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January 10, 2025

Dear Residents -


This past Tuesday evening was the Orangetown Re-Organizational Meeting of 2025, the annual meeting in which I provide my remarks on the State of the Town. While too lengthy to include in its entirety (watch the video), I am sharing a summary with you here:       


1.    I am happy to report that Orangetown continues to maintain a strong financial position thanks to conservative budgeting practices and strict oversight of expenses, and that we have the highest bond rating in the County at Aa2. 

 

2.    The NYS Comptroller’s office evaluated the fiscal stress for the Town’s finances and awarded it the best possible score of 0.0 on a scale of 0-100 (in other words, no designation for stress). As important, is transparency of the Town’s finances. On that point, the Government Finance Officers Association awarded Orangetown a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. This is the 17th year in a row that Orangetown achieved this national award and we are the only municipality in the county to do so.  

 

3.    For 2025, despite salary increases from the new PBA contract and projected increases due to the upcoming CSEA contract, the Town Board again passed a budget that stayed under the tax cap. This was accomplished through conservative budgeting practices, strong performance of our golf courses, higher interest income and fees, and the appropriation of $3.95 million from fund balance, while still maintaining a healthy fund balance of $27.5 million at year end.  

 

4.    While I am pleased that we stayed under the tax cap, I want to acknowledge the financial struggles that many of our residents are facing, with high inflation and property taxes. The total tax burden, and by that, I mean school, county and all of the taxing districts, is becoming unsustainable for many. So, tonight, I ask the Town Board to work with me to do our part, to make difficult decisions, to find innovative ways to streamline government, and to think outside the box when it comes to finding ways to reduce taxes and bring in new businesses to Orangetown.  

 

5.    But we also had many non-financial accomplishments in 2024, including:  

 

a.     The ALS Community Bucket Challenge at the Splash Pad at Veterans Park last summer, when we came together as a community to show support for one of our own, raised over $26,500 for ALS United Greater New York and had a lot of fun doing it. It was an event that we all should be very proud of;     

 

b.    We saw the ownership of the IBM/HNA Palisades property transferred to new owners this past July. It was certainly a long road, with many twists and turns, but it finally closed, and the Town Board looks forward to working with the new owners to find a plan that will bring the property back to its full potential; and,     

 

c.     The Town Board continued reviewing and updating local laws in response to the quickly changing times. Last year, we passed laws to address short-term rentals and the parking and storage of commercial vehicles on residential properties. Tonight, we will be holding a public hearing to consider changes to the Do Not Knock Registry; and, at the next meeting, a hearing to revise the definition of family to help address the issue of illegal occupancies. This is an ongoing process and we continue to find ways to strengthen our laws to protect the quality of life we all have come to expect in Orangetown.  

 

6.    Like in past years, Orangetown continued to do its part for the environment:

 

I’m proud to announce that Orangetown became a Bronze-Certified Climate Smart Community – notably, the only TOWN in Rockland County to achieve this status (with the villages of Upper Nyack, Nyack and Haverstraw). Certified communities are ones that go beyond the Climate Smart Community pledge and complete actions to mitigate climate change at the local level. Special thanks to the members of our Climate Smart Community Task Force – Allison Kardon, Eamon Reilly, Chris Sheehan, Mike Andrea and Maria Gagliardi. Their hard work and dedication resulted in $135,000 in grant funding for Orangetown.    

 

7.    A few of the things we did for the environment last year:     

 

a.     We launched a community Solar Campaign and now have 270 residential and 118 municipal accounts signed up;

 

b.    We started developing a Drinking Water Source Protection Plan, which should be completed this year with the implementation stage to follow;

 

c.     We purchased 2 light-duty EV Trucks with two free EV chargers for delivery this year, received a grant for our first heavy duty electric truck (an electric sweeper), and received funds to purchase electric leaf blowers, lawn mowers, chain saws and utility vehicles - all from Clean Energy Community grants for achieving Bronze Status and launching the Community Solar Campaign;

 

d.    We diverted 108,480 pounds of food waste from landfills through our food scrap recycling program, up from 92,000 pounds in 2023;

 

e.     We affirmed our commitment to preserving open space, having signed a contract to purchase the property at 149 Piermont Avenue in South Nyack, known as the Olson Center Property. It is approximately 6.2 acres of land, on and under the Hudson River, that the town plans to operate as a passive park with access to the Hudson River; and,

 

f.      We continued to invest in our local parks and playgrounds – with the installation of a new playground at Elizabeth Place Park and the resurfacing of the basketball/pickleball courts at the Franklin Street Park, both in South Nyack.

 

Looking to 2025, here are a few things we have to look forward to:            

 

1.    Resumption of the Middletown Road project in Pearl River (from Brightwood Avenue to Crooked Hill Road), thanks to a $1.5 million grant from Congressman Mike Lawler;

 

2.    The installation of two water filling stations along the rail trail, one by the Blauvelt Library and the other at Depot Square, for walkers, runners and their four-legged friends! And the installation of shade structures at Veterans Park, all thanks to $125,000.00 in NYS grants procured by Assemblyman John McGowan last year; and,      

 

3.    The long overdue dedication ceremony of the New Town Hall Building sometime this spring.     


But everything I have mentioned, all of the successes, would not be possible without the efforts of all the elected officials, department heads and town employees, who all work hard every day to keep your local government running efficiently.

 

There are too many to mention individually, but I want to specifically thank a few - Allison Kardon and Carmel Reilly, Deputy Town Supervisor Denis Troy, Town Attorney Rob Magrino, and Finance Director Jeff Bencik.   

 

But most of all, I want to thank all of you, because it is all of you who make Orangetown a truly wonderful place to live. I wish you and your families a happy and healthy 2025, and I look forward to continuing to work every day to protect our quality of life here in Orangetown. 



Regards, 

Teresa M. Kenny

Town Supervisor

Town of Orangetown

26 Orangeburg Road

Orangeburg, New York 10962

(845) 359-5100 x 2293

Town of Orangetown

IMPORTANT NEWS




"Rich in History"

Camp Shanks Museum Hours


January 18, 2025, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

February 15, 2025, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm




January 28 - Public Hearing:

  • Proposed zone change for 676 and 680 Western Highway and the north end of Ellsworth Drive, Blauvelt (Continued from December 17, 2024).
  • Proposed amendment to the Town Zoning Code to clarify the definition of "family" and address illegal occupancies of residential dwellings in the Town.
  • Proposed amendment to the Town Code regarding disposal of food scraps at Town disposal bins.
  • Proposed amendment to the Town Code regarding membership and duties of the Historical Areas Board of Review (HABOR).

For all future Town Board meetings, please click here.

Town Board Re-Organizational Meeting

Thank you to Danny Gurniak for saying the Pledge of Allegiance and Catherine O’Kelly for singing her beautiful rendition of the National Anthem at the Re-Organizational meeting on Tuesday. Congratulations to Councilman Dan Sullivan who, accompanied by his wife and mother, was sworn in by Town Clerk Rosanna Sfraga. 

Orangetown Police Department

Prepare your vehicle for the wintery cold months. 

Carry items in your vehicle to handle common winter driving-related tasks, and supplies you might need in an emergency, including:

  • a snow shovel, broom, and ice scraper; 
  • abrasive material (sand or kitty litter), in case your vehicle gets stuck in the snow or ice; 
  • jumper cables, flashlight, and warning devices (flares and emergency markers); 
  • first aid kit, including tourniquet;
  • blankets for protection from the cold; and 
  • a cell phone and charger, water, food, and any necessary medicine.

 

Gas Up or Plug It In

Keep your gas tank close to full whenever possible. 

Similarly, in the case for electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, it is important keep your battery charged and to also minimize the drain on the battery. In general, batteries with liquid electrolyte have reduced energy storage and delivery capabilities at lower temperatures, which is why most all vehicle batteries use battery power for self-heating in low temperatures. The battery drain due to heating can be minimized by keeping your electric vehicle as warm as possible during freezing temperatures. A common way to do this is plugging your vehicle in at night during the winter – keeping the battery in its optimal temperature ranges.

Upcoming Events

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To find more events in Orangetown and around Rockland County click here.

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Missed Highway's update for this past week? Wondered what they said in past issues? Please click here and stay up to date with what is going on in the Orangetown Highway Department.