Called to order at 8 p.m. by Mayor Chance Mullen; present were Deputy Mayor Carpenter, Trustees Anderson, Eldahry, Howell, Otondi and Solomon, and Village Administrator Scelza.

Trustee Anderson said sidewalk work is finished, DPW is cleaning catch basins ahead of leaf season and is on its second round of leaf collection; residents should pile leaves on the grass strip, not in the road. DPW is closed on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, with no garbage or recycling pickup; the revised schedule is on the Village website and the Recycle Coach app. Upcoming: a post-Halloween cleanup on Sunday, November 1, 9–11 a.m., at the elementary schools, train station and Wolfs Lane Park; a Liberty Tree planting and dedication at Wolfs Lane Park at 2 p.m. the same day, for the 250th anniversary of the Revolution; the Pumpkin Smash on Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m.–noon at the food scrap drop-off; and a coat swap at the Pelham Market on November 15.

Trustee Eldahry urged care on the roads at Halloween and reminded residents to vote on November 3. Trustee Howell noted that pedestrian and bicycle accidents rise in the weeks after clocks fall back on November 1, especially from 4 to 7 p.m., and urged reflective gear.

The Fire Chief reported 78 incidents in September, including 38 EMS calls, 18 alarms and six vehicle accidents. On October 5 a DPW garbage truck was found smoking from an improperly discarded lithium-ion battery; the battery was isolated with Pelham Manor’s help and the truck was not damaged. The department’s application for a federal SAFER staffing grant was not awarded.

After an audit earlier in the year of water supply, fire department response, communications and risk reduction, the department’s ISO rating improves from Class 3 to Class 2 on November 1. The Chief said the department will notify local insurers and urged residents to call their own insurance companies, since the rating can affect premiums.

Mayor Mullen recalled the time before Pelham had its own ambulance, when firefighters, all of them EMTs, had to wait 40–45 minutes for Empress, and credited the Town Council, former Supervisor Dan McLaughlin and the fire department for the current EMS arrangement. A board member noted that firefighters’ EMT certification dates to the early 1990s.

Trustee Solomon reported 411 police calls for service in September, with summonses, including for U-turns and moving violations, on pace to exceed last year. For the pedestrian safety program, Administrator Scelza and Trustee Solomon narrowed three companies to two, which will carry out feasibility studies in November, taking about three weeks, before proposals and next steps. Village meetings are back on cable: FiOS channel 43 and Altice channel 78.

Deputy Mayor Carpenter, “closing the loop” on the board’s late-September vote to buy DPW equipment, said that vote had been based on revenue that was unexpected at budget time but “might” come in, acknowledging the word could have been better chosen, and that the money is item 11 on this agenda. The Deputy Mayor also congratulated the Pelham Memorial High School varsity football team on an undefeated season and its home playoff game Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Mayor Mullen thanked Pelham Together for its October 21 town hall at the Daronco Town House, and announced Coffee and Conversations on November 6 and November 20. No members of the public spoke in public comment.

Representatives of Sustainable Westchester, the nonprofit whose members include all 45 Westchester municipalities, presented its “Take Charge Westchester” programs for residents and businesses: RateMate, which compares a Con Ed customer’s usage against all available rate plans (free unless it saves money); Grid Rewards, cash back for cutting use at summer peak hours; Community Solar, with savings of up to 5% a month and no rooftop panels, expected to open more widely to Con Ed customers in 2027; a new program to buy renewable energy credits for about $6 a month; home energy upgrades; and a clean-energy workforce program. For businesses and municipalities they described solar advisory services and demand-response payments, citing the New Rochelle school district and a village solar lease, and suggested the Village look at the DPW building.

Board members asked that the presentation go to the Chamber of Commerce and the Sustainability Advisory Board website, suggested short videos for the new cable broadcasts, and proposed a resident outreach campaign with the Sustainability Advisory Board. A Sustainability Advisory Board member described energy savings at a large Bronxville co-op. The Village is recertifying at the Bronze level of Climate Smart Communities and aims for Silver next year; the presenters offered to help, and to bring a partner firm to look at sites for EV charging.

A public hearing on amending Chapter 93 (“Trees”) to require native plantings applies only to trees the Village plants, not private property. No one spoke; the hearing was closed and the law adopted 7–0.

Item 11. The Village will grant an easement for an energy project at the northern end of Pelham, at the New Rochelle border. Mayor Mullen said the offer of $160,000 was negotiated up by about 30% to $205,000 by Administrator Scelza and the Village’s legal team; the money was not in the budget and will help the Village reach its surplus target this year. Approved 6–0, Trustee Howell recused.

Item 12. A public hearing on Local Law No. 5 of 2026, a new chapter allowing temporary storm enclosures for eating and drinking establishments, was set for November 10, with Deputy Mayor Carpenter’s amendment spelling out the business zones. Approved 7–0.

Item 13. The board retained Greenberg Traurig LLP as government relations counsel, including lobbying, from October 28 through March 31, 2027. Mayor Mullen said the Village has been talking with the governor and its state representatives for months about a state budget request for “a large amount of funding” for the flood mitigation project, and that staff recommended the firm, which also represents Westchester County and was vetted with the state representatives, the governor’s office and the Westchester Municipal Officials Association. The Mayor said the engagement is “solely focused entirely on getting funds for flood mitigation,” with a 30-day termination clause negotiated by Administrator Scelza; the state budget process has several milestones, and “if it’s not going to happen, we’ll end the relationship.” The board needed to act now because Albany’s internal budget process is starting. Administrator Scelza confirmed the cost is in the budget. Approved 7–0.

A stipulation of settlement and release of claims with an employee, identified only by number, was approved 7–0; no amount was stated. Accounts payable of $309,228.24 ($93,796.88 general fund, $210,081.56 capital projects, $5,350 trust and agency), audited this cycle by Trustee Solomon, were approved 7–0. Minutes of the October 13 work session and regular meeting, as amended by Trustee Eldahry, were approved 6–0 with Trustee Eldahry abstaining. Adjourned; the next meeting is Tuesday, November 10.

Called to order by Mayor Chance Mullen at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 13, with the Pledge of Allegiance. Present: Deputy Mayor Carpenter and Trustees Anderson, Howell, Otondi and Solomon, with Village Administrator Scelza. Trustee Eldahry was expected late but did not arrive. Every recorded vote was therefore 6–0, five trustees and the Mayor.

Fall leaf collection runs October 15–December 15, with crews rotating through the village. Pile leaves neatly, out of the roadway and away from storm drains, hydrants and sidewalks. Only leaves go in piles; other yard waste must be bagged or binned. Trustee Anderson also encouraged residents to leave leaves on their lawns or in garden beds as mulch where practical.

Westchester County's multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan is out for public review at westchester.mitigateny.org. It identifies natural hazards and local vulnerabilities, and now includes a dedicated annex for Pelham, which residents helped shape.

Events: the commemoration of the Battle of Pelham at Orchard Beach on Sunday, October 18, with a historic walking tour by the Pelham historian that afternoon. A free screening of the documentary American River at The Picture House on Thursday, October 22 at 7 p.m., followed by a panel with the filmmakers and leaders of the Hutchinson River restoration work. On Sunday, October 25, the Sustainability Advisory Board will have a table at the Pelham market with a Halloween costume swap, information on Pelham's hazard mitigation annex, free native seeds and plants from Eco-Pelham, and food scrap drop-off.

Trustee Howell will hold the monthly fire department meeting the next day or early the following week, focused on strategic and long-term planning, and congratulated the department on its annual Chili Fest. Trustee Howell also urged drivers to watch for children as evenings get darker, and urged parents of college students to make sure a friend at school has their contact information.

Trustee Otondi and Deputy Mayor Carpenter had nothing to report.

Trustee Solomon announced that the Village is returning to public access television. New broadcast equipment was installed that day; with a few programming items still to finish, the plan is to air the next meeting, on Tuesday, October 27, live.

Administrator Scelza reported overnight construction on a Metro-North bridge [VERIFY], 10 p.m.–5 a.m., starting Monday, October 19 and running through the week, then wrapping up on Monday and Tuesday, October 26–27. The Mayor asked that notice go out to the village distribution lists.

The Westchester County Department of Human Resources will give the firefighter civil service exam on January 9 or 10, 2027. Applications are due November 2, 2026.

Mayor Mullen said the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) policy committees have begun putting together the agenda they will advocate for as the governor's budget takes shape. The Mayor had been on about four calls with mayors and supervisors in Westchester and around the state in two weeks, and said "all of those calls were very angry."

In the Mayor's account, this is the first budget year in which federal cuts are playing out at the state and county level. Cities in particular are seeing spikes in homelessness and food insecurity. Municipalities that chose not to exceed the tax cap last year, drawing on reserves in the hope that health insurance and pension costs would ease, now realize that will not pay off. Grant programs have also fallen through: after the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill of three or four years ago, "suddenly it all stopped," leaving projects teed up but unfunded.

The Mayor described a long push to treat village, town and city budgets the way school budgets are treated under the tax cap, with capital investment calculated separately, and said the current rule is "killing a lot of infrastructure projects." With Governor Hochul outspoken against weakening the cap, the Mayor expects "a very aggressive stance" from NYCOM, including arguing that if the state cares so much about taxes it should apply the cap to its own budget. The Mayor said the fight would likely be less collegial than in recent years.

Asked by a trustee whether NYCOM was waiting to see what the midterm elections bring, the Mayor said that is "in the room" but not really part of the conversation. The Mayor added that Pelham is in some ways better off, because the Village, like the Town, did exceed the tax cap, and so will not go through a budget year in severe fiscal stress.

The Mayor thanked Pelham Rotary for a lunch conversation about village priorities; Rotary has moved its meeting place and will deliver new signs to the Village. The Mayor thanked residents who have come to the first two Coffee and Conversations sessions, and staff for the follow-up work, and announced the next one for Friday, October 16, 8–9 a.m. A PTA night was set for the next evening, October 14, at the Municipal Center, with overviews from Trustee Anderson and Deputy Mayor Carpenter, the fire chief and staff, the community police officer and village hall staff.

A Lot 1 permit holder (named on the recording as Keisha [VERIFY], whose son lives in the Village) raised several parking concerns:
• They have been on the waiting list for about four years to move to a lot closer to the train, and staff have said they cannot tell them their place on it.
• They were told that a new applicant with no permit would get priority over them for the closer lot under the software's rules.
• Lot 1 was not plowed or shoveled at all last winter, and the stairs were unsafe.
• They work nights and feel unsafe walking from the train station to Lot 1 at 1–2 a.m.; restaurant patrons regularly fill the lot, and police tell them to call the Village, which no one answers at that hour.
• A car got a ticket on a night when the Village's online overnight-parking portal was down, although police had given verbal permission to park. They described contesting it in Town court as disorganized.
They suggested high school students needing community service hours could help clear snow.

Mayor Mullen replied that every lot has its own waiting list, and that the Village has to be fair to others waiting, so it can only issue a permit when one opens up. The Mayor said Lot 9 is probably the better location and promised to talk with village staff, adding that staff "are giving you an answer. They're just trying to follow policy." On the priority question, the board noted that no one may hold two permits at once.

The Mayor said parking is tight partly because a parking structure is under construction nearby. It will have 220 spaces, 60 for public use, for shoppers, diners, merchants and overnight parkers. A grant several years ago paid for downtown cameras that feed directly to the police front desk. On tickets, the Mayor explained that the Village handles police and enforcement but the Town runs the court, so once a ticket is written the Village cannot dismiss it, even in error. The speaker said the ticket shows a plate with a missing letter and a car of a different color, and was told to raise that with the Town.

On snow, the Mayor said last winter was exceptionally hard: DPW crews worked around the clock for two weeks, off-street lots are often the last to be cleared, and at one point there was nowhere left to put the snow. "We will do our best."

Taken first at the applicant's request. The applicant said the project rebuilds a dilapidated structure from the 1920s that has no footings and must come all the way down, so it counts as new construction; it will be exactly the same size, with no larger footprint. Stormwater will be improved with gutters, leaders and a Cultec system in the yard. The Planning Board and ARB had approved it. A trustee called it "a great example of a small private project that incorporates onsite stormwater management" with no increase in impervious surface. Approved 6–0. The property address was not stated on the recording.

A driveway extension with a new curb cut at 17 Irving Place. A trustee said the project highlights the importance of the Village's planned flood mitigation in the Highbrook and North Pelham watersheds, where neighbors are spending their own money to protect their homes. Another noted that the watershed reaches into New Rochelle, so rain falling anywhere in Pelham Heights ends up on this property. The trustee cited a letter in the Examiner that day describing homes along the corridor, and said hundreds more are served by the arterial lines. Asked about street drainage and pedestrian safety, staff said the new curb cut requires a Cultec stormwater system.

Curb cut policy. One trustee recalled a recent application for a second curb cut that the Planning Board rejected, with one dissent, and said the Planning Board has asked the Board of Trustees to clarify how many curb cuts are allowed in residential districts. "This board has not yet delivered," the trustee said, because the code "is not clear." That trustee supported this application because recurring flooding makes the existing driveway unreliable in heavy rain. Others said the rules should allow flexibility, should put safety (for drivers and pedestrians) first, and might treat busy roads such as the Boulevard near Colonial differently from side streets. The Planning Board had floated requiring a pedestrian safety study. Mayor Mullen said drafting has begun on rules for Chapter 98 (Zoning), with relief through the Zoning Board of Appeals, and asked for volunteers; at least one trustee agreed to help.

Approved 6–0.

• Item 10: public hearing called on Local Law No. 4 of 2026, amending Chapter 9 (the subject was not stated on the recording). 6–0.
• Item 11: agreement with GovWell Technologies to rebuild the building department and land use application software, discussed at the work session beforehand. 6–0.
• Accounts payable: $472,754.74 operating and $8,471.00 capital projects fund. Approved; Deputy Mayor Carpenter's vote is not audible on the recording.
• Item 14: minutes of the September 22 work session and regular meeting. 6–0.

No executive session was needed. Adjourned by voice vote. The next meeting is Tuesday, October 27, planned to be the first televised meeting.

Mayor Mullen called the meeting to order at 8:00pm on Tuesday, September 22. Present: Deputy Mayor Carpenter and Trustees Anderson, Howell, Otondi and Solomon, with Administrator Scelza. Trustee Eldahry [VERIFY] — rendered on the recording as "L. Dari" — was absent, so every recorded vote that followed was 6–0.

The day before the meeting, Trustee Anderson and the Mayor met DPW staff and Dan Maib [VERIFY], director of the American Green Zone Alliance, to look at the village's electric landscaping and maintenance equipment. The transition began around 2021, driven by the board, DPW, Village Hall and the Sustainability Advisory Board, funded by grants and planned with the Alliance and Quiet Communities.

DPW's verdict: staff said they "started off iffy" but now call the equipment "the best thing we've ever done" — easier to use, easier to maintain, and less prone to breaking down. Oil use for landscaping equipment has dropped from roughly a case every other week to about a case a year.

Certification: after walking Wolfs Lane Park, Mr. Maib said the whole Wolfs Lane Park system could qualify for Level 1 Green Zone certification. Level 1 does not ban gas equipment; it makes electric the standard for routine landscape and hardscape maintenance while allowing gas for fall cleanup, storm cleanup and safety needs. He will send the board a certification pledge to consider. Trustee Anderson stressed the practical gains: less noise and local air pollution in parks, better working conditions for DPW staff, and lower fuel and maintenance costs.

The Mayor said the village had deliberately used grants to trial new practices — as with the police department's electric vehicles — in the hope of winning staff buy-in, and that it was a DPW employee who suggested, while discussing the Woodland playground area, "we could do the whole park."

This Sunday at the Pelham farmers market: the Sustainability Advisory Board table, joined by EcoPell, with free native plants and seeds and advice on healthy yards. A food scraps tote is now at the market every Sunday, as an alternative to the Lot 7 drop-off.

October 4: the Hutchinson River Restoration Project's "Sanford Sweep", a volunteer cleanup of the Hutchinson River at Glover Field.

Saturday September 26, 6–7:30pm: the final Council on the Arts Sunset Series concert at Wolfs Lane Park — possibly rescheduled because of a nor'easter expected Friday evening; watch for email updates.

Saturday October 3, 12–4pm: the Pelham Fire Department Local 2213 chili cook-off in front of the municipal building.

Thursday October 22, 7pm, the Picture House — free: the Hutchinson River Restoration Project screens the film American River, followed by a short panel with the filmmaker. Weekend public tours of the Hutchinson River, for groups of four to eight, are still running; details at hutchinsonriver.org.

Trustee Howell also attended the Chamber of Commerce's community meetup and thanked the Town for the September 11 ceremony, crediting Deputy Town Supervisor Maura Curtin with organising it. Joel Salamini [VERIFY] explained the memorial's symbolism: its trees represent Pelham residents who died, and one split tree represents two brothers.

Trustee Otondi had nothing to report.

Police: Officer Bonjono [VERIFY] has completed field training and will join the patrol force. Officer Aquino [VERIFY] completed the mandatory conversion course at the county police academy last month.

Pedestrian safety: acknowledging recent public discussion as school restarts, Trustee Solomon asked residents with questions or ideas to contact him directly by his village government email rather than through social media.

School zone speed cameras: Trustee Solomon, Administrator Scelza and the board are beginning to engage stakeholders. The process is at a very early stage because the local law was signed only last month; updates will come at future meetings.

A board member added a reminder that stop signs are not optional — "they're not yield signs, they're not suggestions" — citing "tap and go" driving on back roads along walking routes to the Hutchinson River and the middle and high schools.

Deputy Mayor Carpenter thanked Village Hall staff, and especially the new Deputy Treasurer, Harleen [VERIFY], for Halloween decorations at Village Hall, and invited residents to see them after sunset.

Administrator Scelza said the village is monitoring the weekend storm forecast and preparing for possible impacts, with updates to follow as the forecast firms up.

Mayor's report: Mayor Mullen plans "Coffees with the Mayor" every other Friday, 8–9am, through December, each at a different downtown coffee shop to showcase the new and existing ones. Dates were to be announced the following day; the first was expected that Friday at Fifth Coffee [VERIFY]. Any resident is welcome.

No members of the public were in the room. The Mayor opened public comment briefly and moved on.

The applicant, Michael Jacomeau [VERIFY], appeared remotely. The board had previously approved both a site plan and a lot line change for these properties; the lot line change is complete and the map is filed with Westchester County land records. The only difference from the approved plan is that the two garages were moved forward to accommodate the deep overhangs of a mansard roof. The applicant said the change complies with zoning and needs no variance, having been checked with the building inspector.

Planning Board conditions: before a building permit is issued, a comprehensive stormwater drainage plan for both lots using on-site solutions such as pervious paving and rain gardens to the maximum extent possible, and a complete final plan set; no disturbance of Lincoln Avenue is expected, but any work needing a permit goes through the Westchester County Department of Public Works and Transportation; the approval binds the applicant and any later owner, and changes need board approval. Approved 6–0.

The purchase had been debated at the previous work session. Deputy Mayor Carpenter said the board agreed the loader would be valuable for DPW snow removal; the objection was that it was not budgeted and would take a large share of contingency early in the fiscal year.

Since then the Deputy Mayor had spoken with Administrator Scelza, who also serves as Treasurer, and learned of revenue that may come to the village this fiscal year — not yet public, to be shared when the time is right. That removed the worry that the village was relying on the sale of the surplus aerial ladder truck alone to cover the cost, and the Deputy Mayor now supported the purchase. The Mayor said both the truck sale and the additional revenue could come through this year. Approved 6–0.

2027 tax levy: the board adopted the adjusted base proportions, using the 2025 final assessment roll and rates supplied by the Town Assessor, for the Village of Pelham's 2027 property tax levy, after discussion at the work session. Approved 6–0.

Items 11 and 12 — Greenberg Traurig LLP: the village attorney, who is also its eminent domain counsel, has moved to Greenberg Traurig LLP. Administrator Scelza confirmed the rates are unchanged, and the Mayor noted the new firm may offer other useful services. Item 11 engaged the firm as eminent domain counsel; Item 12 rescinded the previous firm's appointment and appointed Greenberg Traurig as Village Attorney. Both approved 6–0. The Mayor congratulated Jennifer [VERIFY] on the move.

Item 14 — FY2026–27 budget transfers. Asked about moving $1,730 from organics disposal into parks materials and supplies, staff explained that organics disposal is running under budget and the parks line needed the money for materials for the water fountain at Wolfs Lane Park. Approved 6–0.

Item 15 — accounts payable of $1,023,497.12 — General Fund $947,770.13 and Capital Projects $75,726.99 — audited by Trustee Howell. Approved 6–0.

Item 16 — minutes of the September 8 work session and regular meeting. Approved 6–0. No other business was raised, and no executive session was needed.

Next meeting: Tuesday October 13, work session 7:00pm, regular meeting 8:00pm.

Roll call confirmed a full board: Mayor Mullen, Deputy Mayor Carpenter, and Trustees Anderson, Eldahry, Howell, Otondi and Solomon, with Administrator Scelza also present. Every recorded vote that followed was therefore 7–0.

Resolution 8 appointed a new firefighter, passing 7–0. Matthew DiNapoli [VERIFY] was sworn in and began the 21-week fire academy the same week; Trustee Howell, who sat on the interview panel, said he stood out among the candidates. Firefighter Camardela [VERIFY] was promoted to Lieutenant and sworn in, with first-line supervisor training starting September 14.

The Mayor noted the Pelham Fire Department has existed since 1893. The board commended the chief, the captain and Chris Gelsar [VERIFY] on the administrative side for an interview process aimed at rebuilding with experienced personnel.

DPW summer totals: 2,772 tons of asphalt placed through the annual paving program; 120 cubic yards of concrete poured for new sidewalks; three catch basins and four roadway sinkholes repaired; 16 tons of street sweeping debris removed; 120 gallons of traffic paint applied to crosswalks and markings. Thanks were extended to the DPW crew by name.

Coming up: a Chamber of Commerce community meetup on livability and sustainability, September 14, 6–8pm at Cantina Lobos (RSVP through the Chamber); the Sustainability Advisory Board at the farmers market on Sunday September 27, with compost collection, textile recycling, free native plants from EcoPell, and information on GridRewards, solar through Sustainable Westchester, and pollinator-friendly yards; and the Hutchinson River Restoration Project "Sanford Sweep" at Glover Field on October 4, 9am–1pm, open to all for any length of time. The Junior League of Pelham was thanked for tending the pollinator garden in Woodland Park.

Trustee Eldahry noted the first day of school for the Pelham Union Free School District and urged drivers to allow extra time, put phones down, and watch for children walking and biking.

Trustee Howell reported 66 fire department calls in August, roughly a third of them EMS — underlining why firefighters being trained EMTs matters for response times — plus mutual aid to Pelham Manor and Greenville. A fire lieutenant — rendered on the recording as Lieutenant Mullin [VERIFY], a surname the transcription also confuses with the Mayor's — has begun upgrading permit inspections for commercial apartments in buildings with three or more families. The 9/11 Memorial Ceremony was set for Friday at 8:30am at the town monument across from the train station.

Also flagged: a chili cook-off hosted by Professional Firefighters Local 2213 on October 3 at the fire department, $10 per person; the final Council on the Arts Sunset Series event on September 26; and a newly hired traffic officer. A trustee described watching three cars run a red light at Lincoln and Third near a school that morning — "phones down, heads up."

Police: 362 calls for service in August. A new officer, Joseph Bonjono [VERIFY], a transfer from the NYPD, started August 31 and is in field training. Trustee Solomon thanked the Mayor for his community letter on pedestrian safety and reminded residents of the 25 mph village limit and 15 mph in school zones.

School zone speed cameras: the Governor signed the home rule legislation around August 13–14 and the law takes effect this month. Next steps are engaging vendors and stakeholders, residents included, before installation. State Senator Fernandez — present at the meeting — and Assemblywoman Paulin [VERIFY] were thanked for their partnership.

Live streaming: equipment was ordered the prior week with roughly a month's lead time, so the village expects to go live on public access at about the second meeting in October. It is compatible with the new municipal center and supports multi-channel communication.

Deputy Mayor Carpenter flagged a Westchester County Office of Economic Development survey for local businesses, live at WestchesterCatalyst.com, suggesting it may precede a second round of downtown improvement grants of the kind the village has won before, and urged Chamber outreach.

Administrator Scelza reported village-wide catch basin cleaning underway, with basins around the schools done the previous week ahead of the school year; the remainder waits on the contractor finishing in another municipality.

Mayor's report: county economic initiatives around business attraction and talent retention, including housing, with outreach to the Westchester Municipal Officials Association and a county "Blueprint 26" effort with the Westchester County Association. The 9/11 ceremony begins at 8:30am Friday, with an 8:15 arrival advised for traffic.

A resident (named on the recording as Catherine Delayva [VERIFY]) spoke for the first time at a village meeting. Her parents lived in Pelham for 55 years and she is caring for their home near the Seventh Street boundary with New Rochelle while living in the city. She opened by praising the police and the EMTs who attended her parents over the years.

Wednesday August 26, after 9pm: sudden, aggressive, repeated battering on her front door. She shouted that she was calling the police and saw a figure run. Police responded; a neighbour's camera showed a large group of teenagers coming down from Seventh Street on the New Rochelle side. Talking to neighbours afterwards, she found they had been experiencing similar incidents for months.

The Sunday before the meeting: she left the house at 5:20pm and returned to the city. At about 9:30pm an Amazon delivery photo showed her front door open. She called police, who reported the house secure; arriving at about 10:10pm she found the back of the front door completely splintered and no longer locking. Small door alarms appear to have deterred whoever it was.

She said the Seventh and Eighth Street area straddles the municipal line and worried it gets overlooked as a result, questioned how much Pelham and New Rochelle police coordinate, and said a doorbell camera alone would not address the underlying problem. She offered to approach New Rochelle PD herself if given guidance on how.

Mayor Mullen: "I haven't heard that there's a more systemic thing happening. So I want to check in with the chief on that." He committed to following up with Police Chief Green [VERIFY], and referenced earlier coordination between Pelham and New Rochelle police over fireworks complaints at Feeney Park in the same Seventh/Eighth Street area, indicated extra patrols were the likely next step, and recommended a Ring spotlight camera alongside a doorbell camera. A trustee noted the village's own doorbell camera footage had previously led to an arrest.

Trustee Solomon drew the distinction that mattered most: a phone call is not necessarily an official report. He urged the resident and her neighbours to file formal reports for every incident so the department holds a documented record it can act on and share with New Rochelle, noting a broken-in door should generate one automatically. The resident said she would make documenting incidents a priority for herself and her neighbours.

Residents with similar concerns can reach the Village at [email protected].

State Senator Fernandez and a visiting assemblymember addressed the board, thanking it for the partnership and commending its attentiveness to residents' concerns. The Albany session runs January to June, so more village meetings are possible in the autumn. A June town hall at the Pelham Picture House on the budget was referenced, and the legislator said they would attend the 9/11 ceremony, which they alternate annually between the Bronx and Pelham.

Funding: $300,000 in road funding has been allocated, with work awaiting a letter before it can begin, and $500,000 in flood mitigation funding is already allocated. A senior advisor was introduced as the local point of contact when the legislator is not present.

Item 9 — school crossing guards (part-time). Christian Codge [VERIFY] of the Bronx was appointed at an annual salary of $11,652, 7–0. Ricky Postell [VERIFY] of Mount Vernon was appointed, 7–0. Trustee Solomon suggested the village send a welcoming message each school year introducing crossing guards by name and location; the Mayor agreed and proposed compiling a roster, to be worked out offline.

Item 11 — intermunicipal agreement with the City of New Rochelle for organic waste disposal, previously discussed in work session, passed 7–0.

Item 12 — the village-owned aerial ladder truck was declared surplus and its disposal authorised through Brindley Mountain Fire Apparatus LLC [VERIFY], 7–0.

Accounts payable of $605,019.15 — General Fund $208,057.56, Capital Projects $393,016.59, Trust & Agency $3,445.00 — approved 7–0 after a question about an ice maker line item was answered.

Minutes of the August 11 work session and regular meeting were approved 5–0, with Deputy Mayor Carpenter and Trustee Otondi abstaining. A street closure request for the 9/11 ceremony, relayed from Mr. Dernan [VERIFY], was confirmed as being handled. No executive session was needed.

Next meeting: Tuesday September 22, work session 7:00pm, board meeting 8:00pm.

Deputy Mayor Carpenter chaired. Mayor Mullen and Trustee Eldahry absent. Roll call icebreaker: "Do you stand in line or online?"

Trustee Anderson: NYSERDA grant complete — two electric MaxEV refuse haulers delivered. Pelham Liberty Tree Initiative launched July 4th — native tree plantings October 2026. Con Ed GridRewards event July 15, 4–8pm.

Trustee Howell: Arts concerts: July 25, Aug 8, Aug 22, Sept 25. Fire dept ~80 calls. 9/11 Memorial Sept 11, 8:30am. Cooling center open. Storm wire safety reminder.

Mayor plans to sign letter urging Westchester County to consolidate all 45 municipalities' sewer systems. Equity concern: Pelham invested heavily — may resist subsidizing others. Tiered rates for ~20 years proposed as solution.

Preliminary $24.25M stormwater approval from Westchester County Stormwater Advisory Board. Number may change. Carpenter, Howell, Scelza meeting with county July 15. Thanks to Blanca Lopez, Westchester County Planning Commissioner.

Resident Ari Schwartz, 2 Fifth Avenue: Repeated noise violations (pile driving from 6am), earthquake-like shaking, cracked walls, partial structural collapse ~2 months ago. Residents not informed — only property owners.

Board response: Rock found 70 feet down (expected shallower). Pressure tests failed. Foam injected around adjacent building. Firehouse stairwells had been sinking. Third-party engineer approved fix (piers/underpinning). Report violations: [email protected]. Health dept. assessment of algae pit suggested.

Resident Gemma Mosknerman, 64 Store Avenue: Nightly fireworks past 11pm from Feeney Park for weeks. Group calling NR PD up to 6x/night — only 12 calls logged in NR records since Memorial Day. June 7: blockbuster fireworks in front of Harman Ave home; next night sticks thrown at window where toddlers play.

Trustee Howell: Increased PPD patrols 8–11pm on Harman/Store corridor. Videos to [email protected].

All 6-0. Deputy Village Treasurer appointed. Sofia Pizzatello (Pelham) hired as Building Dept. intern at $16/hr. Year-end budget amendments and $775,017.49 AP authorized. Next meeting: August 11.

Mayor Lapey said Trustee Winstead had told the board she was not feeling well and could not attend.

Deputy Mayor Bennett said AAA will give a free defensive driving course at Village Hall on Saturday, November 21, under the “Road Safety Starts With You” campaign; a few spots remain and registration on pelhammanor.gov closes Friday.

Trustee Owen-Michaane said the County Executive had been briefed at a weekend event on the village’s 2023 drainage infrastructure plan, and that the County Executive agreed it is more efficient to do smaller $1–5 million projects than wait for one $10–30 million-plus project; each works on its own, “like pieces in a jigsaw.” Under Glover Field run sanitary sewers from several jurisdictions, and the county has directed the village to do a feasibility study of whether a project there would meet FEMA’s BRIC benefit-cost test. The village is applying to the county and to a state program for feasibility-study funding. The trustee said the Highbrook pipe was doubled in size but designed to a one-year storm because of the inflow and outflow limits of the system, on the advice of the village’s engineers.

October 13 minutes approved unanimously.

The police report described September as a slow month: total incidents were up from August but major cases were few. Detective Robert Voldo [VERIFY] completed state basic investigative photography and crime scene technician courses, so all three village detectives now have that training; Officer Frank Pompilia [VERIFY] completed instructor-level training in suicide prevention and monitoring in lockups. The Mayor praised the department’s training program, noting its officers train others at the county level. Extra officers will be on duty for Halloween on Saturday, and detectives delivered about 600 trick-or-treat bags with safety tips to students at Siwanoy and Prospect Hill.

Village Manager Luft said September brought in much of the year’s property tax, and the fund balance was about $14.5 million at month’s end. The largest revenue item was a $150,000 reimbursement, through a Dormitory Authority state grant, for the catch basin cleaner. On the state’s Tier 6 pension changes, Manager Luft said pensions are about 13% of total spending, up roughly 12% from last year; employees’ tier changes took effect October 1, and the village expects an estimate of the budget effect around January. Police and Treasurer’s reports adopted unanimously.

The snow and ice supplemental agreement with NYS DOT, for salting Boston Post Road, carries about $2,000 in state reimbursement this year; approved unanimously. Two street closures were approved together: Siwanoy School’s Halloween parade on part of Manor Lane, 1:15–2:15 p.m. on Friday, October 30 [VERIFY], with neighbors notified; and the Pelham Half Marathon and 10K [VERIFY] on Saturday, November 28. Abstract of vouchers #35,112–35,144 approved unanimously.

A resident (Lisa Argento; address withheld), who said she has lived in Pelham Manor for more than 64 years, spoke as a mother. She said that weeks after the close 2025 mayoral election, two investigators from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office came to her home about her daughter’s registration. Now her adult son had been challenged in an affidavit signed by Mark Cardwell asserting personal knowledge that he does not live at her address, though she said neither she nor her son has met him. On the strength of that affidavit, she said, the Board of Elections asked local police to investigate, and officers came to her door at about 8:45 a.m. on Friday, October 23. She called the affidavit “insufficient at best and reckless at worst,” said she had heard about 16 families were affected, and worried that the timing, days before an election, could make young voters feel singled out. She asked the board and all the candidates to publicly condemn the challenges, and each board member for their position.

Mayor Lapey, speaking personally and not for the board or village, said she was sorry, urged the resident’s son to vote, and said the county, not the village, runs elections: once the county invokes state election law, the village cannot refuse, and the county may have had the choice of using its own civilian staff instead of armed officers. As a practicing attorney, she said, she was surprised the level of evidence in the affidavit was deemed sufficient, and the family would be within their rights to question the basis for the investigation.

Deputy Mayor Bennett said it had happened to her family too, “second time in a row,” that the residents’ children were within their rights to vote, and, noting she is a candidate in the election, that “we’re better than that.” Trustee Case said the same had happened to Case’s own family in the last election and called it “a targeted intimidation tactic.”

Trustee Owen-Michaane blamed “a small group of agitators,” said the person who filed the challenges had run for office twice, and said that an inquiry to the county about where else such registration investigations happen suggested this was “a coordinated effort to go after a certain group of people year after year” — “voter intimidation and suppression.”

Police Chief Sanzo [VERIFY] said that the previous week the Chief received a request from the Democratic Deputy Commissioner of the Westchester County Board of Elections to verify whether several registrants live at the addresses on their registration applications. Under state election law, the Chief said, local police must assist with challenged registrations in their jurisdiction, in person at the claimed residence, and turn the information over to the Board of Elections; “we did not have any discretion in the matter.” A village official clarified for the record that the letter was signed by both elections commissioners, who designated that deputy, and said the officers went about the visits “in the most dignified way.” Officials said they took a couple of days to confirm, with an investigator at the State Board of Elections, that compliance was not optional.

A trustee asked Chief Sanzo to report at the next meeting on the number of investigations, how many officers and hours they took, the effect on the department, and whether any urgent calls were affected, calling it “an abuse of public resources” — “not by the police” — targeted at a specific group. It was noted that the police had five days to respond and that day five was the day of the meeting.

A second resident (Cindy Courtien) said police had come about the resident’s daughter after an affidavit that, the resident said, cited the daughter’s social media; the resident said they did not know the man who signed it, called the episode “disgusting” and blamed the Democratic Party. The board recommended she follow up with the county Board of Elections, explaining that officers asked only a set list of residency questions and did not assess the merits of the challenge. Asked whether the county could have used its own investigators, and whether the village pushed back, Manager Luft said that under Section 5-702 of the election law the county may use a bipartisan team from its own office or call on local police, that the decision is the county’s, and that the village cannot refuse to comply.

A third resident (address withheld) said that every person visited was an independent, unaffiliated or Republican voter, which the speaker said showed the challenges were targeted. The speaker called on Trustee Winstead, who ran alongside Cardwell in 2025 and, the speaker said, had spoken to his character, to address residents herself; agreed with Trustee Owen-Michaane that a small group was responsible; described taking security precautions at home because of rising partisan hostility; and supported moves toward nonpartisan local elections. The speaker said one of those visited was a woman whose husband had died about six weeks earlier, asked about his registration, and called that “shameful.”

A resident (named on the recording as Scott Wolfgang [VERIFY]) thanked the board members for showing up for a difficult conversation. Another resident, whose own registration had been challenged, spoke briefly; the Mayor said the resident is valued. A resident (named on the recording as Steven Chican [VERIFY]) said they had spoken against voter intimidation at the same podium on October 28, 2024, that their letter to the editor on the subject was published that morning, and that Trustee Winstead’s absence was her fifth in 20 meetings. A board member noted for the record that Trustee Winstead had said she was not feeling well.

Closing public comment, Mayor Lapey urged residents to “rise above” and be kind, respectful and law-abiding without giving up their rights, offered to forward a State Board of Elections counsel’s election-law update explaining that a person can have more than one residence, and urged everyone to inform themselves and vote.

Called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance, led by student guest Arya Galba [VERIFY]; fire safety exits noted.

Trustee Case recognized Chief Greco and the fire department for Fire Prevention Week (October 4–10), whose theme, "Charge Into Fire Safety," was the safe charging of electronic devices. Charging tips are on the village website. Case then listed events later in the week for the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Pell's Point: a lantern-lit ceremony and tour on Friday at St. Paul's Church; guided tours of the tall ship Lynx on Saturday at Hudson Park, New Rochelle; and a reenactment of the battle at Orchard Beach on Sunday at 10 a.m. More details are on the village website and the Town Historian's website and Facebook page.

Deputy Mayor Bennett [VERIFY] reported that the roadway study's online survey and walking audits are complete. Asked how the walking-audit areas were chosen, Village Manager Lindsey Luft said the engineers and planning team reviewed state data reported through the police department and DOT traffic-volume counts, compared them with the survey results, and picked the areas that warranted an audit. The engineers are now analyzing the data and will deliver a report in December.

Under the "Road Safety Starts With You" campaign, AAA will hold a defensive driving class at Village Hall on November 21. The registration form is on pelhammanor.gov and must be returned to Village Hall; spots are going quickly.

Trustee Owen-Michaane [VERIFY] followed up on stormwater remarks from the previous meeting, saying that, contrary to claims made outside the meetings, a great deal of work was done well before and since the village's 2023 drainage infrastructure assessment report, described as the first of its kind in the region. The trustee said the board follows its certified engineers on storm design standards, and that residents have thanked the board after this year's heavy spring and summer rain. Grant-funded projects, the trustee added, take time to start.

Monroe Street. Manager Luft said state contracts can take months. This one needed an additional round of legal review after concerns were raised by a party transcribed as "Palombe Park" [VERIFY], and an agency transcribed as "DLC" [VERIFY] was also involved. The village passed the review, though it added time. The trustee credited Manager Luft with writing the grant: $550,000 toward a project of about $1.1 million.

Esplanade and Ely Avenue. An underground water retention tank designed for a 25-year storm. According to the trustee, the engineers judged that a larger design would start to erode the soil. The village has a $404,000 state grant, about 70% of the cost. Manager Luft confirmed that starting work before the contracts are signed would jeopardize reimbursement.

Glover Field. A grant application is in with Westchester County and under review. The village has also applied to the state Climate Smart Communities program for a feasibility study, including a FEMA BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) benefit-cost analysis, which the county needs before the village can pursue its program. Manager Luft said a feasibility study weighs costs and benefits and defines what a project would involve without a full design. The county planning department's first feedback was that the project might not meet its cost-benefit metric. Manager Luft said this was partly because of the number of homes involved and because the area is in a FEMA flood zone.

For details, residents were directed to Village Hall at 914-738-8820 or pelhammanor.gov. Trustee Winstead had no announcements.

Minutes of the previous meeting, at which all members were present, were approved unanimously.

The Mayor introduced Arya Galba [VERIFY], who represented the village at the American Legion's Girls' State leadership program. Trustee Owen-Michaane had presented the village's proclamation at an American Legion event earlier. The trustee described the Boys' and Girls' State programs, recalled attending Boys' State in high school, and said Arya is applying to the Naval Academy and is active in many school and community organizations. The Mayor thanked the American Legion's Mr. Keami [VERIFY] and Mr. Dernan [VERIFY] for organizing it. The proclamation was presented in person, with photographs taken with the board and with Arya's parents.

Delivered in person by a fire department officer. Calls included about 11 condition calls [VERIFY], mostly gas odors, and three mutual-aid calls to Pelham, one a lithium-ion battery fire. Lithium-ion battery safety has been the national fire prevention theme two years running. The department bought new presentation materials for the schools, will set up a display at Village Hall, and has already visited a nursery school and ACDS at OLPH, with Siwanoy and Prospect next week. More information is on the village website and NFPA.org. The department completed 45 in-service training sessions (205 hours) and 10 building safety inspections, and is finishing decontamination training with the Westchester County hazardous materials team ahead of annual HazMat certification. Reminders: have fireplaces cleaned and boilers serviced, and don't park on leaf piles, since a hot catalytic converter can ignite them.

Manager Luft reported:
• Police booth repair nearly done; gutters still to be painted, then ready for holiday lights.
• Fall planning (leaves, trees, sidewalks, holiday lights) and a fleet meeting to get equipment ready for leaf season and possibly snow.
• Con Ed's contractors restored the grassy area by the regulators in the median of Boston Post Road and Esplanade.
• Met the village's engineers on the Monroe Street Stormwater Resiliency Project and the GIS system; bid to be published this week, with an update at the next meeting.
• Met Pelham Public Schools about upcoming construction at the Siwanoy School campus; planning is well underway.
• Repaired 4 street lights and 7 sidewalks; filled potholes with 1 ton of blacktop; pruned trees and maintained parks.
• Submitted the interim progress report required under the MS4 stormwater permit on time.
• Curbside leaf collection starts this week.

Asked to summarize the leaf blower rules, Manager Luft said gas-powered blowers are allowed Tuesday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5:30 p.m. and Saturday, noon–4 p.m., and not at all on Sunday or Monday. Electric blowers may be used on holidays. A trustee described the Sunday–Monday "day of rest," set by an earlier board, as a happy medium.

Fire and DPW reports adopted as delivered, unanimously. Resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign the abstract of vouchers #35,069–35,111 carried unanimously.

A resident (named on the recording as Evan Shakane [VERIFY]) asked whether the board had estimated the budget impact of state Tier 6 pension reform. Manager Luft said the Village Treasurer is working on it, since rates were updated as of October 1, and expects to include it in the Treasurer's report at the next meeting. The resident said the change will roughly double municipal pension contributions, from about 3% to 6%, for the roughly two-thirds of public employees statewide in Tier 6. According to the resident, it also lowers the retirement age and service requirements, and that tax-capped governments like the village and school district will feel it. The resident called the village's practice of taxing to the cap a good policy that leaves room for the future. These are the resident's figures; the Treasurer's numbers are due next meeting.

The resident also cited treeequity.org, which the resident said scores Pelham Manor 93, third of 14 southern Westchester municipalities after Scarsdale and New Castle, with the shopping district the lowest-scoring zone. The resident also cited a December 2022 Hunter College study for a Westchester County agency, said to show Pelham Manor lost 0.8% of its tree canopy between 2011 and 2016, against a countywide average of 3.1%. The resident offered to send the study to the board.

A trustee then raised the state's recent fiscal stress scores. Manager Luft said Pelham Manor received no stress designation, with a score she believed was about 3.3 on a scale up to 100, where lower is better. The trustee credited current and past boards' financial stewardship. The Mayor noted that Westchester County is undertaking a new tree study, and Manager Luft said she would share details when they arrive.

A second resident (named on the recording as Toby Marks [VERIFY]; address withheld) asked when in December the roadway safety study would arrive. Manager Luft said the deliverable is a December report, with no specific date. The resident then said Shore Road could not be used near the Westchester–Bronx line, which they had learned about on Facebook. They were concerned about a community event that Saturday starting at the Beach Club [VERIFY] and going to Bartow-Pell Mansion. A board member connected it to the replacement of a bridge transcribed as the "Helen Bay Bridge" [VERIFY]. Manager Luft said she knew something was under way there, would get the particulars from a contact named Conrad [VERIFY], and would send out a community notification.

With Village Counsel present, the board voted unanimously to adjourn into executive session on pending litigation.

Called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance; fire safety exits noted. The Mayor said the Village Attorney had several trial-ready cases and would arrive near the end of the meeting, in time for executive session. She thanked Village Manager Lindsey Luft, DPW, Fire and Police for their handling of the three-day nor'easter. Crews cleaned catch basins and cleared roadways beforehand so runoff could drain, and the village's infrastructure held up well.

State Senator Fernandez (District 34, covering both Pelham villages, about 60% of New Rochelle and the east Bronx down to Soundview) addressed the board.

Mount Vernon noise. She continues to mediate with Mount Vernon before, during and after events near the border, and uses residents' real-time emails to call the Mount Vernon mayor and police. Unsure whether others' decibel readings are accurate, she bought her own meter to record where sound carries most. She credited Mount Vernon's mayor, Shawyn Patterson-Howard [VERIFY], as responsive, but said there had been "a few hiccups."

Border flooding. After walkthroughs with Parks, the Thruway Authority and DOT on flooding along the Pelham Manor–Bronx border, the focus moved from opening culverts to clearing catch basins. Manager Luft secured a grant to repair and empty them, and the Senator is pressing Parks and the Thruway to keep dredging. The Mayor said bid specifications for the Monroe Street project would be finalized later that week, and talks continue with New York City Parks on its dual-culvert recommendations.

Funding. State money she allocated will go to ADA accessibility upgrades and police locker rooms and facilities at Village Hall. Her funding for the Pelham Picture House now sponsors free senior movies every Tuesday, September through June. She said she would put this in her next newsletter.

Legislation. Citing a recent reported assault at Cornell University, she described a bill she has sponsored for four years to close a loophole in state law: a person who voluntarily becomes too intoxicated to consent is not currently covered by the rape statute. The Senate has passed it and the Assembly has not. She announced a press conference for that Thursday. She also noted she had helped pass legislation allowing Pelham another school-zone speed camera, and said further cameras would need a home rule request to Albany. A board member recalled her help with an earlier red-light camera home rule completed in about 38 hours, and another thanked her for joining roughly a dozen state senators urging a suspension of the state gas tax (about 24 cents a gallon).

Spring Road field and Boston Post Road. She recently walked the area just across the highway near Spring Road field, where the board noted a Town lease dating back about 20 years. A neighboring lot, a former halfway house that has sat empty for about 20 years, was once meant to become an extra road around a Wendy's so buses could loop. She will ask DOT for a study, because buses and commercial trucks now cut through the neighborhood. The Mayor tied this to the village's pending request that state DOT de-designate Boston Post Road as an access highway for special-dimension vehicles; DOT must study it first. The Senator agreed to add neighborhood concerns to that effort.

Defensive driving. Deputy Mayor Bennett announced a six-hour AAA defensive driving course on Saturday, November 21, starting at 9 a.m., part of the village's "Road Safety Starts with You" campaign. A certificate of completion earns a reduction in auto insurance costs and can reduce license points. Manager Luft will post details on the village website and Facebook from the following day.

Pelham 250. The Mayor thanked town historian Arthur Senta for his work on Pelham 250. David Akisello [VERIFY], a history teacher and Pelham High School graduate, will lead students in historical reenactments. Manager Luft will share information later that week.

Reported by a trustee not clearly identified on the recording, with Manager Luft. The village had no reported flooding and no pump-outs in the nor'easter, while New York City and some Westchester communities flooded. As a coastal community, Pelham Manor's drains are affected by high tides in Long Island Sound and the Hutchinson River, a main cause of flooding in this storm.

The village's 2023 drainage assessment, one of the first of its kind, sets out an infrastructure plan for every watershed. Projects cited:
• Watershed 1: the $1.6 million Highbrook project replaced stormwater structures and installed a pipe more than twice the size of the previous one, with additional drainage added nearby to prepare for further work.
• Watershed 3: the Monroe Street Climate Resiliency Project, backed by a $550,000 state grant the Village Manager secured, is advancing through design and goes out to bid in the next couple of weeks.
• Watershed 5 (Roosevelt and Mount Tom area): improved flow and rehabilitated catch basins on Roosevelt Avenue and other streets, with the New Rochelle DPW coordinating on drainage repairs along the shared boundary.
• Esplanade and Ely Avenue green infrastructure: an underground water retention system, not a pipe, collecting runoff from almost four acres. It is designed for a 25-year storm, the limit the engineers set based on soil percolation at the site. A $404,000 state grant covers most of the $505,000 cost; design begins this winter.

The village continues to coordinate with Senator Fernandez and New York City Parks on downstream conditions near the I-95 culverts. The trustee said all of this work has been funded without taking on debt. They also explained why the village does not simply install "50- or 100-year" pipes: those terms describe the storm a system handles, not the pipe's lifespan, and a larger pipe does nothing if the downstream connections cannot carry the water away.

August 17 minutes, deferred on September 14 for lack of eligible members: Trustee Owen-Michaane, absent in August, did not vote. Carried unanimously.

September 14 minutes: Trustees Bennett and Winstead abstained, having missed that meeting. Carried unanimously.

Introduced by Deputy Mayor and Police Commissioner Bennett; presented by Police Chief Daniel [VERIFY]. 349 incidents, with larcenies back up from July; 25 reports taken and 28 arrests.

Stolen Aston Martin. The day before Thanksgiving 2025, a suspect intercepted a vehicle transport schedule, redirected the delivery to another part of the village, took the car and crashed it shortly afterwards. A warrant was obtained in December 2025; after almost a year, detectives took the suspect into custody the Thursday before the meeting and charged him. The board asked the Chief to thank the patrol and detective divisions.

Officer injured. Officer Brandon Lustig [VERIFY] chased a shoplifting suspect fleeing ShopRite; both fell to the pavement as the suspect resisted, and the officer broke his hand but still made the arrest. No surgery is needed; he should be back on patrol in a couple of months after rehab.

Training. Officer J. Paul [VERIFY] completed the three-day state DCJS commercial vehicle enforcement course in Sullivan County, run by State Police and DOT, covering inspections, permits and contraband interdiction. Board members noted its value given the commercial traffic through the village.

Electric dirt bikes. Under state law these are off-highway motorcycles, not legal on public roads, sidewalks, bike paths or parks unless registered, insured and street-legal; they may be ridden only on private land with the owner's permission or on designated trails. Lieutenant Leal [VERIFY] prepared a guide to e-bike, e-scooter and electric dirt bike rules, now on the village website. A board member added that riders under 16 cannot ride these vehicles and that helmets should be worn.

Driving course. The Chief said the November 21 course is a Point and Insurance Reduction Program course covering state traffic law, safe driving and accident prevention. It qualifies attendees for a 10% base-rate reduction on auto insurance, good for three years, and up to a four-point reduction on their record. He thanked Lieutenant Leal and Manager Luft for arranging it.

A board member thanked the department for three officers' quick, professional response when a neighbor fell.

Presented by Manager Luft for Village Treasurer Kyle Booth. The fund balance stood at just over $16 million at the end of August. The largest revenue item was real property taxes of about $69,000 for the current fiscal year, in line with the budget forecast. The largest expenditure was the budgeted interfund transfer from the general fund to the capital fund, made once tax revenue starts coming in. The village remains in a strong financial position.

Vote: Police and Treasurer's reports approved; carried unanimously.

Base proportions. The village taxes two classes: homestead (one- and two-family homes, assessed on market value) and non-homestead (multi-family and commercial buildings, assessed by the income method). Of the two options presented, Manager Luft recommended the 2025 adjusted base proportions as more favorable to the homestead class, in line with past practice. The motion to adopt the final assessment roll using them carried unanimously.

Clay Avenue closure. Ms. Royce of Clay Avenue requested closing Clay Avenue from Oak Lane toward Hudson Street on Saturday October 3, 11 a.m.–9 p.m., rain date Sunday October 4, for about 75 people. Carried unanimously.

Catch basin cleaner. As part of closing the books before the auditors arrive, Manager Luft explained the capital project: budget $300,000, $150,000 in grant funding, and a final cost of $331,208 after escalation clauses in the state contract. With the grant money now received, the resolution transfers $118,791.07 back to the general fund, covers the overrun and formally closes the project; the general fund balance is typically reinvested in capital. Carried unanimously.

Vouchers: a resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign the abstract of voucher numbers 34,997 through 35,068 carried unanimously.

October meeting: because Monday October 12 is Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day, the October meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 13. No vote was needed.

Public comment: the floor was opened and no member of the public spoke.

Executive session: with counsel now present, the board moved to adjourn into closed session on pending litigation, including a litigation matter on an employment situation concerning a particular person. Carried unanimously.

Called to order with the Pledge of Allegiance; fire safety exits noted for those attending in person. Trustee Winstead was absent on an out-of-town family matter and Deputy Mayor Bennett on a family commitment. The Mayor noted both remained in contact and that collaboration was continuing. Three members present — enough for a quorum, but not enough to approve the previous meeting's minutes.

Reported by Trustee Case. American Legion Post 50 and the Town of Pelham held their annual remembrance at 9/11 Memorial Park, off Harman Place, the previous Friday, carrying added weight as the 25th anniversary. The board thanked first responders from both villages who attend in uniform each year.

Paul Satorius, a Pelham Manor Fire Department member, was added to the list of names read at the ceremony, his death having been officially classified as 9/11-related.

Reported by Trustee Owen-Michaane and the Village Manager. Restoration of the historic police booth at Four Corners is nearly complete. A healthy tree came down on it during a storm several weeks earlier — a setback, and a reminder of the risk the village's tree canopy carries in high winds. Roof shingles were due to arrive the following day, September 15; completion is a scheduling matter from there. Town historian Arthur Senta was thanked for his input on colour and aesthetics.

Stormwater mitigation: the village's continued investment was credited with strong performance through several large rainstorms and flash floods. Nearby communities fared worse — one city up the road saw flooding severe enough that someone had to be rescued from a vehicle.

The Mayor announced the deaths of two long-time residents. Tish Davie — a long-time Pelham Manor resident who survived a double lung transplant and continued working at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Kay Teeley — a 50-year resident, a Siwanoy School mother, and an accomplished professional in the music industry; she was about 86, and is survived by her daughter Nancy Riley. The Mayor encouraged residents to read about both.

Approval of the August 17 minutes was deferred to the next meeting. Trustee Owen-Michaane had been absent from that meeting, which left too few of those present tonight eligible to approve them. The Village Manager confirmed the deferral was acceptable.

Reported by Fire Commissioner Case. Two kitchen fires, both contained to the area of origin — the Mayor noted one she had stopped by was already out by the time she arrived. Multiple wires-down and trees-on-limbs calls through the storms. 10 motor vehicle accidents on I-95, which State Police are investigating as suspected insurance fraud: drivers cutting in front of trucks and other vehicles and braking hard to be rear-ended. Residents were advised to stay alert on I-95 and local highways.

Five mutual aid requests, to Pelham, Mount Vernon and Greenville; two automatic aid responses to Pelham. Four minor water conditions, none storm-related — credited to the village's stormwater work, with storm-related call volume described as "almost nil." 168 hours of in-service training and eight building safety inspections.

Paul Satorius: the department attended a flag retirement ceremony at Montfort Academy in Mount Vernon, accepting the flag on behalf of the department and in his memory; members attended the Rising Memorial where his name was added to the wall; his name will appear at the Westchester County Firefighters Memorial in October; and the department escorted a participant on the 25th anniversary "Paul's push" run from the New Rochelle border into the Bronx. The Commissioner also thanked a neighbouring department for automatic aid on residential structure fires — its name did not transcribe clearly and has been left out rather than guessed at.

Reported by the Village Manager. Four street lights and two traffic lights repaired; seven sidewalk sections repaired ahead of the school year; park maintenance conducted; potholes repaired using roughly three tons of blacktop; heavy tree cleanup after a windy, stormy summer. Test pits were dug on Monroe Street ahead of the coming stormwater mitigation project.

Monroe Street goes out to bid by the end of September, with an update expected at the next meeting. ConEd repaving: a meeting was held with ConEd paving crews the same day; crews return by the end of the month to restore pavement around Francis, Esplanade, Sherwood, Suburban, Eli and Manger Circle. The village will send a notification blast once the date is confirmed, timed with the Pelham Jewish Center and ongoing Jewish holidays in mind.

August materials: roughly 310 tons collected, 47% recycled — early in the year but on the village's usual pace.

Vote: motion to approve the Fire and DPW reports as described; moved, seconded, carried unanimously.

Wyman Park — Harvest Festival. Saturday October 17, 2–6pm, rain date Sunday October 18, roughly 75 attending. Carried unanimously.

Shore Park — two concurrent requests, both Saturday October 3. Ms. Mizyan requested 10am–12:30pm for a children's birthday party, about 50 people, rain date October 4; Ms. Davis of Suburban Avenue requested 11am–1pm, no rain date. The board and Manager Luft noted Shore Park is first-come, first-served and that exclusive use is not granted; both requestors were told of the overlap and accepted it. Approved together in a single motion, carried unanimously.

Bonmar Road closure. Ms. Marin requested a block party Sunday September 27, 5–7pm, rain date October 4. Carried unanimously; no seconder was audible on the recording.

Pelham Manor Road closure — Halloween. A resident requested closing Pelham Manor Road from its intersection through to the cul-de-sac for a block party on Saturday October 31, 1:30–4:30pm, rain date November 1. The requestor's name and the cross-street names were marked phonetic in the transcript and are not published here — see the official minutes. The required resident signature threshold was met, though not every household signed, and residents were advised vehicles would be inaccessible during the closure. Carried unanimously.

Vouchers: a resolution authorising the Mayor to sign the abstract of voucher numbers 34,926 through 34,996 was moved, seconded and carried unanimously.

Public comment: the floor was opened and no member of the public spoke. Public comment was closed.

Executive session: with counsel present, the board moved to adjourn into closed session on pending litigation and an employment matter concerning a particular person. Carried unanimously. The next regular public meeting was noted as roughly two weeks out.

Trustee Owen-Michaane was absent, travelling out of state; the chair relayed that he remains current on issues and is working with the Village Manager on drainage infrastructure assessment, which performed well through the summer storm and hurricane season. Con Edison removed a hazardous tree after storm damage, with structural repairs that week and aesthetic work the next; no further outages followed.

Condolences were extended for two long-time residents: Frank Barbieri, roughly 30 years in the volunteer fire department reaching the rank of lieutenant and also a member of the American Legion, survived by his wife Diana and sons Chris, Frank and Thomas; and Donna DelPonte, who died after fighting an aggressive cancer, survived by her husband Frank and children Larissa and Frankie.

Deputy Mayor's announcements: The Pedestrian & Traffic Safety Survey remains open on the village website. The textile recycling program runs Saturday pickups, with items left out Friday night and the accepted-items list online. A Siwanoy School student was recognized for breaking another world record.

Fire (Captain Figueroa, for Chief Greco; Commissioner Trustee Case): 86 total calls, including 4 automatic aid calls — 3 to Pelham, 1 to New Rochelle — and 14 motor vehicle accidents, most on I-95. Twelve in-service inspections and 33 training sessions totalling 161 hours. Storms drove multiple trees-down and wires-down calls; one Pelham automatic aid call was an electrical fire at a business; one bridge strike involved a truck. Firefighters Leonard and Satino Esposito completed their probationary year.

Police (introduced by the Deputy Mayor as Police Commissioner): 352 incidents, including 10 larcenies of which 6 were shoplifting, plus a wallet taken from a shopping cart in the business district. The Chief urged shoppers not to leave bags unattended in carts and to stay off their phones while shopping, and warned residents to guard personal documents and verify unsolicited callers before sharing information.

Responding to parent inquiries, the Chief set out the rules. E-bikes and e-scooters: minimum operator age 16; helmets required for ages 16–17; not permitted on sidewalks; must follow all state vehicle and traffic law including speed limits on roads up to 30 mph and stop signs; must yield to pedestrians. Multiple e-bike-versus-car accidents have been noted, and delivery drivers frequently use them.

E-dirt bikes are classified as off-highway motorcycles under state law and are not legal on public roadways, sidewalks, bike paths or parks unless fully registered and insured. Protective gear is required for riders aged 16–17 on roadways.

DPW (Village Manager Luft): 6 street lights repaired, 9 sidewalk sections, 3 tons of blacktop into potholes, and 10 more trees planted. A 66-tree NIPA order was submitted, putting the calendar year on track for about 81 trees. Roughly half of 342 total tons collected was recycled. The Village Hall parking lot fence was replaced. Two grant applications went out — Climate Smart Communities and the Water Quality Improvement Project — and the Manager took on building the website for the Long Island Sound watershed intermunicipal council, which had lapsed for about five years.

Treasurer (combined June and July): total fund balance at the end of July around $19 million, with real property taxes of roughly $15 million tracking the budget forecast and no notable expenditures — a "strong fiscal position" heading into the year.

Pelham Parking LLC: Renewal of a special permit roughly ten years old authorizing bus and similar vehicle storage on Canal Road, on a 3-year term with an option to extend and a 3% fee increase, projected annually across the term. Conditions are unchanged and the permitted area is fixed by an exhibit map. Manager Luft noted the permit generates non-property-tax revenue for the village. No public comments were received.

Five Canal Road LLC: A Mount Vernon bus company sought an additional maintenance facility at 5 Canal Road; the board had referred the application to the Planning Board in May 2026, which recommended it favourably as a Type II action under SEQRA with no significant changes. Five conditions were carried into the permit: use limited to a maintenance facility only; the truck route on Pelham Parkway restricted to right turn only, toward Mount Vernon and away from village traffic; all employees parking on site; at most one oversized bus stored on site and two buses on the premises at any time; and no overnight storage of electric buses. Attorney William Null, for the applicant, thanked the village and said they "look forward to being good community members." No other public comments were received.

New York Athletic Club, 31 Shore Road: The board approved a site plan amendment and floodplain development permit for demolition of one building and complete reconstruction of two supporting the pool complex, with ADA-compliant and emergency access upgrades, entryway landscaping and drainage improvements. The Planning Board had recommended it favourably subject to a variance, which the Board of Appeals granted. The DEC has emailed confirmation that approval is forthcoming, but the chair and staff confirmed that no construction or building permits will issue until formal DEC approval is in hand.

Snow and ice: A supplemental agreement with NYS DOT brings the village roughly $5,000 more for salting and clearing state roads within the village during a heavier-than-normal season.

Budget amendment: A line-item cleanup for FY2025–26 reflecting actual revenues and expenditures — a practice recommended by the State Comptroller's office ahead of audit — with net zero change to taxpayers and no tax increase. Treasurer Booth was credited for interfacing with the Comptroller's office.

Block party: A street closure was approved for Saturday, September 12, 2026, 11am–10pm, with a September 13 rain date.

Josh Casper, resident and volunteer firefighter, opened with a tribute to Frank Barbieri, who recruited him into the Pelham Volunteer Fire Company about 30 years ago.

On the Amtrak Forest Road project he raised five concerns: flyers went to only a handful of households on Forest Road and some entry lane addresses rather than all affected residents; work will run 24/7 at some point, requiring track shutdowns; Amtrak's representative could not specify noise thresholds or how residents would measure and report noise, though mitigation was acknowledged; past crews parked along Forest Road and left litter; and the gate to the rail area has been left open during work, which he urged be closed after every vehicle entry given children and "potential bad actors" near the tracks. He asked the board to monitor the project and engage Amtrak directly.

Board and staff response: The village uses the same contact listed on Amtrak's flyers, who has been responsive on trash and related issues, and has passed on the fence concerns; the contractor said it will keep the village in the loop when ready to mobilise. The corridor project runs three years, though not all of it falls in the immediate area. The board settled on two immediate steps — ask the Police Department for extra patrol loops and sweeps, and deploy the village's mobile spotlight along the street, raising awareness without shining it at anyone's house.

Helmet safety: Casper also asked whether the village runs a helmet distribution or grant programme, having seen children riding without them. The board confirmed helmets have been distributed, including at the farmers market, under the "Safety Starts with You" pedestrian and traffic safety initiative, and that officers run assemblies at Prospect Hill and Siwanoy covering rules of the road and helmet fitting.

Opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call recorded Supervisor Theresa Mohan (chair), Deputy Supervisor Maura Curtin, Kristen Burke, Michael Jenks and Kara McLoughlin [VERIFY] — the last name is garbled on the recording and identified as the remaining member of the Town roster.

A resident who said he is running for Town Supervisor noted that the November meeting, where high-level budget discussion usually happens, falls after Election Day, and asked that residents get a high-level budget overview before they vote; he said the budget comes up often when he talks with people. The board answered that those discussions will happen at the October 14 budget session, and that by law the budget has to be filed with the Town Clerk on October 10.

A long-time resident, speaking for herself and neighbors who came with her, said they had heard the board was reopening the idea of putting the EMS station next to the post office, which they understood had been dropped, and wanted their opposition on the record.

Board response: no decision is being made. A facilities planner presented a few weeks ago and the board is still working out the best location; the current station is not adequate, and there are photos of its parking lot flooding in rain. The options are the same as last year: stay where it is, or acquire a property in town — including the lot next to the post office, if it is available for $50,000 and feasible to build on. A grant for the station was not awarded, but the Town can reapply. The board said it would engage the neighbors before any decision and not surprise them with a meeting, and that the Master Facilities Plan's issues at the Daronco Town House are a higher priority for now.

On the cost figure: the board called it misinformation that it had approved a multi-million-dollar station. The estimate was drafted in May 2024 by Danielle DeVito of Pencil Projects [VERIFY], based on square footage and a previous board's information; neither this board nor the previous one approved it. The figure was first given as $3.6 million and corrected on the record to $2.6 million after a resident raised it.

John Lorsick [VERIFY], who lives near the site, said it is "just a bad location" for an ambulance regardless of price — even free — citing the stop signs, residential streets and the business district's lights around it, and asked the board to convince him otherwise. A second resident agreed that crossing the street to the post office is already hard. A third asked that the time of the October 14 budget session be posted on the website; the board confirmed it is an open meeting.

108 calls in September, with an average response time of about 5.5 to 5.7 minutes, covering both Pelham and Pelham Manor. There was again a day with four to five serious calls in a short period, as in August. The average includes calls established as not life-threatening, where crews do not race; for cardiac arrests, crews typically arrive in under four to five minutes.

A resolution on the agenda lets the Town Court apply for a $30,000 J-CAP grant for courtroom equipment.

Glover Field: the inter-municipal agreement with Mount Vernon, both villages and the school board is moving forward. A consultant report is needed before a grant application, and the grant window opens soon, so the parties must decide who pays for it; Mount Vernon thinks the Town should, since the work covers the whole town. The Town's attorney has reviewed the agreement and has no objection beyond the payment question. To be discussed at the October 14 budget session.

Booktemberfest, the previous Saturday: 254 people attended, 30 tickets were sold on the day, over 300 tickets were sold overall, and over 100 raffle tickets were sold for a free Novel Night for two in 2027. Architectural renderings for the library board's transformation project, on display inside the library, drew a lot of interest.

K-Day, September 19: 126 kindergartners signed up for their first library card — 56% of kindergartners in the Pelham schools — along with five adults and five older siblings. 425 people visited in all; the petting zoo's goats and ducks were the favorite.

Fall programs are at capacity, with 507 children in grades 3K–7 in fall sports. A beginners' adult mahjong class starting October 20 is full, with a waitlist. A sports day for children with special needs was held at the Town House on September 26, with high school athletes taking part, and the art and sports camps on the September 21 school closure both sold out; the same camps run on October 12 (art camp full, soccer still has spots).

Coming up: a chess tournament for grades K–12 at the Town House on Sunday, November 1 (sign up on the website); the Halloween event on Saturday, October 24, 4–6 p.m., with a parade ending at the Town House; and winter basketball registration for grades 4–12 opening Friday, October 16.

Seniors: exercise Tuesdays and Thursdays 10–11 a.m.; yoga Fridays 10–11 a.m.; Glover Field walking Wednesdays 10–11 a.m.; arts and crafts the first Wednesday of the month, 1–3 p.m.; cards Mondays 2–3:30 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays 12–3:30 p.m.

Applications for new Recreation Commissioners are open on the Town website until November 6.

The board received the month's general ledger and statement of revenues and expenditures; detail is for the October 14 budget session. Nine months into the administration, the Supervisor said the focus has been financial oversight, modernizing systems, transparency, outside funding and long-term planning.

EMS: the EMS Advisory Committee the board created earlier this year is being appointed tonight, and negotiations with EVAC on its contract, which expires at the end of the year, begin the next day. The goal is high-quality, reliable emergency medical service while examining service needs, operating costs and residents' long-term interests.

Budget season: the Town is pursuing the court grant and outside funding for Master Facilities Plan projects, and reviewing its insurance from a risk-management view, with plans to bid it out so the cost can be built into the budget.

Website and volunteers: the redesigned Town website is live and being refined. Volunteer forms are going online, starting with the Recreation Commission; one for the Board of Assessment Review is being prepared.

Retirement: the Supervisor recognized Ruthan D. Simone ("Rudy") [VERIFY], whose last day is October 31, for her years of service.

J-CAP grant: the Pelham Town Court may apply for a J-CAP grant of up to $30,000 for the 2026–27 cycle. Carried unanimously.

2026 adjusted base proportions: a technical resolution setting the shares of the levy borne by homestead and by non-homestead (commercial) property, as approved by the state for the Town and by the Pelham School District's board for the district; both adopted in one resolution. Carried unanimously.

EMS Advisory Committee, first members, on staggered terms. Two years: Supervisor Mohan, appointed individually rather than ex officio, and Pelham Manor Village Manager Lindsey Luft for the Village of Pelham Manor. Three years: Deputy Supervisor Maura Curtin as the Town Board member; Gene Ionzi [VERIFY], a resident and vice chair of the regional EMS council (rendered "WRENSCO" on the recording); and Lt. Frank Delatoni [VERIFY] for the Village fire department. The EMS director, named only as Mark, sits ex officio without a vote. One confirmation had been pending and was added to the agenda as the Pelham Manor representative. Carried unanimously.

November meeting: moved from Monday November 2 to November 9 at 7 p.m. The Town House is a polling place, voting machines arrive the evening before Election Day, and the Town Clerk runs the election; the board said this has been done before. On timing, the tentative budget is due October 30, a preliminary budget follows, and the final budget vote is in December — the Town has "an extra month" compared with many municipalities. Carried unanimously.

Minutes: September 14 minutes approved unanimously. The meeting then adjourned.

Opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, chaired by Supervisor Theresa Mohan. The board immediately announced an agenda change: the independent auditor would present the fiscal year 2025 financials first, before the regular order resumed. Roll call was taken but is largely inaudible on the recording; four members answer.

The town's outside auditor (not named audibly) presented results for the Town and its cemetery, using a slide deck plus a detail handout.

Opinion: unmodified — a clean opinion, described as "the highest level of assurance an entity can receive" — confirming the financial statements fairly present the town's position as of December 31, 2025.

Internal controls: some control deficiencies noted, but none rising to a material weakness or significant deficiency; several had already been corrected by management. No uncorrected differences — every proposed audit journal entry was recorded. The auditor flagged forthcoming GASB pronouncements and committed to working with the controller on them.

General fund: opening balance ~$2.2M, closing ~$2.45M, unassigned ~$2.1M after three years of growth — about 20% of the 2026 adopted budget, roughly 60% above the GFOA benchmark of two months' operating expenses. The original budget planned to draw $288,000 of fund balance for tax relief; a mid-year amendment added $346,000 in expenditures (including $176,000 for recreation and instructional items) and raised the planned draw to $626,000. The town instead ran a surplus. $350,000 of fund balance is being used to balance the 2026 budget as tax relief.

Revenue detail: interest and penalties ~$50,000 better than final budget; departmental income $2.8M against $2.4M budgeted (~$480,000 favorable, mostly parks and recreation charges, offset by higher spending in the same category); use of money and property ~$182,000 against $110,000 budgeted; sale of property and insurance recoveries $245,000 against $8,000 budgeted; mortgage tax $392,000 against $350,000. An unbudgeted state ambulance grant also landed. Revenues beat the final budget by $1.17M. Ambulance expenditures came in at ~$1.9M, $391,000 over budget, partly offset by savings elsewhere. The town exceeded the tax cap in 2025 after adopting the required local law.

Board response: members called it the most thorough presentation the town's accountant has given, and noted this was the first time the financials had been presented in public. The auditor advised continued monitoring of ambulance operations — separating recurring from non-recurring revenue and weighing pension and OPEB obligations — with ambulance insurance costs specifically flagged for 2027 budget development.

Greg Farrell, Pelham resident: Said he had trouble hearing parts of the meeting and asked that everyone speak directly into the microphones. He then asked the town to consider producing transcripts of its meetings and sharing them publicly within a reasonable time, noting the school board already does so.

Board response: "We don't generally produce a transcript. I think we can look into it" — with the caveat that it depends on everyone actually using the microphones. No commitment or deadline was given.

The September 6 event: five EMS calls inside roughly three hours. Four were serious, including at least two cardiac arrests; the fifth was a lower-acuity fall. At peak, four paramedics and three ambulances were working in the Town of Pelham at once. Mutual-aid partner EVAC supplied two paramedics and two additional ambulances. The fire department — which does not normally run EMS first response — responded to cardiac arrest calls, and Pelham Police assisted on one. A board member contrasted this with three years ago, before the EVAC partnership, when waits could exceed 30 minutes.

Operations: the service is not billed for mutual-aid calls and will begin tracking person/lost-time data and participating more actively in the regional mutual-aid system from October. The Deputy Supervisor attended the first Quality Assurance meeting, which focused on response times, call types and mutual-aid frequency; a hospital is already represented and another may join.

Hospital turnaround was named an ongoing problem — sample times of 19, 25, 20, 44, 45, 45, 30 and 75 minutes, averaging about 30 at one frequently used facility, during which the ambulance is out of the service area. The service averages 2.6 calls a day. Contingency plans run from B through E when an ambulance is tied up.

Clarification for residents: some older residents believe the ambulance will not take them to their preferred hospital. Not so — the service transports to a patient's primary hospital where possible.

Countywide plan: New York State requires Westchester County to produce a comprehensive countywide EMS plan by the end of 2026. A regional meeting was set for the Wednesday after this one, with the Village of Pelham and Village of Pelham Manor represented. A local EMS Committee including residents and both village and town representatives is still being finalized.

Courts: operating in a "good rhythm" with the new court clerk in place, and applying for a grant toward a copy machine.

Glover Field: an inter-municipal meeting was held the prior Thursday. Municipalities are discussing an inter-municipal cooperation agreement that would need Town Council approval; a consultant is the likely next step. Grant funding under discussion runs on an 80/20 split with a 20% municipal contribution. Nothing is settled.

Sustainability: a council member reported outreach to ChargePoint to revisit the $30,000 EV charger grant, shared with Supervisor Mohan and with Mamaroneck, and thanked a resident for energy benchmarking reports. Consultant T.Y. Lin presented the Clean Mobility Plan at a conference, focused on right-sizing transit and mobility recommendations; further grants are being sought.

Audit follow-up: the library was covered in the town audit process, which recommended a regular, formalized communication process between the library and the town on how expenses are recognized, categorized, allocated and invoiced.

Transformation project: a letter from the Library Board of Trustees, posted in late August, set out the board's current position. The library board is awaiting further information before deciding whether to proceed or pause.

Governance and budget clarity: the library is an independent corporate entity with its own audit; the town's audit references library funding but does not cover it. During budget season it emerged that some town spending benefiting the library — landscaping, for example — was never allocated to the library fund line. The town has asked that those costs be separated, and the library board agrees. Residents should expect year-over-year comparisons to need apples-to-apples adjustment as a result: the categorization changed, not the spending.

August numbers: 5,579 door visits; 271 children enrolled in summer reading, earning 97 cookie, 113 pizza-slice and 74 ice cream prizes; 242 children in in-house scavenger hunts; 63 adults in summer reading Bingo, the winner receiving a Kindle; 702 adults playing "My Turn at the Library"; 3,700 households on the newsletter.

Coming up: Kids Day at the Library, historically the library's biggest month for attendance and programming, aimed at kindergartners getting a first library card — each receives a bag with a book and a stuffed reading buddy, alongside crafts and a petting zoo. Booktemberfest, the Oktoberfest-themed fundraiser, with tickets via a banner on the library homepage — note this recording gives the date as October 5, where the August 3 meeting confirmed October 3, 5–8pm.

Library cards run three years and renew in person with proof of residency; cardholders are emailed on expiry. The three-year term is set by the shared library system, not by Pelham, and the town pays into that system based on active card count. New library board leadership takes effect October 1 (names not clear on the recording).

Fall registration is open. After-school programs run at each elementary school, advertised by backpack flyer and on the town website.

Youth: cheerleading, youth football, flag football, basketball clinics, karate, rugby, running club, volleyball, tennis and Pre-K Tiny Tigers Karate. Adults: ladies tennis (morning and afternoon), men's tennis Tuesdays and Fridays, Mahjong moved to Tuesdays with open play and beginner lessons, ladies volleyball Tuesday evenings, men's softball Wednesdays, ladies field hockey Tuesday nights.

Seniors in August: 22 medical van trips for doctor appointments, a birthday celebration, hot dog day, an ice cream truck visit, a luncheon and a county-wide senior dance party at Glen Island. Mayor Chance Mullen hosted lunch and a tour of the new village hall for seniors. Ongoing: exercise Tue/Thu 10–11am; yoga Fri 10–11am; Glover Field walking Wed 10–11am weather permitting; arts and crafts first Wednesday 1–3pm; cards Mondays 2–3:30pm and Wed/Fri 12–3:30pm.

Cost review: meetings are underway to analyze the cost structure of camp and after-school activities against revenues and to review contracts with outside programming partners. A council member praised the internal-controls work behind it.

Memorial Field noise: the Senator reported on summer noise complaints from Memorial Field and a waterfront party boat, and said correspondence with Memorial Field management meant no concert date was scheduled this year, unlike prior years. Some nights were still louder than expected; he committed to continuing the conversation ahead of next summer.

Picture House: he stated his intent to remain a financial sponsor and to protect budget support in legislative items, noting he has funded the Picture House every year of his tenure. A board member noted that free Tuesday senior movies had previously been sponsored by a utility now funding other priorities.

Free movies for seniors: roughly 30 free screenings running September through June, Tuesdays at the Picture House, open to all seniors including Bronx and Westchester residents. The board was invited to suggest additional senior-day programming.

Legislative season: he said he was there to keep lines open ahead of the January session, having already begun documenting school district needs, and hoped to return after the November elections.

9/11 ceremony: the Supervisor described the 25th anniversary ceremony as "tremendous," with a committee assembled and a plaque installed at the memorial that a former supervisor had specifically wanted; board members contributed toward it. Every elected official in the community attended, with a musical tribute and family members recognized. Still outstanding: two residents who later died of 9/11-related illness were recognized at the ceremony, but how they will be memorialized at the site has not been settled.

In memoriam: the board acknowledged the passing of a community member active in middle and high school civics programs and the Rooster Club. The name is not clear enough on this recording to publish — see the official minutes.

Business survey: a council member circulated a survey for Pelham businesses, posted on the town website and shared with the Chamber of Commerce. It is open through October.

Budget timeline: department budgets are due to the budget officer and town clerk by September 30, with a working budget meeting on October 14.

The Supervisor opened the item by confirming the receiver resigned after accepting a job that did not allow her to hold public office, and said she had checked the position with the state association of towns' attorney. Under Town Law the Deputy Receiver assumes all responsibilities automatically — and continues to until someone is appointed or elected. A part-time employee covers when the deputy is out; a board member pressed on continuity of coverage and was told that gap is understood.

The referendum question: the Supervisor noted the deputy already performs nearly all the duties, while elected receivers have brought oversight rather than tax expertise, and asked whether the board should put a referendum to the town that would eliminate the elected office and make the position appointed by the board. Asked where oversight would then sit, she said with the supervisor and the controller, who already audit tax collections. The warrant process — warrants arriving from the school board, the villages and the county — was explained; collections are almost entirely electronic, with a very small share in cash.

Timing: the vacancy falls within three months of the election, so the seat cannot go on this November's ballot. An appointee would serve until the end of next year; an elected successor's term would begin January 2028; a referendum could go to voters next year, possibly alongside the election.

Next steps: the Supervisor proposed opening the appointment process to the public, as the board has done with other vacancies. A board member asked for research into towns that have no elected receiver and how they made the change, noting 19 area municipalities have an elected receiver and five do not. The deputy receiver was thanked for taking on more than the role normally requires. No motion was made and no vote taken — the full discussion was set for the October meeting.

It emerged that appointed Board of Assessment Review members have been receiving per-session stipends without any formal resolution authorizing the compensation. The money was budgeted; it was simply never separately resolved.

The figures: roughly $30 per session for members and $40 for the chair — $20 was also mentioned, and the exact amount is to be confirmed. Sessions are not fixed in length; there are about three morning and three evening sessions a year, averaging around $200 per member per year across five members, against a budget line first stated as $1,300 and corrected to $1,600. The board noted other towns cap technical board compensation annually, while recognition and library boards generally go uncompensated.

Outcome: compensation stays at existing budget levels, not to exceed $1,600. Resolution language was started but not completed, and the item was deferred to October so the per-session figures can be confirmed and written in properly. No formal vote was recorded.

Race approval: use of town space and facilities for the 2026 half-marathon, 10K and Kids 1K. The sponsoring association's name is not clear on the recording. Moved and seconded; no tally recorded.

Controller compensation: the controller is taking on budget officer duties this year. The resolution authorized a budget transfer moving funds already budgeted for the manager position into the personal services / controller line — a reallocation, not new spending. Moved and seconded; no tally recorded.

Budget transfer: approximately $1,900 moved between judicial and tax-collecting line items so spending stays within allocations. Moved and seconded; no tally recorded.

Minutes: prior meeting minutes presented with no corrections, moved, seconded, "all in favor" called, and approved.

The new town website soft-launched about a week before the meeting, with thanks to the Town Clerk's office. The homepage was reorganized around frequently used services, and a new page under "Community" features the 9/11 Memorial with photos from the ceremony; video from the anniversary ceremony is still to be uploaded. The board described it as a continuing improvement process rather than a finished project.

Opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call recorded Supervisor Theresa Mohan (chair), Maura Curtin, Kristen Burke and Kara McLoughlin. Councilman Michael Jenks delivered the library report later in the meeting.

Resident Edward Filby, Chester Park: Commended the board for commissioning the facilities study, then urged that an acoustical engineer be engaged for the meeting room. Separately raised the absence of an elevator, citing ADA compliance and mobility needs of both staff and the public, and warned the board it must either commit to never using the second floor or find a way to make it reachable.

Board response: An acoustical engineer will be brought in; the plan includes acoustic boards between the panels, an acoustical back wall and sound-deadening flooring. On the elevator — "not off the table," but the originally proposed location would have cost over $600,000. The preliminary plan is to relocate all public-facing services to the first floor; second-floor use remains undetermined.

July 2026: 96 total calls — 46 in the Town/Village of Pelham, 39 in Pelham Manor. Average response time 5.4 min; on-scene 16.7 min; transport 12.9 min. Mutual aid: 11 responses out, 9 received.

Finances: Revenues outpacing expenditures; ambulance revenue at 65% of annual budget as of August; fuel expenses up 40% since March. New ambulance expected end of August.

NY State EMS sustainability law: Took effect December 2025, refined by implementing legislation March 2026. Recognizes EMS as an essential public service and requires every county to produce a long-term EMS sustainability plan with municipalities, providers and hospitals. Westchester County will lead that effort — a shift from municipality-by-municipality planning to a countywide model, and one the board expects to bring additional funding to Pelham's program.

The town website overhaul is underway with no firm timeline ("soon-ish"). Action item flagged: do not interrupt Recreation Department fall sign-ups during the transition, and improve the Recreation landing page, which is currently hard to find from the town site.

New court clerk Bruno Barbosa started August 3, covering both vehicle & traffic and criminal dockets alongside existing clerks. No court sessions that week, allowing a phased start.

Glover: Another meeting was convened with local municipalities and the school; the town is still waiting on a meeting with the Commissioner from Mount Vernon.

Parking: The facilities study covered the parking area. A $30,000 EV charger grant remains available if spaces are added, though previously identified electrical capacity constraints still apply.

Incidents: EMS responded to a medical emergency at the library in July with a positive outcome; the library thanked Pelham Manor PD and Pelham EMS. Heavy July rain brought water into the basement near IT equipment — no damage, but a close call. The library served as a cooling center during early-July power outages.

July engagement: 5,207 door count, 69 programs, 1,412 attendees.

Summer Reading: 260 children signed up, 37,101 minutes read collectively; 35 ice cream certificates, 41 pizza, 57 cookie. An app goal-reset issue has been fixed; the program is open to adults too.

Puzzle race: The first-ever event sold out. Plans call for 2–4 per year.

Camps: Final week of summer camp, at record attendance despite 90°+ heat, thunderstorms, hail, flooding and poor air quality.

Upcoming: Soccer and tennis clinics the weeks of August 10, 17, 24 and 31 (sign-up on the website). Cheerleading and football registration open. After-school registration opens end of August.

Summer concerts: Aug 3 — 8th Avenue Live; Aug 10 — The Truth (and They Don't Bend It); Aug 17 — The Book Ends; Aug 24 — Philip James Orchestra; Aug 31 — Jackie DiMaggio. Sponsors thanked: Rockwells, Meridian and the Gallo Family Trust.

Seniors at Doty: Exercise Tue/Thu 10–11am; yoga Fri 10–11am; Glover Field Walking Wednesdays 10–11am (weather permitting); arts & crafts first Thursday 1–3pm; mahjong lessons (55+) Wed 12:30–1:30pm; card playing Mon 2–3:30pm and Wed/Fri 12–3pm; bingo 2–3pm. Next field trip: Mohegan Sun.

PelhamTogether intern Kate McGovern was welcomed to the meeting.

Town Clerk relocation: The Town Clerk's office has moved to the first floor of Town Hall, and a phone has been installed at the entrance so visitors can call for assistance rather than climbing two flights of stairs — a change under discussion since January. Supervisor Mohan noted residents previously had to climb two flights to collect a handicap permit, "insurmountable in some cases," and thanked the Deputy Town Clerk for agreeing to relocate.

Hallway lighting: Eight new hallway lights are needed, ~$1,800 total including bulbs, selected with the architects and chosen to suit anticipated future building changes.

Iron Mountain: The Town Clerk and Deputy Town Clerk are reviewing stored records, have identified boxes eligible for destruction, and are pricing the most cost-effective disposal method.

The handbook rewritten in April 2026 carried two errors this resolution corrects. Personal leave: the new handbook never specified a number of days; the prior handbook gave 2, and that entitlement is restored. Sick leave: the new 8-day-with-carryover policy was unpopular with staff, so the town reverts to the prior 12 days with no carryover. Supervisor Mohan described the omission as "an oversight on my part."

Result: approved unanimously.

Quotes from alternative vendors ran $20,000–$30,000 and were judged exorbitant. The town instead negotiated added modules and cloud hosting with its current provider. The upgrade brings a budgeting module, cash reconciliation, cleaner financial reporting, monthly budget reporting to departments, better mid-year tracking, and remote access that no longer requires being physically in Town Hall.

Cost: ~$4,000 one-time this year; ongoing annual cost rises from ~$3,000 to ~$7,000.

Result: approved unanimously.

Minutes: July 13, 2026 minutes approved as amended, clarifying the Booktemberfest ticket sale date versus the event itself — confirmed as October 3, 5–8pm.

Acknowledgment: The council marked the passing of William Clements, who served on the Town's Assessment Board of Review for over 20 years, extending condolences to his children David and Sarah and his three grandchildren.

Adjournment: The board adjourned to executive session for personnel matters. The recording ends shortly after.

Board President De Angelis opened the work session, focused on school finance and the considerations that will shape the 2027–28 budget, plus Universal Pre-K, which the state requires the district to begin offering on a limited basis next year, and the athletics program. Dr. Champ was appointed clerk pro tem.

Superintendent Dr. Champ said October is the board’s budget guidance month and the business office has begun assembling the budget. A summary of the session and a ThoughtExchange survey will go to the community afterwards. Dr. Champ noted the October 13 parent session on screen time, AI and instructional technology led by Mr. Sabalos [VERIFY] and Del Mastro [VERIFY], and a board coffee the next morning at 9 a.m. at Shae Station [VERIFY] to continue that conversation.

Dr. Champ, now in a tenth year in the district alongside Jim, the Assistant Superintendent, reviewed a decade of investment under three strategic plans. Highlights included professional learning and mentoring, MTSS, wider access to advanced courses, a vocational program grown from about 10 to about 30 students, and integrated co-teaching (ICT), now in place K–4 and two years from a full K–12 continuum.

Outcomes cited: about 80% of students in grades 3–8 proficient or above on state ELA and math tests; the largest number of National Merit commended students in school history; strong results in science research, music and debate. On the district’s climate survey, more than 75% of middle school students and more than 90% of high school students say they feel safe at school. A fall climate survey launches within weeks.

Facilities: the 2018 bond built the new Hutchinson school and turfed most fields; the 2025 bond is upgrading infrastructure in buildings about 100 years old. The district bought Pelhamdale House for the business office and is renovating Franklin Place for central offices, so that all offices leave rented space by next school year. That growth in square footage means more maintenance and more events.

The district logged 6,631 after-hours building-use events in 2024–25, not counting outdoor fields. Community groups reimburse direct custodial costs under the annual facilities agreement; office and administrative costs are not billed.

About 85% of the budget is salaries and benefits. Enrollment has varied by only about 30 students across 13 grades, but staffing has grown for clinical support (a psychologist in each elementary school and social workers at the middle and high schools), special education, intervention and world languages. Administration and clerical staff are each up just one position in ten years, and the district has one fewer custodian than a decade ago despite more buildings, fully turfed fields and more events.

Trustee Cohen said the board should look at staffing “with a really critical eye” and ask whether it can support new programs, keep existing ones robust and maintain safe environments. Dr. Champ compared unsupported growth to an “upside down pyramid” that works “until it doesn’t.” Kindergarten and first grade are kept at 21 students (down from as high as 23), but some secondary classes have risen to 25–28. A student representative said upper-level classes are smaller, the largest about 20.

Over ten years the number of students with IEPs rose 21% and 504 plans 148%; about 15% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Tracey [VERIFY], who oversees pupil personnel services, said Pelham’s classification rate is about 13%, against 18% in Westchester and 20% statewide, but that the intensity of need is rising. Preschool special education enrollment hit a ten-year high of 60 in 2023–24, prompting an additional 8:1:2 class. The 12:1:2 classes are full, and nearly every student in special classes now uses a communication (AAC) device, up from one or two per class before the pandemic.

Families are moving to Pelham for its programs: in one recent group of incoming students with IEPs, about seven needed a program placement. A state change now lets students remain in school until age 22, with no added state funding, and administrators expect that cost to reach the secondary level in four to five years.

Technology and cybersecurity have grown, with BOCES moving to a managed off-site model. Electronic registration now handles three grade levels at once, and residency checks have required added legal and investigative services. FOIL requests, some submitted by bots, now take up about half of one staff member’s job, and a single email request can mean days of work; administrators said this belongs on the district’s advocacy list. Mail-in ballots have added work for the district clerk. After-school care, run by the Pelham Children’s Center, has expanded to all four elementary schools. Universal free lunch is popular, but it has ended the food-service margins that once helped fund equipment and staff.

Dr. Champ called Universal Pre-K a state mandate the district would have offered sooner if it had the space. Dr. Comerford [VERIFY] described a phased plan for four-year-olds (not 3-K), six hours a day on the school calendar:
• This year (2026–27): RFPs, issued “soon” with the business office, to find community-based partners to house and run the program.
• 2027–28: a limited number of seats by lottery with the chosen partner.
• 2028–29: expanded full-day pre-K, by lottery, for all interested families.

The state now pays $10,000 per enrolled full-day student. The district plans to keep part of that for administration, but expects the real cost to exceed $10,000 a student, describing it as adding a grade level. In answer to Trustee Garcia, administrators said the district does not have to offer seats next year but wants to phase in, and that admission will be a random lottery with a wait list, not income-based. Jim said providers may offer paid wrap-around care before and after the six funded hours, but cannot require it. Jim added that an RFP three or four years ago drew no responses, and that with every district facing the mandate at once, seats will be scarce; next year’s pilot is meant to establish the full cost.

About 850 students, more than half of secondary students, play on roughly 80 teams; participation is up 19% in ten years and new sports have been added. The athletics office is still one athletic director and one clerical assistant, who process about 100 coaches’ certifications each year. A part-time scheduler and an equipment manager have been added. The interim athletic director is studying the program and will recommend how it can grow sustainably.

Vice President Marrero said the athletics office is “very understaffed” for the demands of students, parents, buses and fields, and that, “as it pains us to spend more,” those needs must be met. Marrero praised the staff’s nights, weekends and holidays and said busing has been “problematic” since the pandemic.

Jim, the Assistant Superintendent, said costs have outpaced growth in the tax levy: salaries, healthcare (up about 10% last year, mostly from pharmaceuticals), utilities, transportation, insurance and special education. Electricity supply comes through the New York Power Authority, but Con Edison delivery costs keep rising; the transportation contract includes fuel, which protects the district from diesel price swings. About half of employees are in the Tier 6 pension, whose retirement age is being lowered from 63 to 58. A board member warned that rolling back Tier 6 adds strain on top of other mandates.

Dr. Champ listed the tools used over ten years: attrition, redistributing work, restructuring schedules, shared services, larger classes within guidelines, advocating for state aid, and grants. Dr. Champ said the district is now “very, very lean” and further cuts could reach programs.

On fund balance, Jim said the board has used post-COVID savings for one-time costs such as rooftop HVAC units, playgrounds and the Franklin Avenue house. The district holds an S&P AAA rating, one of four districts in the state with it, but its fund balance is lower, as a share of budget and in dollars, than the other three. The auditors reported a drawdown of about $500,000 last year, about $425,000 of it for a tax certiorari liability already set aside, leaving “basically an even budget” on close to $100 million. Items for the coming budget: restoring some of last year’s temporary cuts, sustaining existing programs, and resourcing the strategic plan.

After off-camera table discussions, Board President De Angelis reported that the first table valued academic excellence, social-emotional learning, world-class facilities and student voice at every level, and wanted tangible outcomes for added resources and support for staff serving higher-need students. The second table listed access for all, high achievement, well-rounded development, robust offerings, keeping what the district has, prioritizing the classroom, high-quality staff and the strategic plan.

Guidance to the administration:
• Present at least three budget versions: current services, current services with Universal Pre-K, and one beyond that.
• Maintain the strong financial position: the AAA rating, a low fiscal stress score, prudent use of fund balance and a structurally sound budget.
• Maintain current services with no reductions, while feeling free to shift resources; apply systems thinking to new investments; rethink responsibilities before adding staff.
• Treat Universal Pre-K as a state-set priority.

Building on Trustee Cohen’s pyramid point, a board member asked the administration to show which programs are stretched thin enough to be at risk, since the board cannot see that itself. Members kept returning to “tangible” evidence to explain any increase to the community. A board member also flagged the state’s New York Inspires / Portrait of a Graduate overhaul as a cost; Claire [VERIFY] said budget needs center on professional learning, curriculum writing and assessment design over a five-year phase-in, with state clarity not expected before February.

Dr. Champ announced the calendar: the Superintendent’s budget launches February 22; line-by-line public discussions begin March 8; another ThoughtExchange survey around March; and the budget vote on May 18, followed by exit polling. Adjourned by voice vote.

Board President De Angelis previewed the evening's three presentations: technology in the schools, the bond projects, and the annual audit. On technology she gave her own view: "Particularly at the elementary level, I think we should prioritize human engagement and pen and paper whenever possible," while making sure students build the skills they need and technology supports individual learning needs. She said educators should lead the work but that the district also needs to hear from families.

From that morning's audit committee meeting she noted that revenues came in higher than expected, spending was carefully managed, and much less fund balance was used than budgeted, but that employee benefits, transportation and special education costs keep growing and are becoming harder to absorb.

The NYSSBA resolutions were moved up to item 3.7 so that the board's delegate, Trustee Cohen, joining remotely, would not have to wait until the end of the meeting. Two donations were announced: $8,000 raised by the PTAs for additional air conditioning in the elementary schools, and $5,000 from Class of 2026 parents toward an award in memory of a 2025 Pelham Memorial High School graduate who died last year.

Dr. Champ reported that 10th and 11th graders took the PSAT that day, ninth graders had a bonding day at Glover Field, and seniors attended college seminars. One student was named a National Merit semifinalist and 13 were commended; they will be honored at a November meeting with the NYSSMA All-State students.

Playgrounds: School grounds are closed to the public during school hours. Bikes, scooters and skateboards are allowed on outdoor play areas but not on the rubber surfaces near play equipment. E-bikes and electric scooters are not allowed on district playgrounds at all, a decision made with the fire chief because of lithium battery risks; students who ride them to school must lock them at a rack away from the building. Grounds close at dusk and open at dawn.

Siwanoy gates: Siwanoy has no swipe access system yet; one is planned as part of the bond work, so the district does not want to spend on it now. In the meantime the gates are locked at dusk on weekdays and left open all weekend. On a couple of recent weekends they were left locked by mistake and were reopened within about an hour.

The student representatives described the freshman bonding day and peer mentor program, senior college counseling sessions, and a No Screens Day at the high school that students found "really refreshing." A weekend fundraiser for the science research program, the Wagathon [VERIFY], raised a record amount despite rain. Coming up: a virtual financial aid night, and a Pelham Together screening of Screenagers at the Pelham Picture House for Digital Citizenship Month, with two high school students on the panel.

Introduced by Dr. Comerford [VERIFY], Director of Technology John Sabales [VERIFY] and instructional specialist Alicia Del Mastro [VERIFY] described four years of moving away from the "crisis decisions" of the pandemic, when devices and apps were rolled out quickly. District leaders and the board read The Anxious Generation together last year. The two stated priorities are protecting young children's social, emotional and cognitive development by limiting screens, and preparing older students with gradually increasing responsibility.

"Screen value," not "screen time": The guiding principle is "purpose before minutes," favoring active uses such as coding, simulation and design over passive consumption. Teachers are trained on the SAMR model and the American Academy of Pediatrics' "Five Cs," and a new EdTech value matrix sorts tools into protect, allow, allow with guardrails, reduce or eliminate, and safeguard (for example, assistive technology in IEPs and 504 plans). Last year's software audit cut $100,000 of little-used pandemic-era tools.

District-wide practices: no devices at K–8 lunch or recess; no screen time as a reward unless an IEP calls for it; no unstructured "Fun Friday"-style use; administrators review ClassLink usage data by app, class and grade weekly. K–5 devices stay at school, grades 6–12 remain one-to-one, homework is not assigned on technology as standard practice, and K–2 logins for home platforms are no longer provided. The district has written grade-band guidance from kindergarten through high school.

Board questions: Asked whether the field is pushing toward more technology, the presenters said the district does not consider fixed daily limits best practice and knows of no scholarly or medical evidence for them. Some nearby districts have set time limits and others have opened up AI access; Pelham has done neither.

Teacher and K–12 student AI guidelines were released at the March 2026 Superintendent's Conference Day after about two years of work by an AI user group. K–5: no student-facing generative AI. Middle and high school: no open access; Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude are blocked, Classroom Gemini and Google's AI search are turned off for all students, and the only approved student tool is School AI [VERIFY], used only when a teacher directs it. The presenters called this "really restrictive" and the right approach for now, and plan to return later in the year with student and teacher feedback.

New York's 2024 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Standards are being taught "unplugged first" for the youngest students. Middle school technology teachers and librarians teach AI literacy with Common Sense Media's digital citizenship curriculum; high school teachers have recommended lessons. DreamBox, a non-generative math program, must be teacher-directed and kept to a small part of class time. Teachers using GoGuardian can see student screens in real time; the presenters acknowledged filtering is imperfect and students use workarounds such as VPNs.

Tom Santo [VERIFY], who has two children at Prospect Hill, made three points. On transparency, he quoted a 2020 internal Google document made public in litigation, "Onboarding kids into Google's ecosystem builds brand trust and loyalty over their lifetime," and said engagement with parents is too often "talking at parents, not with parents." He asked for more data behind decisions, questioning how well AAP guidance is grounded in data, and asked the district to check whether its solutions address root causes and to share more detailed policies with parents.

A second parent asked for more forums such as town halls and workshops. The parent cited a Wall Street Journal article on Google and AI in schools, PISA results showing daily AI users scoring 20 points lower in science, and a Google research report warning of risks to children such as "diminished intellectual engagement" and an "illusion of mastery." The parent questioned a 17-minute average daily screen time figure attributed to the district, saying it leaves out smart boards and classroom video and hides the spread between students, and asked why de-identified data is not shared and why parents cannot see their own child's. The parent said no longer sending K–2 logins home reduces parents' view of classroom use, and asked for a K–2 Chromebook opt-out and paper-and-pencil alternatives for technology-based homework.

A board member thanked the speakers and said technology and screen time have been debated on the board for at least five years. Dr. Champ noted the October 13 parent session and said she would email Mr. Santo the next day.

The partner from PKF O'Connor Davies, introduced by Jim, the Assistant Superintendent, reported an unmodified ("clean") opinion, the highest level of assurance, along with the government auditing standards report. There were no fraud, illegal acts, proposed adjustments or disagreements with management. Federal spending came in just under the new $1 million threshold, so no federal compliance audit was required.

Revenue and spending: Revenues came in about $926,000 above the roughly $91 million budgeted, helped by sales tax and state aid. Spending was about $86.7 million against a revised budget of about $90.4 million, roughly $3.5 million under. Special education, transportation and employee benefits all rose, with pension rates up after state Tier 6 changes.

Fund balance: The budget voters approved planned to use $2.5 million of fund balance, revised to $2.9 million to pay tax certiorari settlements. Fund balance actually fell $524,000, from about $18.3 million to $17.8 million. A planned $2.2 million transfer from the debt service fund was not made; Jim and the Superintendent chose to keep it there to offset debt service on the coming bonds. Unassigned fund balance is $3.9 million, 4% of the budget, the state maximum. The district holds an S&P AAA rating, with fund balance on the low end of AAA-rated districts.

Debt: Four bonds dating to 2016 are outstanding, with $58.3 million of principal; existing debt service drops off around 2031, when new bond payments are expected to take its place. The capital projects fund shows a temporary deficit because work was paid for before borrowing closed.

Asked whether the tax certiorari reserve, down from $5.4 million to about $2.9 million in two years, is still enough, Jim said the district reviews its exposure with its attorney each year, the largest settlement in his tenure was about $400,000, and no large settlements are expected.

The construction manager and KG&D architects reported:

Prospect Hill: the oil tank was removed and the flat roof replaced over the summer, attic insulation replaced, and steam-to-hot-water heating work continues during the school year for turnover in summer 2027. The slate for the main roof comes from a single quarry and has not arrived; protective fabric is in place and will be upgraded before winter if delivery slips. Masonry work runs into the spring. Windows are being measured for summer 2027, possibly earlier after school hours if they arrive sooner.

Colonial: the roof was replaced and the exterior cleaned over the summer, and attic insulation is under way. The same heating conversion is starting on a second shift so the new system can run by the same time next year, while the old system keeps heating the building through the winter, which the team called "incredibly complex." Windows follow the same summer 2027 schedule.

High school and middle school: the scope is being confirmed with engineers, with design over the winter and a permit planned for fall 2027, so that Colonial and Prospect Hill finish before this work ramps up.

Siwanoy: the permit application is with the State Education Department and described as "extremely close." Bidding is planned for this fall, aiming to finish before the holidays, with groundbreaking on the addition targeted for spring 2027. The project is on budget. The new bond steering committee will meet for the first time in October and then every four to five weeks.

The Personal Growth and Achievement Committee reviewed the technology presentation, and the Audit Committee met that morning. The Safety Committee discussed locking procedures and Siwanoy evacuation drills, and reported that stair chairs have been installed at Hutchinson, safety monitors and custodians completed CPR training, and administrators had a threat assessment refresher.

Trustee Cohen led a review of resolutions coming to NYSSBA's annual business meeting on October 15, which become part of the association's advocacy platform. The board gave her general discretion in case resolution text changes before the vote.

Resolution 20 (nonpartisan school board elections): oppose. Members supported nonpartisan elections in principle, but said the resolution would go beyond current state law, which already provides a nonpartisan ballot, by restricting party endorsements and campaign materials, raising First Amendment concerns. Trustee Cohen said it is widely unsupported across districts.

Resolutions 18 and 19 (dyslexia screening): oppose. The district does not do universal dyslexia screening; it uses universal reading screeners and refers students at risk for further assessment, and staff noted that dyslexia is a medical diagnosis. Members called Resolution 19 an unfunded mandate. Resolution 18 drew more discussion: members said its funding request appears only in its last sentence, and a board member said legislators should not be "mandating educators how to do their work," adding that if educators recommended screening every student, "I'm going to absolutely listen to that." The board will oppose 18 as written but could support it if amended to be clearly about funding. Members stressed that opposing these resolutions is not opposing support for students with dyslexia or dysgraphia.

Resolution 21 (school lunch flexibility): support, as a way to reduce waste. Lockdown drills: support keeping the current number, which a member called part of Pelham's "skillful and thoughtful" approach.

Items 5.1–5.8 passed unanimously. Jim highlighted authorization to award the outdoor classroom contract to the lowest responsible bidder once vetting is complete, since waiting for November would be too long, with the item to return if vetting fails (5.7); the auction of a 1950s kiln as surplus equipment; budget transfers; and the Prospect Hill corrective action plan (5.6), which follows a minor audit finding that extracurricular checks were not forwarded to the business office promptly. The fix is to expand the MySchoolBucks payment platform to elementary trip and exam fees. Audits and corrective action plans are posted on the district website and reported to the State Comptroller, and the internal audit comes to the November meeting. The board then accepted the two donations (5.8), and passed items 6.1–6.4 and Schedule D unanimously. There was no new business.

Board President De Angelis opened the meeting, noted that Trustee Gordon was absent for a work commitment, and had Vice President Marrero restate the executive session motion: the board had met to discuss the employment history of a particular individual. She then took up several issues "in the news and popping up on Facebook."

Regents exams: "Regents exams are not simply going away." Beginning with the class of 2028, passing them will no longer be a separate graduation requirement. Nothing changes this school year and the exams will still be administered. The district has anticipated this for about two years through its New York Inspires preparation, already uses rigorous local performance-based assessments, including some in high school science, and "our high expectations for students are not changing."

Screen time and AI: Elementary technology use averages about 15 minutes per student per day. Draft guidelines are with teachers for review, with opportunities coming for families to ask questions. Student-facing AI is not used at the elementary level at all; at the middle and high schools its use is intentional and teacher-directed.

State ELA results: An unusual statewide decline this year is being looked at more closely. Pelham continues to perform strongly, and its own results will be discussed at an upcoming work session.

Siwanoy playground: The planned fencing will not cut the neighborhood off. The playground stays open after school and on weekends until dusk, then is locked. Bikes are permitted on the blacktop; e-bikes are not; older children are asked to be mindful of younger ones. The proposed 8-foot height makes securing the property during the school day and after dusk meaningful and matches existing fencing. Each elementary property is different: Siwanoy and Colonial have playgrounds very close to the street and neighbors, Prospect Hill has a large land buffer, and Hutchinson has physical drop-offs that require fencing. She encouraged families to bring questions directly to the district.

Senior Finn Mullen [VERIFY] was one of two New York students selected for the 2026 American Legion Boys Nation in Washington, D.C., after serving as a delegate at New York's Boys State sponsored by Pelham Post 50. The administrator presenting his certificate called it the first time in their 10 years in the district that a student had achieved at this level. Finn, also a nationally recognized congressional debate competitor, plans to study government and political science while commissioning through Army ROTC.

Addressing the board, he described working on debate prep for his party's presidential nominee: both teams independently landed on lifting the payroll tax cap for Social Security. "When you strip away the party labels … they end up coming to the same conclusions," he said. "I felt like none of them were my opponents." The minutes of the August 26 and September 9 meetings (Items 3.1–3.2) were approved just before the recognition.

Regents and screen time: Dr. Champ expects the state to begin releasing guidance on the Regents change by spring. Mr. Sabalos [VERIFY] and Mr. Mastro [VERIFY] will present the district's screen time guidelines at the October 7 board meeting; elementary principals will share information at open houses; and Mr. Sabalos will hold a parent session at 7 p.m. on October 13. "None of our students have access to OpenAI at any level." At the secondary level the teacher-directed tool is School AI [VERIFY] (likely the product SchoolAI), a closed system chosen with data privacy in mind.

Evaluations: Dr. Fitzgerald [VERIFY] trained administrators on the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) requirements, which is why lead evaluators are on tonight's agenda. Under the current system tenured teachers are evaluated at least twice a year and non-tenured teachers at least three times; the state has given districts an eight-year transition. Her APPR task force is designing a new process focused "more on growth and less on compliance," to be piloted in the second half of this year and submitted to the state in the spring.

College events: The September 15 grade 12 college night featured a Vanderbilt admissions counselor on applications, essays, and early decision versus early action. The annual college fair, co-hosted with Eastchester, was set for September 28 at 7 p.m. in the Middle School gym with more than 70 colleges.

Committees: Dr. Champ and President De Angelis reviewed about 50 applications and seated about 30, a mix of returning and new members; notifications go out in the coming days. The Safety Committee meets Friday and the Personal Growth & Achievement Committee the following week.

Student board members Emerson and Madeline reported that the year is running smoothly and that the phone-free hallways are working — "I really have not seen anybody on their phone inside the school at all." The last day to add a class was September 24; the drop deadline is in late October. The school held an SAT; a SEAL of Civic Readiness information session covered possible changes to state graduation requirements; and seniors are working toward early deadlines between October 15 and November 1, with strong praise for the counseling office. In athletics, girls soccer won the Yorktown tournament and volleyball placed second in its tournament. Club Fair is next week, homecoming brings back last year's barbecue and carnival, and the Open House is October 1 at 6 p.m.

There were no committee reports since the last meeting, and with no members of the public present there was no public comment.

Base proportions (6.2): Jim, the Assistant Superintendent, explained that Pelham's tax base is split between homestead (houses) and non-homestead (apartment buildings and commercial) property. The board may base the split on the 2025 or 2026 final assessment roll; the recommendation was 2025 because under 2026 "the homestead property owners would bear slightly greater tax burden." The board makes this selection every year.

Merger teams (6.3–6.4): Girls ice hockey and wrestling continue as mergers with neighboring districts that host the teams, because Pelham does not have enough students to field full teams. Families with questions are pointed to the athletics website or office. Mr. Kastania [VERIFY] is reviewing athletic programs with future growth in mind. Items 6.1–6.4 passed unanimously.

Items 7.1–7.4 passed as a consent agenda: FMLA leaves and their coverage, lead evaluators for teacher and principal evaluation, fall coaching and club stipends, student teachers, interns, observers and student substitutes, the resignation of a school nurse (a search for a replacement is under way), and the appointment of a school monitor. Schedule D was approved separately.

Advocacy: Trustee Cohen reminded the board that she had emailed the advocacy calendar and the NYSBA resolution booklet. Resolutions passed at NYSBA's annual business meeting feed the association's talking points and legislative agenda — "our way as a school board to influence what the state school board association promotes." The board then adjourned.

Board goal adopted: "Together the Board and Superintendent will support the continued enhancement of student outcomes as well as deepen community understanding of the value provided by the Pelham Public Schools." Two objectives sit under it — building on the district's culture of educational excellence, and demonstrating the schools' value to the broader community — across three work areas: internal and external communication, finances, and data and student learning. The data strand emphasizes growth over time rather than achievement levels alone, tracking state graduation-requirement changes through NY Inspires and Portrait of a Graduate, and a forward-thinking approach to AI and student screen time.

New board charter: Drafted at the summer retreat around listening to different perspectives, assuming positive intent, arriving prepared, disagreeing respectfully and addressing issues directly. It is not a required document and will be revisited periodically for self-reflection.

U.S. News rankings: The State Education Department did not authorize release of AP participation and performance data to U.S. News, affecting high-performing districts across New York. Pelham's ranking dropped as a result — not, the Board President stressed, because AP participation or performance changed, but because a critical piece of data was missing. She called this year's ranking an inaccurate comparative picture and said the district's focus remains on actual student experiences, growth, opportunities and outcomes.

Calendar: A two-day administrative retreat beginning August 27 on the theme "Systems of Support for All Learners" — widened from last year's "All Students" to include staff. New Teacher Orientation September 1; Superintendent's Conference Days September 2–3 covering MTSS, ethical and developmentally appropriate instructional technology, and preparing graduates for life after school. Students return September 8, the day after Labor Day: a half day for K–6, phased and staggered starts by grade for middle and high school. Annual board facilities tours begin at the elementary schools to view summer roofing work and end at the high school on Freshman/Parent Orientation Night.

Reporting change: Cabinet members will continue submitting written reports and memos; Dr. Champ will summarize highlights publicly, with follow-up questions directed to individual cabinet members. The approach will be trialed over several meetings.

Staffing: An elementary teacher at Hutchinson was appointed district Mentor Teacher, succeeding Miss Connelly, who moved to Assistant Principal at the Middle School. Resignations included a late Social Studies retirement; a nurse opening and other vacancies were being filled with the goal of being fully staffed for day one. A separate Equipment Manager role was created, one per athletic season — the combined Athletic Scheduler/Equipment Manager model proved unworkable — funded by reallocation within the existing athletics budget, and expected to pay for itself through tighter inventory control.

Enrollment: Elementary rosters opened electronically August 28, with section sizes monitored closely to stay within budgeted allocations.

Central air at Colonial, Prospect Hill and Siwanoy remains scheduled as a 2027 capital project. As a stop-gap, portable and window units were installed over the summer — 4 at Prospect Hill, 4 at Siwanoy, 8 at Colonial, the Colonial allocation completing classroom spaces and the nurse's office on the main floor. Basements were excluded as they run 5–10 degrees cooler on hot days.

The PTA Council approved the fundraising process on August 25 and letters were going out to families; the district procured the units up front to secure consistent models, correct BTU ratings and better pricing, with the PTAs reimbursing. Facilities staff Jim and John Condon were credited for delivering. Dr. Champ framed the goal plainly: "This should really position us so that we don't have to close school for heat again" — a reference to the early dismissal that prompted parents to speak at the June 24 meeting.

Repurposing: Once the elementary schools have central air, the window units move to the high school, which was not included in the capital projects for HVAC. "It may not be the most elegant solution, but it's functional."

Digital registration: Conversion covered the 5th→6th and 8th→9th grade transitions. As of August 25, 88% of incoming 6th grade and 83% of incoming 9th grade applications were received and complete, with 20 or fewer outstanding to be handed to individual buildings at the start of school.

Screen time / EdTech guidelines: Drafted over the summer on an intentional-use framework distinguishing active, educational technology use from passive use. Feedback runs through the administrator retreat and Conference Days, then the Personal Growth & Achievement Committee in early September, with a full board presentation on October 7 and a parent session to follow. Trustee Kathryn Cohen urged proactive outreach to preschool-age families, who in other districts have been the most vocal while having the least familiarity with how technology is actually used in schools. Context cited: screen time rose sharply during the pandemic, New York's grades 3–8 assessments are computer-based, and the district must teach the K–12 State Digital Literacy Standards. A board member noted the earlier AI guidelines parent meeting went unrecorded — "a lesson learned" — and asked that any screen time session be recorded.

Title IX: A public-facing Title IX webpage is being finalized as a single place for policies, procedures, contacts and the required complaint form, alongside an internal employee portal on the Frontline platform.

Meeting dates (5.1): Work sessions revert to a 7:00 PM start from 7:30 as a courtesy to staff who attend; the February 10 executive session for 10-year reviews starts at 6:00 PM. The board agreed to avoid adding executive session or business items to work session nights unless necessary.

Board goals (5.5): A member proposed adding explicit advocacy language — "leverage board advocacy opportunities and relationships to advance district priorities at the regional and state levels" — which was accepted, with a further suggestion that advocacy should also rally the community rather than the board alone.

Finances (5.7–5.9): Treasurer's reports for the periods ending May 31 and June 30, 2026 were presented; the overnight interest rate at June 30 was 3.5%, with the market split on direction. A 2025–26 budget transfer was requested in anticipation of a special settlement whose status is unknown — if not expensed the funds flow to fund balance, and if a settlement occurs next year it will be appropriated from fund balance then.

Safety plan (5.10): State law requires an approved district-wide safety plan by September 1. The 30-day public comment period was satisfied and no comments were received.

Policies: Policy 6110, the Code of Ethics, was retained as last adopted on annual review. The 2026–27 Code of Conduct was adopted unchanged after its public reading drew no feedback, to be posted on the district website and included in student handbooks, with an in-depth review targeted at the Policy Committee by roughly April.

Thought Exchange survey: The Superintendent circulated a survey to capture outstanding "parking lot" items, using a tool that generates AI follow-up questions. Five respondents are needed for synthesized results and only three board members had completed it. Members noted some AI-generated follow-ups solicited strategy-level answers outside the board's scope; the Superintendent acknowledged the experimental use.

Personnel (7.1–7.4): Six-period assignment overages; contractual stipends spanning curriculum coordinators, scheduling assistants, elementary teachers-in-charge, school culture coaches, team leaders and clubs from drama to yearbooks to STEAM coaching; lunch duty coverage; coaching appointments; substitutes. A leave-replacement library teaching assistant was appointed and a teacher transferred from Hutchinson to Prospect Hill. A new payroll clerk was appointed after the district ran roughly five months without one, with Jim covering payroll in the interim.

Advocacy — Trustee Kathryn Cohen reported on five meetings in a month. Aug 3: a session with the State Department of Public Service on the electric school bus mandate, covering implementation and grid challenges; the region will be notified when the formal public comment period opens, and DPS staff want to hear directly from superintendents about local impact. Aug 11: meetings with Congressman Latimer's office on IDEA funding — a proposed "40 by 40" campaign to raise the federal contribution to the originally authorized 40% by 2040, never fully funded since 1975 — plus career and technical education. Aug 24: a first regional advocacy meeting where EdTech and Universal Pre-K emerged as the top shared concerns. Aug 25: a steering committee meeting and a 30-minute introduction with the Governor's new Deputy Secretary of Education, whose stated interests are literacy standards and the Universal Pre-K rollout; the region raised Universal Pre-K staffing requirements and a request for further guidance on New York Inspires.

The board adjourned the business meeting to executive session, stating on return that the purpose had been discussion of the particular record of a student. It then voted unanimously to deny Student Transportation Appeal 2026–2027 #01, with the district to contact the appellant about the decision, and adjourned.

Opened as the last Business Meeting of the 2025–26 school year, with the Pledge of Allegiance. Trustee Will Treves noted the board had met in executive session beforehand to discuss the employment history of a particular person. Board President Jackie De Angelis was absent; Vice President Natalie Marrero presided at her request, congratulating recent graduates and thanking students, families, teachers, administrators and support staff.

Return on investment: The district performs at roughly the 95th percentile statewide while spending sits at the 44th percentile — the metric Dr. Champ highlighted for taxpayers. Graduation rate 100% (99th percentile); math and ELA both 92nd percentile; elementary science 98th.

Recognition: AP Honor Roll and U.S. News rankings; Emily Walch named a Regeneron STS Scholar; Finn Mullon ranked 11th in the nation in Speech and Debate; awards for the yearbook and the Sock N' Buskin theater program. 63 students received the Seal of Civic Readiness at graduation, the program's third year.

Strategic "big rocks": Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) as the largest districtwide focus; ethical AI leadership, with faculty guidelines rolled out this spring and student AI guidelines due fall 2026; and the New York Inspires initiative — Regents exams remain required under current regulations, with firmer state guidance expected in one to two years.

Curriculum: Earth Science Regents replaced with full NGSS for all 8th graders; OpenSci implementation continues; state-required Financial Literacy and Environmental Literacy to be embedded over the summer; a Local History Initiative under Dr. Shord, funded by a PEF grant and tied to the nation's 250th anniversary, lands in fall 2026.

All staff were trained in the CASEL framework this year, treated as an introductory year, with SEL embedded in new teacher orientation and two late-start professional learning mornings. An MTSS SEL committee coordinated by Tracy applied the tier structure to SEL — Tier 1 for roughly 80% of students, Tier 2 for 15%, Tier 3 for 5% — and drafted a potential district SEL plan.

Pilot inconclusive: This spring's curriculum pilot ran only four to five weeks. Dr. Comerford reported many positives but no full consensus, citing the rushed timeline; a vendor meeting was set for the following week and a deeper, longer pilot planned for 2026–27.

Grant ending: The RECOVS grant through BOCES, described as critical this year for coaching and professional learning, is ending; BOCES continues as a fee-based partner while the district looks for replacement grants.

Other: "We Are Pelham" 5th Grade Edition ran at Hutchinson on PEF funding, with a third year covered and district budgeting required after that; Tracy secured a grant for communication boards at each elementary school; the high school's digital device ban, in line with the Governor's new law, produced a definite improvement in building climate; 13% of students qualify for free and reduced lunch, and state-funded universal meals drove an ~85% increase in breakfast participation.

Summer work at Colonial and Prospect Hill: Roofing, piping in preparation for HVAC conversion, window caulking replacement and limited asbestos-related work, with second-shift piping during the school year coordinated to stay away from students.

HVAC: The major conversion delivering central air comes Summer 2027, estimated at $15 million for the central air installation, with masonry and window work alongside. Window units remain in the interim.

Siwanoy: Plans go to the State this summer, bidding in fall, construction beginning in spring. The last community session on June 15 drew about 20 attendees with positive feedback.

Security: A $1.3M security camera grant (credited in the meeting to Senator Biaggi) is being implemented with KG&D architects and A Plus Contractors, expanding camera coverage and upgrading access controls. Consultant Tom Drake of Altiris remains full-time; the district hit 100% compliance on required drills and used its reunification protocols in a few real-life situations, debriefing after each.

Finance: Budget approval came in at 75%, up 14 points and a return to traditional levels, achieved within the tax cap but requiring roughly $2M in reductions. The audit found no material weaknesses and no significant deficiencies. Forty policies were addressed this year, with Sidney Burke credited for leading the policy committee.

Ashley Mills, 215 Loring, parent of three Colonial students, thanked Dr. Champ for engaging by email and acknowledged the district is in a "tight spot," appreciating "mindfulness of taxpayer dollars" — but asked for an interim solution for classrooms that already have electrical capacity: "the teachers are dripping, the students are dripping… they're in the library, like they're not getting real work done."

A second Colonial parent described the same conditions and asked for interim cooling in time for fall 2026.

Concetta Eudicone, 129 Corlies Avenue, incoming Colonial PTA president, endorsed prioritizing rooms already wired and laid out the building's disadvantages: brick construction, no tree cover, a large asphalt area at the rear, single-pane windows and blaring afternoon sun on the back of the school. She cited a second-grade room off the playground a teacher had called "unbearable" in late August, reported 3–4 teachers flagging heat in a PTA survey, and asked for a solution ahead of September 2026, offering PTA and parent help. She introduced herself as the new point of contact between teachers, parents and administration.

Dr. Champ's response: Top floors already have window units and bottom floors stay cooler; the middle level, especially the front of Colonial, "bakes all day." The constraint is electrical — an AC unit big enough to cool a room draws too many BTUs for existing classroom hookups, and the district spent much of last summer wiring rooms and building frames for the oversized windows. It is now assessing which rooms have capacity and what the rest would cost. The state threshold is 88°F, at which students cannot remain; middle-level Colonial rooms were nearly there Thursday and did not cool overnight, so school was dismissed early Friday — a problem shared across older Westchester buildings that day. Parents at Colonial and Siwanoy offered to donate or fundraise for units, but the capacity assessment has to come first. Full AC is confirmed for Summer 2027, with construction starting summer 2026.

Capital Bond Steering Committee: Proposition 1 work begins this summer; bid results came in favorable, "a nice way to start a project," with vendor contracts being finalized. Asbestos and hazardous material abatement notices were posted at Prospect Hill and Colonial as a pre-notification requirement — no abatement while students are present.

SHPO on Siwanoy: The State Historic Preservation Office advised that windows on the new addition should not match the existing ones, to avoid implying the addition is original. The architect prepared alternatives, but the committee preferred the original matching design out of respect for the roughly 100-year-old building, reasoning that the heavily glazed connector already makes the addition clearly distinguishable. Dr. Champ and the architect will draft the response.

Audit and Finance: The committee met the morning of June 24 with three board members, two community members and the external auditor. Partner Scott Oling began preliminary field work that day, returning in two weeks for the year-end audit. Two new GASB pronouncements affect the MD&A section and require budget-to-actual variance analysis in the annual report. The internal auditor is finishing work on food services, tuition billing and a risk assessment. The claims auditor RFP drew one response, with a recommendation due at the next board meeting.

BAN sale: A $30.5M one-year Bond Anticipation Note sold at a net interest cost of 2.644% against a budgeted 3.25% estimate from Capital Markets Advisors — "very positive results" with "a nice grouping of bidders." Interest falls in the 2026–27 budget cycle. The district still expects a fund balance drawdown at year end.

Special education: The department runs 700–800 CSE/IEP meetings a year. The MTSS SEL subcommittee met monthly from October through June, moving from siloed chapters toward an integrated support plan, with tiers, entry/exit criteria and interventions now defined and a screener pilot on the Branching Minds platform continuing. Professional development under the ending grant covered CASEL, Restorative Practices and Youth Mental Health First Aid. Inclusion work was credited across the district, with special education teachers and related service providers called "silent heroes."

Human resources: Most positions for next year are filled, with a handful of partial-year leave replacements still open over the summer — harder to fill because candidates prefer longer terms. The APP Task Force could not find a common June meeting time and resumes in September, targeting State submission in March; the plan requires negotiation with both the teachers and administrator unions. The district completed a full year of paperless attendance.

Facilities (Jim, Assistant Superintendent): A $430,000 budget amendment funded from tax certiorari settlements during the school year; summer transportation for Extended School Year programs; agreements with Educational Data Services for bidding services and Emblem Health for insurance; and a $593,000 tax certiorari reserve fund for Assessment Year 2025, sized to known claims at the prudent lower estimate on the tax attorney's advice.

Item 5.1 (next meeting dates) and Items 5.2–5.15 (Royal Coach Lines transportation contracts, Emblem Health, 2025–26 budget transfers, the tax certiorari reserve, the $430,000 budget increase, EBALR and retirement contribution reserve appropriations, and five-year use schedules for the retirement, TRS and debt service funds) each passed unanimously.

Policies 6.1–6.6 were adopted on second reading with the third reading waived — 3311 employee disciplinary record disclosures, 5672 information security breach notification, 7240 student records access and challenge, 7242 military recruiters, 7260 designation of person in parental relation, and 7580 safe public school choice. Sidney Burke noted no public comments had been received. Policy 7241 additionally requires an accompanying regulation of about 11 pages; regulations do not need board approval, and Valerie and staff will develop a system to catalog them.

Personnel items 7.1–7.4 (Schedules A, B and C instructional, and Schedule C non-instructional) and Item 8.1 (Schedule D, Committee on Special Education, confidential) passed unanimously. No new business was raised and no further public comment was offered. The meeting adjourned at 1:23:53 with an acknowledgment of Natalie Marrero for presiding.