A View From the Right, Proposed Certificate of Occupancy Law

This coming Tuesday, September 6th beginning about 7:15pm in the Court Room at 350 North Main Street will be a series of Public Hearings, one of which (number 3 on the agenda, http://www.portchesterny.com/pages/PortchesterNY_BTrustAg/I01787812 ) will forever change the ability of our Village to discover overcrowding and unsafe housing conditions throughout the Village of Port Chester. It is a proposed Law that I have called for with the support of the Board of Trustees majority.

However, Mayor Pilla has already voiced his disapproval for this proposal, through his favorite media outlet, The Journal News, http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011108180371 .

Fashioned from an existing Law in effect for the last five years in the City of Peekskill, any and all land transactions will be required to get an updated Certificate of Occupancy from our Code/Building Department.

This is an important and vital step in our efforts to insure use compliance, limit overcrowding, insure safe living conditions and reduce the burden on our school system besides the overall dependence on municipal services.

That is just the beginning, there are many other benefits that will come as a result of this in Law as well.

Reducing the number of people in our Village will result in less crime, less traffic, less cars parked on the streets which will enable the DPW to plow the snow better and more efficiently. Remember last winter? The DPW did a great job but it could be better. Less residents also means less garbage to be collected, less disposal fees and potentially less garbage trucks to maintain and less employees to pay. All of these area volume reductions will allow us as your elected officials to further reduce the Village Budgets in the future to reduce the heavy burden of our taxes.

There is also two other major benefit not to be overlooked. First, stabilizing property values from the continuing downward trend, which will eventually lead us to increasing values because buyers can buy here in Port Chester with not only confidence in their new purchase but an insurance that the neighborhood they invest in will not change in the future based on sound zoning laws which this Board of Trustees (BOT) is not only working toward but committed to.

Second, with accurate building records we can accept nothing less than accurate assessments. This is probably the one most irritating and misunderstood government function that occurs in our lives as residents of The Town of Rye. I have called for public meetings with the Assessor and I am confident that the BOT will not rest until there is confidence in this process and an assurance that everyone is paying their fair share of taxes based on their property values.

As we manage our way through to a better future, we must correct the many many years of previous officials looking the other way or assuming that someone else will focus on the details. There is a majority today among our Villages Elected Officials that are committed to a sustainable future for Port Chester that delivers real returns for all the residents. Less tax, less crime, better services and doing our part through Code Enforcement to help the school district deliver on their promise of a first class education based on reading, writing and arithmetic as the keys to preparing our children to be major contributors to society for many years to come.

I invite all of the concerned residents of Port Chester who support this very important next step to reversing the many years of negligence and poor management to come and voice your support over those with hidden agendas that exist in the shadows off the radar, Tuesday, September 6th, 7:15pm, 350 North Main Street, in the Village Court Room.

Bart Didden

Trustee, Village of Port Chester, NY