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Town’s Financial Position
The Town is in sound financial condition, with a strong credit rating, a substantial tax base, prudent fund balances, and low debt burden. For the past four years, the Town has maintained an Aaa rating from Moody’s Investor Service, its highest rating, reflecting its healthy reserves, liquidity, and tax base. The General, Highway, and Library Funds all exhibit healthy fund balances. The Town practices conservative budgeting, doing more with less. As a result, the Town’s tax levy (exclusive of Special Districts) has remained below the state cap since its implementation in 2012, with a total tax levy increase averaging 1.3% per year over the past 12 years. The Town tax levy is 7% of the typical taxpayer’s burden.
Route 202 Crosswalk/Sidewalk by DeCicco & Sons and Heritage Hills Project Update
The sidewalk and pedestrian crossing project are nearing completion and should be done in December 2024. There will be a sidewalk and crosswalk at the Heritage HillsDrive/DeCicco & Sons Supermarket intersection and a sidewalk on the northern side of Bailey Park. The contractor’s work is in the final stages and they will be installing a pedestrian pole, signals and pavement markings. Upon completion, a ribbon cutting will be scheduled to commemorate this improvement for connectivity and pedestrian safety in the Town’s business historic district.
Somers Town House Antenna Project
Last month, prior to the Town of Somers Veterans Day parade, a VHF antenna was installed on the top of the Town House roof. This came by the request of the Somers Police Department. They are tasked with providing security and traffic control for events such as parades, Town functions, school events and funerals. A vast majority of these events take place in the Route 202/Route 100 area. As such, the police department requires flawless communication among our officers for the safety of its members as well as the public. We are happy to report the antennae provided excellent communication during the Veterans Day parade. The range went beyond the parade route. For the first time, the police had crystal clear communication at every post. They were also able to reach police headquarters which gives them an option to post someone there to monitor other police and fire channels should an incident happen on or near the parade. All in all, the antenna project was a critical upgrade to police communications, keeping our officers and the residents safer.
NYS DEC Issued a Drought Warning
On November 18, 2024, NYS DEC issued a drought warning to much of the Catskill, Hudson Valley and NYC regions. There are four stages to the drought advisories and we are in the second stage. While there are no mandatory water restrictions, residents are encouraged to voluntarily reduce water use. The Northern Westchester Joint Water Works, who provides drinking water to the Town of Somers, has issued a Voluntary Water Restriction Notice. Please review this notice, as well as the DEC’s notice to learn tips on conserving water.
Westchester Power Program Ends November 30, 2024
For the past eight years, the Town of Somers has been one of the many municipalities in Westchester County to be a part of the Community Choice Aggregation program. This program has provided an alternative electric supply for residents and small businesses and replaced NYSEG as the default electric supplier. The Town has been through several contracts with different rates and suppliers over the past eight years. Throughout the duration, residents have had cost savings. To keep costs down, the Town has always opted to go with the least expensive fixed rate, the standard electric supply rate. Due to recent NYS regulations, the standard supply rate is no longer offered, leaving the higher rate options of 50% or 100%renewable rates.
More recently, under the current contract, the difference between Westchester Power's rate and NYSEG's rate has spread: Westchester Power's fixed standard rate is 11.2¢/kwh while NYSEG's trailing average is 7.8¢/kwh. This, combined with the fact that the standard rate option was no longer available, led to the Town Board's decision at the September 5th meeting to no longer continue with the program. Our obligation to the residents is to keep the cost down. Please note the following:
The current Westchester Power contract with Direct Energy Svc as the supplier ends on November 30, 2024.
- Effective December 1, 2024, your electric supplier will revert to NYSEG with their variable rate.
- You do not need to do anything; this will automatically happen.
- Sustainable Westchester mailed a letter to all customers the beginning of November.
- NYSEG will send a separate notice.
- You have the option of either staying with NYSEG as your electric supply provider or you may choose an alternate ESCO (Energy Services Company). You may visit the NYS Public Service Commission, Power to Choose website or the List of Energy Suppliers on the NYSEG website.
Dual EV Charging Station at the Town House
The Town received notification of two NYSERDA grants that were awarded for $5,000 and $10,000 for the installation of a new dual EV charging station at the Town House. This station would be for public use and Town-owned vehicles. Permission was given at the October Town Board meeting to solicit request for proposals for this project. Two proposals were received and it was awarded at the November 7th Town Board meeting to Sun Blue Energy. It will be a welcome addition to the parking lot as EV charging stations use renewable energy and contribute to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.
Tomahawk Chapel Window Repair
The Tomahawk Chapel, located on Route 118 just north of Koegel Park, is one of the Town’s historic properties. It was built in 1837 as a small Methodist chapel. The chapel and small burial ground were deeded to the Town in 1985. The Tomahawk Chapel – West Somers Methodist-Episcopal Church and Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. A conditions report was recently done on the chapel and it was determined that eight windows need to be replaced. Due to the uniqueness of the windows, we only received two proposals. It was decided at the November 7th Town Board meeting to award the proposal from King Lumber to purchase the windows.
Emergency Generator at the Van Tassell House Complex
Plans are in place to upgrade the emergency standby generator and related electrical switchgear at the Vas Tassell House complex. This includes the Somers Police Department, storage barn (which is undergoing plans to become additional police office space) and the Van Tassell House. The Van Tassell House is where we provide our senior programs and activities. Currently, the Police Department has a 30kw generator and the three buildings have separate electrical service. At the November 7th Town Board meeting, the proposal from Woodard & Curran Engineering to provide professional engineering design services was approved. They will provide a design plan for all three buildings for new consolidated services, generator and liquid propane tanks.
Somers Energy Environment Committee - Take Action Now - Join In
We need you, the people of Somers, to help us make our Town more energy efficient and sustainable in the 21st Century. This is a local grassroots effort, and we encourage all residents and businesses, alike, to get involved. We would appreciate your input. You may contact Committee Secretary Denise Schirmer at dschirmer@somersny.com to collect your ideas, feedback, issues and questions about, the Energy Environment Committee, or in general about the greening of Somers. The Committee meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
As part of our longer-range climate protection efforts, the Energy Environment Committee will design, implement, and communicate a variety of measures that we can take to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. These measures will lead to lower energy use and reduced energy costs for residences and businesses while preserving our environment for generations to come.
If you have a particular interest in energy efficiency at home or at work, efficient transportation, use of renewable energy technology, recycling and waste management, sustainable food, composting, green building and land use please join us and help us assess and communicate these important quality of life issues for our Town, our families and most of all our children!
Town of Somers Holiday Celebrations
The Town Holiday festivities kick off on Sunday, December 8that the Elephant Hotel. Beginning at 3pm, please join us for the Nativity Scene Dedication and Blessing. There will be an open house on the 3rd floor and get ready for the sing-a-long on the front lawn. Then meet and take photos with Santa! Don't forget to take your annual photo in front of the Christmas Tree. And to top off the celebration, count down to the lighting of the Christmas Tree. Special thanks to the Knights of Columbus, the Somers Lions Club, the Somers Historical Society and the Somers Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring the event.
Get ready to celebrate Hanukkah. The annual Town Menorah Lighting Ceremony will be held on Thursday, December 26th at 6pm at the Elephant Hotel. The celebration will follow inside with food, drinks and crafts. The Somers Historical Society Open House will be on the third floor. Special thanks to Chabad of Yorktown for sponsoring.
We hope to see you there!
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