Hello Hartsdale Community,
The HNA leadership group hopes you are all doing well and surviving as best as you can in these trying times. We have a number of important updates below and we hope you will find this email informative and useful.
The Future is In Our Schools
Search For New School Superintendent – The Greenburgh Central School District Board is conducting a nationwide search for a new school superintendent after declining to renew the contract of Dr. Chase. The search firm of Ray and Associates has been hired to assist in the search including gaining input from community stakeholders.. The search firm is scheduled to meet with stakeholders including parents, community members and civic associations on November 18th and 19th. In addition, the search firm is asking stakeholders to complete a survey on qualities we view as most important in a superintendent.
Community Survey – Please take time to complete the following survey by 8am, Friday, November 20th by clicking the link below.
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Community Meetings – Community members are invited to participate in community input meetings. If you are interested in participating, register for one of three sessions below:
Wednesday, November 18th from 8am – 9am (via Zoom)
Wednesday, November 18th from 7pm – 8pm (via Zoom)
Thursday, November 19th, 2020 from 7pm – 8pm (via Zoom)
You will receive an email with a link to join upon registration. The sessions will be facilitated by Ray and Associates.
Civic Association Engagement – HNA has been invited, along with other local civic associations, to be engaged in the selection process and will be meeting with the search firm on November 19th from 4pm to 5 pm. As a civic association, we have many areas that we are focused on and as such we have set up various committees/groups to organize our efforts. If you would like to join the HNA school committee and participate in that meeting, please contact us at: info@hartsdaleneighbors.org.
Town of Greenburgh 2021 Tentative Budget
The Town Board has released the Tentative 2021 Town Budget and will be holding hearings for public input on November 24th. It will come as no surprise to you that local governments are struggling to balance budgets and maintain services without increases in property taxes due to increase costs and reduced revenues from the COVID 19 pandemic. We are facing this same issue with a loss of revenue from retail and hotel taxes.
For 2021, The Town Board is proposing drawing on Town Reserves so there is no increase in property tax with the expectation that both the 2021 Tax Levy and Tax Rates will remain the same as in 2020. There are no plans to reduce the Town workforce or a reduction in resident services. If the Town draws down approximately 60% of its reserves for the 2021 budget, the town remains within the Town Financial Guidelines for funds held in reserve but at the low end. Drawing down reserves will not be an option for the 2022 budget.
The Tentative Budget can be found in its entirety on The Town Of Greenburgh Website.
Proposal to Modify Snow Ordinance
There is a proposal to allow residents with special issues (small driveways and disabilities) to park overnight on town streets during winter months via special permit. Currently, residents are not able to park cars overnight, 1am to 6am, from December 1st to March 15th to allow the highway department access to clear roads of snow. Under the proposal, residents could apply for a special overnight parking permit. Parked cars would be allowed on town streets overnight except when notified from the town that cars need to be moved due to snow forecasted or a snow emergency is in effect
The Town Board is preparing to vote on the proposal on November 24th and looking for your feedback. Please email the Town Board at townboard@greenburghny.com.
HNA Member Information and News
Former HNA Executive Board Member, Barbara Brennan is moving out of the community in early 2021. We’d like to thank Barbara for all the important work she has done to help beautify our community including spearheading the establishment of the planters on Hartsdale Avenue.
The Hartsdale Neighbors Association (HNA) is a group of passionate volunteers who are driven to improve our community. We endeavor to 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 on of our committees, please contact us at info@hartsdaleneighbors.org.
Important Dates
GCSD Community Meeting – November 18th
GCSD Community Meeting – November 19th
GCSD Superintendent Survey Closes – November 20th
Town Board Meeting – November 24th
Town Board Meeting – December 1st
Planning Board Meeting – December 2nd