The Various Functions of Bronxville's Government

Written by Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin

With the school year coming to a close, many organizations also end for the summer months lessening the activity throughout the Village. The same cannot be said here at Village Hall.

Many residents use the opportunity to avail themselves of Village services now that their schedules have also cleared somewhat.

The following is a thumbnail sketch of some of the services available at Village Hall weekdays from 9am to 4pm.

• Village Hall staff issue Birth and Death Certificates as well as Handicap Parking placards. Only individuals born in NY Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital can have birth certificates processed at Village Hall. If born in any of the New York City Hospitals, birth certificates are available on line at www.health.ny.gov/vital_records or at the office of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street. New York City. Handicap parking permits may only be issued by the community to which one pays taxes. Sharing a common postal address does not meet this criteria.
• The Village does not issue marriage licenses though weddings can be performed at Village Hall by our own two judges and the Mayor. Licenses can be obtained in nearby Eastchester, Mount Vernon or Scarsdale.
• Pet licenses are issued at the town level at Eastchester Town Hall at 40 Mill Road.
• We do have three Notary Publics on staff to certify documents.
• Our Building Department issues all work related permits for construction/repairs in the Village. It is wise to come in prior to commencing any projects so the staff can guide you as to what permits/possible variances are needed for each project. Work begun without proper permits results in the doubling of the fees. As point of information, if the work required a permit, the permissible work hours are weekdays only between 8am and 6pm. However any work producing excessive noise may be a violation of the Village Noise Ordinance, regardless of whether the work required a permit, if done after hours or on weekends.
• Our Department of Public Works staff will pick up bulky waste items for the small fee of $20. Special pick-ups of these items are scheduled for the second day of your normal weekly garbage cycle and service should be requested 48 hours prior to the desired Thursday or Friday pick-up. Items must be curbside the night before and air conditioners, refrigerators, paint and batteries cannot be collected. Recycling bins are also available from our DPW office at the cost of $10.
• Individuals selling goods door to door are required to receive a permit from our Village Administrator, though most rarely do so. Do not hesitate to call our Police Desk if the salesperson cannot produce the permit. Quite often after investigation, our Police Department has determined that the charities purported to benefit from our purchases are non-existent. The First Amendment does protect all those “selling” an idea such as the Jehovah Witnesses or Greenpeace so they do not need Village permission to ring your bell. To limit this kind of solicitation, a small “No Solicitation” sign near the front door has a proven legal effect.

As point of information, none of the phone solicitations you receive requesting donations to the Bronxville Police Department actually go to our Department. The callers are companies hired by some jurisdictions, (never ours), who then give a small percentage pledged to the Police Department that engaged their services. Our police solicit by direct mail only once per year for a donation to their Memorial Day Weekend benefit.

• The police department is also the location to register house alarm permits, request patrol of your home if you are traveling and to leave a house key to be used in emergency situations.
• Our parking desk can assist in the purchase of resident and merchant parking permits and decals.
• Residents may also add their names to our waiting list for reserved parking spaces!
• Contractors may also purchase buyouts for parking spaces for the duration of small projects.

For all the above services, we ask for your patience as we operate with a much reduced Village Hall staff. Just in the past decade, we have trimmed jobs by 15% in an effort to keep taxes down. Despite this, our staff remains efficient, positive, professional and in good humor!