mandates. Sustainable Westchester has concluded that these regulatory requirements cannot be met on a schedule consistent with the program’s continued operation.

Starting with this December’s utility bill, customers who take no action will be returned to Con Edison as their default supplier of electricity.

As an alternative, customers may select another Energy Services Company (“ESCO”) for electricity supply. A list of currently active suppliers can be found at:

https://www.coned.com/en/save-money/shop-for-energy-service-companies

The Village of Tarrytown remains committed to working with Sustainable Westchester to accelerate a transition to clean power, promote energy efficiency, reduce costs, and improve resiliency.

Statement From TEAC about this news:

This comes as a surprise to all of us. It means that our default electricity supply will NOT - for the time being - contribute toward the renewable-energy transition goals of NY State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). And, our default electricity supply rate will no longer be held constant for a two-year period (per the already-negotiated contract that was to go into effect), but will vary depending on ConEd’s own market supplies. (Some of you may have already opted out of Westchester Power, in which case this will not affect you directly.)

As the statement suggests, and for those of you willing to go through the process, there are alternative “greener” energy suppliers (ESCOs) you may choose instead of keeping the default "brown” sources Con Ed uses. Instead of the Con Ed link in the statement, we prefer to use the NY State “Power To Choose” site. It provides more information on the ESCO choices you can make, from hydroelectric to 100% NY-supplied solar and wind, the rate they charge, and whether the rate is fixed for a period of months or variable. Be aware that, once a fixed-rate period expires and is not renewed, it can rise, sometimes dramatically.

For reference: 

• The rate for the current Con Ed default, variable “brown” mix is 13.15 cents/kWh. (ConEd does not offer a renewable option.)
• The 50% renewable, 24-month fixed rate we would have gotten from Westchester Power was 11.81 cents/kWh, or 12.26 for the 100% renewable opt-in.
• The 24-month fixed rate for 100% renewable energy from several other ESCOs: Clean Choice Energy 14.7, Residents Energy 15.1, and IDT Energy 15.11 cents/kWh.

TEAC encourages residents - even those with solar panels - to switch to a 100% renewable utility supply from an ESCO. Another alternative for getting a renewable solar energy supply and a 10% discount off your ConEd supply rate is to subscribe to a Community Solar project. You get the benefit of solar energy produced elsewhere. Check https://sustainablewestchester.org/communitysolar/ to see what’s available.

Annual Fire Department Inspection

The Board and Administrator conducted the annual inspection of all fire companies. The Village hosts six fire companies and five fire houses to serve the Tarrytown community. The annual inspection is the opportunity for the Administrator and Board to hear about building and equipment requests from each company. On Saturday, November 8, the Fire Department will host the ceremonial inspection and dinner. The companies ensure the equipment and facilities are in good condition for this annual ritual, and the dinner is an opportunity for all companies to get together and celebrate the Department.

Removing Invasive Vines and Plants

Parks Foreman Anthony Ross led an invasive vegetation training initiative this fall with funding from the Lower Hudson Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (LH PRISM). The program funded the purchase of new equipment for the Department to help control invasive vegetation in Village parks and trails, as well as two training sessions for volunteers with a professional ecologist in how to identify and control invasive plants and vines. The consultant, Danielle Begley-Miller of Forest Management Solutions, also assembled a guidance document that can be shared with volunteers who sign up for the Vine Squad or other volunteer efforts at protecting Village trails. Village staff were also trained in identification and removal techniques through the program.

Do you have invasive vegetation in your own backyard you want to remove? Feel free to download this free guide. This PRISM presentation is another useful resource. There will be a third training session in the spring. If interested in signing up, please reach out to the Administrator's office: administrator@tarrytownny.gov. TEAC's Vine Squad is scheduling vine removal dates for the winter months. Check out TEAC's website to learn more.

Sign Up for FREE Disaster Preparedness Course

Saturday, November 15, Tarrytown Senior Center

Remember the flash flooding that struck western Texas over the summer, catching many by surprise? Or if you lived in Tarrytown in 2012, remember boats rowing residents away from Franklin Courts during Hurricane Sandy? Extreme weather events are increasing in severity. Are you or your family prepared to cope with a natural or manmade disaster should one strike?

The New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Response will be offering a Disaster Preparedness Training on Saturday, November 15 at the Tarrytown Senior Center at 11am. The training will offer guidance on how to prepare for natural or manmade disasters including developing an emergency plan and stocking up on emergency supplies. Each participant will receive a preparedness "Go-Kit" including preparedness essentials.

Please register for the FREE course online:

Community Food Pantry to Host Open House Wednesday, November 12, 2025

What:

The Community Food Pantry of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow is welcoming our friends and neighbors to an Open House evening where they can see first hand how we provide nutritious food to the members of our community who need it. Light refreshments will be served.

When:

Wednesday November 12, 6.30-8.00pm

Where: 

Upstairs at the Christ Church Hall, corner of W. Elizabeth and John Sts, Tarrytown 

RSVP:

Erin Blanton at eblanton22@gmail.com

New MTA Fares Coming in January 2026

The base fare for subways, local buses, and Access-A-Ride is increasing 10 cents, from $2.90 to $3. The reduced fare is increasing from $1.45 to $1.50, and the express bus base fare is increasing from $7 to $7.25. 

For a full list of changes, check out the press release.

Follow along on social media: