Update Regarding Town and County Taxes Due April 30, 2020

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Last Updated: 23 April 2020 23 April 2020

Update on Town and County Taxes Due April 30, 2020 Ossining Town Board Announces Relief Programs for Taxpayers during Coronavirus Pandemic

The Town of Ossining has been working closely with County Executive George Latimer, our County Legislator Catherine Borgia and other Towns and municipalities throughout Westchester to address what we know is a pressing need for many to reduce out of pocket expenses at this difficult time. As a result of our collaboration, we are pleased to announce a number of relief opportunities available to taxpayers who have not already made payment for their Town and County taxes, for both those who have experienced a specific economic hardship, and even for those who may not be able to say that is so or who do not meet specific criteria. These relief programs apply only to the Town and County Taxes due on April 30, 2020, at this time. Please note, there will be no refunds made to those who have paid their Town and County taxes already. Please note that most of the information contained in this e-mail was provided to Town government yesterday afternoon. As with so much these days, this information is subject to change based upon further direction, input from, and/or collaboration with our partners in State and County government. As a result of Governor Cuomo issuing Executive order No. 202.22 on April 20, 2020, specifically requested by the County Executive, there is a temporary suspension of Sections 283.91 and 283.221 of the Laws of Westchester County, as well as Section 1512 (1) of the Real Property Tax Law of the State of New York. This Executive Order has authorized the Westchester County Executive to allow municipalities to opt into a program to eliminate any late fees assessed to individual taxpayers (residential or business) for payments received up to and including July 15, 2020, providing those taxpayers can meet a test of economic hardship as defined by the County.   These are the guidelines the County Executive has set to establish that hardship certification: A residential taxpayer must pay their property taxes directly, not through a bank or mortgage escrow account; and That taxpayer must be enrolled in the STAR program and fully qualified for STAR benefits; and That taxpayer must complete a single-page form attesting to their status of hardship, based on loss of wages, closure of business or other similar loss related to the COVID-19 outbreak. The form, with a sworn signature, constitutes their assertion of need. Business owners must make a similar assertion that their business has closed or lost substantial revenue due to the COVID-19 outbreak; owners of rental units of six or fewer may also make claim for this hardship status. Taxpayers will need to submit their signed certification form to qualify, as long as they are, in fact attesting to their own eligibility. Certification forms must be submitted with payment by July 15, 2020. No additional documentation is required. We ask that you do not attempt to submit your certification form prior to when you are able to make payment. Certification forms are NOT due by April 30, 2020. We will have the certification form available for you shortly, and more details as well. Additionally, the Westchester County Board of Legislators passed legislation last Friday which we understand the County Executive will be signing, which will offer reduced late fees to anyone who pays their taxes by July 15. So even if you are not able to qualify for the complete waiver of these fees via hardship, you will still be able to take advantage of fees that have been reduced by 75-80% until that date. More specifically, the penalty for payment in May has been reduced to 0.5%, penalty for payment from June 1 through July 15 has been reduced to 1%. On July 16, we will go back to regular schedule of penalties.   We are so pleased to be able to offer many opportunities to reduce out of pocket expenses for our community at this time and are grateful to the Board of Legislators for their hard work as well as to our County Executive and Governor for their continued leadership throughout this difficult period in our history. Finally, we would like to reiterate that if you are in a position to pay your taxes on time, please do so. Paying your taxes before the deadline will help Town and County government continue to provide the necessary services we have all come to rely upon during these difficult times. Nearly 70% of the Town's revenue relies on Real Property Taxes, and the taxes you pay this April will directly fund the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps and other vital emergency services and infrastructure. We ask you to please look out for your neighbors that are unable to pay at this time, and do your part to help our community as a whole. Tax payments for those not requesting a hardship waiver can be made online, all payments can be made via mail to 16 Croton Avenue, Ossining NY 10562, or dropped in the dedicated mail slot at the Ossining Post Office. The general deadline for tax payments without penalty has not been extended and remains April 30, 2020 for those who do not meet the criteria for financial hardship as set forth by the County Executive. Thank you for your patience as we work to get additional information out to the public. If you would like to ask a question, the best way to do so at this time is via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We hope you and your family remain healthy and safe during this extremely difficult time. Sincerely, On behalf of the Town Board: Dana Levenberg, Town Supervisor Holly Perlowitz, Receiver of Taxes ###

Town Board Work Session - April 21, 2020

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Last Updated: 17 April 2020 17 April 2020

Town Board Work Session

Tuesday, April 21, 2020, 7:30pm

THIS MEETING WILL BE HELD VIA VIDEO CONFERENCING ONLY

Pursuant to Governor’s Executive Order 202.1 dated March 12, 2020

Members of the public can view the meeting via computer or mobile app:

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89659350024

 

 

Members of the public can listen to the meeting by dialing in via phone:

1 (929) 205-6099

Meeting ID: 896 5935 0024

**Please note that by dialing in, your phone number will be visible to the host, participants, and attendees of the meeting.**

 

 

Work Session Agenda:

1. Departmental Report: Kathy Asaro, Nutrition Site Director

2. Update from Town Clerk re: Software: Susanne Donnelly, Town/Village Clerk

3. Departmental Report: Valerie Monastra, Town Planning Consultant

4. Coronavirus Budgetary Update: Supervisor Dana Levenberg, Deputy Comptroller Dale Brennan, and Budget Officer Victoria Cafarelli

 

Supervisor's Update - April 17, 2020

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Last Updated: 17 April 2020 17 April 2020

Stopping the spread of Coronavirus remains our top priority in the Town, but I would like to start today's update with an important reminder about the Census.  Our Census response rate for the Town of Ossining remains significantly under our total response rate for the 2010 Census.  Three reminders to participate have already been sent in the mail, and you should be receiving your fourth and final reminder in the mail shortly.  There are three ways to respond -- online, via phone, or by paper form by request.  You can still respond today online, but now the paper response forms should also show up in your mailbox to complete.  Westchester County Department of Planning reported to us that this week, we started to see numbers of paper responses increase throughout the County, indicating that those forms have indeed reached people's mailboxes.  An accurate count in the Census is extremely important, so we have continued to partner with the Village of Ossining and the Ossining Counts committee to get that message out.  The flyer below will be distributed with next week's Feeding Westchester food distribution, mailed with all receipts for tax payments starting today, sent home with children picking up breakfasts and lunches at Park School, and incorporated into any other appropriate messaging from the Town and Village.  It is also important to educate your children about the Census because in 2030, they will be ten years older and may be responding for themselves for the first time as independent, young adults.  Westchester County Planning Commissioner Norma Drummond shared with us how many people who were school aged children in 2010 are now young adults but are nevertheless unaware of the importance of the Census, or even what it is!  The Census Bureau has a YouTube page with helpful videos for adults, but also with educational videos for students.  I think this is a great resource for all the parents out there who have suddenly become remote learning teachers.  Now you can incorporate educational videos from the Census into your math and statistics lessons for all ages!

 

 

 

 

 

This week has brought some encouraging, yet still sobering news.  As of yesterday (we have not yet received updated numbers today), the number of confirmed cases are 79 in the Town of Ossining, 54 in the Village of Briarcliff Manor, and 547 in the Village of Ossining.  However, as County Executive George Latimer reminds us, this number is cumulative.  It is likely that a good portion of those individuals included in this count are no longer active cases, hopefully having recovered.  Unfortunately, also as the County has noted, it is clear that this pandemic has hit hardest our minority communities, which is so devastating.  I have been in touch with Neighbors Link and Open Door about how we may partner to continue to improve those statistics and hope to have information about that in the not too distant future.  These organizations are working around the clock to get personalized information and education, as well as resources to our local communities.  It remains important to be vigilant in our efforts to stay home as much as possible, only going out for absolutely essential trips, and to isolate or quarantine when any symptoms present themselves in ourselves or our families, plus seek medical assistance if needed.  We owe it to our entire community to make these sacrifices to ultimately save lives.  These families that have been impacted by this virus, especially those that have lost loved ones, remain in my thoughts every day.  

 

 

Governor Cuomo continues to issue regular Executive Orders, including those issued within the past week or so that apply to the functions of the Town -- extending New York PAUSE through May 15 and closing boat launches, including the Town-operated launch at Louis Engel Park.  Yesterday, Governor Cuomo also announced that all New Yorkers are now required to wear face masks or coverings when outside and when social distancing measures are not possible.  See below for a refresher on social distancing when getting outside for solitary exercise.  Again, masks are not an alternative to staying home!  This follows an Executive Order from earlier this week that all essential employees must be provided masks free of charge by their employers when interacting with the public.  The Town does still have essential employees working in the field, with limited contact with the public.  Through our channels, we have been able to secure masks to make sure we keep everyone safe, and we thank all those who were able to help us with that. 

 

 

 

 

This upcoming week we will be resuming our normal meeting schedule for all Town Boards and Committees via Zoom.  Our Environmental Advisory Committee held their first virtual meeting last night, we have planned a meeting of the Mid-Hudson Ambulance District board coming up next Thursday, and all of our remaining Land Use Boards are gearing up their agendas for May.  We hope that this new platform will help us regain some sense of normalcy, and continue to allow us to engage our public for these meetings.  We recognize that Zoom may be a new concept for most, so I would encourage you to check out these video tutorials from Zoom to help familiarize yourself with this new platform.  On a personal note, I have used Zoom to gather with my own family remotely, as well as my gym buddies who I now work out with a couple times a week, and my girlfriends who connect to relax and rewind Friday evenings, so I hope that by learning Zoom to engage with your Town Board, you will also look to use video conferencing to connect with your family and friends near and far while we are all in isolation.  Many of our local businesses have also started using Zoom or other similar platforms to continue to provide their services virtually now (check them out below), so you should also consider using your new skills to support our local businesses! 

 

 

 

At last Tuesday's Board Meeting, we discussed legislation that is currently before the Westchester County Board of Legislators and aims to provide relief to taxpayers currently experiencing hardship due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and may be finding it difficult to pay their Town and County taxes on time.  You can view our meeting on the Town's YouTube page, if you were unable to join us live.  I hope that our discussion of this legislation, which reduces the current penalty structure from 2% to one-half of 1% if taxes are paid in May and from 5% to 1% if taxes pare paid between June 1 and July 15, clarifies why my fellow Town Supervisors and I have stood in support of this legislation.  The Town Board also submitted a letter of support as part of the Board of Legislator's public record on this legislation.  The existing penalty structure would resume as of July 16, with the penalty raising back up to 5% for the rest of July.  To put this in terms of real numbers, on the average tax bill of about $3,000, the penalty in May amounts to $15 and in June to $30.  In essence, this legislation effectively extends the deadline to July 15, aligning with the extension of the State and Federal tax filing deadline.  However, at the same time, by keeping the actual deadline of April 30 in place, we hope this encourages taxpayers that can pay their taxes on time to do so.  As a reminder, only the Governor by Executive Order has the authority to extend the deadline for taxes, but some of the laws governing penalty structures for late payment of taxes are governed by Westchester County law.  This tax bill due in April directly pays for many of the essential services we are relying on so heavily right now, including the Mid-Hudson Ambulance District, our sewer infrastructure, and many of the Westchester County agencies like the Department of Health and Department of Senior Services that are truly on the front lines of the pandemic.  It is possibly more important than ever to pay your taxes on time (if you can) so these much needed services, agencies, and programs remain fully funded and ready to serve us all during these trying times. 

 

 

We also discussed briefly in last week's meeting how this pandemic has begun to impact our budget and the budget of many of our neighbors and Westchester County.  Over the past week, Deputy Comptroller Dale Brennan, Budget Officer Victoria Cafarelli, and I have met with nearly all Town Department Heads to evaluate our budgets, identify potential cost savings, and discuss continuity of essential services.  At next Tuesday's Work Session, Dale, Victoria, and I will summarize these meetings for the Town Board and the public, to hopefully reassure all that we are doing everything we can do save to taxpayer dollars, put off nonessential projects, and more to ensure the Town remains operational to the fullest extent possible.  We will also discuss information we have learned from our State and Federal partners about disaster relief programs hopefully coming soon to help local municipalities recoup what we have lost.

 

 

Also at next Tuesday's Work Session, we will be joined by some staff for departmental reports.  Valerie Monastra, the Town's Planning Consultant, will join us to discuss all she has been working on since joining the Town team in January, as well as some strategies she has observed elsewhere for Land Use Boards to adapt to our new normal.  Kathy Asaro, our Senior Nutrition Program Site Director, will also be joining us for a quick update on what her hardworking team has been doing for the past few weeks to ensure that our community's senior citizens do not go hungry during these difficult times.  Town Clerk Sue Donnelly will also present to the Board some new online platforms she hopes to implement in her office to make even more services available remotely to our residents.  I hope you will join us via Zoom to hear more, or catch the video on YouTube later.

 

 

The rest of our departments continue to chug along, working hard to continue to provide the services we have all come to depend upon.  As a reminder, you can always check the Coronavirus Page on the Town's website to learn of any changes in our departmental offerings, as well as ways you can get in touch with our departments or conduct business online.  For example, our Assessor's Office has been hard at work continuing to further this year's Town-wide revaluation of properties.  Next week, property owners should begin to see a Preliminary Change of Assessment Notices in the mail.  If you do not agree with the value assigned to your property, you can schedule a remote informal meeting with Tyler Technologies to review.  Remember to do your homework!  Check out recent sales in your neighborhood as comparisons.  The Assessor's Office continues to process exemption applications.  Please remember to file your exemption applications before the deadline of May 1 and applications are also being accepted via e-mail.  Give the Assessor's Office a call at (914) 762-8274 if you need any help or have questions.  You will find possibly our nicest and most helpful Town staff member on the other end of the phone, our paralegal Jerry Sullivan!  Jerry loves to hear from our residents and help in any way he can, so he has been answering all phone calls to the Assessor's Office at home, while he also prepares legal documents and resolutions for tax certioraris and small claims cases.  Thanks Jerry!

 

 

We are so grateful to our departments that are essential workers, still reporting to work on a regular basis.  Together with the Village of Ossining Manager's Office, we have placed "We Heart our Essential Workers" window clings on the buildings where our essential workers are still hard at work.  For the Town that includes our Senior Nutrition Program, Highway Department, Parks Department, Building Department, and Clerk's Office.  Thank YOU!  Please join us in expressing your appreciation for these amazing individuals any time you interact with them. 

 

 

 

New York State has also announced that any voter can vote by mail in the upcoming June local and presidential primaries.  You still must fill out and submit an absentee ballot application -- check "temporary illness" as the reason and request a ballot for the Primary Only.  Per Governor Cuomo's executive order on this topic, you can submit this application online.  In Westchester County, you can e-mail your application to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Victoria from my office and her whole family submitted their applications this week, and they promise it only takes a few minutes (and if you have an iPhone, you can try out this neat trick to scan documents though the Notes app -- shout out to Fern from our Highway Department for discovering this!). 

 

 

 

We are looking for ways to continue some of our favorite programs and activities this spring, including Mind, Body, Spirit - Ossining.  This year, our fourth annual season of MBSO will be adapting for this crazy new world. Instructors will be hosting sessions from our beloved Town parks and streaming them directly to you. Always wanted to learn Zumba but were too shy to try out in the open? Now is your moment. In past years MBSO has held calming waterfront yoga, spirited belly dancing, nature-engaged hiking, and much more. This year the teachers will guide from afar. This is a great way for us to stay apart but connected!  If you know of a local wellness expert that would like to get involved, they can reach out to Carina Scorcia in my office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to sign up for a class.  Stay tuned for more information on this program, we hope to see you virtually in one of our beautiful parks and open spaces this season!

 

 

In the meantime, the Ossining Recreation Program has launched many virtual events and sends out daily "Boredom Busters."  Sign-up for these daily fun ideas here.  You can also check out past offerings and other upcoming events, including today's family handprints collage idea. 

 

 

 

There continue to be many organizations pitching in to help Ossining families keep food on their tables during these difficult times.  The Village of Ossining, in partnership with Feeding Westchester, will have their weekly food distribution next Tuesday, April 21.  See below for specific times and locations.  The Village Manager's Office has also prepared a comprehensive Resource Guide regarding many of the assistance programs available to our community now.  The Gullotta House will be back at the Ossining Stop and Shop tonight, Friday, April 17 from 4pm to 6pm with free meals.  The Ossining Food Pantry is closed, but is providing emergency food supplies and financial assistance to their current clients.  The Ossining Food Pantry is also accepting new clients, call (914) 762-5510 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you or someone you know needs additional food assistance.  Neighbors Link is also making sure families they work with have access to food, also through Feeding Westchester, and a big shout out to Ossining School Board President Lisa Rudley, and Westchester East Putnam Region PTA Liaison Beth Sniffen for all their good work coordinating food distribution in partnership with many of these agencies as well as with the Ossining School District and Megan Mastrogiacomo.

 

 

 

 

There are also local efforts to donate meals to our first responders and healthcare heroes.  There are two Meal Trains being organized, one for the staff at the Ossining Volunteer Ambulance Corps and one for the staff at Phelps Hospital.  This is a great opportunity to show your appreciation for those on the front lines, while also supporting local restaurants with food delivery!  Thank you to our friends and coworkers Sue Donnelly and Maddi Zachacz for organizing these efforts.

 

 

Tonight, join Sing Sing Kill Brewery for a virtual happy hour from 6pm to 7pm.  Get those ghost stories ready!

 

 

 

The Ossining Farmers Market will be open again tomorrow, Saturday, April 18.  Please remember the social distancing guidelines for the market and be sure to don your masks before you go out!

 

 

 The Ossining School District and PTA have launched a Virtual Learning Academy with many fun classes for children.  There are many ways to have fun and secretly learn about important topics at the same time!

 

 

 

The Ossining Public Library has launched a number of live and virtual offerings to get your library fix from home.  Via Instagram and Facebook, you and your children -- from littlest ones to teens -- will be able foster their love of reading thanks to our friends at the Ossining Public Library. 

 

 

 

Remember to continue to support as many local businesses as you can during these tough times.  Many of our restaurants and cafes are still open for delivery and/or takeout -- please let us know if we are missing any on our list!

 

 

 

 

These events are just a sampling of all that has been going on in the greater Ossining community to provide some entertainment and relief from the current environment.  I encourage you to sign up for e-mail blasts from other organizations to learn of even more resources.  One that I have found very interesting is ArtsWestchester.   There are many virtual arts events scheduled throughout the County, from poetry readings to film screenings, and everything in between, plus resources for local artists. 

 

 

Finally, I would like to remind you once again to sign up for updates direct from New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo -- it is one of the best ways to remain up to date on the almost daily changes to the pandemic response, as well as some fun reminders.  Yesterday's message highlighted a virtual visit to the Bronx Zoo via Instagram, did you know there is such thing as a Tree Kangaroo?  Maybe you can also take a quiet moment this weekend to engage in one of the State's many innovative partnerships by listening to a meditation from Headspace's "A NY State of Mind" free playlist.   I know we could all use a practice with mindfulness right now, thank you Governor Cuomo for thinking about or mental wellbeing in addition to our physical wellbeing during this incredibly difficult time.

 

 

 

Stay safe -- and enjoy the weekend!

 

--Dana

 

If your business, non-profit, or community group has an event that you would like to submit to be a part of the Supervisor's Update, please e-mail a flyer and brief description to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We are happy to pass along events that provide a benefit to the community and support our local economy. Thank you for helping us to highlight all the best Ossining has to offer!