Officials Discuss Tri-Muni Ways to Cut Costs, Improve Service

by Harold Wolfson

(November 29, 2006) The Larchmont/Mamaroneck municipalities are conducting multiple cooperative ventures with each other to reduce costs and increase the quality of services for residents. But they could do even more with public support.

This was the message provided by officials meeting with the Local Summit organization at the Nautilus Diner in Mamaroneck on November 21st.

Mamaroneck Town Councilman Ernie Odierna organized the meeting and chaired a speakers’ panel consisting of Town Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe, Mamaroneck Village Deputy Mayor William Paonessa, Larchmont Village Mayor Liz Feld and Larchmont Trustee Anne McAndrews. A number of other public officials populated the audience and participated in the discussion.

Tri-municipal officials discuss greater cooperation (l-r): Mamaroneck VIllage Deputy Mayor Bill Paonessa, Mamaroneck Councilman Ernie Odierna, Larchmont Village Trustee Anne McAndrews and Larchmont Mayor Liz Feld.

The basic requirement for intercommunity projects was defined by New York Assemblyman George Latimer: it rests on “the political will of residents.” If residents go to the polls and indicate they want to save money through joint municipal action, their government leaders will do it, he said.

Combining Fire Departments

One big area for savings presented by Councilman Odierna and Mayor Feld is a possible combination of the fire departments in Mamaroneck Town and Larchmont Village.

“The savings is not in people,” said Mayor Feld. “We need the same number of people. The savings is in elimination of equipment duplication.” Councilman Odierna noted, “Fire trucks currently cost $400,000 to $500,000 each.”

Mayor Feld pointed out the action would require solving a number of problems. One is overcoming a “strong home rule” sentiment. Another involves dealing with different unions. A third is that the fire departments themselves have a long tradition of independence “that cannot easily be reduced to dollars and cents.”

She said what is needed is a period of open and candid public discussion of the matter. She added that the cost in taxes of redundant fire equipment “is so high that we probably have no choice but to talk.”

Deputy Mayor. Paonessa cited a different fire department issue. He said Mamaroneck Village is dealing with a costly and dangerous rash of false alarms that absorbs the already limited time of the Village’s volunteer fire fighters and exposes them to risk. He said the Village currently is working with the school system to educate teenagers as to the human and financial consequences of false alarms.

Infrastructure, The Elderly and Youth

Supervisor O’Keeffe (at right) and Trustee McAndrews both felt strongly that joint community action is needed to improve water infrastructure. Supervisor O’Keeffe noted that the upland area of the Town was getting more developed, creating flooding problems as rain and storm water flows through Larchmont into Long Island Sound. Also, the matter of replacing miles of old decaying pipe is on the table, said Trustee McAndrews. Joint community action is required.

Supervisor O’Keeffe said tri-municipal action also is needed in serving the elderly and youth. She said the Town of Eastchester, with its villages of Tuckahoe, Bronxville and unincorporated Eastchester, is a model in providing creative services to the elderly and should be studied. At the other end of the age spectrum are youth, whom she believes are at increasing risk from alcohol and drug use. She would like the tri-municipal governments to bring this problem before the public in a more forceful way so that all can partner with the school system and police departments in dealing with it.

Councilman Odierna said the three municipalities need community centers for both elderly and youth. “But does each community need an elderly center of its own - and also its own youth center?” The whole issue lends itself to tri-municipal study and planning, he said. “Maybe one center can serve the whole area.”

Cheryl Lewy, former Larchmont mayor now involved in Westchester County strategic planning, underscored the need for helping the elderly. “Our studies show Westchester is aging 20 percent faster than the rest of the United States,” she said.

County Study

Judy Myers, Westchester legislator, said the County currently has a study underway on how it might provide certain services more efficiently than some communities can individually. “We have three different local police departments,” she said. “ Yorktown, for example, has no police department. The County provides its police.” Yorktown has a population of 37,000. approximately the same as the tri-municipalities.

Problem Geese; New Greenway Trail

Trustee McAndrews brought up the question of geese droppings as an unsolved nuisance. “The geese do not respect municipal boundries,” she said. They annoy all three communities. She believes that by working together local communities can develop a mutual volunteer program to mitigate the problem.

Town Councilwoman Nancy Seligson said she was particularly interested in a “Colonial Greenway Trail” which is a 15 mile continuous loop tying together walking trails in Mamaroneck, Larchmont, New Rochelle, Scarsdale and Eastchester. She said all of these communities have hiking trails, most poorly marked and poorly maintained. There is New York State money available to pull these trails together and put them into shape, but it will take the involved communities getting together and applying for grants as a team, she said.

Many Existing Successes

The meeting began with Councilman Odierna reading a list of existing successful tri-municipal joint efforts. It included: Tri-municipal Ambulance District, Tri-Municipal Human Rights Commission, Tri-municipal Cable Board of Control, Westchester Joint Water Works, Police/Fire mutual aid, a common evacuation center and geographic information systems. Mayor Feld said that LMC-TV will soon begin a tri-municipal government TV program that will deal with common issues.

The speakers on the panel and the government officials in the audience agreed with a questioner who suggested that tri-municipal officials should hold public meetings on a regular basis to look into problems and opportunities they share.

“Once a month might be too often,” said Councilman Odierna, “But two, three or four times a year would be ok.”

The Local Summit organization is a grass roots group dedicated to making
the Mamaroneck/Larchmont community a better place to live for everyone.
Meetings are usually held at 7:45 am on the third Tuesday of the month at the Nautilus Diner in Larchmont.

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