Mount Vernon council approves multiple ordinances and resolutions including park events, streetlight software upgrade and police technology

The Mount Vernon City Council approved a slate of ordinances and resolutions on Wednesday covering public works, recreation, public safety and finance. Many items were routine and passed on voice or roll-call votes; the council flagged one training item for further review.

Key votes and actions at the meeting included:

- Tree-planting policy (Department of Public Works): Council adopted a standardized municipal right-of-way tree-planting policy. Vote: unanimous recorded “aye”s from Councilman Boxhill, Councilwoman Gleason, Councilman Thompson and Acting President Ed Poteet.

- Renovation contract authorization for the police “aware room” (Bonanza Contracting LLC): Council authorized the mayor to enter into a contract with Bonanza Contracting LLC for renovations to the Mount Vernon Police Department aware room area. A council member asked that procurement quotes be kept on file; vote: unanimous.

- Pest management RFP (Department of Public Works): Council authorized the release of an RFP for pest-management services for municipal facilities. Commissioner Bush reported that a prior citywide abatement bid produced a lowest bid above $100,000 and that funding for a citywide contract remains unresolved; the council authorized the RFP while noting funding will need to be identified. Vote: unanimous.

- Street-lighting software upgrade (Signify North America Corporation): Council authorized an upgrade from CityTouch to Interact City at no cost to the city. Vote: unanimous.

- Sewer system cleaning and investigation bids advertisement: Council authorized advertisement of bids for Year 2 sewer system cleaning and investigation covering listed drainage areas. Vote: unanimous.

- Recreation events and equipment: Council authorized co-sponsorship of a Latin Cultural Festival at Hartley Park (May 18, 2025) and approved a three-year lease agreement with Turf Tank for field marking equipment for municipal fields. Councilmembers requested a revenue plan for Memorial Field to ensure the program is not a net cost to taxpayers. Votes: unanimous.

- Cable Advisory Committee appointments: Council approved mayoral appointments (see separate article). Vote: unanimous.

- Public-safety grants and agreements: Council approved agreements and grant participation for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination grant, a three-year software-as-a-service agreement with Simcy Inc., participation in the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant regional MOU, and a transfer of training budget to purchase guns and ammunition for the police department. One line item, a Full Circle Health training and counseling workshop, was held on the floor for later reconsideration. Votes: unanimous on items considered; training item held.

- Prisoner transportation reimbursement (Westchester County Department of Correction): The council approved the ordinance to authorize reimbursement for 2023 and 2024 prisoner transportation services; Councilman Boxhill abstained because of a prior administrative role. Corporation counsel noted the ordinance will require a second vote on a subsequent meeting as required for ordinances. Vote: 3 ayes, 1 abstention recorded; second reading required.

- Financial and administrative items: Council approved amendments to bond authorizations, accepted the city’s 2019 independent audit prepared by PKF O’Connor Davies, appointed members to the economic task force, and approved tax-rate fixing and other housekeeping items. Votes: unanimous on items taken.

The council generally approved the agenda’s items with limited debate. Several council members asked staff for additional documentation on procurement and financial projections where appropriate.