Town Budget Passed; SAM Grant to
Renovate Town House Applied For

By Stephen E. Lipken

Pelham Town Supervisor Daniel McLaughlin opened the December 5th meeting, calling for a Public Hearing regarding the Preliminary 2023 Budget.  He noted that Reserves were dropped to $395,000; last year it was $425,000.  Amount to be raised by tax is $1,699,524.89 or 0.835%, a less than one percent increase.

The approved Tax Assessed Valuation, Base Proportions is Homestead, 81.197685% or $3,362,664,581; Non-Homestead, 18.802315%, $529,260,180.  Total Tax Assessed Valuation is $3,891,924,761.

Replying to Chester Park resident Ed Doty’s concern that allocations to senior citizens should be increased, Councilmember Maura Curtin said that the Village is seeking a System for Award Management (SAM) grant from NYS Senator Alessandra Biaggi’s office to renovate the Town House, utilized by seniors, including installing a full-size refrigerator, oven to heat up food, storage space, new doors, carpeting and renovating the bathrooms.  

“The Town would pay for that; then we would be reimbursed,” Curtin averred.  McLaughlin asked Doty, “What programs would you like to see funded, that senior citizens would like to have?  Come back to us with that.”

Next, Deputy Supervisor Rae Szymanski gave the Flycar Report, saying that the Flycar Request for Proposal (RFP) was posted on December 1st; due January 16, 2023.  In November there were 40 Village of Pelham calls, 30 Pelham Manor, one on I-95 and three on the Hutch. Average backup ambulance time, 8 minutes, 28 seconds; 51% Flycar calls, 5 minutes and under; 73%, 6 minutes and under.

Councilwoman Kristen Burke said that the Courts are continuing to work on staffing and Justice Adam Kagan had his first jury trial.  Burke noted that the Constable Handbook, “was very outdated, from 2006, just needing verbiage changes, including background checks.  Chief Constable Steve Conte reviewed the handbook line by line.”