Mount Kisco Voters Must Approve Dissolving Police Six Years Later
There may not be a contested village election in Mount Kisco next week, but if a local referendum on the ballot fails, it could cost the village up to $1 million a year.
Village officials are asking voters to formally approve dissolving the Mount Kisco Police Department, nearly six-and-a-half years after the Westchester County Department of Public Safety took over policing the community.
Mayor Gina Picinich said the matter is “an administrative housekeeping issue.”
“If the department continues to exist as an entity, we have to hire some police officers to staff it that are in the employment of the village,” Picinch said. “So to do that for what would be considered enough staffing, we will have to expend approximately a million dollars, which will result in an approximately 7 percent tax increase, which is ongoing because you’re adding recurring costs because it’s staff.”
In order to fund what would be considered a legitimate law enforcement agency would require hiring a minimum of four sworn police officers, she said. There would also be costs for equipment, vehicles and other expenses.
Mount Kisco has had one part-time chief, who is in charge of the village’s school crossing guards and parking enforcement.
Meanwhile, the county police have been embraced by the community since it entered an Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA) and began its coverage of the village on June 1, 2015. The move has also saved the village at least $500,000 a year.
The two sides entered a second five-year agreement last year.
During a Village Board discussion last spring, Village Attorney Whitney Singleton said that under state law if a municipality would dissolve a certain service such as its own police, the public needs to be afforded the chance to vote on it.
If the village maintained the status quo, it runs the risk of being sued by a person or organization.
Picinich said the consequences of a failed vote would result in an unnecessary expense and duplicative services.
“The board at the time passed a law to dissolve the department, but again, in accordance with state law, we must put that out to the voters,” she said.
For Mount Kisco voters, the proposition is Referendum #7 on the ballot.
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/
