Edgemont group to move forward with new village proposal
By JOSEPH AXTHE JOURNAL NEWS
|
Incorporation
at a glance |
(Original Publication: June 23, 2005)
Resident Bob Bernstein will form a group to put forth a proposal for incorporating the community into Greenburgh's seventh village, he said yesterday.
Bernstein, a member of the now-disbanded Edgemont Village Exploratory Committee, which studied the issue for 18 months, made the announcement a day after the committee presented the results of their final report.
"At this point, we fully intend to put together a petition drive, but not before we have met the challenges that the EVEC report identifies," he said.
The 37-page report suggested that municipal taxes would rise by a minimum of 30 percent in a new village, increasing the annual tax bill by approximately $1,000 for a house assessed at $30,000.
Bernstein pointed out that the hike in the total annual tax bill, including school and other taxes, amounts to 5 percent.
The new group has not officially been convened, Bernstein said, although it will include some members of the exploratory committee and other residents uninvolved with the report.
The group would have to garner signatures from Edgemont voters in order to set up a referendum on the issue. Under one likely scenario, the village would seek to contract with Greenburgh for public works services while providing other services, such as police and administrative, for itself.
While some have already expressed opinions about incorporation, a large swath of Edgemont, residents have likely not learned enough about the issue to have informed opinions.
At Seely Place Elementary School yesterday afternoon, as parents came to pick up their children, half a dozen residents either said they knew nothing about it or had not formulated an opinion.
But Joan Pachner, 48, said she favors the concept.
"I like the idea of having more control over our local community in terms of planning and zoning," she said. "Our views aren't the same as those of (the rest of) unincorporated Greenburgh."
Janine Pollack, another mother, said she also likes the idea of increased control. But, she added, she needs more information before becoming convinced that more independence is worth the heftier tax bill.
Both said Edgemont residents identify more strongly with Edgemont than with Greenburgh because of the schools, which have an excellent reputation and draw most residents to the area.
Bernstein said that incorporation would allow Edgemont to control its own development while protecting the school system.
He also said the most pressing challenge will be to locate land for municipal buildings, including a village hall/police station/courthouse complex and a community center/pool complex.
In an odd twist, a successful lawsuit Bernstein filed against Greenburgh on behalf of unincorporated residents could force the town to share the cost of park maintenance and recreation programs with the six villages. Only unincorporated Greenburgh currently pays for those services.
If so, Edgemont's incorporation would cost significantly more, adding $600 or so to the taxes on a house assessed at $30,000. The town is appealing the case.
Bernstein said he is hopeful a middle ground can be found on the issue.
Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said he believes it would be inappropriate for the town to take a position or to meet with Edgemont residents to discuss the issue. "I think people are generally satisfied with the level of services they get from the town," he said.