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January 12, 2024

Dear Residents -


Well, 2024 certainly came in with a bang. So much so, that the first Town Board meeting of the year had to be moved from Tuesday to Wednesday night due to the torrential rain and wind. As it was the Re-Organization meeting, when newly elected officials are sworn in, there was a little pomp and circumstance to mark the occasion. And, as is customary at this meeting, I made remarks on the State of the Town. Allow me to share, as redacted for space, with you all:   

 

I am happy to report that Orangetown continues to maintain a strong financial position due to conservative budgeting practices and oversight of expenses, and I am proud that the Town has the highest bond rating in the County at Aa2. 

 

In addition, 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 (no designation for stress). The Town’s transparency with its finances is also important and, to that point, the Government Finance Officers Association awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the year ending December 31, 2021. It was the 16th year in a row that the Town achieved this national award and we are the only municipality in Rockland County to do so. 

 

Looking to 2024, the Town Board passed a budget that stayed under the 2% tax cap, despite increases in salaries from the new PBA and CSEA contracts and $1 million in additional debt service for the new Town Hall. Thanks to a strong performance from both golf courses and higher interest income and fees, as well as appropriation of $3.5 million from fund balance, we were able to offset some of those costs and stay under the tax cap, while still maintaining a healthy fund balance.     

 

However, 2023 did have some unique challenges, starting in May with a call from NYC Mayor Adams wherein he told me that NYC planned to house 340 single, male migrants in a hotel in Orangetown, requiring the Town Board to take swift action to obtain a Temporary Restraining Order to prevent NYC from unilaterally and blatantly violating the Orangetown Zoning Code.      

 

While the Town is currently in litigation as a result of these actions, we stand behind what we did, not just because it stopped illegal housing in an Orangetown hotel, but because it sends a message that in Orangetown we do not ignore violations of our Town Laws. That the Town is ready, willing and able to take all necessary and appropriate enforcement actions to protect and defend our laws - no matter who is doing the violating.

 

We also had a setback when Governor Hochul vetoed the Special Legislation needed to allow Orangetown to move forward with a Community Preservation Fund. While I was disappointed with the veto, I was angry at her stated reason why.

 

And I quote, “There have been well-documented tensions in the region between local officials and members of the Hasidic community. Similar tensions exist in the nearby town of Blooming Grove and resulted in litigation in the Town of Chester.” 

 

I have a message for Governor Hochul, there have been no such tensions in Orangetown, documented or otherwise, and Blooming Grove is not a nearby town. That statement, made without any basis in fact, simply took a broad brush of antisemitism and painted it over the people of Orangetown. I reject this premise outright and state with 100% certainty that the purpose for the legislation was exactly as stated in the bill – for the preservation of community character, which includes:    

 

1) the preservation of open space; 2) the establishment of parks, nature preserves, or recreation areas; 3) the preservation of lands of exceptional scenic value; and 4) preservation of public access to lands for public use including stream rights and waterways, to name just a few.

 

But we are not going to give up. We will seek this special legislation again, and take a more aggressive approach to get our messaging out. I will personally reach out to religious leaders, so they too understand why we want this legislation. And, I will ask all of you to send letters of support. With that, I hope the Governor will reconsider her position and approve the legislation later this year.

 

And finally, in the last weeks of December, we were faced with the task of having to move out of the old building, one which the Town occupied for 62 years, and into this one. Not an easy thing to do, especially during the holidays. So, I want to thank the employees who helped to make the move a “mostly” smooth one. I know how much work it was, with long hours for many of you. And, even though I am not naming you individually tonight, please know that it was noticed and very much appreciated.  

 

But, it was worth it, and I am happy that the residents of Orangetown now have a Town Hall that they can be proud of, with improved handicap accessibility, security, and energy efficiency – and very much improved aesthetics. Sometime this spring, when it is 100% finished, I look forward to having a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony and hope that many of you will join us.  

 

We also had important accomplishments this year, including the completion of what seemed like the never-ending Update to the Orangetown Comprehensive Plan.

 

In addition, despite several days of almost typhoon-like weather, we had a hugely successful farmers market in Pearl River. I want to thank the Pearl River School District for allowing us the use of the Central Avenue Field. I know that I speak for many when I say that I am very excited that it will be back again this year.  

 

And, we even managed to have some fun along the way: 

 

1)    Thanks to Carmel Reilly, we had the first ever Orangetown Senior Citizen Prom and an Orangetown Night at Clover Stadium. Both were huge successes and, knowing Carmel, they will be even bigger and better this year;  

 

2)    We had the ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening of the splash pad and pickleball courts at Veterans Memorial Park; 

 

3)    We had a fun project with art students from the Tappan Zee High School, where they painted murals on the walls of the underpass on the rail trail. Thanks to the students, the school district, their teachers and parents who allowed the kids to do this for us. It is really a testament to how great the youth here in Orangetown are.  

 

But 2023 is over and it is time to look to 2024.

 

I strongly believe that there is more that can be done to keep a line on Town taxes. While I am happy that we have stayed under the tax cap, the total tax burden on our residents is no longer sustainable.

 

In addition, more needs to be done to address the problem with truck traffic in the Town, particularly on Route 303. In the near future, I will be proposing a short-term moratorium on any new warehouse applications on the Route 303 corridor to give the Town Board time to study the issue and to see what can be done to address it. 

 

Before I finish, I want to recognize and thank the Orangetown employees, because everything that is accomplished in the Town is done so only with their help. They are the people who work every day to keep your local government running. 

 

I also want to thank those who serve on the Land Use Boards and Town Committees, as I know it is often a thankless job. So, thank you for volunteering your time to see that Orangetown remains a great place to live.

 

And, I want to congratulate the recently elected officials, Councilmen Jerry Bottari and Paul Valentine, Superintendent of Highways Jim Dean, Town Clerk Rosanna Sfraga and Town Justice Patrick Loftus - I look forward to working with all of you for another two years.

 

I also want to congratulate Dan Sullivan, who will be appointed to the unexpired term of Tom Diviny at the next Town Board meeting.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my comments on the State of Orangetown.  

 

As a reminder, Town Hall will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

 


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:


Saturday, January 13, 2024, 11 am - 3 pm


January 23 - Public Hearing:


  • Local Law on proposed amendment for outdoor parking and storage of vehicles.
  • Local Law for South Nyack Parking (Revised law from January 9, 2024)
  • Local Law on proposed text amendment to Special Permit Uses to include farm cidery/winery (postponed from November 28, 2023)

For all futureTown Board meetings, please click here.

January 10, 2024 Orangetown Town Board

Re-Organization Meeting

Many thanks to those who participated in the Re-Organization meeting this week, including Sharyn McTigue (Youngman) for saying the Pledge of Allegiance, Tanya Witek (of BridgeMusik) and her talented team of musicians - Keith Buterbaugh, Danny Mui, Lukas Witek, and Annamaria Witek - for their beautiful music performance, Boy Scout Troop 55 and Cub Scout Pack 55 for presenting the flags, and Father Ravi and Rabbi Pernick for their offering of spiritual blessings.   


Orangetown Police Department

NYS Thruway Travel Alert - Saturday, January 13, 2024

TRAVEL ALERT: This Saturday, January 13 at 8 p.m., the northbound lanes of the Thruway (I-87) from exit 17 (Newburgh) to exit 18 (New Paltz) will fully shut down to all traffic for at least 12 hours so a portion of the damaged Brookside Road overpass in New Paltz can be safely removed over the northbound lanes, weather permitting. The Plattekill Service Area will be closed during this operation. Motorists should seek alternate routes while this work takes place or avoid travel in the area during these times, if possible.

Online Registration for Orangetown’s Winter Programs is now Open!

Upcoming Events

Retrace the steps of our WWII Camp Shanks soldiers on their way to fight in Europe!

The Camp Shanks Freedom Trail memorializes the sacrifice of the nearly 1.3 million soldiers that passed through Camp Shanks. The trail marks the route that soldiers took from Camp Shanks to the Piermont Pier so that others can follow in their footsteps. For many, Camp Shanks was "Last Stop USA." Click HERE for the map.

Many thanks to the hard work of Eagle Scout, Michael Hanebuth, Troop 2055 Blauvelt, NY for building the trail and creating the detailed map.


Rockland County Events:


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