Letter to the Editor: Peekskill Common Council Democratic Legislative Agenda for 2015

Peekskill Deputy Mayor Drew Claxton and Council members Kathleen Talbot, Darren Rigger and Vivian McKenzie, have released their 2015 legislative agenda for moving Peekskill forward and protecting local taxpayers.

After successfully fighting to keep Peekskill under the New York State mandated tax cap for 2015 and qualifying for State refund checks, Democrats on the council have developed an aggressive agenda 2015 that focuses on quality of life issues, greater budget oversight and increasing opportunities for city youth. The Democratic plan includes:

BUDGET & COST SAVINGS:- Aggressively collect millions of dollars in back taxes owed to the City from outstanding properties so that the entire tax burden doesn’t have to be built on the backs of Peekskill’s property taxpayers and everyone does their fair share.- Use the newly formed budget oversight committee formed by Deputy Mayor Claxton to meet monthly to assess cost-savings and improved efficiencies so we aren’t once again faced with a year-end proposal to exceed the property tax cap.- Host meetings with the Peekskill City Schools to find ways to save money and share services. Meetings will also help keep both budgets under the tax cap and ensure taxpayers will continue to receive refund checks from the State.

QUALITY OF LIFE:- Pass a resolution to control repetitive commercial sports activities, including volleyball, in neighborhoods. Construct a community volleyball court and meet with County officials to discuss additional courts in Blue Mountain Park.- Hire a new building inspector to increase enforcement of the City’s codes. Strengthen, update, and actually enforce the Peekskill Landlord Registry to make absentee landlords more accountable.- Create an “Adopt a Street” or “Adopt a Neighborhood” program to control litter and commit city resources to maintain it.

WINTER PARKING & COMMUNICATION:- Eliminate “alternate side of street every night” parking and return to “alternate side parking only during snow emergencies.” Ensure signage is easy to understand.- Improve and expand the system of communication between the city and residents for snow and other emergencies using multiple approaches: website, emails, government channel, automated phone calls, etc.

YOUTH:- Collaborate with School administration and hold an annual Common Council meeting at the High School to involve young adults in their local government, showing how it impacts their lives.- Strengthen and support the Peekskill Youth Bureau and appoint a student to the Peekskill Youth Board. Democrats on the council are committed to this agenda. At the same time, we will continue addressing the many other issues and emergencies that arrive in the normal course of the year. We commit to doing so collaboratively with our colleagues on the council and respectfully with members of the community. The Democratic caucus of the Peekskill Common Council wishes everyone a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year! We look forward to continuing to work hard on your behalf and delivering for local taxpayers in 2015.

Sincerely,

Drew Claxton, Deputy Mayor

Kathleen Talbot, Council

Darren Rigger, Council

Vivian McKenzie, Council