Community Resources asks for staff, program and transit funding; advisory board recommends smaller jazz series

The Greenburgh Town Board on Oct. 21 heard a presentation from the Department of Community Resources seeking modest increases to operate year‑round programs and to address summer service shortfalls.

Commissioner Gina Jackson said the community center operates with just 24 full‑time staff and relies heavily on part‑time and seasonal employees. “I have added, looked for $23,000 increase in the part time line and a 40,000 in the part time seasonal,” she told the board, citing the need for more staff to safely run summer camp and after‑school programs.

Dave Regina, deputy commissioner, said some program costs are offset by county grants that do not show up in the center’s budget papers. “It is noted that that $80,000 does come back to the town of Greenberg, but it’s not directly reflected into our budget,” Regina said, explaining $64,000 is typically recouped and about $16,000 comes from a summer youth employment program.

The department also provided participation figures to justify program funding: Regina said the center served about 4,600 participants in 2025, with roughly 3,500 residents (about 76%) and about 1,100 nonresidents (24%). He told the board staff would supply the requested program‑by‑program participant list before finalizing the tentative budget.

Officials flagged food‑service pressures. Regina said the department “did run into some issues where we did not have enough food for approximately 400 campers this year,” putting pressure on the summer lunch line.

Arts and special events were debated. Supervisor Paul (listed here as Chair) offered $30,000 in discretionary funds to revive a jazz series; the center’s advisory board recommended staging three Thursday‑night concerts rather than a full six‑week run. “Their recommendation to you all is 3, To do 3 Thursday night jazz,” Jackson said, and the board discussed splitting the allocation to reduce risk.

Transit needs for seniors also featured prominently. The proposed tentative budget includes $50,000 to rent larger coach buses for about 30 theater and long‑distance trips to expand capacity while the town seeks a smaller hybrid bus for the fleet. “We are looking for a hybrid bus,” Jackson said, while the board discussed purchase versus continued rentals; one board member cited a purchase figure near $800,000 and asked whether hybrid models at that scale were feasible in the near term.

Why it matters: The increases are pitched as targeted fixes to meet demand — more staff to run safe camps and after‑school programming, food costs that directly affect service, and transit capacity to serve seniors — while the town weighs the cost and timing of a permanent vehicle purchase versus ongoing rentals.

The board did not adopt final budget lines that evening; members asked staff for program participation lists, vendor meetings on music events, and further details on bus specifications and pricing before the next budget deadline.