Briarcliff Shares Annexation Study Findings

Could a bigger population mean lower taxes?

Briarcliff Manor Village Manager Philip Zegarelli indicated it could during a special meeting at the  Monday night.

As , Zegarelli said a group of residents who live in election districts 17 and 20 in the Town of Ossining had previously approached the village, requesting they be annexed.

"This process started not with the Village of Briarcliff Manor seeking to annex," stressed Deputy Mayor David Venditti.

On Monday, Zegarelli specified 12 community members had brought the issue to the attention of the village. The annexation of the two districts could effectively increase Briarcliff Manor's population by approximately 1,600, based on estimated 2009 figures.

If the process moves forward, which Zegarelli said is dependent on if/when residents in the district file a petition containing signatures from 20 percent or more of the districts' residents, further analysis will be done using the  and other up-to-date figures, including audited budget numbers.

Based on preliminary findings, Zegarelli said bringing the districts into the village could potentially result in a tax savings of $694,498 for current village residents, which would lower taxes by 6.96 percent overall (varying between Town of Ossining and Town of Mount Pleasant residents, but lower in both cases); despite the need to add additional services and employees to the village's annual budget.

These figures are based on the assumption that the vilage will add three new police officers, five "civil service employees" to the  and additional equipment/material and administrative costs to the bottom line.

Other considerations include the inconsistency in comparing the two municipalities' fiscal years—Briarcliff Manor's year begins June 1, while the Town and Village of Ossining start on Jan 1, as well as how the delivery of municipal services will be affected by an annexation.

Zegarelli outlined areas to examine, including water supply, the fate of Ryder Park, whether to adjust the fire and ambulance district boundaries, etc.

He stressed annexation has no effect whatsoever on school district boundaries—they will remain the same no matter the outcome.

Further, Zegarelli reiterated the fact that the village is looking to become completely independent from the Town of Ossining in the future, a point emphasized by Mayor William Vescio at last Wednesday's Board of Trustees meeting.

At the meeting, Vescio said the town has been handled poorly both "fiscally and managerially," and called for a "divorce" between the two municipalities.

Vescio said an email sent out by Town of Ossining Supervisor Catherine Borgia last Wednesday was an example of the town's "mismanagement" and showed "why this village needs to segregate itself from this town."

The email advertises the position for a budget officer/personnel director/aide to the supervisor, with a salary of $60,000 to $70,000. According to Vescio, with benefits, "you're talking $115,000 of taxpayer money."

You can read the full email here.

According to Connie Cerny, the current budget officer who said in an email she has accepted a new job opportunity, “The Town finances are in very good shape…I am disappointed that Mayor Vescio would seek to use my personal career choice as a vehicle to attack Supervisor Borgia and the Ossining Town Government.”

"I'm not one to be quiet about these things," Vescio said during Wednesday's Board of Trustees meeting. "If you just get rid of most of the staff of your village, you certainly don't need to be adding administration."

Borgia dismissed the claim in an email and said the municipality’s preliminary 2010 audit results indicate “that the town is in excellent shape despite the severe world-wide economic recession which has impacted all local municipalities.”

Vescio said the town's decision to  with the Westchester County Department of Public Safety was done without the knowledge of the Villages of Briarcliff Manor and Ossining, who had been in discussions with the town about possible consolidating or sharing services, including police.

Now, said Vescio, it is unclear whether the Town of Ossining is truly saving money from the merger, and the decision has added extra burden to the  and Village of Ossining Police Departments.

"This decision is expected to save taxpayers between $600-900,000 each year," Borgia previously wrote to Patch.

Regarding the annexation issue, she stated, “At this point, it seems that the analysis is very preliminary and needs significant and rigorous review to determine if annexation is in the best interest of the impacted residents and the wider Ossining/Briarcliff community.”

Vescio also said the Briarcliff Manor-based Town of Ossining police building, which was "overpaid for," is now "being used for free by the county."

However, Zegarelli said the village will not look into separating itself from the town until after the topic of annexation has reached a conclusion, as New York State law does not permit towns to annex parts of other towns, but does permit the annexation of adjacent town districts into villages.

In order to bring the annexation to fruition, the village and town will need to continue to examine financial, operational and legal issues, according to Zegarelli, as well as meet with residents from both the town and village.

Further, both the Village of Briarcliff Manor and Town of Ossining must approve the plan, or it will go to an appellate hearing where a judge will examine the facts and rule based on the "case in the public interest," per state law. If approved, a voter referendum exclusively in the two districts will accept or refute the annexation proposal through a simple voting majority.

“I urge all stake holders to review this proposal while considering the potential short- and long-term impact. The annexation process is a long one and requires that the Appellate Court conducts a through review of all the financial, legal and political implications and determine whether or not the move is in the best interest of all impacted, not merely the residents of the two districts,” said Borgia.

On Monday, a resident who resides in one of the districts in question asked if the annexation would affect current Ossining residents' ability to utilize the Ossining Metro North station at resident rates.

"That would have to be discussed," said Zegarelli.

Another resident said she found out about Monday's meeting by chance.

"Why isn't there more transparency?" she asked.

"That's actually a very inaccurate statement," replied Zegarelli. "This meeting was set up to share information with the town," he added, referencing the Town and Village of Ossining officials who were in attendance, including Borgia.

"The real presentation is Wednesday," he said, stating the residents who asked for the study were responsible for spreading the news about Wednesday's meeting on the issue, to be held in Ossining.

He also rejected thoughts from the same resident who asked whether the annexation had anything to do with the county's affordable housing settlement or whether the process would ease the to become an independent township.

Zegarelli added some Mount Pleasant residents in areas bordering the village have also inquired about the annexation process, though no research into those requests has been undertaken by the village as of yet.

“I'm looking forward to working with officials from both villages to evaluate this proposal and to investigate the best way to provide municipal services to our constituents in the most cost-effective way possible,” Borgia concluded.

There will be a public meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Anne M. Dorner Middle School (100 Van Cortlandt Ave.) in Ossining regarding the issue.