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SHOULD VILLAGES BE REIMBURSED FOR OLD TOWN HALL
Release Date: February 07, 2005

The Greenburgh Town Attorney, Tim Lewis, has sent the State Comptroller a letter seeking an opinion as to how much the town should reimburse the villages (town wide) for the use of the old Town Hall if the library acquires the space for an expanded library. The Town Board is contemplating the adoption of a resolution, subject to public referendum, authorizing the issuance of 20 million dollars in bonds to finance the library expansion.

Some of the Town Board members want an opinion on the following questions: 1) Must the town compensate taxpayers town wide including the villages for the proposed use of the old town hall property as a library.  2) May such use be gratuitous. 3) Can a lease instead of purchase be accomplished. 4) Whether such compensation, such as an exchange of services, be for less than fair and adequate consideration. 5)Whether such compensation, if required, shall be for the value of the land and building on the old Town Hall property or for the value of the land and building on the old Town Hall property and the land upon which the current library sits or some other arrangement.

I have written a letter to all the Mayors of the six villages within Greenburgh inviting them to review this issue before any decision is made. The villages within Greenburgh should be treated fairly and we should seek their input. I also believe that the Town Board should not schedule a referendum until we answer this question – another reason why the referendum should be delayed till the November, 2005 town election. 

The decision as to how much the town wide fund will be reimbursed for the old Town Hall site will impact the dollar amount that the town will spend on the library expansion.

PAUL FEINER

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