North Castle Sets May 23 for Receiver of Taxes Vote
North Castle will hold a special election on Tuesday, May 23 asking residents to decide whether the receiver of taxes position should be changed from an elected to an appointed position.
The town board scheduled the vote following closure of last Wednesday evening’s public hearing. If the proposition passes, the town board would appoint a receiver of taxes in January; should the vote fail, there would still be time for candidates to gather signatures and submit petitions during the summer to appear on the November ballot.
Patty Colombo, the town’s current receiver of taxes who has conveyed her intention to retire in the next couple of years, would be retained in the position to help with the transition, which would include making the office run more efficiently. Colombo has said she did not want to run for another four-year term.
Town officials took the opportunity of her approaching retirement to revisit the issue and schedule a vote. It needs to be held in a narrow window that is at least 60 days but not more than 75 days after the town board passed last week’s resolution triggering the election.
“I’ve always thought that some of these positions should be appointed and we have a lot of good information now to support it,” said Supervisor Michael Schiliro.
Schiliro and other board members said they have been fortunate to have had Colombo serve the town, but wanted to ensure they will be able to select the person with the right qualifications for the position.
Board members also said that over time the town will be able to make changes to the office more easily to realize cost efficiencies. Councilman Jose Berra said he had some reservations about the town incurring the cost of a special election, but there is more to gain by asking residents to make the change, particularly given the circumstances where Colombo can help with the transition.
Councilwoman Barbara DiGiacinto said as the town has grown and technology has evolved these types of professional-level positions shouldn’t be left to residents running for an office. The town appoints its tax assessors, highway general foreman, police chief, building inspector and many other positions with people who have expertise in those fields.
“These are all people that submit resumes, that we interview, that we check out references, give them tasks. The paper is one thing but how do you really perform, and I just think we’ve reached this crossroads with the receiver of taxes,” DiGiacinto said.
During the hearing, two town residents spoke in favor of the decision, but each raised a separate issue.
North White Plains resident Anthony Futia said he would have liked to have seen the proposition be placed on the ballot in November so the town wouldn’t be forced to spend extra money to hold a special election.
With this year’s town election, a statewide proposition asking voters whether to hold a constitutional convention, the receiver of taxes vote and Futia’s plans to put a North Castle term limits question on the ballot, a November vote would also ensure maximum turnout, he said.
Officials have estimated that it might cost $10,000 to hold the election, although the town will likely have only one polling place in each hamlet, Schiliro said. He added that having a candidate run for the position on the same ballot where you are asking the public to switch the tax receiver’s position to an appointed post would be awkward and confusing.
Ed Loberman, another North White Plains resident, said he thought the board was placing too much emphasis on potential savings.
“I think all of you are overplaying the cost savings because you could achieve the same costs by directing the elected official (now), this is how you want it to run,” Loberman said.
Schiliro responded that there are limitations on how much can be changed in the office’s operation because an elected official is in charge of running that department.
Information regarding location of the polling places and poll hours will be released in the coming weeks.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/