Update on Flooding
See Article HERE.
Ethics Law Update
Ethics Board Chair Daniel Karson was back at the Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting to outline two changes to the proposed updated ethics law. First, the anti-discrimination language was expanded to mirror Westchester County law. The second was that a complaint may be filed with an affidavit rather than a sworn statement. At the regular BOT meeting a public hearing on the revised code was scheduled for April 24th.
There was also discussion at the regular board meeting of the request for $20K for Ethics Board expenses incurred in recent investigations. This appropriation would satisfy outstanding bills through the end of this fiscal year. The Ethics Board has conducted several investigations recently.
Trustee Young balked at the request asking what why the funds were needed. When informed that there were charges for stenographers and a forensic technology consultant currently totaling $16K he complained that the Ethics Board’s determination “was less than inspiring” and voted “no” on the appropriation but it passed with Trustees Yizar-Reid, Lucas and Mayor Torres voting yes. Trustee Rawlings had stepped out of the room.
To avoid this issue in the future the Ethics Board has asked for money to be included in the budget for fiscal year 2024-2025.
River Camera Removal
Discussion continued with Deputy Village Manager Sarnoff stating that staff find the cameras useful and that they have some value during flood events and perhaps the Village should wait until the in-house cameras are ready to install. The Village is working on making a similar small scale model (6-8 units) at a total cost of $60,000 - $70,000 and no annual monitoring fee. The monthly fee for the current cameras is approximately $13,000. The operating expenses for the in-house system has not been disclosed as yet.
LMC Media Request
LMC Media Executive Director Matt Sullivan described the current situation for LMC with the loss of cable fees and the withdrawal from the tri-municipal agreement by the Town of Mamaroneck and Village of Larchmont. LMC has negotiated fees for service and made a formal request to the Village of approximately $369K to balance their budget. This includes coverage of Village board meetings and community events. Deputy Village Manager Sarnoff stated that the BOT had adopted a resolution to hold all fees in a reserve account.
Moment of Silence
Trustee Yizar-Reid asked for a moment of silence in honor of Tamika Wells, a long-term Village employee who died recently. Yizar-Reid described her as much beloved by the Village community and acknowledged it was a hard loss. Most recently, Wells worked in the Personnel Department.
Mamaroneck Historical Society
The Mamaroneck Historical Society president Peter Fellows described the work of this important local organization. See Article HERE.
