Town Streamlines Enforcement for “Quality Of Life” Laws

by Harriet Kline

(November 2, 2006) At its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, November 1, the Town of Mamaroneck Board took steps to expedite enforcement of quality of life laws, authorized the use of credit cards in the Town Court and proposed steps to alleviate flooding on Durham Road.

Quality of Life Law Enforcement

Board members unanimously approved a local law entitled “Appearance Ticket for Violation of a Quality of Life Law.” What the new law does is replace a time consuming and cumbersome process which necessitated that an “accusatory instrument” be filed with the Town Justice Court before a summons could be issued. The new procedure will enable a peace officer to issue a summons immediately upon observing a violation of “quality of life” laws.

The old procedures were especially frustrating to Town employees who observed usage of leaf blowers at a time when it was unlawful to do so. By the time an employee filed an accusatory instrument with the Town Justice Court and the Court issued a summons, the gardener may have finished the work and left the area.

Usage of Credit Cards in Town Court

The Board authorized the Town to participate in an agreement with the New York State Unified Court System and Key Bank of New York for the purpose of processing the payment of vehicle and traffic fines, bail and other Court fees via the use of credit cards. This applies to Court imposed fines only and does not include other Town transactions.

When asked by Councilwoman Nancy Seligson why “we could not do this on own ,” Town Administrator Steve Altieri indicated that municipalities are not allowed to do so by state law.

Flooding on Durham Road

Town resident Gerald Zeidner appeared before the Board to describe flooding conditions in and around Durham Road and York Road. He said that the flooding had become a problem in the last two years and is most dangerous when the water freezes in the winter months. He also hoped that the Town might come up with a remedy.

Town Administrator Altieri said that the Board had discussed this at length and proposed that catch basins and drain pipes be installed in the area enabling the water to run into the Sheldrake River. Mr.Altieri indicated that Town employees needed seven full days for this construction but anticipated that the project could be completed before the winter freeze.

Fields for Kids

Bob Meglio, representing the newly formed advocacy group Fields for Kids, presented the Board members with a letter reiterating a call for new and improved sports fields. (See: More & Better Fields Urged at Mamk School & Village Boards.) When he asked about the possibility of a new field in the Town’s Saxon Woods area, both Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe and Councilwoman Nancy Seligson assured him this was no longer a possibility. They had engaged in extensive discussions with Westchester County on the matter and had spent time walking throughout the area. They had come to the conclusion that, because the area was peppered with many brooks and wetlands, there was no contiguous space to carve out a field.

Supervisor O’Keeffe assured Mr. Meglio that the Board will continue to work with the Villages of Larchmont and Mamaroneck and the Mamaroneck and Rye Neck School Districts to come up with proposals to alleviate the shortage of fields.

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