February 8, 2022
MAYOR'S UPDATE
From the desk of Mayor Rika Levin
One of the most important roles and responsibilities of the Board of Trustees is oversight of our Village budgets. Today I would like to update the community on our fund balance: I am pleased to report that the Village of Ossining has received the 2021 4th quarter Sales Tax revenue, which to my delight, exceeds our budget by more than $1.7 million. This is good news.

As a Village, we budget conservatively for items sensitive to swings in the economy. For some economists, this may signal an upturn in the economy, or it may be an aberration due to many fluctuations due to financial management during Covid. Most importantly, a healthy positive fund balance ensures that we remain financially stable and weather unanticipated changes. This positive outcome will help ensure an adequate fund balance is available to:

  • Secure, efficient cash flow for daily needs
  • Protect against unforeseen expenditures related to emergencies
  • Offset economic downturns or revenue shortfalls
  • Maintain investment‐grade bond rating. 

If you are interested in learning more about municipal fund balances, please go to: https://www.osc.state.ny.us/files/local-government/academy/pdf/understanding-fund-balance-12-01-2021.pdf.

Below is a comparison of Ossining Village revenues from 2020 to year-end 2021.
We are looking for volunteers for the newly formed Ossining Youth (OYB) Bureau’s Youth Advisory Board. Are you a passionate Village of Ossining resident where your goals align with the OYB’s mission of connecting youth to positive services and programs that will help promote education, physical and emotional health, civic engagement, economic security, healthy choices, and a sense of belonging to the community? If you are, then please join us on Wednesday, February 9th @ 6:00 PM via Zoom. Click here to learn more.

Meeting info:
Members of the public can view the meeting via computer or mobile app:
Webinar ID: 868 4136 7364
Members of the public can listen to the meeting by dialing in via phone: +1 929 205 6099

In the meantime, you can apply here: Application for Youth Advisory Board.
Here are some items in front of us this week at our Work Session:
  • This year we are inviting all the volunteer boards and councils to present their progress and needs to the Board of Trustees. For our second & third Volunteer Board/Committee Presentations of 2022, Claude Tusk (Chair of the Board of Ethics) and Pat Yost (Recreation Advisory Board) will present their volunteer Boards and what they have been up to are planning for 2022-23.
  • As you may know, the Board of Trustees and I have voted to allow cannabis dispensaries within the Village. As a Board, our next steps will be to make changes to the zoning code set forth the allowable time, place, and manner for these businesses. Please also stay tuned for our Village Hall meeting, which will be held on March 30th @ 7:30 PM on this topic. At that time, we will look for more community engagement.
  • The Village has received two timely bids for the remediation of 200 Main Street. Our environmental consultant who prepared the bid specs has been reviewing the lowest bidder’s credentials and proposal. Village Engineer Paul Fraioli, PE, and Village Manager Karen D’Attore will be making a recommendation on choosing a vendor for this important project, which is anticipated to take 16 weeks once underway.
  • Ossining is well on our way to becoming the country’s greenest Village! Assistant Village Manager Maddi Zachacz will present our current and future environmental and sustainability initiatives.
  • Corporation Counsel Stuart Kahan will present Proposed Local Law #2, which will set the Parklet Program for our restaurants with a proposed new start date.
  • Mr. Kahan then wraps us up with a request from ASF Construction for a license agreement into the Village's right of way at 7A Croton Avenue.
The full agenda for this week’s Work Session can be found here: Work Session - Feb 09 2022 

Members of the public can view the meeting via computer or mobile app:
Webinar ID: 883 1973 0651
Members of the public can listen to the meeting by dialing in via phone: +1 929 205 6099
Village of Ossining | www.villageofossining.org