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Yonkers council passes settlements, grant and parkland measures; proclaims awareness weeks
Summary
The Yonkers City Council on April 22 adopted multiple resolutions including grant acceptance, settlements totaling $794,500, an eminent‑domain determination under state law, added measures for Untermyer Parkland alienation and several proclamations recognizing awareness weeks and months.
The Yonkers City Council adopted a series of resolutions on April 22 covering grants, settlements, an eminent‑domain determination, added parkland measures for Untermyer Park, and multiple proclamations recognizing awareness weeks and months.
Among the votes: the council accepted grant funding of $15,682 for the naturally occurring retirement community program; adopted a determination and findings under section 204 of the New York Eminent Domain Procedure Law concerning proposed condemnation of a leasehold interest on one parcel connected with a project; and approved three settlements totaling $794,500 (Howard Schleifer, $312,500; George Sage, $425,000; Constance Bridal, $57,000). All listed measures were adopted unanimously, 7-0.
Minority Leader Breen commented during discussion of the settlements, calling recent state changes an unfunded mandate: “the state of New York has handed us an unfunded mandate telling us that this is the ruling law,” he said, and said the financial burden falls on Yonkers taxpayers.
Public comment preceding votes included Molly Franco, community engagement coordinator for Westchester County with Power Against Tobacco and the American Lung Association, who spoke in support of the council’s recognition of Lung Cancer Action Week (May 5–11, 2025) and urged further local policy steps to reduce youth access to flavored e‑cigarettes and limit tobacco retailer density. “Yonkers took trailblazing action in 2019 when you enacted a law requiring all tobacco retailers to obtain a local license,” Franco said, and suggested the city could cap the number of retailers, prohibit clustering, restrict sales near youth‑sensitive areas and improve enforcement. Franco also said Yonkers Police recently confiscated thousands of dollars of merchandise from smoke shops and that a significant portion was flavored e‑cigarettes.
The council added three items to the agenda during the meeting and voted to adopt them: (1) a resolution declaring the council’s intent to seek lead agency status under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) for proposed alienation of certain parkland within Untermyer Park and Gardens; (2) a resolution requesting the New York State Legislature to prepare legislation authorizing the alienation of certain Untermyer Parkland; and (3) an added settlement resolution for Constance Bridal in the amount of $57,000. Each added item was added to the agenda with a motion and a second and was adopted 7-0.
Other adopted proclamations included declarations recognizing Lung Cancer Action Week (May 5–11, 2025), Mental Health Awareness Month (May 2025), Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May 2025), National Police Week (week of May 12, 2025), ALS Awareness Month (May 2025), National Nurses Week (May 6–12, 2025) and Jewish American Heritage Month (May 2025). All proclamations were adopted by unanimous vote.
Procedural notes: several items were taken with no debate; votes were announced by the deputy clerk and recorded as adopted 7-0. Where discussion occurred (notably on settlements and the tobacco comment associated with the Lung Cancer Action Week proclamation), council members raised concerns about state-level mandates and public‑health enforcement.
A complete list of adopted items with outcomes appears below.
