December 23 & 30, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 38 | www.cityreviewnr.com
Rye Brook sends gun law to Planning Board Barnes & Noble, at the corner of the Vernon Hills Shopping Center in Eastchester, is the first of the bookseller’s locations to serve beer, wine and entrees, complete with tableside service. For story, see page 6 Photo courtesy Barnes & Noble
Westchester County budget finalized, includes airport deal By JAMES PERO Staff Writer A $1.8 billion budget was passed by both the Westchester County Board of Legislators and County Executive Rob Astorino, a Republican, this week, even despite lawmakers trepidation over the inclusion of $15 million in tentative revenue from a deal privatizing the county airport. The 2017 budget, which was passed by the Board of Legislators on Monday by a slim margin of 10-7, and modifies a previous budget submitted to the legislative chamber by
Astorino last month, will retain the county executive’s proposed flat tax rate, but will also add four additional engineering positions to the county’s depleted Department of Public Works roster, in addition to injecting $1 million to the county’s Title XX child care program as a result of legislators’ amendments. After what was shaping up to be a dead-end deal, legislators also voted to include $15 million in projected revenue derived from a deal privatizing the management of Westchester County Airport on the condition that the plan undergo a
public bidding process. Previously, the $130 million, 40-year agreement, which was sent down to legislators on Nov. 3 by Astorino, a little more than a month before the budget’s final approval deadline, would have given the investment firm Oaktree Management the exclusive bid. After backlash from lawmakers across the board, however, the board voted unanimously to send out a request for proposals, RFP, that could possibly transfer the management of the county’s airport—which is being processed through an FAArun privatization program—to
another company. Current operator of the county’s airport, AVPorts, has already said it would have bid on the contract if there had been an opportunity to do so. “The feeling on our floor was that there might be real merit to participating in this FAA privatization program,” said Legislator Mary Jane Shimsky, a Hastings-on-Hudson Democrat, who had previously expressed doubt over the proposal’s efficacy. “And with putting the whole concept out to competitive bid, you could get BUDGET continued on page 8
By COREY STOCKTON Staff Writer After proposing a local law to regulate where gun stores would be permitted to open within the village, the Rye Brook Board of Trustees referred the draft legislation to the Planning Board for further input on Tuesday, Dec. 13. In its current form, the law would amend a section of village law to prevent commercial storage and display of firearms, ammunition and explosives within a certain distance from schools and religious buildings. The most recent draft of the law does not specify what that distance will be. According to Village Administrator Chris Bradbury, Rye Brook is seeking input from the Planning Board on whether the distance should be 400 feet or 500 feet. The law would give additional discretion to the village board to approve or deny the location of a gun store. “What we’ve tried to do is to create a law that regulates but doesn’t prohibit,” said Village Attorney Edward Beane, adding that it would be a violation of the Second Amendment to prohibit the sale of guns villagewide. But village attorneys may still need to revise the language of the law, as state and federal laws which regulate gun licensing and distribution could preempt the local law. The law was proposed as a proactive measure after a gun store in Harrison opened last month on Halstead Avenue less than 1,000 feet away from one of the town’s elementary schools and a local church, which prompted an online petition that has accumulated nearly 3,500 signatures as of press time.
Although the federal GunFree School Zones Act prohibits carrying a gun within 1,000 feet of a school unless the weapon is unloaded and stored in a locked case, a provision within the law allows gun shops to operate within the 1,000-foot zone. Harrison officials have said they are also considering legislation to regulate the location of gun retailers, although it is unclear whether that law would apply to the Halstead Avenue store, L&L Sports. However, according to Jonathan Kraut, an attorney for Harrison, there is currently no law related to gun shops in the works. Kraut referred to a U.S. circuit court ruling in May, which said that in order for a municipality to write a zoning ordinance that would restrict gun store locations, it would first have to demonstrate that a gun store would increase crime or place a burden on residents. Harrison officials have expressed their interest in addressing residents’ concerns, while also making note of how those laws have been challenged at the federal level. Earlier this month, Bradbury and Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican, told the Review they planned to collaborate in considering legislation to restrict where gun shops could open. “We have had continuing discussions with Mayor Belmont and we continue to keep them up to date as we move along,” Bradbury told the Review, “and we expect that they will do the same in return.” Belmont could not be reached for comment as of press time. CONTACT: corey@hometwn.com