March Newsletter

Hello Hartsdale Community, We hope this email finds you well. We are sending out this newsletter because there are some important issues pending that will impact our Hartsdale community.

UPDATE ON TOG CONTRACTED POWER SUPPLIER Con Ed delivers and bills you for your power, but if you have not intentionally opted-out of using Westchester Power as your supplier, you have been paying significantly more for your electric power. The additional amount will depend on your individual usage in kWh, but if your monthly usage is close to the national average then that additional amount could be around $45 a month. TOG, like many other municipalities in Westchester contracted on resident’s behalf for Westchester Power to supply electric power. The intent was to save residents money based on group purchasing power and to support green energy. When the program started, residents needed to sign up/opt-in to the program. Due to low sign up, residents are now automatically signed up and required to call to opt-out. Many residents and civic associations raised concerns about this process, while others didn’t know this was automatically pre-selected for them, or how to opt-out. In addition, Westchester Powers’ latest pricing model assumed that energy prices would drastically increase this year, which so far hasn’t occurred. The pricing is locked in by virtue of a contract the TOG signed through 2024, so it’s only a good deal if prices increase 35% or more. You can opt-in and opt-out at any time, so if you choose to opt-out and go back to Con Ed, you can opt-in to Sustainable Westchester if ConEd prices increase. We hope in 2024 when this comes up for renewal, the TOG Board listens to residents before signing us up to continued opt-out programs.  Based on many complaints from residents, the TOG Board Requested Westchester Power send out a mailing to residents to explain the program, pricing, and how to opt-out or opt-in to the program. They also invited Westchester Power and residents to speak at Town Board Working Session on March 14th. The presentation and discussion starts around 7 minutes into the meeting.

CONDOMINIUM TAX LAW UPDATE Back in February, the Town Board initiated public hearings for a local law that would permanently change the assessment methodology of any new condominiums built in the Town of Greenburgh, assessing them in the same manner as single-family homes and would result in property taxes for these developments 30-40% HIGHER than under the current system. No change would occur to existing dwellings. This was kicked off by a state law that allowed the Town to do this. The governor vetoed a similar state law to enact this state-wide.  The Board of Ethics unanimously concluded that this proposed legislation could potentially have an impact on the value of existing condos within the Town of Greenburgh and recommended that any Board members who own Condos in the Town should recuse themselves.  The HNA executive committee opposes this legislation believing it will severely limit development in our town including on the Central & Hartsdale Avenues corridor.   Voting on this law has been postponed several times, and again today when it was rescheduled to April 12th. We will provide any updates on HNA social media sites.

OTHER NEWS GCSD Budget And Voting The 2023-24 GCSD draft budget and discussion can be viewed at the March 14th BOE meeting (1:42 to 2:20); the draft budget document can be found on the GCSD website. The final budget hearing is scheduled for May 2nd and the Budget Vote is scheduled for May 16th.   The GCSD BOE is also considering adding a bond of up to $12,750,000.00 to the vote on May 16th. The bond would be used to replace the roofs on all school district school buildings which was unanimously recommended by the Finance and Facilities Committee. The BOE is considering options to reduce the amount of a bond while maintaining the scope of the project. The BOE is meeting tomorrow Tuesday, March 21st from 7 to 8pm in Woodlands Middle School auditorium and the meeting is expected to be live streamed on YouTube.  Summer Help  There are several openings for summer jobs with Parks and Recreation and at the Community Center.  You can find information on the positions and applications on the TOG website.  Odell House Family Friendly Event On May 20th, you and your family can visit three historic Revolutionary War sites in Westchester, where French troops camped during the Revolutionary War. The sites, Smith’s Tavern in Armonk, Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters in Hartsdale, and Yorktown Grange Fair Grounds will have family activities. More information can be found on the Odell House Website.

HNA MEMBER INFORMATIONThe Hartsdale Neighbors Association (HNA) is a group of passionate volunteers who are driven to improve our community.  We foster neighborhood engagement and community-based problem solving, enhance civic awareness and provide a vehicle for community-based efforts.  If you’d like to be more involved with HNA and join the Executive Board, one of our committees or other efforts, please contact us at info@hartsdaleneighbors.org.

IMPORTANT DATES Town Board Meeting – March 23 Town Board Meeting – April 12 GCSD Budget Hearing – May 2 School Board Elections – May 16 Odell House Event – May 20 NYS Primaries – June 27