GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. [00:00:03] I CALL THIS APRIL 21ST, 2026 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE WHITE PLAINS COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS TO ORDER. [Common Council Special Meeting/Work Session on Arpil 21, 2026.] UH, COUNCILMAN WOLF, WILL YOU PLEASE LEAD US IN THE PLEDGE TO OUR FLAG? I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU. MADAM CLERK, WOULD YOU PLEASE CALL THE ROLL? MR. CARUSO. PRESENT. MR. FREI-PEARSON. HERE. MISS PRESSER. HERE. MRS. SANTIAGO. PRESENT. MISS SIMMONS. HERE. MR. WOLFE. HERE. MR. MAYOR. HERE. SO TONIGHT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE OUR BUDGET PRESENTATIONS. I WILL JUST QUICKLY FIRST BEGIN BY SAYING THERE'S A LOT OF CITY STAFF HERE IN LEADERSHIP, AND WE KNOW THAT EVERYONE'S BEEN WORKING EXTREMELY HARD ON THE BUDGET AND WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL. AND AS YOU ALL HEAR, AS USUAL, WE ARE IN QUITE A GOOD FISCAL SITUATION BECAUSE EVERYONE WORKS SO HARD. SO WITH THAT, OUR FIRST BUDGET PRESENTATION TONIGHT IS AN OVERVIEW OF THE 2026 2027 BUDGET. I'D LIKE TO INVITE OUR BUDGET DIRECTOR, JIM BARNETT, TO THE PODIUM. AND I SEE HE'S THERE. GOOD EVENING. GOOD EVENING, AND WELCOME TO OUR PRESENTATION OF THE 2627 PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE CITY. MY NAME IS JAMES ARNETT, AND I'M THE BUDGET DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY. THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS ON THE CITY WEBSITE AT WHITE PLAINS DOT COM. AND THERE WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET AT THE MAY 4TH COMMON COUNCIL MEETING, AND THE BUDGET BY CITY CHARTER MUST BE ADOPTED BY MAY 30TH. AND TONIGHT WE WILL HAVE AGAIN. AS THE MAYOR HAD MENTIONED, I'LL BE DOING AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET, AND THEN WE WILL HAVE DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, THE LIBRARY, THE YOUTH BUREAU, RECREATION AND PARKS PARKING DEPARTMENT, AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. SO THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS FISCAL YEAR BEGINS ON JULY 1ST, AND THE CITY HAS MAINTAINED A AA ONE CREDIT RATING EVERY YEAR SINCE 1988, AS PER MOODY'S. AND ONE OF THE GOALS OF THIS AND EVERY BUDGET IS TO MAINTAIN THAT RATING THROUGH SOUND FISCAL POLICIES. THE CITY TAX RATE LEVY IS INCREASING BY 1.65%. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TAX LEVY AND THE TAX RATE IS THAT THE TAX LEVY IS AN ACTUAL LINE IN THE BUDGET. SO IT'S A REVENUE LINE THAT WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CONTROL OVER DURING THE BUDGET PROCESS. WHEREAS THE TAX RATE IS MORE A FUNCTION OF THE TAX LEVY AND THE ASSESSMENT RULE. SO THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS YOU CAN SEE THE TAX RATE IS INCREASING BY 2.9%, WHICH IS MORE THAN THE 1.65%. THE TAX LEVY IS INCREASING BY. AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE ASSESSMENT ROLE IS DECREASING BY 1.26%. AND THE MAIN FACTORS FOR THAT ARE THE NEGATIVE OFFICE AND RETAIL TRENDS. ONE PARCEL IS MOVING TO A PILOT, A DECREASE IN SPECIAL FRANCHISE FEES AND THE IMPACT OF SURGERIES. THE BUDGET IS AGAIN, THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS AGAIN WITHIN THE 2627 TAX LEVY CAP. AND THIS IS THE 15TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR. AND THE CITY IS ACTUALLY NEVER NEEDED TO OVERRIDE THE CAP. IN ALL 15 YEARS THAT THE STATE HAS HAD THE THE TAX CAP, THE TAX CAP FORMULA. AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, ALLOWS FOR THE LESSER OF THE RATE OF INFLATION OR 2% PLUS OR MINUS OTHER FACTORS. SO FOR THE CITY BUDGET THIS YEAR, OUR MAXIMUM AMOUNT AND AGAIN THAT THE TAX CAP IS RELATED TO THE TAX LEVY NOT THE TAX RATE. THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT WE COULD HAVE INCREASED THE TAX LEVY WAS 3% WHICH WOULD BE $2.1 MILLION. WE INCREASED THE TAX LEVY BY $1.1 MILLION. SO WE HAVE AT THIS POINT $930,000 THAT WE CAN ROLL INTO NEXT YEAR TO USE TOWARDS NEXT YEAR'S TAX CAP. AND BID ASSESSMENTS ARE AGAIN AT $900,000. THE TAX RATE, WHICH IS THE AMOUNT OF TAX PER YEAR THAT A [00:05:02] HOMEOWNER WOULD PAY PER $1,000 OF ASSESSED VALUE, IS PROPOSED AT $257.64, WHICH, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, IS A 2.9% INCREASE. THIS WOULD MEAN A TYPICAL HOMEOWNER OF A PROPERTY WITH A MEDIAN ASSESSED VALUE OF $13,500 WOULD PAY AN ADDITIONAL $99 PER YEAR OF CITY TAX COMPARED TO THE CURRENT YEAR, AND THE CITY TAXED JUST AS A POINT OF REFERENCE, IS ABOUT 22% OF THE TOTAL TAX BILL. THE EXPENSE APPROPRIATIONS IN THE PROPOSED BUDGET ARE 230.3 MILLION, WHICH IS AN INCREASE OF $10.8 MILLION. THE MAJOR FACTORS FOR THAT INCREASE ARE SALARIES, PENSION COSTS AND ACTIVE AND RETIREE HEALTH INSURANCE PLANS. THE BUDGET ACCOUNTS FOR UNION CONTRACT INCREASES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL THAT GO INTO EFFECT ON JULY 1ST, AND PENSION RATES ARE INCREASING 11% FOR POLICE AND FIRE AND 9% FOR ERS, WHICH IS THE NON-UNIFORM EMPLOYEES. AND JUST AGAIN, TO POINT OUT, UM, THE IMPACT OF THAT THE. IN THE CURRENT YEAR, BOTH WENT UP ABOUT 11%. AND IN THE 2425 YEAR POLICE AND FIRE WENT UP ABOUT 15% AND THE NON-UNIFORM WENT UP ABOUT 19%. SO THESE PENSION RATES HAVE REALLY GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. AND IT REALLY IS A A IT HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR BUDGET. UM, EVEN JUST THIS YEAR'S INCREASE ALONE IS A $2.2 MILLION INCREASE. UM, SO THERE ARE THIS IN THE CITY BUDGET. THERE ARE NO BUDGET RELATED CUTS TO ANY SERVICES. AND WE. SO WE CONTINUE TO FUND THE SAME HIGH LEVEL OF SERVICES. ALL MANDATED EXPENSES ARE ALSO FUNDED, AND DEBT PROCEEDS ARE NOT USED TO FUND SURGERY OR PENSION EXPENSES. AND THE CITY CONTINUES TO LOOK FOR ALL EFFICIENCIES WHERE POSSIBLE. THIS HAPPENS THROUGH WHAT WE CALL POSITION CONTROL. UM, WE EVERY TIME A POSITION BECOMES VACANT, WE ANALYZE THAT POSITION TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S THAT WE NEED TO FILL IT. WE SPEAK WITH THE DEPARTMENTS AND, UM. BEFORE WE FILL IT, WE MAKE SURE THAT WE THAT WE NEED TO. UM, WE ALSO LOOK FOR GRANTS WHEREVER POSSIBLE. WE HAVE, UH, TWO POLICE VEHICLES THAT WERE ELECTRIC, POLICE VEHICLES THAT WERE PURCHASING THROUGH GRANTS. WE HAVE, UH, GRANTS TO INSTALL ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS, WHICH, WHILE THAT'S ON THE CAPITAL SIDE, WHAT IT DOES IS IT KEEPS THOSE EXPENSES OUT OF THE OPERATING BUDGET. UM, WE HAVE A GRANT FOR FIREFIGHTER TRAINING, WHICH WOULD OTHERWISE WE MIGHT INCUR OVERTIME FOR. AND WE HAVE, AS WE ALL KNOW RECENTLY, WE'LL SEE AGAIN IN THE MAY MEETING. WE HAVE THE $10 MILLION DOWNTOWN REVITALIZATION GRANT. SO WE WE TRY TO TRY TO FIND ALL GRANTS POSSIBLE. BEFORE. WE PROCEED. COULD YOU JUST EXPLAIN ONE THING FOR THE NEW MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL AND THE PUBLIC, BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THAT WHEN WHEN OUR CONSTITUENTS OR OUR RESIDENTS GET THEIR TAX BILL. ONLY 22% OF IT IS THE CITY. COULD YOU JUST TELL EVERYBODY ROUGHLY WHAT THE REST OF IT IS? BECAUSE THERE WILL BE SHARPER INCREASES ON OTHER PARTS OF THE BUDGET THAT ARE UNRELATED, OR ON THE TAX BILL THAT ARE UNRELATED TO THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS. SO. WE ACTUALLY WE ACTUALLY HAVE THAT IN THE BUDGET BOOK. UM. WE HAVE IT, UH, WE HAVE THE YOU HAVE THE SCHOOL TAX. WE HAVE THE SEWER TAX, AND WE HAVE THE COUNTY TAX. AND. I CAN GET YOU THE EXACT PERCENTAGE. I JUST WANTED EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU GET YOUR TAX BILL, AND IT'S OBVIOUS ANYWAY, THAT WE ARE ONLY 22% OF THE TAX BILL, THE BULK OF IT, AND THERE WILL BE LARGER INCREASES ARE FROM SCHOOL. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT FOR SCHOOL, BUT I KNOW THE COUNTY IS INCREASING TAXES BY A MUCH LARGER AMOUNT, AND THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE SHOCKED BY THEIR TAX BILL, IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS. WE HAVE A VERY MINIMAL 2.9% INCREASE. IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT. AND JUST THE SCHOOL TAX IS ABOUT 65%. AND THEN YOU HAVE THE THE SEWER DISTRICT, THE REFUGE DISTRICT [00:10:01] AND THE COUNTY TAX WHICH MAKE UP THE REST. THANK YOU. SO THIS IS A THIS PIE CHART IS BASICALLY JUST SHOWS ALL OUR, OUR, OUR VARIOUS REVENUES. UM, FOR THE GENERAL FUND, UM, PROPERTY TAXES YOU CAN SEE ARE THE LARGEST COMPONENT AT JUST UNDER 31%, UM, WHICH IS DOWN FROM ABOUT 35% JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, WHICH I'D LIKE TO GET INTO IN A COUPLE OF SLIDES. UM, SALES TAX REVENUE IS AT 27.1%, WHICH IS ACTUALLY UP SIGNIFICANTLY. AND IF YOU COMBINE THOSE TWO WITH THE PARKING REVENUES, YOU CAN SEE THAT IT MAKES UP OVER 72% OF OUR TOTAL REVENUES. AND I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT IN THE PARKING REVENUE, AS YOU HAVE SEEN IN THE LAST COUPLE MEETINGS, WE HAVE A WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO ACQUIRE THE CITY CENTER GARAGE THAT HAS ADDED $2 MILLION TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET. UM, SO IT'S $2 MILLION THAT WE OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE BEEN TURNING OVER TO PAY FOR THE BONDS. UM, WILL NOW STAY WITH US. AND THAT 2 MILLION IS HONESTLY, IT'S IT'S A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE, DEPENDING ON THE TIMING, IF IT HAPPENS A COUPLE OF MONTHS INTO THE YEAR. AND, UM, BUT WE'VE INCLUDED THAT BECAUSE WE'VE GONE FORWARD AND APPROVED IT. SO, UM, WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET. UM, THE, THE OTHER REVENUES. I'LL TRY TO NOT GET INTO EVERY SINGLE ITEM BECAUSE I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS TO GO. UM, I JUST WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT A COUPLE THINGS IN HERE JUST FOR, UM, ESPECIALLY FOR THE NEWER MEMBERS. AS PER THE CITY CHARTER, WE CANNOT BUDGET MORE IN REVENUE FOR NEXT YEAR THAN WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE IN THE CURRENT YEAR. SO IF WE HAVE A BUDGETED ITEM THAT WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE $100 IN THIS YEAR, WE CAN'T BUDGET $101 NEXT YEAR. UM, UNLESS THERE'S A CHANGE IN LAW OR IF IT'S A NEW REVENUE. SO THAT'S UM, IT JUST KIND OF FORCES YOU TO BE CONSERVATIVE WITH REVENUES, WHICH, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT HAS GOTTEN SOME MUNICIPALITIES INTO TROUBLE IN THE PAST, UM, BY NOT DOING. UM, THE ANOTHER THING I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT, THE APPROPRIATION OF FUND BALANCE IS DOWN 700,000 FROM THE PRIOR YEAR, WHICH IS A GOOD THING. WE HAVE. WE HAVE A VERY HEALTHY FUND BALANCE AND WE CERTAINLY SHOULD BE APPROPRIATING IT. BUT ANY TIME YOU CAN APPROPRIATE LESS IS IS OBVIOUSLY A GOOD THING ALSO. TO FOCUS ON THE SALES TAX BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A. COUNCILWOMAN SANTIAGO HAS A QUESTION. HI. I'M SORRY, I'M JUST I SHOULD HAVE ASKED WHEN I SAW THE SLIDE, BUT YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S A $99 TAX INCREASE PER PER YEAR. IS THAT PER CAPITA OR OR IS THAT ONLY FOR HOMEOWNERS? SO IF IF IF. YOU. IF A HOMEOWNER WHO HAS A HOME THAT'S ASSESSED AT THE MEDIAN VALUE OF $13,500, THEIR TAX WARRANT WILL BE $99 HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR. GOT IT. THANK YOU. IF YOU ARE, IF YOUR HOME IS DOUBLE THAT, OBVIOUSLY IT WOULD BE DOUBLE THAT. SO THE, UH, SALES TAX. UM, AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S KIND OF A LOT GOING ON HERE. THERE'S, UH, IF YOU IF YOU FOCUS ON THE TWO, THE TWO LARGE BOXES, THE, THE BOX ON THE BOTTOM IS, IS WHAT WE CALL OUR PERMANENT SALES TAX, UH, WHICH IS 1.5% OF, OF THE 2.5%. AND THE BOX ON THE TOP IS WE HAVE TO GO TO THE STATE EVERY YEAR TO GET RENEWED. AND EVERY OTHER YEAR I APOLOGIZE. AND THE NEXT TIME WE GO TO THE STATE WILL BE AUGUST OF OF OF NEXT YEAR. AND YOU COULD JUST SEE THE IMPACT OF THAT IF IT WERE EVER TO NOT BE RENEWED, WHAT THAT WOULD DO TO OUR BUDGET. UM, LUCKILY, THAT'S NEVER BEEN THE CASE. UM, WE ALWAYS TRY TO CHANGE THAT TO WHY? WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO NEED TO GO THERE? BUT, UM, THAT'S FALLING ON DEAF EARS, BUT LUCKILY IT'S ALWAYS BEEN RENEWED. UM, THE THIRD BOX IS USED TO BE THE RESTRICTED SALES TAX, AND THAT THAT WAS REQUIRED TO BE PLACED INTO A CONTINGENCY AND TAX STABILIZATION FUND. AND IN 2023, WE PETITIONED THE STATE TO HAVE THAT CHANGE TO REGULAR UNRESTRICTED SALES TAX REVENUE. [00:15:01] SO YOU CAN SEE THOSE THOSE BOXES THAT USED TO BE REQUIRED TO BE PLACED INTO THE FUND ARE NOW JUST TREATED AS REGULAR GENERAL FUND REVENUE. AND IN THE CURRENT YEAR THAT'S ABOUT $6 MILLION. SO THAT'S OVER $6 MILLION. SO THAT'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT AND HAS BEEN A HELP FOR US. AND UH, WE WE STILL HAVE $8.9 MILLION IN THAT FUND. AND THE MONEY THAT'S CURRENTLY IN THAT FUND IS STILL HELD TO THOSE REQUIREMENTS. WE CAN ONLY USE IT FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES, WHICH ARE TO BRING THE TAX LEVY, NOT THE TAX RATE, THE TAX LEVY DOWN TO 2.5%, OR FOR UNANTICIPATED EXPENSES OR TO COVER FOR LOST REVENUES. AND WHAT WE'VE USED IT FOR IN THE PAST HAS BEEN TO CASH UP CAPITAL PROJECTS, BECAUSE SINCE WE DON'T, WE DON'T BUDGET FOR THE THE WHAT WE CALL THE CASH TO CAPITAL, WE'VE USED THAT THE THAT POT OF MONEY TO CASH UP THOSE PROJECTS. AND NOW IT'S NOW THAT IT'S AROUND 8.9 MILLION. THE FEELING WAS THAT WE KIND OF ARE SAVING IT MORE FOR LIKE WHAT WE CALL LIKE A TRUE RAINY DAY FUND TO WHERE WE'RE FOCUSING MORE ON THAT. BRING IT DOWN TO 2.5% TAX LEVY, UH, USAGE. SO IF WE HAVE A 3% TAX LEVY INCREASE ONE YEAR, WE'LL USE WHAT WE NEED TO TO BRING IT DOWN TO 2.5%, SO TO SPEAK. BUT UM, EQUALLY IMPORTANT ON THIS IS YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH THAT SALES TAX HAS GONE UP. UM, WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING FOR NEXT YEAR IS $5 MILLION MORE THAN WHAT WE ADOPTED FOR THE CURRENT YEAR, AND IT'S ACTUALLY HALF $1 MILLION LESS. YOU CAN SEE WE'RE PROPOSING $62.5 MILLION. AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE PROJECTING 63 MILLION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR. SO EVEN THOUGH WE'RE $5 MILLION ABOVE WHAT WE ADOPTED IN THE CURRENT YEAR, UM, WE'RE STILL BEING CONSERVATIVE WITH IT BECAUSE, AS YOU CAN SEE DURING AND YES, IT WAS A COVID YEAR, BUT IT'S STILL POINTS OUT WHAT CAN HAPPEN DURING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN BECAUSE THIS MONEY, THIS SALES TAX IS DRIVEN BY THE ECONOMY. AND, UH, WE ANOTHER REASON TO BE CONSERVATIVE IS THAT THERE ARE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES WHO MISS THEIR SALES TAX NUMBERS THIS YEAR, WHICH WE'RE UP 9%, OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT BUDGETED 2% AND MISSED THAT NUMBER. SO IT'S IT'S IT'S A LITTLE UNCLEAR. AND WE UNFORTUNATELY DON'T GET ENOUGH INFORMATION FROM THE STATE TO KNOW WHAT MAKES IT UP. UM, BUT OUR BELIEF IS THAT IT'S A COMBINATION OF INFLATION AND ALL THE NEW, UM, RESIDENTS THAT ARE NOW IN THE CITY DUE TO THE NEW DEVELOPMENT. UH, ON THE EXPENSE SIDE, SAME THING. YOU CAN SEE THE SALARIES AND BENEFITS. TRY TO GO THROUGH THIS A LITTLE QUICKLY UNLESS ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS. SALARIES AND BENEFITS MAKE UP, AS WITH MOST MUNICIPALITIES, ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THE BUDGET. UM, THERE ARE FIVE NEW POSITIONS ADDED TO THE BUDGET, WHICH IS THREE POLICE OFFICERS AND TWO FIREFIGHTERS. AND WE'VE NOW ADDED 20 POLICE OFFICERS AND 14 FIREFIGHTERS IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 846 POSITIONS, OF WHICH 804 ARE FUNDED. JUST JUST TO POINT OUT ONE THING AGAIN, JUST FOR SOME OF THE NEW MEMBERS, THE RESERVE FOR FINANCING, WHICH IS IN THE OTHER EXPENSES, IT'S AT IT'S PROPOSED AT 1.3 MILLION FOR THE CURRENT YEAR WE ADOPTED WAS 1.7 MILLION. AND THE CITY BY CHARTER. WHEN A POSITION BECOMES VACANT, THE CITY TAKES THE MONEY FOR THAT POSITION, AND WE PUT IT INTO THE RESERVE FOR FINANCING FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR. SO IF A POSITION BECOMES VACANT ON JULY 1ST, WE TAKE THE MONEY OUT OF THAT DEPARTMENT AND WE PUT IT INTO THE RESERVE FOR FINANCING. AND IF THEY FILL THE POSITION DURING THE YEAR, WE'LL MOVE THE MONEY BACK. BUT JUST AS AN EXAMPLE, THAT'S A THAT'S UP TO AS OF DECEMBER 31ST THAT THAT RESERVE WAS AT $6 MILLION. SO IT SHOWS HOW GETTING BACK TO THE POSITION CONTROL HOW WE TRY TO CONTROL EXPENSES. UM, THAT'S WHERE WE SEE IT. AND THAT HELPS TO ADD TO OUR FUND BALANCE AT YEAR END. THIS IS THE GENERAL FUND TRANSFER TO DEBT SERVICE. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WE KIND OF WENT DOWN FOR A LITTLE BIT. AND NOW WE'RE GOING UP. AND UM, THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT HIGHER. BUT WE HAD A RECENT BOND SALE JUST IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR, AND WE USED FOR NEXT FOR 2627. WE USED SOME OF THE PREMIUM WE RECEIVED FROM THAT SALE THAT WE, WE, WE BUDGETED IN NEXT YEAR TO OFFSET SOME OF THAT [00:20:02] EXPENSE TO KIND OF EASE IN THE EXPENSE OR, OR THAT INCREASE WOULD HAVE BEEN, WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN MORE IF IT'S $15.1 MILLION TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR NEXT YEAR. UM, SO WE'RE THIS IS SOMETHING WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP AN EYE ON. BUT THIS IS ALSO WHERE THE CITY FUNDS THE EXPENSES TO MAINTAIN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, SUCH AS OUR CITY PARKING STRUCTURES, OUR PARKS AND OTHER FACILITIES. SO IT'S, UH, A VERY NECESSARY PART OF OUR BUDGET. AND, UM, WHAT WE HAVE ATTEMPTED GETTING BACK TO CASHING UP THE PROJECTS, WE'VE TENDED TO KEEP THIS LOW BY CASHING UP SOME OF THE SMALLER PROJECTS SO THAT, UM, WE WILL NOT INCUR THE DEBT SERVICE ON THEM. SO FAR, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND. THESE ARE THE OTHER FUNDS THAT WILL BE BEFORE YOU. UM, OTHER THAN THE SELF-INSURANCE FUND, THE OTHER FUNDS WILL BE, I GUESS, COVERED BY, UM, DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE HERE. SO I'LL KIND OF SKIP THOSE. THE SELF-INSURANCE FUND. I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT BECAUSE OF OF HOW FAR WE'VE COME WITH THAT FUND. AND I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. AT THE END OF 2016, THE CITY HAD A $5 MILLION DEFICIT IN THAT FUND. AND THE CITY MADE A CONCERTED EFFORT TO TO REALLY FOCUS ON THAT. AND WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW WHERE WE HAVE A $6.6 MILLION SURPLUS IN THAT POSITION. SO WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO, REALLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WAS WE APPROPRIATED $1 MILLION IN FUND BALANCE. AND THE BENEFIT OF THAT, SINCE THE MAJORITY OF THE SELF-INSURANCE FUND EXPENSES IS GENERAL FUND EXPENSES, THAT SAVED US BASICALLY ALMOST THE ENTIRE MILLION IN THE GENERAL FUND. SO THAT THAT ALLOWED US TO CUT ALMOST $1 MILLION IN EXPENSE OUT OF OUR GENERAL FUND. AND, UH, THE LAST SLIDE. UM, AGAIN, I DO THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KIND OF SEND A MESSAGE. IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOP PART, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES, UM, OVER THE THREE YEARS, OVER THE FOUR BUDGET YEARS, BUT A THREE YEAR INCREASE IS HAVE GONE UP $28.8 MILLION. AND YOU CAN SEE THE THESE ARE THE MAJOR CATEGORIES OF THE INCREASES, THE SALARIES AND WAGES. THE PENSION COSTS, YOU CAN SEE, IS ALMOST SIMILAR TO THE SALARIES AND WAGES, WHICH IS IS NOT REALLY WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE. UM, YOU CAN SEE THE HEALTH INSURANCE. UP UNTIL THIS YEAR, WE HAD A 9% INCREASE IN RATES FROM THE STATE THIS YEAR. LAST YEAR, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD AN AVERAGE OF LESS THAN 2%. SO THOSE THAT HEALTH INSURANCE COST WASN'T GOING UP TOO MUCH. AND THEN IT DID GO UP THIS YEAR. AND THEN THE RETIREES HEALTH INSURANCE HAD GONE UP FOR, FOR, FOR VARIOUS REASONS. UM, BUT IF YOU LOOK NOW AT THE MIDDLE BOX, WHICH IS HOW THE REVENUES HAVE KEPT UP WITH THOSE EXPENSES, YOU CAN SEE THE LARGEST REVENUE ITEM IS AGAIN, THE TAX LEVY, BUT THE EXPENSES WENT UP 28.8 MILLION. THE TAX LEVY HAS ONLY GONE UP $3.6 MILLION, WHICH IS 5.5%. IN THEORY, THE TAX LEVY TO KEEP PACE WHERE WE WERE IN 2223 SHOULD HAVE GONE UP 35%, WHICH WOULD BE $10 MILLION OR $6.4 MILLION HIGHER. THAT'S A GREAT THING. WE DON'T WANT THE TAX LEVY TO GO UP, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO ARTIFICIALLY KEEP IT LOW AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE A A LARGE INCREASE IN ANY ONE PARTICULAR YEAR. SO WE REALLY DO HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WITH IT. AND, AND. IT'S NOT THAT WE'VE DONE ANYTHING RECKLESS WITH THE OTHER REVENUES. AS YOU CAN SEE THE SALES TAXES REALLY INCREASED BY YEAR AND AS HAS THE PARKING REVENUE. AND WE HAVE SOME NEW REVENUES THAT WE'VE HAD IN THE CITY. AND THOSE HAVE HELPED US TO NOT HAVE TO INCREASE THE TAX LEVY. BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT ON THE BOTTOM PART. WHAT HAS HAPPENED, THE TAX LEVY AS A PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL EXPENSES BY YEAR. 35%. 33% 31.7. AND NOW DOWN TO 30.7%. SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO TO KEEP AN EYE ON. UM, AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE. UM, SORRY. I PROBABLY TOOK A LITTLE A LOT OF OUR TIME THERE, BUT, UM, IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS. UH. COUNCIL PRESIDENT PRESSER, I THINK. UH, YOU HAVE, UH, COPIES OF THOSE SLIDES FOR US. I THINK YOU HAVE THEM. YEAH. I HAVE THEM ALSO. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. [00:25:01] THAT WAS AN EASY ONE. YEAH. OKAY, WELL, BEFORE WE SAY ANYTHING, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU. UM, EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW THAT, UH, JIM ARNETT, OUR BUDGET DIRECTOR, WORKS AROUND THE CLOCK, AND WE OWE HIM A TREMENDOUS DEBT OF GRATITUDE. BECAUSE YOU SEE HOW IN ORDER THINGS ARE FOR OUR BUDGET AND HOW WE ALWAYS MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF MOODY'S RATINGS, AND WE REALLY KEEP OUR FUND BALANCE HIGH AND KEEP OUR EXPENSES DOWN. AND HE REALLY WORKS AROUND THE CLOCK. AND I WANT TO JUST PERSONALLY THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO FOR OUR CITY. THANK YOU. SO WITH THAT, WE WILL NOW HAVE OUR WE'RE REALLY HERE. OH, SORRY. JEREMIAH. OF COURSE. DIRECTOR ARNETT, JUST A VERY QUICK QUESTION. UM, AND I WANT TO ECHO WHAT THE MAYOR SAID. WE REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK AND GUIDANCE. CAN YOU QUANTIFY FOR US THE AMOUNT OF ADDITIONAL TAX REVENUE THAT THE CITY HAS RECEIVED AS A RESULT OF HAVING CANNABIS DISPENSARIES? SURE. UM, IN 24, 25, WE RECEIVED 630,000. THIS YEAR, WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE ABOUT $730,000. AND NEXT YEAR WE'RE BUDGETING 700,000, WHICH IS PROBABLY A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE. UM, THIS YEAR KIND OF INCREASED DURING THE YEAR. SO AT FIRST IT WAS IT WAS A LITTLE BIT LOWER. BUT THE WAY IT CAME IN. SO WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH THE 700,000 MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE. BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THAT'S A PERCENT ON THE TAX LEVY THAT THAT REVENUE REPRESENTS. SO WE'RE GETTING BACK TO THAT LAST CHART. THAT'S ONE OF THE NEW REVENUES THAT HAS HELPED US TO KEEP THAT TAX LEVY LOW. THANK YOU. SURE. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS EVENING IS EVERYONE KNOWS AS TO HERE, UH, YOU KNOW, OUR DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET PRESENTATIONS. SO OUR FIRST, UH, BUDGET PRESENTATION FOR THIS EVENING IS FROM PUBLIC SAFETY. I'D LIKE TO INVITE COMMISSIONER WADE HARDY TO THE PODIUM. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, COMMON COUNCIL. MR. MAYOR, I JUST WANT TO THANK JAMES ARNETT FOR YOUR HELP WITH, UM, WITH ALL THE COMMISSIONERS DOING OUR BUDGETS AND, UM, KAREN BOSWELL, UH, THE BUDGET SAFETY TEAM WILL PRESENT THE PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGET. I WANT TO INTRODUCE THE TEAM. DEPUTY COMMISSIONER JOKER STILL LIVES IN THE ROOM. UH, POLICE CHIEF DAN MCMAHON. UH, FIRE CHIEF CLAUDIO PATTERSON, POLICE CAPTAIN STEVEN CHIARELLI, POLICE DETECTIVE NICOLE BARRASSO, AND RETIRED POLICE LIEUTENANT AND A FINANCIAL CONSULTANT. AND I THINK PHIL LIKE TO LEAVE SOON. SO, UM, HE HAS A FAMILY EVENT, BUT HE'S HERE NOW. UM, WE'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH OUR BUDGET. IT'S GOING TO BE, UH, YOU KNOW, NOT GOING TO TAKE US A LONG TIME. WE HAVE A PLAN. COMMISSIONER CASTELLI WILL SPEAK FIRST ABOUT OUR MISSION STATEMENT, FOLLOWED BY COMMISSIONER CALLING. COMMISSIONER WILL BE POLICE CHIEF DAN MCMAHON, WHO WILL DISCUSS THE CORE PROGRAMS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. UH, FIRE CHIEF CLAUDIA PATTERSON WILL DISCUSS THE. DISCUSS THE CORE PROGRAMS OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. I WILL PRESENT THE OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. THE CHIEFS WILL TALK ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT'S HIGHLIGHTS FOR POLICE AND FIRE. AND THEN I WILL CLOSE OUT WITH OUR PLAN GOALS FOR 2026. JOE. GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR WHOEVER MADE THE DECISION TO ALLOW US TO GO FIRST. WE APPRECIATE THAT. UH, A QUICK NOTE. I DON'T KNOW WHEN BUDGET DIRECTOR ARNETT WAS UP HERE. IF YOU HEARD THE SIRENS, WE SCHEDULED THOSE TO COME TO OCCUR. AS THE COMMISSIONER WAS WALKING UP, TO GIVE A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE OF OUR OUR BUDGET JUSTIFICATIONS LIKE THAT. VERY QUICKLY, YOU KNOW, WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT BEFORE WE GET INTO THE SPECIFIC BUDGET TO TALK ABOUT, UH, THE CORE, UM, MISSION STATEMENT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AS IT ENCOMPASSED UNDER PUBLIC SAFETY. SO THE MISSION OF THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS, THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY, IS TO PROVIDE UNBIASED, COMPREHENSIVE PROTECTION AND SERVICE TO THE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS OF THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS. THE PUBLIC SAFETY, THE TRUST OF THE COMMUNITY, THE DIGNITY FOR ALL, AND THE ENRICHMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE ARE PARAMOUNT AND WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE POLICE AND FIRE BUREAUS WITH PROFESSIONALISM, INTEGRITY AND RESPECT. SO AGAIN, WE THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND THE WAY YOU WORK WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT. UH, CHIEF MCMAHON. CHIEF MCMAHON I'M GOING TO HE'S GOING TO GO OVER THE BUDGET. UH, THE POLICE SIDE OF IT. THANK YOU AGAIN. THANK YOU, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER. YOU NEED TO MAKE EVERYONE THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. [00:30:02] THIS IS MY FIRST ONE, SO GO EASY. SO WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR YOU TO FUND IS WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. WE HAVE FIVE BRANCHES, IF YOU AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH IT. OUR PATROL DIVISION, SPECIAL OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATION, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS TRAINING. PATROL IS WHAT IS MOST OBVIOUS TO THE PUBLIC. THERE ARE UNIFORMED MEMBERS OF SERVICE THAT RESPOND TO CALLS THE PUBLIC INTERACT WITH EVERY DAY, AND THAT IS THE LARGEST BRANCH OF OUR DEPARTMENT. OUR ADMINISTRATION IS WHAT MAKES THE DEPARTMENT RUN BEHIND THE SCENES RECORDS, PROCESSING, FOIL REQUESTS, LICENSE PERMITS, CABARETS, ETC. OUR SPECIAL OPERATIONS DIVISION THAT HANDLES A LOT OF OUR CRITICAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT, INCIDENT PLANNING AND EMERGENCY SERVICES. THERE ARE A LOT OF OUR ANCILLARY POLICE SERVICES THAT WE OFFER THAT THE EVERYDAY PATROL OFFICER ISN'T EQUIPPED TO HANDLE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS. THAT'S OUR DETECTIVE BUREAU. UH, THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT BRANCH, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON OUR MENTAL HEALTH OUTREACH TEAM, OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ADVOCACY. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST IS OUR PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS, PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND TRAINING. THERE ARE QUALITY ASSURANCE, QUALITY IMPROVEMENT BRANCH OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS WE LIKE TO LOOK AT IT. AND UM, OTHER THAN THAT, AS FAR AS THE STRUCTURE, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? AS I CAN CLARIFY AGAIN? FIRST TIME A LITTLE NERVOUS. SPED THROUGH THAT. FEEL THE LOVE. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. DAN MCMAHON. CHIEF MCMAHON. GOOD EVENING MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, COMMON COUNCIL. SO JUST LIKE THE POLICE, WE ALSO HAVE FIVE FUNCTIONAL CORE AREAS. WE HAVE FIRE SUPPRESSION, ADMINISTRATION, SPECIAL OPERATIONS, FIRE PREVENTION AND TRAINING. THE BIGGEST PART OF WHAT WE DO IS FIRE SUPPRESSION THAT'S RESPONDING TO ALARMS AND EMERGENCIES. FIRE PREVENTION IS THE SECOND BIGGEST THING WE DO. WE MEET WITH THE PUBLIC. WE DO ALL THE FIRE SAFETY INSPECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE BUILDINGS. UM, ADMINISTRATION IS THE SMALLER PART. THAT'S US ON THE THIRD FLOOR. PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRAINING IS THE LARGEST PART. WE DO A LOT OF TRAINING, AND IN A FUTURE SLIDE, WE'LL BREAK DOWN SOME NUMBERS FOR YOU. BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS IN REGARDS TO WHAT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IS DOING, YOU CAN ASK THEM NOW. AND WE HAVE SOME MORE SLIDES THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT NUMBERS LATER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CHIEF PETRUCCIANI. OKAY. UH, SUMMARY OF PUBLIC SAFETY. PUBLIC SAFETY. SAFETY ADMINISTRATION. WE HAVE FIVE MEMBERS IN A FORMER BUDGET. AND IN THE NEW BUDGET, WE ALSO HAVE FIVE MEMBERS FOR THE FIRE BUREAU. WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE BY TWO MEMBERS, AS YOU HEARD EARLIER, TWO ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTERS AND THE POLICE SIDE, THREE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS. NOW, WE DON'T HAVE 250 COPS. JUST SO YOU I KNOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT THAT. MY GOD, WE HAVE AN ARMY OUT THERE. I HAD AT 250 35 ARE CIVILIAN SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS. SPECIAL PATROL OFFICERS WHO DO THE TAXI AT THE TRAIN STATION AND DISPATCHERS. SO THE POLICE FORCE IS ONLY 213, WHICH IS STILL A GOOD NUMBER. AND WE'RE GOING TO INCREASE IT 216, IN A NEW YEAR. FIREFIGHTERS ARE GOING FROM 161 TO 163, WITH ONE CIVILIAN PERSON WORKING IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. OKAY. OUR EXPENDITURES AND PUBLIC SAFETY. AS YOU CAN SEE, OUR SALARY AND WAGES INCREASE, AS YOU HEARD EARLIER FROM MR. ARNETT, THAT THAT IS DUE TO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, THE INCREASE IN, UM, HEALTH INSURANCE, UH, ADDITIONAL TWO POLICE OFFICERS OR THREE POLICE OFFICERS, AND IT'S JUST THE, UH, THE NATURAL, UH, YOU KNOW, INCREASE IN SALARIES OVER THE COURSE OF THE OF THE YEAR, UM, EMPLOYEE BENEFITS AND SALARIES IS 95% OF OUR BUDGET. ONLY 5% IS ON MATERIAL SUPPLIES, DIRECT COSTS, EQUIPMENT. SO MAKING OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES $96,326,620. JUST TO BREAK DOWN A LITTLE MORE, THE THE TIER TWO AND FOUR PENSION COSTS WERE UP 4% AND THE HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE UP 8%. MATERIAL, SUPPLIES. AMMUNITION, OFFICE SUPPLIES, GAS FOR OUR VEHICLES. TONY COSTS AND OUR EQUIPMENT IS FOR COMPUTERS, COPIERS, POLICE CARS, ETC.. REVENUE. MOST OF OUR REVENUE, AS YOU CAN SEE, IS THE CHARGE OF SERVICES. A LOT OF THAT'S CONTRACTED OVER TIME. WE SEE POLICE OFFICERS OUT THERE DOING TRAFFIC FOR VERIZON OR CON EDISON. WE CONSIDER THAT REVENUE LICENSE PERMITS STAYS THE SAME. THE FINES AND FORFEITURE, THE REASON THAT DOUBLED IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A NEW PLATFORM NOW FOR COLLECTING FINES, AND WE EXPECT TO GET MORE MONEY BECAUSE OF THE NEW PLATFORM, AND BEFORE IT [00:35:02] WAS MORE MANUAL, MORE LABOR INTENSIVE, WE DID IT. NOW WE HAVE AN OUTSIDE VENDOR DOING IT AND WE EXPECT TO COLLECT MORE REVENUE. THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL THAT'S OUR THAT'S THE FOREIGN TASK FORCE OFFICERS THAT ARE WORKING WITH OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS. AND WE EXPECT TO GET MONEY FROM THOSE TASK FORCE GROUPS. AND MISCELLANEOUS ASIDE, SEES PROPERTY DONATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS. AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE NUMBERS OF POLICE STANDARD. PUBLIC SAFETY EXPENDITURES. THIS IS ADMINISTRATION. THE FIRST LINE THE 461,000 GOING TO 710. AS YOU HEARD EARLIER, WHEN THE COMMISSION DEPUTY COMMISSIONER RETIRED AT THE END OF DECEMBER, THEIR SALARY WAS TAKEN OFF THE PAYROLL. IN JANUARY, A NEW COMMISSIONER AND DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WERE HIRED. THAT MONEY WAS SPENT, WAS PUT BACK INTO THE PAYROLL. SO IT'S NOT THAT WE'RE INCREASED THE, YOU KNOW, THE THE SALARY AND WAGES BY THAT MUCH. IT'S JUST THAT THE THE POSITIONS WERE RETIRED AND THE MONEY WAS TAKEN OUT. THE POSITIONS WERE REHIRED. SO THE MONEY WAS PUT BACK IN. THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SEVEN, $710,000, THE ACTUAL AMOUNT. AND UM, UH, 2025, 26 SHOULD HAVE BEEN 688,000, NOT 460 461,000. THE FORMER DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WORKED ON A PART TIME BASIS, NOT FULL TIME. THAT'S WHY HIS SALARY WAS A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE CURRENT DEPUTY COMMISSIONER. UH, AGAIN. AND THAT ALSO AFFECTS THE EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. THAT'S WHY THE NUMBERS ARE ALMOST HALF OF ONE YEAR TO THE NEXT. BUT AGAIN, THOSE TWO POSITIONS WERE NOT COUNTED FOR AT THE END OF 25, 26, UH, MATERIALS SUPPLY STAYS CONSTANT. UH, THE INCREASE IS DUE TO, UH, TYLER SOFTWARE, WHICH IS OUR REPORT OR REPORT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT WE USE FOR PATROL. THOSE COSTS HAVE INCREASED. THAT'S WHY MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES HAS INCREASED A DIRECT COST. THE INCREASE IS DUE TO AN INCREASE IN THE COST FOR AN AMBULANCE COMPANY FOR. AND ALSO WE'RE, UM, WE'RE GOING TO BE GETTING A CONTRACT WITH ALLIED UNIVERSAL TO HELP SECURE THIS BUILDING SO WE CAN FREE UP THE POLICE OFFICER HERE TO GO BACK ON THE STREET. BUT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY DOING SECURITY HERE IN THE IN THE CITY HALL BUILDING. FOR THE LONG. FIRE EXPENDITURES AGAIN WITH THE ADDITIONAL TWO FIREFIGHTERS, THE, UH, SALARY AND WAGES INCREASE THE COST. THE BENEFITS INCREASED. UH, SIMILAR TO THE TO THE POLICE SIDE, UH, MOST OF THE SALARY OR THE MOST OF THE EXPENDITURES OF THE FIREFIGHTERS DUE TO THE SALARIES AND NOT MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES. UM, AND ALSO WITH THE FIRE PENSION COSTS, TIER ONE AND TIER TWO AND TIER SIX UP BY 4% IN HEALTH CARE BY 8% ALSO ADDS TO THE INCREASE. THE OTHER FINANCIAL ISSUES $84,000 DOWN TO ZERO. WE HAD A WE HAD A GRANT AND WE HAD A MEET PART OF THAT GRANT. OUR PORTION WAS $84,000 PER YEAR THAT ENDED LAST YEAR. WE SAW THE GRANT FOR ANOTHER YEAR, BUT WE PAID OUR PORTION OF OUR GRANT MATCHED OBLIGATION. SO THAT'S DOWN TO ZERO. OKAY. BUDGET EXPENDITURES AND A POLICE SIDE. AGAIN, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, THE SALARY AND BENEFITS INCREASED DUE TO THE THREE ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS, THE ADDITIONAL FEES FOR TIER TWO AND TIER SIX AND ADDITIONAL COSTS FOR INSURANCE, UM, SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS PRETTY MUCH STAYED CONSTANT. THE, UM, IT DID GO DOWN A LITTLE BIT BECAUSE WE ORDERED AMMUNITION LAST YEAR THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH FOR THIS YEAR, SO THAT THAT NUMBER DROPPED A LITTLE BIT AS FAR AS MATERIAL SUPPLIES AND OUR EQUIPMENT, 60% $60,000 INCREASE IS RELATED TO NEW VEHICLE PURCHASES. I TURN IT BACK OVER TO CHIEF MCMAHON TO TALK ABOUT 25 ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE POLICE SIDE. AND THEN CHIEF PETTY WILL TALK ABOUT THE FIRESIDE. BACK. ALL RIGHT, SO THIS IS JUST A RECAP OF WHAT EVERYBODY'S TIME MANAGED. WE'LL KEEP IT QUICK. JUST SOME OF THE QUICK HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2025. IN TOTAL, OUR DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO 75,587 CALLS FOR SERVICE. WE PATROLLED ALMOST 400,000 MILES. STREET MILES. UH, SOMETHING ELSE. WE ALSO TRACK AND WE HAVE TO STAFF AND RESPOND TO OUR WHAT WE CALL SPECIAL EVENTS. THESE ARE CITY SPONSORED EVENTS LIKE THE FIREWORKS, THE SAINT PATRICK'S DAY PARADE, UH, ANYTHING ELSE THAT COMES IN THROUGH THE SPECIAL EVENT PERMITTING PROCESS, BUT WHICH IS A LITTLE HARDER TO TABULATE. [00:40:02] AS I'M SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN, ARE SOME OF THE PROTESTS THAT WE DEAL WITH. A LOT OF THE TIMES AS PART OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS IS THAT AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT IMPACTING THE PUBLIC IN ANY HARM WHERE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO PROTEST, SO WE DO HAVE TO STAFF THAT. SO THAT NUMBER IS ONLY ONES THAT CAN BE COUNTED THROUGH SPECIAL EVENT PERMIT APPLICATIONS. BUT I WOULD PROBABLY SAY THAT'S CLOSER BETWEEN 150 AND 200 EVENTS THAT WE HAVE TO STAFF. AND THAT'S NOT COUNTED IN THAT INITIAL 75,000 INCIDENTS THAT WE'RE HANDLING, UM, RELATED, BUT NOT CONNECTED. UH, OUR COMMUNICATIONS PERSONNEL ARE HANDLING, AS YOU CAN SEE, ALMOST 200, 208,000 CALLS NOW. YES, SOME OF THOSE 75,000 ARE INCLUDED THAT. BUT THAT'S JUST GENERAL INFORMATION, CALLS FOR INFORMATION, REROUTING CALLS, ETC.. SO OUR CALL CENTERS ARE OBVIOUSLY HANDLING A DECENT AMOUNT OF. I JUST MESSED IT UP. SORRY. ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE PROBABLY MOST PROUD ABOUT THAT WE GOT UP AND RUNNING IN 2025. I'M SURE MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THEM EITHER IN PERSON OR ON A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE. IS OUR FACILITY DOG, K9 HOMER. HE'S THE YELLOW LAB THAT'S HANDLED BY DETECTIVE CIANCI. HE'S A BIG HIT, BOTH INTERNALLY WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC. HE'S A HE'S QUICKLY BECOMING THE FACE OF THE DEPARTMENT. HE'S A LOT, A LOT WEIGHED. YEAH. HE'S A LOT CUTER THAN MOST OF US HERE. SO I'LL TAKE IT. AND CLAUDIA, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU. OKAY. SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2025 AND OUR ACHIEVEMENTS FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE RESPONDED TO 4933 SERVICE CALLS. WE DID A 1169 FIRE SAFETY INSPECTIONS, 222 PUBLIC ASSEMBLY INSPECTIONS. WE MET WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION DETAILS AT 101 LAST YEAR. WE TRAINED EACH MEMBER TO 228 HOURS. THAT'S DOUBLE THE STATE MANDATED OF 101. AND IN ORDER TO GET A ISO CLASS ONE RATING, WE HAVE TO GET EVERY MEMBER TRAINED TO 128 HOURS EVERY YEAR. AND WE WERE AWARDED A GRANT OF $846,000. AND THAT WAS THE 10% THAT WE HAD A MATCH THAT WAS 84,000. FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR. AND THAT GRANT IS BEING USED FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS RESCUE TRAINING, WHICH IS LIKE ICE WATER RESCUE, TRENCH RESCUE, ROPE TECH, ROPE OPS, CONFINED SPACE RESCUE AND STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE. SO BETWEEN THE STATE COMING DOWN TO TRAIN US AND AN OUTSIDE AGENCY, WE'RE GETTING ALL THAT ACCOMPLISHED. AND WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF THAT RIGHT NOW. SO THANK YOU. OKAY. I'LL FINISH IT UP WITH, UM, SOME GOALS FOR 2026 AND BEYOND. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR, UH, SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE THROUGH COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND PARTNERSHIPS. AS YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING SOMETHING IN THIS COMING WEEKEND WITH THE DA'S OFFICE AND AT DELFINO PARK ON CHILD SAFETY. UH, WE DID A GUN BUYBACK WITH THE DA'S OFFICE A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO AT GREENBERG POLICE IN THE DA'S OFFICE. SO WE WANT TO DO A LOT MORE PARTNERSHIPS, A LOT OF COLLABORATIONS TO, YOU KNOW, TO HELP US REACH OUR GOALS, OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THROUGH AN INCREASE IN VISIBILITY IN OUR STREETS AND NEIGHBORHOODS. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LOT MORE COPS IN THE STREET IN THE SPRING AND SUMMER. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE GET THEM OUT OF THEIR CARS, HAVE THEM WALKING FOOT POST, UM, GET THE BIKES OUT AGAIN. SO WE WE HEAR EVERYONE'S CONCERNS AND WE'RE GOING TO ANSWER THE CALL. SO YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT COMING VERY SOON. UH, INCREASE OUR DIGITAL PRESENCE. YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN IT ALREADY ON SOCIAL MEDIA, UH, WEBSITE, THE NEW GEMS PODCAST, GEMS OF PUBLIC SAFETY. WE'RE, UM, THAT'S AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY, YOUTUBE, AND WE'RE DOING A LOT MORE ON OUR INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK PAGES. WE'RE GOING TO START RECRUITING. WE HAVE A POLICE TEST COMING UP IN THE IN THE IN THE FALL. YOU'RE GOING TO WE'RE DOING A RECRUITING VIDEO WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER. AND IT'S GOING TO BE IT'S GOING TO BE PROBABLY AN ACADEMY AWARD LEVEL. SO LOOK. FOR THAT. UM, I'M NOT GOING TO BE LIKE THE FOLKS OUT THERE DOING THE STREET WORK IN IT. UM, TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE IMPROVEMENTS WILL CONTINUE TO ENHANCE, UH, SAFETY AND TRANSPARENCY. WE'RE GOING TO DO MORE WITH THE CAMERAS DOWNTOWN OR, UM, VIDEO ENHANCEMENTS USING AI TO TO BETTER UTILIZE OUR VIDEO EQUIPMENT. ESPECIALLY EVENTS ARE CONTINUALLY ON THE RISE, INCLUDING SEVERAL NEW EVENTS. SOCCER FEST, WHICH IS STAFFED BY POLICE AND FIRE. SO WE'RE PREPARING FOR THAT. AND AS YOU KNOW, UM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE CITY HALL SECURITY, UM, GUARDS HERE SOON TO HELP PROTECT CITY HALL, THE HARDEST BUILDING, AND MAKE SURE THAT WHEN PEOPLE COME TO CITY [00:45:01] HALL, IT'S A SAFE PLACE TO BE. BUT 2026 IS GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. WE HAVE A LOT ON THE AGENDA. WE HAVE A LOT OF NEW PLANS. WE'RE ACTUALLY MEETING TOMORROW. UH, WE CALL A COMPSTAT MEETING, BUT OUR GOAL TOMORROW IS TO IS TO SET OUR SIGHTS AND OUR SET OUR PLAN FOR THE FOR THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC SAFETY. SO WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. WE WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. WELL, FIRST I COMMEND YOU BECAUSE I ALREADY SEE THE OUTREACH TO THE SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITY AND THE FACEBOOK VIDEOS THAT YOU'RE POSTING, UM, EITHER BILINGUALLY OR I SAW ONE TODAY THAT WAS IN SPANISH, SO I REALLY COMMEND YOU FOR THAT. BUT I WAS JUST CURIOUS, DO WE HAVE A HORSE MOUNTED UNIT? NO. WE HAD WE DON'T HAVE IT ANYMORE. THAT WAS DISBANDED YEARS AGO. AND JUST ALSO JUST TO GIVE CREDIT TO WHERE CREDIT IS DUE. UM, RITA AND KEITH IN CABLE IN THE BACK ROOM. THEY THEY THEY HELPED US A LOT ALONG WITH THE, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE VIDEOS, THE PODCAST DID, THE THE VIDEO YOU SAW FOR THE, UH, FAIR THE SATURDAY. SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S COLLABORATION. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HARDY, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER CASTELLI AND EVERYBODY VERY APPRECIATIVE. OKAY. NEXT, I'D LIKE TO CALL UP OUR DIRECTOR OF THE LIBRARY, LAURA EQUITY, TO PRESENT THE LIBRARY'S BUDGET. HELLO, LAURA. HELLO. GOOD EVENING. SEE, I. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. MICROPHONE. HELLO. GOOD EVENING. COUNCIL MEN AND WOMEN. IT'S A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU ALL. IT'S ALSO A PLEASURE TO KNOW THAT I HAVE SEEN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU IN THE LIBRARY IN ABOUT THE LAST MONTH. IT'S REALLY A JOY TO HAVE A COUNCIL THAT USES THE LIBRARY. YOU ATTEND EVENTS AND PROGRAMS AND YOUR LIBRARY USERS, AND THAT'S JUST A REALLY BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL THING. THANK YOU. UM, TONIGHT I HAVE WITH ME FROM THE LIBRARY, BILL DYER, WHO'S OUR BUSINESS MANAGER. BILL DOES A TREMENDOUS JOB OF ASSISTING AND PUTTING TOGETHER THIS BUDGET. UM, HE ALSO KEEPS US WITHIN THE BUDGET AS THE YEAR GOES ON, WHICH IS A BIG TASK. UM, ALSO, ELAINE SUMMERS FROM THE LIBRARY BOARD IS HERE. ELAINE IS A LONG TIME LIBRARY BOARD MEMBER AS WELL AS A PRIOR. PAST PRESIDENT AND A TIRELESS ADVOCATE FOR THE LIBRARY. SO THE CORE. PROGRAMS AND FUNCTIONS FOR THE LIBRARY ARE TO CREATE A DYNAMIC CIVIL CIVIC RESOURCE THAT ENABLES ALL MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO ENGAGE IN LIFELONG LEARNING, FIND INSPIRATION, AND BUILD CITIZENSHIP BY PROVIDING FREE AND OPEN ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE, PERSONAL GUIDANCE IN ITS USE, FORMAL AND INFORMAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEARNING AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE. THE EXPLORATION OF IDEAS, ENTERTAINMENT AND FUN, AND UP TO DATE COLLECTION THAT IS RESPONSIVE TO THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS. A COMFORTABLE, ATTRACTIVE AND SAFE BUILDING AND GROUNDS. AND I CAN TRULY SAY THAT WE ARE FULFILLING OUR CORE PROGRAMS AND FUNCTIONS EVERY SINGLE DAY AT THE WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC LIBRARY. LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET SUMMARY, WE HAVE 35 POSITIONS, BUT 31 OF THEM ARE FILLED AND FUNDED. WE DO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL 45 PART TIME STAFF MEMBERS THAT MAKE UP A FULL TIME EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT NINE STAFF, SO THAT IS A FULL TIME EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT 40 PEOPLE WORKING AT THE LIBRARY. IN TERMS OF EXPENDITURES, THAT WILL BE GOING UP, OUR SALARIES AND WAGES, WHICH ARE GOING UP CONTRACTUALLY. AS COMMISSIONER ARNETT ALREADY EXPLAINED, EMPLOYEE BENEFITS ARE ALSO GOING UP. AS PREVIOUSLY PREVIOUSLY EXPLAINED BY COMMISSIONER ARNETT IN TERMS OF THE INCREASES TO MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES. THAT IS, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, ABOUT HALF OF IT IS ACTUALLY UTILITIES. THE LIBRARY IS 82,000FT. IT IS THE LARGEST PUBLIC FACILITY IN THE CITY THAT THE CITY OWNS. SO WE'RE SEEING AND PROJECTING AN INCREASE IN BOTH OUR ELECTRIC AND GAS COSTS, SO THAT'S ABOUT HALF OF THE INCREASE. TO MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES. THE OTHER HALF IS FROM A NEW CALENDAR SOFTWARE THAT THE LIBRARY PURCHASED LAST YEAR AND HAS BEEN USING, AS WELL AS AN INCREASE TO OUR DUES TO THE WESTCHESTER LIBRARY SYSTEM, WHICH IS THE BACKBONE OF OUR LIBRARY CATALOG. UM, THOSE DUES WENT UP 5% THIS YEAR, WHICH IS NOT UNCOMMON, [00:50:02] BUT IT HAS BEEN NOW ABOUT 3 TO 5 YEARS THAT THEY HAVE GONE UP CONSISTENTLY. UM, UNDER DIRECT COSTS, WE'RE SEEING A DECREASE, EVEN THOUGH SEVERAL OF THE LINES WITHIN THOSE CATEGORIES WENT UP. UH, THERE'S A DECREASE DUE TO THE DROP IN SELF-INSURANCE, WHICH COMMISSIONER ARNETT WENT OVER. UM, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT IN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, WE RECEIVED A GRANT, WHICH WE'LL SEE IN REVENUE. UM, AND THE COSTS FOR THAT GRANT WERE OUT OF DIRECT COSTS. UM, SO OVERALL, UH, THERE'S AN INCREASE IN OUR EXPENDITURES THAT IS COVERED BY REVENUE. YOU'LL SEE UNDER MISCELLANEOUS, THERE IS A $30,000 INCREASE IN OUR MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE. BECAUSE THE LIBRARY HAS TAKEN ON EARLY VOTING FOR THE CITY OF WHITE PLAINS. THIS BRINGS IN ABOUT 14 TO $15,000 EVERY TIME THERE IS AN ELECTION. IT ALSO BRINGS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PEOPLE INTO THE LIBRARY, WHICH IS REALLY EXCITING FOR US. A LOT OF PEOPLE COME IN TO VOTE AND SAY, OH MY GOODNESS, I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE IN SO LONG. I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE SINCE MY KIDS WERE LITTLE. AND THEN THEY COME BACK, THEY RENEW THEIR LIBRARY CARD. SO THAT'S BEEN TERRIFIC FOR REVENUE, BUT ALSO JUST TERRIFIC FOR HAVING PEOPLE IN THE BUILDING. UM, IT LOOKS LIKE OUR INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVENUE IS GOING DOWN, BUT THAT IS, AGAIN, A GRANT THAT WE RECEIVED WHICH WAS EXPENDED IN THE CURRENT YEAR IN WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE AGAIN NEXT YEAR. THEN LOOKING AT DEPARTMENTAL HIGHLIGHTS. ALL OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AT THE LIBRARY ARE FUN, SO WE HAVE A NEW SEED LIBRARY, WHICH WAS FUNDED BY A GRANT FROM BLOOMBERG'S YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION FUND THAT'S BEEN HUGELY POPULAR. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN POSTING THEIR SEEDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND TAGGING THE LIBRARY. WE WERE ABLE TO RESTORE THE TEACHER IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM FOR BOTH THE TROVE AND THE EDGE, WITH A GRANT FUNDED BY STATE SENATOR SHELLEY MAYER. THAT'S BEEN A TERRIFIC THING. WE'VE GOT KIDS IN THE LIBRARY EVERY SINGLE DAY DOING THEIR HOMEWORK, NOT JUST IN THE IN THE TROVE WITH THE YOUNGER KIDS, BUT TEENAGERS. WE EVEN HAD SEVERAL KIDS USE THE TEACHER IN THE LIBRARY TO HELP APPLY FOR COLLEGE AND FINANCIAL AID. UM, WE ARE REINSTATING THE SIXTH GRADE VISITS FROM EASTVIEW AS OF JUNE THAT HAD BEEN ON HIATUS SINCE COVID, AND THIS WILL BE FUNDED BY A GRANT FROM THE WHITE PLAINS, THE FRIENDS OF WHITE PLAINS PUBLIC SCHOOLS. WE. THE LIBRARY BOARD HAS BEEN VERY BUSY UPDATING NUMEROUS LIBRARY POLICIES AND COMPLIANCE WITH NEW YORK STATE STANDARDS. NEW YORK STATE REQUIRES THAT LIBRARY POLICIES ARE REVIEWED AND UPDATED EVERY 3 TO 5 YEARS. SO THAT'S A BIG PROJECT. AND THAT'S A NEW MINIMUM STANDARD FOR LIBRARIES. SO IT WAS A LOT TO TAKE ON. AND THE BOARD HAS REALLY DUG IN AND DONE A LOT OF WORK ON THAT. I'VE ALREADY MENTIONED EARLY VOTING. WE HAD THREE STAFF MEMBERS ATTEND NATIONAL CONVENTIONS THIS YEAR, WHICH IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT THING FOR OUR STAFF TO BE ABLE TO DO. THEY COME BACK ENERGIZED WITH GREAT IDEAS FOR PROGRAMS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF DEVELOPING AND ESTIMATING SCHEMATIC DESIGNS FOR THE TROVE RENOVATION PROJECT, AND WE'VE HAD A LARGE INCREASE IN BOTH PROGRAMS AND PROGRAM ATTENDANCE FOR ALL AGES. AND I'M JUST GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME STATISTICS FOR THOSE. SO IN THE PAST YEAR. YEAR TO YEAR FOR NINE MONTHS INTO THE FISCAL YEAR LAST YEAR. COMPARED TO THIS YEAR, OUR CIRCULATION IS UP 7%. OUR E-BOOK DOWNLOADS ARE UP 18.5%. OUR LIBRARY CARDS ARE UP 13%. OUR REFERENCE QUESTIONS ARE UP 6%. OUR PROGRAMS ARE UP 20.5%. ATTENDANCE AT THOSE PROGRAMS ARE UP 17%. COMPUTER USE IN THE LIBRARY IS UP 7% AND THE USE OF OUR WEBSITE IS UP 65%, WHICH IS A CRAZY NUMBER. SO WE THINK THAT MORE PEOPLE ARE USING OUR WEBSITE BECAUSE WE'RE DOING SO MUCH PUSH MARKETING WITH OUR NEWSLETTERS AND SOCIAL MEDIA. SO PEOPLE ARE BEING DRIVEN MORE TO THE TO THE LIBRARY'S WEBSITE TO LOOK AT OUR SERVICES AND PROGRAMS ONLINE. UM, UPCOMING IN THE NEW YEAR. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGNS FOR THE TROVE RENOVATION PROJECT, THANKS TO A GRANT FROM THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY YOUTH BUREAU VIA THE LIBRARY'S FOUNDATION, WE WILL HAVE A LICENSED SOCIAL WORKER IN THE EDGE. FIVE DAYS A WEEK AND THEY WILL BE DEVELOPING PROGRAMS FOR TEENS. WE ARE UNDERTAKING A REVISION OF THE LIBRARY'S WEBSITE AND A NEW CALENDAR SYSTEM IS UNDERWAY. THANKS TO A WONDERFUL GRANT FROM THE CARNEGIE FOUNDATION, STAFF WILL BE FOCUSING ON HOSTING NEW PROGRAMS AIMED AT NEW ADULTS AGES 18 TO 25 WHO HAVE GRADUATED FROM THE EDGE. WE FOUND THAT WE HAVE KIDS THAT USE THE TROVE AND THEN THE EDGE, AND THEN THEY GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL, AND WE REALLY [00:55:02] DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOR THEM. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT QUITE ADULTS, BUT THEY'RE NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL, SO THEY CAN'T USE THE EDGE. SO WE WANT TO INCREASE OUR PROGRAMMING TO THIS AGE GROUP. MANY OF OUR YOUTH GO TO COLLEGE, BUT THEY GO TO COLLEGE LOCALLY, SO THEY'RE STILL LIVING AT HOME, AND THEY NEED THINGS TO DO IN PROGRAMS, IN A SPECIAL SPACE IN THE LIBRARY. WE'RE WORKING ON THE CREATION OF AN AI POLICY FOR THE LIBRARY, AND WE ARE CREATING A STAFF WIDE TEXT ALERT SYSTEM FOR EMERGENCIES FOR THE LIBRARY. THAT'S IT. ANY QUESTIONS? WELL THANK YOU. WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE. AND TO HEAR THAT OUR MOST USED FACILITIES ARE BEING USED EVEN MORE AS A TREMENDOUS CREDIT TO YOU AND YOUR TEAM. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANK YOU, ELAINE SUMMERS, FOR ALL YOU DO AS WELL. NEXT, WE WILL HEAR FROM THE PERSON WHO LEADS THE SECRET SAUCE TO OUR CITY. FRANK WILLIAMS FROM THE WHITE PLAINS YOUTH BUREAU. GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, YOUR LEADERSHIP, AND YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE YOUTH OF OUR CITY. I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR STAFF, OUR DEPUTY YOUTH BUREAU DIRECTOR, ELIZABETH ALMONT, NICOLETTE JOHNSON, WHO'S OUR BUSINESS MANAGER. BUT I ALSO WANT TO COMMEND THE CITY DEPARTMENT HEADS. SO MUCH IS SAID ABOUT THE YOUTH BUREAU, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE BEHIND THE SCENES FROM THE DPW COMMISSIONER AND THE PARKS AND REC COMMISSIONER TO JIM ARNETT AND TO WADE HARDY. ALL OF OUR CITY DEPARTMENTS WORK TOGETHER COLLABORATIVELY TO COLLABORATIVELY WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORTS. I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE YOUTH BUREAU. MANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY ENGAGED IN THE YOUTH BUREAU, BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THE YOUTH BUREAU THAT WE HAVE, WE'RE ALMOST A FAMILY YOUTH BUREAU. WE HAVE PROGRAM FOR MOTHERS, WHICH IS CALLED A PARENTING WISELY PROGRAM. WE HAVE A PROGRAM FOR DANCE, AS YOU KNOW, A PROGRAM FOR, UM, JUMPSTART CALLED JUMPSTART FOR DADS, WHERE WE'RE WORKING WITH FATHERS TO KEEP THEM ENGAGED WITH THEIR THEIR, UM. KEEP THEM ENGAGED WITH THEIR, THEIR THEIR FAMILIES. AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE GRANDFATHER AND WE WORK WITH CHILDREN. HERE WE GO. SO WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. AND I'M SO POSITIVE ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE DO BECAUSE ONE IS THAT WE'RE TRANSITIONING, WE'RE TRANSFORMING LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN THIS CITY. AND YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THAT MANY OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE WE SERVE ARE HISPANIC. RIGHT. MOST OF THE CHILDREN WE SERVE COME FROM THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY. UM, AND WE ARE OFTEN A SAFE HAVEN FOR CHILDREN WHO REALLY DON'T HAVE MONEY TO PAY FOR SERVICES. AND AS YOU KNOW, WE DON'T SAY NO TO ANYONE BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT ALL CHILDREN MATTER AND ALL CHILDREN HAVE POTENTIAL. AND IN LIGHT OF THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A DEDICATED, COMMITTED STAFF WHO, UM, SERVE OUR CITY, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO ENSURE THEIR SUCCESS AND THEIR GROWTH. WE HAVE A LOT OF PROGRAMS. WE GOT A LOT OF PROGRAMS. WE GOT MORE THAN 50 PROGRAMS. WE PROBABLY HAVE MORE THAN 60 PROGRAMS. WE GOT A LOT OF PROGRAM. AND IT REALLY HAS TO DO WITH THAT. NOT EVERY CHILD PLAYS SPORTS. NOT EVERY CHILD LOVES MUSIC. WE NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING FOR FOR EVERY CHILD FROM FOUR TO AGE 88, WE GOT GRANDPA, THE GRANDFATHER. SO WE DO A LOT OF THINGS. SO OUR CORE PROGRAM OR OUR MISSION IS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE PREVENTION, INTEGRATION AND SERVICES THAT ENHANCE THEIR POTENTIAL FOR SUCCESS. OUR CORE PROGRAMS ARE A BEFORE SCHOOL PROGRAM, OUR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, OUR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PROGRAM. WE'RE OPEN SIX DAYS A WEEK. SOMETIMES WE'RE OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. SOMETIMES WE'RE OPEN ON HOLIDAYS. WE ARE ALSO OPEN ON VACATION DAYS, SO WE'RE OPEN ALL THE TIME FOR THE CHILDREN AND YOUTH OF OUR CITY. WE HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED ALTERNATIVES, WHICH PROVIDES DIVERSION PROGRAMS. MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD ABOUT OUR YOUTH COURT PROGRAM, SO WE HAVE PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE, UM, RESOURCES TO HELP OUR YOUNG PEOPLE STAY ON TRACK, PREPARING THEM FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THEIR LIFE. AND THEN WE HAVE A PROGRAM CALLED THE INSTITUTE OF HEALTH, AND WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP YOUNG PEOPLE AWAY FROM THINGS THAT WOULD HARM THEM DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AND ANY ILLS THAT MIGHT [01:00:02] IMPACT THEIR FUTURE. AND OF COURSE, YOU'VE HEARD ME TALK ABOUT GRANDPA'S UNITED, AND I JUST WANT TO SAY, JUST ON FRIDAY, OUR JUMPSTART FOR DADS PROGRAM WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE COUNTY AS BEING ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF FOUR BEST COUNTY PROGRAMS FOR THE YEAR BY THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT. WE'RE GOING TO GO ON TO OUR NEXT SLIDE, WHICH IS. UH. WE DID OKAY. ALL RIGHT. OUR BUDGET SUMMARY. AS YOU SEE, UH, WE HAVE A FULL TIME STAFF OF 14. SOMETIMES IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE MORE THAN 14 STAFF WITH THE MANY PROGRAMS AND WE SERVE, BUT WE HAVE 14 DEDICATED STAFF AND MANY OF OUR PROGRAMS, MANY OF OUR STAFF HAVE BEEN AT THE YOUTH BUREAU FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. SOME OF THE STAFF GREW UP AS TEENS IN THE YOUTH BUREAU AND HAVE COME BACK TO WORK AT THE YOUTH BUREAU. UH, AND OF COURSE, THEN WHEN YOU SEE THAT WE HAVE THREE, UH, CURRENT GRANT STAFF, FULL TIME STAFF, AND NEXT YEAR WE'LL HAVE FIVE, UH, FULL TIME GRANT STAFF. SO OUR FULL TIME STAFF WILL GO FROM 17 TO 19. LOOKING AT OUR BUDGET SUMMARY, AS YOU SEE THAT OUR WAGES HAVE GONE UP A LITTLE BIT FROM $2,000,803, 3000 AND $110 TO 03,000,050, $59,193. OUR OUR EXPENDITURES WILL BE $4,000,144 AND $4,144,000 AND $926. THE EXPENDITURES FOR THE CURRENT THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR WILL BE $4,423,000. $538. SO OUR EXPENDITURES WILL GO UP A LITTLE BIT IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. AND OF COURSE, THIS HAS TO DO WITH THE INCREASE IN BENEFITS FOR STAFF. A BUDGET SUMMARY AS YOU SEE CURRENTLY, OUR CHARGES FOR SERVICES, WHICH INCLUDES OUR BEFORE SCHOOL AND AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM, IS $1,052,734. AND NEXT YEAR, OUR CHARGES AND FEES FOR BITS AND PIECES, AND ALSO OUR ACCOUNT WILL GO TO ONE 1,193,000 AND $375. UM, MISCELLANEOUS. WE HAVE A WONDERFUL PROGRAM OVER AT THE COLLEGE OF WESTCHESTER. IT'S CALLED THE PROJECT DIGITAL JUMPSTART, WHERE OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LEARNING AI AND CYBERSECURITY AND FINANCIAL LITERACY. WE HAVE 35 YOUNG PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS PROGRAM AND GRADUATING FROM THIS PROGRAM. THESE KIDS WILL GET SIX FREE COLLEGE CREDITS. SO I AM OBLIGATED A CHARGE TO RAISE $25,000. I THINK I'VE RAISED SOMEWHAT SOMETHING NEAR THAT RIGHT NOW. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS PROGRAM, UM, BECOMES A PATHWAY FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT AI IS, UM, IS IS A CURRENT, UM, UH, ENDEAVOR IN THE LIFE OF OUR NATION, OUR COUNTY, OUR CITY. AI IS WHERE WE ARE. AS A AS A CITY AND WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE NEED TO BE TEACHING THEM CYBERSECURITY AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. WE RECEIVE $64,139 IN THIS CURRENT FISCAL YEAR IN FUNDS FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND THAT INCLUDES MONEY FROM FUNDS FROM CDBG AND ALSO FUNDS FROM THE STATE THROUGH THE COUNTY. UH, FOR THE NUMBER OF YOUNG PEOPLE WE SERVE IN THE CITY. SO OUR TOTAL REVENUE, UH, FOR FY 2526 IS, YOU SEE, WITH $1,141,873.89, AND FOR NEXT YEAR, IT WILL BE $1,282,737. OUR DEPARTMENTAL EXPENSE IS THAN $0.11 FOR THIS YEAR, AND NEXT YEAR IT WILL BE $3,000,140 AND $801. SO SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS. WE'RE JUST SO PROUD OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. ONE IS THAT OUR MY BROTHER'S KEEPER PROGRAM HAS BEEN NAMED A CERTIFIED NATIONAL MODEL. THERE ARE 56 MBK CERTIFIED COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY, AND WE'RE ONE OF THE 56 ARE BEFORE SCHOOL PROGRAM HAS INCREASED FROM 70 TO 100. LAST YEAR WE WERE CHALLENGED WITH SERVING PARENTS IN THE BEFORE SCHOOL PROGRAM BECAUSE OF TRYING TO FIND PARENTS STAFF TO WORK. WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE TO WORK EARLY IN THE MORNING FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR BEFORE SCHOOL PARENTS. [01:05:02] OUR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM HAS INCREASED TO, AS YOU SEE THE NUMBERS FROM 238 TO 367. AND THIS IS ALSO A FUNCTION OF FINDING STAFF TO WORK. OUR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE BEST YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND THEY PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND ALSO DURING THE SUMMER. UM, PROVIDING PUBLIC SECTOR AND PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PROGRAM RUNS EVERYTHING FROM BALLET TO BOXING TO MARTIAL ARTS TO THEATER. 17 PROGRAMS COME OUT OF THIS DEPARTMENT, AND MOST OF THE PROGRAMS IN THIS DEPARTMENT ARE FREE. YOU SHOULD SEE THE PARENTS WHO COME TO THE AGENCY TO HAVE THEIR CHILDREN TAKE BALLET, OR TAKE BOXING OR TAKE MARTIAL ARTS IN THIS PARTICULAR UNIT. AND THIS PROGRAM IS OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SEVEN UNTIL 08:00 AT NIGHT. UM, OUR COUNSELING ALTERNATIVE PROGRAM PROVIDES MENTORING, UH, COUNSELING. UH, DECISION MAKING. WE'RE WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MAY BE ON THE FRINGES OR MAKING POOR CHOICES. UH, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH. WE DO EVERYTHING FROM DRUG TAKE BACK TO DEALING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DRUGS AND ALCOHOL. WORKING WITH OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT AROUND TESTING TO SEE IF, UM, STORES MIGHT BE, UH, SELLING DRUGS OR ALCOHOL TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, WE HAVE OUR UPCOMING DRUG TAKE BACK DAY. UH, AND THEN OUR GRANDPA'S UNITED. SO A LOT OF GOOD THINGS ARE GOING ON AT THE YOUTH BUREAU. WE'RE PROUD OF OUR WORK. UM, AND I WOULD SAY TODAY, IF YOU HAD BEEN WITH US TODAY, WE WERE AT THE COUNTY CENTER, UH, WHERE THE, UM, MY BROTHER'S KEEPER SUMMIT WAS THERE. NEARLY 400 YOUNG PEOPLE WERE THERE. UH, JEREMIAH WAS THERE. AND JUST TO SEE THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE, UM, THE INTEREST AND INVOLVEMENT OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE IN TERMS OF BUILDING THEIR PATHWAYS TO A BETTER FUTURE SPEAKS TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, CERTAINLY HERE IN WHITE PLAINS AND ACROSS THE COUNTY. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. THANK ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL DEPARTMENT MEMBERS WHO PARTNER WITH US TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SUPPORT. AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT MOST OF THE TIME THEY NEVER SAY NO. RIGHT. THEY THEY'RE THERE FOR US. AND WE WE WE'RE THERE FOR EACH OTHER. IT REALLY DOES TAKE A VILLAGE. AND I WANT TO THANK MY STAFF, ELIZABETH AND NICOLETTE AND OUR WHOLE TEAM FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO TO HELP OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THRIVE AND SUCCEED. UH, ANY QUESTIONS? I THINK WE WANT TO THANK YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE TEAM FOR, AS YOU KNOW, I SAY, THE SECRET SAUCE TO OUR CITY MAKING OUR CITY AND OUR KIDS AND AND GRANDPAS AND EVERYBODY SO HAPPY AND FEEL AND TO NURTURE ALL OF US. SO THANK YOU. I WILL NOW CALL UPON, UM. COMMISSIONER BETH BRICKER FROM RECREATION AND PARKS. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR. AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMON COUNCIL. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US HERE TO PRESENT OUR BUDGET. I JUST WANT TO SAY I'M JOINED BY OUR DEPUTY COMMISSIONER, DARREN VALDES AND OUR RECREATION ADMINISTRATOR, NOEL CAMUTO. UM, THE GOOD THING IS, I'M A FAST TALKER, SO THIS IS RIGHT ON MY SPEED. UM, SO I'M GOING TO GO THROUGH THIS. I KNOW THERE'S A COUPLE OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT STILL HAVE TO GO. UM, SO THE MISSION, THE ONE THING I WANT TO POINT OUT WITH OUR MISSION, REALLY IS THE QUALITY OF LIFE. I THINK THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT RECREATION AND PARKS REALLY PROVIDES. WE DON'T ALWAYS INCREASE QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE WORK WE DO IS REALLY QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT. UM, AND WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF THAT. UM, SO SOME OF THE PROGRAMMING FUNCTIONS THAT WE DO IS YOUTH, ADULT AND SENIOR PROGRAMMING. SUMMER CAMP IS A BIG PART OF WHAT WE DO. UM, AQUATICS, DIFFERING ABILITIES, COMMUNITY EVENTS, ADMINISTRATION, PLAYGROUNDS, AND MANAGE PUBLIC RECREATION FACILITIES AND PARKS ALONG WITH DPW. UM, HERE OUR EXPENDITURES JUST TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THEM, RIGHT. SALARIES AND WAGES ARE AN INCREASE. WE ARE A DEPARTMENT OF 14. WE ARE FULLY STAFFED NOW. WE HAD A MOMENT OF 2025 WHERE WE WERE NOT. WE ARE CURRENTLY FULLY STAFFED WITH 14 FULL TIME STAFF. SALARY AND WAGES INCREASE ALONG WITH EMPLOYEE BENEFITS, MATERIAL AND SUPPLIES. THAT'S ONLY A 7% INCREASE FOR THE DEPARTMENT FROM 25 TO 26. AND THEN OUR DIRECT COST. THIS INCLUDES OUR BUS TRANSPORTATION AND PROGRAMMING SERVICES. YOU'LL SEE AN INCREASE THERE, BUT STILL A SMALL INCREASE. AND THEN EQUIPMENT. THE LARGER INCREASE IN THE EQUIPMENT IS WE HAVE A PROPOSED PLAN TO ADD A NEW PROGRAM TO OUR ICE RINK. AND A PART OF THAT INCREASE THERE THAT YOU SEE IS A PART OF THAT, UM, THE EQUIPMENT FOR THAT PROGRAM, WHICH WE'LL SHARE WITH AS OUR HIGHLIGHTS. UM, AS FAR AS REVENUES, UM, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE CHARGES FOR SERVICES, THIS IS OUR CAMP MAINLY IS IN THERE. [01:10:05] SO EVERY YEAR YOU'LL FIND AN INCREASE IN THE CAMP. UM, OUR LICENSE AND PERMITS STAYS VERY SIMILAR. AND COST MISCELLANEOUS IS OUR CONTRIBUTIONS. IT'S ALSO OUR TRANSPORTATION THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY CENTER AS WELL. AND THEN THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL, YOU'LL SEE THAT THERE IS A DECREASE IN THAT. AND THAT IS WE ARE NO LONGER RECEIVING, UM, FUNDS FROM OP ED, WHICH IS OFFICE FOR PEOPLE WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES. THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT FUNDING THAT CAME THROUGH FOR US WERE MORE ON THE LEVEL OF A COMMUNITY, UM, A HOME, UM, FOR THE DIFFERING ABILITIES IS MORE ON THE LEVEL OF LIKE A, UM, A GROUP HOME VERSUS RECREATION. WE'RE PROVIDING VERY RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES. WE'RE STILL ABLE TO PROVIDE OUR SERVICES EVEN THOUGH WE'RE NO LONGER RECEIVING THAT FUNDING. AND THEN SOME OF OUR 2020 526 HIGHLIGHTS, WE WENT THROUGH A MAJOR DEPARTMENTAL TRANSITION. WE HAD FOUR RETIREMENTS, ONE TERMINATION, ONE PERSON LEFT, PROMOTIONS CREATED OUT OF A DEPARTMENT OF 14. WE REPLACED SEVEN PEOPLE IN THE PAST YEAR. WE RESTRUCTURED THE STAFF TO FOCUS ON MORE SPECIALIZED PROGRAM AREAS. SO A WHOLE DEPARTMENT RESTRUCTURE EXPANDED PROGRAMMING, INCLUDING CHESS CLASSES, TOURNAMENTS, PICKLEBALL INSTRUCTION, LIFEGUARD CERTIFICATION. WE INTRODUCED THE ACCESSIBLE WEGO SWING AT DELFINO PARK, UPGRADED EBERSOL ICE RINK CONCESSION, OPEN THE NEW BATTLE HILL PLAYGROUND, AND COMPLETED TURF SURFACING AT GILI. AND THEN WE SENT THE MAJORITY OF OUR STAFF TO THE NEW YORK STATE RECREATION AND PARKS ANNUAL CONFERENCE, WHICH WAS RIGHT HERE IN WHITE PLAINS AT THE SEMESTER. AND THAT WAS REALLY GREAT TO BE ABLE TO SEND THE MAJORITY OF OUR STAFF TO THAT CONFERENCE. SOME HIGHLIGHTS THAT YOU'LL FIND IN 2020 627. UM, THAT INCREASE THAT I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER. SO WE HAVE THIS PLANNED INTRODUCTION OF ICE BUMPER CARS AT EBERSOL ICE RINK. UM, WE IMPLEMENTED A NEW ONLINE CARD MEMBERSHIP SYSTEM THAT JUST WENT INTO PLACE IN APRIL. AND SO FAR WE HAVE FOUND IT TO BE MORE USER FRIENDLY ON OUR DEPARTMENT AND WITH THE PUBLIC. WE TRANSITION TO FULLY ONLINE SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION AND TO THIS DATE WE HAVE NOT HAD ANY PUSHBACK WITH THAT, AND IT HAS BEEN A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO DO THAT ONLINE. UM, WE HAD A LAUNCH LAUNCH THIS SUMMER, A PRE-K SMALL PILOT PROGRAM FOR PRE-K SUMMER CAMP AND AN EXPANSION OF SENIOR PROGRAMMING OFFERS OVER OFFERINGS OVER AT OUR COMMUNITY CENTER. UM, WE'RE ALSO IN THE MIDDLE OF PLAN REC ROOM RENOVATIONS, SCHEDULED SCHEDULED BATHROOM UPGRADES TO COTTRELL PARK BATHROOMS, AND THEN UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS INCLUDING RW 250, WHITE PLAINS SOCCER FEST, AND MEDITATION MONDAYS. SO THOSE ARE SOME THINGS WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. ANY QUESTIONS? I THINK WE SAY THANK YOU. YOU'RE ANOTHER DEPARTMENT THAT NURTURES EVERYBODY IN OUR CITY AND ENABLES US ALL TO HAVE A GREAT AND SAFE TIME. SO OUR SINCEREST THANKS, COMMISSIONER BRICKER. THANK YOU. NEXT WEEK. COMMISSIONER LIVINGSTON FROM THE PARKING DEPARTMENT. GOOD EVENING. I'M HAPPY TO SAY WE'RE HERE TO DISCUSS THE TWO FAVORITE TOPICS OF EVERYBODY IS PARKING AND TRAFFIC. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WAS WAITING FOR THIS ONE. SO I JUST SET THIS UP. SO THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKING AND TRAFFIC FOR 2627. BUDGET PROPOSAL. I'M SORRY. SO THE FIRST IS WHAT WE DO AS A DEPARTMENT. SO WE OVERSEE THE EIGHT PARKING GARAGES, THE 23 SURFACE LOTS. WITHIN THAT, THERE'S 13,000 PARKING SPACES OFF STREET, 3000 ON STREET. UH, ON THE TRAFFIC SIDE, WE HAVE 12,000 TRAFFIC SIGNS WE MAINTAIN, SORRY, 130 TRAFFIC SIGNALS AND 60 LANE MILES OF PAVEMENT MARKINGS. SO IT'S A LOT. UH, WE ALSO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANALYZING THE TRAFFIC AND PARKING IMPACTS OF ALL THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT. SO MOVING ON TO EXPENDITURES. SO HERE WE HAVE 98 POSITIONS FUNDED IN 2526. SAME FOR 2627. HERE I JUST WANT TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THE LARGEST ITEMS IN EACH OF THESE. SO OBVIOUSLY SALARIES SALARIES AND WAGES AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS ARE GOING UP, AS YOU'VE HEARD AT NAUSEAM HERE. UM, SO I'M JUST GOING TO POINT OUT WITHIN ALL THESE SEPARATE WHAT THE LARGEST, UH, EXPENDITURES WE HAVE. SO IN MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES, IT'S THINGS LIKE ELECTRICITY, WHICH EVERYBODY KNOWS IS GOING UP, PROPERTY RENTALS AND THEN MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES. UH, UNDER DIRECT COSTS, WE HAVE SERVICE CONTRACTS. SERVICE CONTRACTS ARE, UH, PAY STATION CONTRACTS, ELEVATOR CONTRACTS, HVAC, HVAC CONTRACTS, UH, AND UNDER EQUIPMENT ALSO, SORRY, UNDER DIRECT COSTS. THE RED LIGHT CAMERAS, THE ELECTRONIC TICKETING, FINES OF CONTRACT FINES AND THE CREDIT CARD FEES AND THEN EQUIPMENT. [01:15:01] WE HAVE MOSTLY THE FLEET. SO AGAIN, AS YOU'VE SEEN ACROSS ALL THE DEPARTMENTS, OUR NUMBER ONE EXPENDITURE IS PEOPLE SALARY WAGES AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. YOU SEE THE EXPENDITURES ARE ABOUT TO ARE SET TO GO UP. ABOUT 1.5 MILLION. OUT OF THAT 1,100,000 IS BETWEEN SALARY AND BENEFITS. SO MOVING FORWARD TO REVENUES. SO AGAIN HERE I'M GOING TO POINT OUT OUT OF EACH OF THESE CATEGORIES WHAT ARE THE LARGEST OF EACH. SO THIS SIDE IS THE REVENUE WHAT THE LARGEST REVENUE IS. SO CHARGES FOR SERVICES PARKING METER FEES AND PERMITS ARE THE TWO LARGEST IN THERE. AND FINES AND FORFEITURES WE HAVE PARKING FINES, RED LIGHT CAMERA FINES AND STOP ARM CAMERA FINES. AND THEN UNDER MISCELLANEOUS WE HAVE LEASES, AD REVENUE, AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE $2 MILLION THAT JIM ARNETT BROUGHT UP. THAT IS FROM IF WE ACQUIRE THE CITY CENTER GARAGE. UH, ONE THING TO NOTE HERE IS THAT WITHOUT THE 2 MILLION FROM THE CITY CENTER ACQUISITION, REVENUE WOULD BE DOWN. SO WE'RE SEEING METER FEES ARE DOWN. UH, PERMITS ARE DOWN. UH, AND ACTUALLY, METER BAG RENTALS ARE DOWN. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, UH, IT'S IT'S TRENDING DOWN IN THOSE THREE. UH, DEPARTMENT HIGHLIGHTS. UH, SO IN JULY OF 2025, WE TRANSITIONED FROM THE PAPER PERMIT ON THE BACK OF YOUR WINDSHIELD. LET ME BACK OF YOUR WINDOW TO PERMIT BY PLATE, WHICH IS YOUR LICENSE PLATE IS YOUR PERMIT? UH, IT'S BEEN ROLLING OUT SINCE JULY. IT'S BEEN GOING WELL. WE STILL HAVE A LOT MORE WORK TO DO ON THAT END. UH, IN 2025, WE INSTALLED FOUR NEW PERMANENT SPEED DISPLAY SIGNS AND ADDED THREE RELOCATABLE SPEED SIGNS INTO OUR FLEET OF SIGNS. WE ACTUALLY HAVE A BACKLOG OF REQUESTS TO HAVE THOSE PUT OUT, SO THAT IS GOOD. UM, WE DEPLOYED A NEW DISCRETE TRAFFIC DATA COLLECTION DEVICES IN 2025, AND THAT'S BASICALLY JUST A BOX THAT YOU CAN PUT ON THE TELEPHONE POLE THAT COLLECTS THE DATA. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU PUT THE DISPLAY SIGNS, YOU SEE TRAFFIC GO DOWN AND YOU DON'T ACTUALLY SEE WHAT THE TRAFFIC WAS LIKE BEFORE. SO IT ACTUALLY THE SPEED DISPLAY SIGNS DO DO A GOOD JOB OF REDUCING IT, BUT YOU DON'T NECESSARILY GET A PICTURE OF WHAT THE SPEEDS WERE. UH, ALSO IN 2025, WE PILOTED NEW TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES, WHICH INCLUDES, UH, SPEED HUMPS, UH, AND ALSO DELINEATED POSTS. UH, SOME MOVING TO 2026. WE'RE LOOKING TO IDENTIFY A NEW VENDOR TO UPGRADE THE PERMITTING AND TICKET SOFTWARE. OUR CURRENT VENDOR HAS BEEN WITH US FOR THREE YEARS NOW. PART OF THE ISSUES WITH THE PERMIT BY PLATE IS THE PLATFORM THAT WE'RE USING. SO WE'RE LOOKING TO HOPEFULLY IDENTIFY 1 OR 2 VENDORS OR MULTIPLE VENDORS THAT CAN HELP US IMPROVE. WE'RE LOOKING TO MAYBE NOT IN 2026, BUT IN THE FUTURE. MOVE FROM PAY BY SPACE TO PAY BY PLATE. PAY BY PLATE IS MORE CUSTOMER FRIENDLY. WE TALKED ABOUT THE 12,000 TRAFFIC SIGNS WHERE WE HAVE 12,000 SPACE SIGNS. SPACE ONE SPACE. YOU KNOW, 16,000. SO WE'RE LOOKING TO MOVE TO THAT. WE PURCHASED A NEW PAINT TRUCK IN 2026, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT IT'S GOING TO INCREASE THE ANNUAL STRIPING. WE BELIEVE THAT IT'S GOING TO INCREASE OUR PRODUCTIVITY APPROXIMATELY 50%. AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THE LINES QUICKER. WE CAN GET TO MORE CROSSWALKS, WHICH I KNOW IS A BIG REQUEST THAT WE HAVE TROUBLE KEEPING UP WITH. ALSO IN 2026, WE'RE LOOKING TO RELOCATE THE RED LIGHT CAMERAS. WE HAVEN'T FINALIZED NEW LOCATIONS, BUT WE'RE GOING TO TRY TO MOVE THEM AROUND. AND THEN ALSO IN 2026, WE'RE GOING TO UPDATE MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS, WHICH INVOLVES PUTTING THE LINE THAT FOLKS ARE REQUIRED TO STOP BACK AWAY FROM THE CROSSWALK THROUGH STREET MARKINGS AND THE SIGN TO HOPEFULLY GET BETTER VISIBILITY, AND ALSO ALLOW THE PEDESTRIAN TO KNOW THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO CROSS ONE AS QUICK AS I COULD. ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER SANTIAGO. UM, I HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS. I'M SORRY. OKAY. UM, SO THE PARKING PERMITS THAT EXIST NOW, WHERE DO THEY COVER PEOPLE? PARKING? UH, SO IT'S ON STREET. IT'S OFF STREET. ALL OFF STREET. SO IT'S THE GARAGE IS IN THE PARKING LOTS. YEAH. SO THE EIGHT GARAGES AND THE 23 PARKING LOTS. OTHER PARKING PERMITS. AND THEN COULD YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THE PAY BY PLATE SYSTEM THAT YOU WILL IMPLEMENT? YEAH. SO RIGHT NOW, IF YOU ARE A PART OF ANY FACILITY, [01:20:02] INCLUDING ON STREET, YOU'D HAVE TO GET THE SPACE NUMBER. IF YOU GO TO PAY BY APP, YOU WOULD GET THE SPACE NUMBER. AND THEN YOU WOULD ALSO GET THE ZONE. IF YOU WERE TO PAY BY THE PAY STATIONS, YOU WOULD GET THE SPACE NUMBER AND PUNCH IT INTO THE MACHINE. THIS PAY BY PLATE ALLOWS YOU TO STORE THE INFORMATION AND PAY BY YOUR LICENSE PLATE. SO IF YOU WERE TO PAY BY APP, IT WOULD BE NOW STORED IN THE APP. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO CONTINUOUSLY LOOK FOR THE SPACE NUMBER. YOU JUST NEED THE ZONE. AND THEN ON THE PAY STATION SIDE YOU WOULD JUST PUNCH YOUR LICENSE PLATE INTO THE PAY STATION. THE HOPE IS THAT MORE FOLKS USE THE APP AND THAT IT'S EASIER FOR THEM TO MAKE THE PAYMENT. OKAY. AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION IS, UM, WHY RELOCATE THE RED LIGHT CAMERAS? AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S. YEAH. SO THE ORIGINAL EVERYTHING ORIGINALLY STARTED FIVE YEARS AGO. AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING ACROSS IS THE DESIRED RESULT THAT THERE ARE LESS, UH, SAFETY INCIDENCES IN THOSE INTERSECTIONS WHERE THEY CAN BE MOVED TO TO ANOTHER INTERSECTION THAT IS HAVING ISSUES, AND THEN WE CAN CREATE THE SAME CONDITION THERE. UH, SO JUST MOVING THEM AROUND GIVES US THE ABILITY TO AFFECT MORE INTERSECTIONS THAN THE FIVE WE'VE HAD ON THE FIVE YEARS PRIOR. AND FOLLOW UP ON THAT WITH. THE I WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE THE SAME APP OR IS IT A DIFFERENT. APP? SAME APP. IT'D BE. YEAH. FOR THE PARKING. FOR THE PAYMENTS. YES. SAME APP. YEP. IT'S PARKWAY PLANES AND, UH, PASSPORT ARE THE TWO APPS. IT'S COUNCIL MEMBER FREI-PEARSON. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? UM, YEAH. JUST GENERALLY, YOU'D INDICATED THAT REVENUES WERE POTENTIALLY GOING TO BE SLIGHTLY DOWN. I SEE THEM. CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? UH, SO THE PARKING METER FEES ARE, YOU KNOW, YOU PAY ON THE STREET OR IN THE GARAGE, AND WE'RE JUST SEEING A DOWNWARD TREND IN THAT I DON'T, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTAND WHY. OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, LESS PEOPLE ARE USING THE PARKING FACILITIES, THE METER BAG FEE ARE GOING DOWN. A LOT OF THESE BIGGER DEVELOPMENTS ARE STARTING TO WRAP UP. A LOT OF THE METER BAG FEES WERE FROM THOSE DEVELOPMENTS TAKING THE METERS WHILE THEY WERE CONSTRUCTING. SO THAT'S GOING TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GOING TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY. AND THEN THE PERMITS ARE DOWN. UH, PARTLY, I BELIEVE, BECAUSE THE CLOSURE OF THE WEST, UH, THE CLOSURE OF THE WEST CAUSED SOME OTHER FACILITIES TO BECOME FULL. SO WHEREAS WE CAN'T SELL AS MANY PERMITS AS WE DID IN THE PAST, UM, BECAUSE OF THE DISBURSEMENT OF PARKERS FROM THOSE FACILITIES, UH, AND THEN OVERALL, IT COULD JUST BE LESS DEMAND, TOO. THANK YOU. THANK. YOU. I GUESS THE GOOD NEWS, THOUGH, IS THAT SALES TAX REVENUE IS UP. SO PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE. DO LIKE OUR CITY. CITIES. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU AS WELL. WE KNOW YOU HAVE AN EXTREMELY HARD JOB, COMMISSIONER. LIVINGSTON. AND WE'RE VERY, VERY GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE AND HELP TO ALL OF US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. NOW WE WILL. CALL UP STEPHANIE MIGNON, WHO MANAGES THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT THAT GETS EVERYTHING DONE IN OUR CITY. AND WE ARE GRATEFUL TO YOU AND THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS, BECAUSE THE LIGHTS WOULDN'T BE ON IN THIS ROOM IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU. OKAY. GOOD EVENING. HAPPY EARLY EARTH DAY. BIRTHDAY'S TOMORROW TO REMIND EVERYBODY. UH, BEFORE I GET STARTED, UM, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE MY TEAM. I'M HERE WITH MY TWO DEPUTIES. UH, JOE TIROS, WHO OVERSEES ENGINEERING, WATER AND SEWER, AND NADIA SAVAGE, WHO OVERSEES SANITATION, GARAGE, HIGHWAY AND FACILITIES. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, CONNIE CERNY, OUR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER WHO ENSURES WE ARE STAYING WITHIN OUR OPERATING BUDGET THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SHE REALLY KEEPS US ON TRACK, SO WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM HERE, AND THAT HELPS ME MANAGE ONE OF THE LARGEST CITY DEPARTMENTS. SO. AS YOU CAN SEE, DPW SPANS ACROSS SEVERAL IMPORTANT CITYWIDE SERVICES. SOME OF THESE SERVICES RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS SEE ON A DAILY BASIS, SUCH AS SANITATION, HIGHWAY, AND OTHER BUREAUS WORK IN THE BACKGROUND TO ENSURE CITY OPERATIONS RUN SMOOTHLY. UH, SUCH AS THE GARAGE. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL MY SUPERINTENDENTS AND STAFF THAT COORDINATE AND WORK TOGETHER TO HELP MAKE OUR DEPARTMENT SUCCESSFUL. OUR DEPARTMENT. OUR DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT BUREAUS ARE SEPARATED INTO THREE MAIN FUNDING SOURCES. [01:25:01] GENERAL FUND WITH 199 EMPLOYEES. AUTHORIZED, WITH ABOUT 179 FILLED CURRENTLY. THE WATER FUND WITH 29 EMPLOYEES AUTHORIZED, WITH 27 FILLED CURRENTLY, AND THE SEWER FUND WITH SEVEN EMPLOYEES AUTHORIZED WITH ALL SEVEN CURRENTLY FILLED. THIS SLIDE PROVIDES A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE FISCAL, THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR, AND NEXT YEAR'S GENERAL FUND BUDGET AS RELATED TO THE DIFFERENT EXPENDITURES SUCH AS SALARIES BENEFIT, WHICH EVERYBODY HAD SAID ALSO. THAT'S THE MAJORITY OF OUR OUR BUDGET AND REVENUES, WITH A TOTAL DEPARTMENT NET EXPENSE OF APPROXIMATELY 32 MILLION. UM. ITS DIFFERENT TYPES OF REVENUE IS THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVENUE, WHICH, UH, VARIES. BUT A FEW HIGHLIGHTS OF THAT IS THE CITY COURT, UH, CLEANING AND MINOR REPAIRS, REIMBURSEMENT, UH, NEW YORK STATE. ARTERIAL HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE ON ROUTE 119 UH TARRYTOWN ROAD TO BANK STREET. AND THE NICE SORT OF GRANTS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. UM. MOVING ALONG. UM, SO THIS IS THE WATER, UH, FUND THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES EQUALS TOTAL REVENUE. UH, THE WATER FUND IS FUNDED BY USER CHARGES. THE SEWER FUND IS SIMILAR TO THE WATER FUND, WHERE PRIMARILY IT'S FUNDED BY USER CHARGES. SOME, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE WE HAVE SEVERAL INITIATIVES, UH, THIS YEAR THAT WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING. UM, TO HELP IMPROVE OUR DEPARTMENT, INCLUDING A NEW PAVEMENT ASSESSMENT PROGRAM THAT EVALUATED THE CONDITION OF EVERY ROAD IN THE CITY. THIS COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS HAS HELPED US ESTABLISH PRIORITIES TO OUR RESURFACING SCHEDULE. WE ARE CONTINUOUSLY LOOKING TO IMPROVE OUR ELECTRIC VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND FLEET. UH, WE IMPLEMENTED UH, I HYDRANTS. I HYDRANTS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WHICH HELP US TO IDENTIFY AND LOCATE WATER MAIN BREAKS MORE QUICKLY, WHICH IS SAVING TIME, MONEY AND WATER. TRADITIONALLY, DPW CREWS WILL DRIVE WOULD DRIVE AROUND THROUGHOUT THE CITY TO FIND THE BREAK. UM, AND WITH THESE I HYDRANTS, UH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FIND THEM A LOT QUICKER, WHICH HAS BEEN VITAL. UM, WE'VE ALSO, UH, USED AUTOMATED SALT SPREADERS THAT, UM, WERE INSTALLED ON MOST OF OUR, UM, OUR SALT TRUCKS. UH, THESE SPREADERS HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING, UH, CALIBRATED TO THROW SALT AT A MORE CONSISTENT RATE AND HELPED WITH, UH, OPTIMIZING COVERAGE WITHOUT WASTING SALT AND THUS SAVING MONEY. UM, SOME. OOPS. SORRY ABOUT THAT. UH, SORRY. SOME HIGHLIGHTS FOR NEXT YEAR. SO WE HAVE, UM, AQUA TRAX, WHICH IS GOING TO BE A DASHBOARD FOR THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES TO TRACK THEIR OWN WATER USAGE. UH, YEAH. THAT'S UH, THAT ONE WILL BE A POPULAR ONE, I THINK, UH, THIS WILL HELP RESIDENTS WITH BILLING INQUIRIES AND IDENTIFYING IF THEY HAVE A LEAK MORE QUICKLY, THEN WAITING FOR QUARTERLY OR SEMIANNUAL BILLS. UH, WE HAVE A FEW WATER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECTS, UH, COMING, UH, COMMENCING THIS, UH, THIS YEAR, HOPEFULLY ONE AT TRENTON AND THE OTHER ONE MANCHESTER. UM, WE ARE HOPING TO IMPLEMENT A SIDEWALK ASSESSMENT PROGRAM, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE PAVEMENT ONE. UM, AND WE'RE HOPING TO DO PHASE ONE, UH, WHICH IS GOING TO BE THE, THE DOWNTOWN SIDEWALKS. UH, HELPS ME, HELPS YOU RIGHT NOW IS OUR TEXTILE RECYCLING PARTNER. AND RIGHT NOW, THE WAY IT'S SET UP IS THAT YOU CAN DROP OFF AT ANY YARD. SO WE ARE HOPING TO, UH, SOON, VERY SOON, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UH, CURBSIDE PICKUP FOR THE RESIDENTS, UM, THROUGH HEP C, UH, FOOD WASTE, COMPOSTING, UH, DPW PLANS TO MODERNIZE COMPOSTING AT ANY [01:30:02] YARD BY TRANSITIONING TO AERATED STATIC PILE TECHNOLOGY, REDUCING LABOR AND EQUIPMENT USE WHILE PRODUCING HIGHER QUALITY COMPOST, AND INCREASING OUR REVENUE CONTINGENT ON GRANT FUNDING. THE INITIATIVE ALSO INCLUDES A SMART BIN NETWORK AND A NEW MULTI BUNKER SYSTEM TO SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND FOOD WASTE DIVERSION AND PROCESSING. AND THAT IS IT. ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN WOLF. YES. I HAVE TWO COMMENTS. AND. TWO QUESTIONS. COMMENTS FIRST. UM, THAT THE WYNNUM CLOSED KERBS WERE BADLY DAMAGED OVER THE WINTER THROUGH SNOW PLOWING AND WHATEVER. UM, AND THEY WERE REPAIRED LAST WEEK AND THIS WEEKEND THE RESIDENTS WE HAD A BOARD MEETING THIS AFTERNOON AND WE'RE VERY PLEASED AND GRATEFUL FOR THAT QUICK AND WONDERFUL SERVICE. UM, THE SECOND AREA WAS JUST IT'S FUNNY, I WAS DRIVING DOWN KENSICO AVENUE TODAY AND SAW AN 18 WHEELER WITH ABOUT 7 OR 8 SNOWPLOWS ON IT, SO I GUESS THAT'S A GOOD SIGN THAT THE WINTER IS OVER. SO SNOW PLOWS FROM PUBLIC WORKS. SO THE QUESTIONS ARE, UM, ONE, THERE'S A NEW ORDINANCE I THINK WE PASSED. MAYOR, ISN'T IT THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO NOW PAVE WHEN SOMEONE DOES DIGGING IN THE STREET PAVE THE WHOLE HOLE WITH THE STREET? YEAH. SO? SO IT'D BE CURB TO CURB? YEAH. LIKE START. IT STARTS IMMEDIATELY. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. YEAH. SO IT'S BATTLE HILL AND WHATEVER. YES. GREAT. AND THE OTHER QUESTION WAS. OH, WATER. UM, I READ SOMETHING IN THIS THING ABOUT WATER BEING CONVERTED TO WHITE PLAINS USING OUR OWN WATER INSTEAD OF BUYING IT FROM NEW YORK CITY. NO. AND WERE YOU GOING TO TRY TO USE OUR RESERVOIRS MORE AND. NO. UH, NO, THAT'S NOT THAT'S INACCURATE. MAYBE I DIDN'T GET IT RIGHT. YEAH. NO. IT'S OKAY. WE BUY OUR WATER FROM NEW YORK CITY, RIGHT? I KNOW, YEAH. WE HAVE THE ABILITY. WE HAVEN'T USED OUR RESERVOIRS IN, UM, YOU KNOW, IN A IN A PRETTY LONG TIME, ACTUALLY. AND, UM, AND THERE'S NO, THERE'S. SO WE HAVEN'T USED IN IN A LONG TIME. AND UH, AND REALLY THE SUPPLEMENT, IF IT WERE TO SUPPLEMENT THE CITY WATER SUPPLY WOULD BE IT WOULDN'T, IT WOULDN'T BE A LOT. SO WE DON'T USE THE, THE RESERVOIR WATER TO SUPPLEMENT OUR, OUR WATER SUPPLY. WE GET IT FROM NEW YORK CITY. ALL RIGHT. YEAH. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN CARUSO. I NOTICED, LIKE, IN THE SEWER FUND EXPENDITURES, SIGNIFICANCE DROP OFF BETWEEN 2526 AND 2627. ALMOST. IT LOOKS LIKE ABOUT $1 MILLION. WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE THAT? UH, FOR THE FROM ON THE REVENUE SIDE OR THE. I'M SORRY. IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S EXPENDITURES AND REVENUE. THEY'RE TWINS. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING SPECIFIC FROM THE. HONEY. DO YOU HAVE IT? UM, THE CAPITAL OUTLAY NUMBER IS INCREASED. UM, BUT THAT. COULD BE A GOAL FOR THE REST OF. 526. SO, UH, WHEN WE HAD THE 600 AND THE 600, WAS THAT WOULD THAT BE THAT? IT WAS AT IT. IT WAS FROM A ROLL UP. IT WAS A, UH, WHEN WE ENDED THE PRIOR YEAR, THERE WAS A SAVINGS IN THE CAPITAL OUTLAY THAT WAS ENCUMBERED TO BE SPENT ON SOMETHING THAT WE HADN'T SPENT IT YET. SO WE ROLLED IT INTO IT. WE ROLLED THE THE FUND BALANCE TO COVER IT, AND WE ROLL THE EXPENSE. SO IT SHOWS THAT COLUMN IS THE REVISED BUDGET. IT'S NOT THE ORIGINAL ADOPTED BUDGET. SO IT'S ACTUALLY SLIGHT AS CONNIE MENTIONED, ADOPTED TO ADOPTED. WE'RE SLIGHTLY DOWN, I THINK I WANT TO SAY IT WAS LIKE 70,000 OR SOMETHING THAT WE WERE DOWN VERY LITTLE. BUT BUT THAT WAS A THAT WAS A ROLL FORWARD. SO IT'S THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN SANTIAGO SO I JUST WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK THAT I MEAN, WE HAD TWO BACK TO BACK STORMS IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER THAT WERE KIND OF RECORD BREAKING. SO I COMMEND YOU AND YOUR STAFF. WE SAW THEM WORKING AT ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT. THEY DID. AND SO IT WAS JUST CURIOUS. I CAN'T TELL HERE, BUT, UM, HOW MUCH WERE WE OVER BUDGET ON THE SALT AND THE TREATMENT OF THE, YOU KNOW, WAS THERE A SHORTFALL OR DID WE PLAN FOR SOMETHING LIKE, I MEAN, TWO STORMS. THAT WAS A LOT. NO. SO THIS WAS, UH, THIS WAS UNPRECEDENTED. YES. UH, FOR BOTH STORMS, UH, AND ESPECIALLY THE FIRST STORM, IT STAYED COLD FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. [01:35:02] RIGHT. SO A LOT OF TIMES, THE. COLDEST WINTER IN 65 YEARS. SO, SO IN, IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. RIGHT. IT WOULD SNOW. AND THEN AND THEN THE TEMPERATURES WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, ABOVE FREEZING. AND THEN THEY WOULD KIND OF MELT AWAY AND IN A FEW DAYS MOST OF IT. AND FROM THE FIRST STORM, UH, WHICH WE THINK THE FIRST STORM, EVEN THOUGH THE SECOND STORM, I THINK PRODUCED MORE MORE INCHES. THE FIRST STORM WAS REALLY BAD FOR US BECAUSE BECAUSE IT DIDN'T FREEZE, IT WAS BELOW FREEZING FOR THREE WEEKS, RIGHT? SO THAT SNOW WASN'T MELTING. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, WE DID HAVE TO DO WE HAVE WE HAD TO HAUL THE SNOW, WHICH WE DID TO, TO GET IN A YARD. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT IT WAS IMPRESSIVE. MOUND OF SNOW. UM, AND AND WITH OVER TIME AND, AND WE ALSO HAD TO GET IT DONE MORE QUICKLY. WE HIRED OUR CONTRACTORS TO HELP WITH THE HAULING. SO I THINK OVERALL WE WERE OVER, UH, THE SNOW BUDGET BY 500,000, I BELIEVE. 700? 77. YEAH. SO WHICH BALL WILL BE COMING TO YOU IN IN JUNE? MEETING FOR. SO SPOILER ALERT. UM, BUT YEAH, SO ABOUT 750,000 BETWEEN OVERTIME. MOST OF IT'S FROM OVERTIME AND UH, UH, CONTRACTUAL, UM, THE CONTRACTOR AND A LITTLE BIT OF SALT. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID. AND YOUR OUR CITY WAS CLEANER, FASTER AND BETTER THAN ANYWHERE. EVEN PICKED UP GARBAGE AFTER THE FIRST STORM. AND WE'RE VERY, VERY GRATEFUL TO YOU AND COMMISSIONER. YOU KNOW, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER TITUS AND SAVAGE AND CONNIE FOR ALL OF YOUR HARD WORK. UH, YOU KEEP THE LIGHTS ON AND WE'RE VERY APPRECIATIVE. THANK YOU. AND YOU RESPOND TO EVERYTHING REALLY QUICKLY AND VERY EFFICIENTLY. AND WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. WITH THAT. THAT CONCLUDES TONIGHT'S AGENDA. IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN. SO. MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.