From the Mayor’s Desk…September 30, 2011
It was an exciting week in Irvington as Recreation and Parks Superintendent Joe Archino was able to announce the restoration of the three fall events that were cut due to budget concerns.
Special Events Funding
At Monday night’s Board of Trustees' meeting, it was announced that the Irvington Fire Company had agreed to pay the entire $7,000 required to fund the annual Halloween Parade. The volunteer fire department’s participation in the parade is not new as they have provided the majority of the volunteers for years. The village is very grateful that our firefighters have decided to provide yet another great benefit to our community. It was also announced on Monday that the Irvington Girl Scouts, another very valuable community asset for years, will be donating $3,500 to be used to offset the costs of the Peter Oley Turkey Trot. As you all know, the Turkey Trot is an Irvington institution and I am not certain that Thanksgiving would have been the same without it!
On Tuesday, Superintendent Archino called me with the additional good news that Sunnyside Federal Savings and Loan had agreed to sponsor the Haunted Hayride for $4,000. Sunnyside has a long history of supporting local programing and we are very happy that the new management team has continued this legacy. They truly are “Irvington’s bank.”
The dates for these events are:
Halloween Parade: Sunday, October 30th at 2:00 p.m.
Haunted Hay Ride: Saturday, October 22nd from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Peter Oley Turkey Trot: Sunday, November 20th at 1:30 p.m.
The Recreation Department is already working with the Irvington Beautification Committee and the Chamber of Commerce to source funding for the “Holiday Greening” that transforms Main Street into a postcard-like setting around Christmas and Hanukkah.
2% Tax Levy Cap
I have received a large amount of feedback on my letter from last week on the 2% tax cap. I wanted to clarify one point. The Board of Trustees and I fully intend to keep this year’s levy within the 2% cap, as we have two of the last three years (we have averaged a 1.77% increase the three years I have been on the Board). The purpose of my note this early in the budget process (the final budget is not due until May 1st, 2012) is that in order to keep the levy under 2% we will likely be forced to cut services and I need your input. By starting the dialog now, we can determine what areas are most valuable to residents. I thank all of you who e-mailed me suggestions on ways we can save money. Please keep the discussion going. Along those lines, I have asked Village Administrator Larry Schopfer and Clerk/Treasurer Brenda Jeselnik to update the preliminary 2012-2013 budget at the next Board of Trustees’ Meeting on Monday, October 3rd, 2011.
Have a great weekend,
Brian Smith, Mayor
bsmith@irvingtonny.gov
(646) 265-3950 (Cell)