Greenburgh officials propose $7 million paving push and flag costly East Harsdale sewer repair in budget work session

Greenburgh officials on Oct. 15 used a work session to review preliminary department budgets and highlight several infrastructure priorities, including a proposed jump in road‑paving funding and an unexpectedly expensive sewer repair.

The town’s commissioner of public works told the board the engineering department is now fully staffed and that next year’s capital request will aim to ramp up paving from about $3 million in the current budget to $7 million in 2025. “Next year, we're gonna be asking for 7,” the commissioner said, saying the town intends to “do makeup” work after years of underinvestment and citing a 2017 engineering report that recommended roughly $5 million per year.

Why it matters: officials said the larger paving program would let the town address long‑neglected road surfaces and reduce repeated patching, which staff said creates additional maintenance burdens and localized stormwater impacts. The commissioner noted a modest reduction in the salt budget after mild winters and said capital increases would be targeted and engineering‑driven.

The Building Department presented staffing and revenue figures that underscore the budget uncertainty. The department reported hiring a new plan examiner, having one open office assistant and four vacant assistant building inspector positions accounted for in the draft budget. The building official warned that inspectors are working long hours — “Frank works 15 hour days,” the official said — and said additional hires are needed to avoid burnout and to maintain inspection quality.

On permit revenue, the building official reported the department has taken in about $7.759 million so far this year, roughly $2 million below an earlier internal estimate because a large project was phased into 2025. “So we're 2,000,000 under that, which, is accounted for in the following year's budget,” the official said. The department also cited 2024 fee adjustments — including higher legalization fees and temporary certificate‑of‑occupancy charges — that yielded approximately $137,000 in additional revenue this year.

Code enforcement workload also rose: the Building Department reported issuing 701 violations so far this year (the count excludes summonses), largely for property‑maintenance and unsafe‑housing issues such as overgrown grass and abandoned homes.

The session also flagged a costly sewer emergency on East Harsdale Avenue. The commissioner described a roughly 90‑year‑old sewer about 35 feet deep that runs under a building and will require complex, expensive repairs. “It’s very expensive,” the commissioner said, and the town is engaging outside consultants to advise on best practices and to estimate how much should be budgeted annually for water and sewer preventive work (the town is pursuing sliplining and other maintenance strategies to reduce future breaks).

Coordination with New York State was discussed for state‑owned routes. Council members asked about Dobbs Ferry Road and sidewalk alignment where milling or DOT activity could overlap with the town’s planned curb and paving work; the commissioner said the town shares project lists with NYS DOT and utilities like Con Edison but that scheduling is not always perfect.

Procedural note: Chair moved to enter executive session to discuss personnel matters and to seek legal advice; the motion was seconded and a recorded voice answered “Aye,” after which the board entered executive session.

What’s next: officials said final budget proposals and capital plans will be refined in coming weeks; the town attorney agreed to provide a written memo clarifying legal and GASB guidance on A/B budget treatment for the board to review prior to the chair’s meeting with village officials.