State Judge Orders Greenburgh To Hold Vote On Edgemont Becoming A Village

On Thursday, Feb. 1, a state judge sided with those residents and ordered that the town hold a special vote within 45 days.

Supreme Court Justice Susan Cacace issued a 54-page opinion in White Plains stating that the petition Edgemont residents filed to schedule a referendum on whether Edgemont will incorporate as a village is valid. 

Feiner said he will be reviewing the decision "with our attorneys and with the Town Board before deciding whether we want to exercise our right to appeal."

The 36.1-square-mile Town of Greenburgh already has six villages within its borders – Ardsley, Dobbs Ferry, Elmsford, Hastings-on-Hudson, Irvington and Tarrytown. Edgemont, also known as Greenville, is a census-designated area with a population of 7,116.

Feiner's longtime opposition to a public referendum that could allow Edgemont to secede from the town attracted unflattering media attention in this article in The New York Times.

Daily Voice has reported on the latest proposal for Edgemont to become a village, including in this article and in this one.

In an email sent to town residents in November, Feiner wrote that 17,482 Greenburgh residents voted to re-elect him as town supervisor. "I promise you that I will work very hard to make Greenburgh an even better place to live,'' Feiner wrote.

Feiner included "Edgemont Incorporation Possibilities" as the final item on the priority list for his next two-year term.

Feiner wrote: "It's possible that a referendum on incorporation of Edgemont as a village could take place in 2018."

Under New York state law, only Edgemont residents will get to vote, Feiner said.

"However, there will be town wide impacts," Feiner wrote at the time. "We need to prepare for this possibility, whether we think it will happen or not. It's my hope that before a vote takes place that residents of the entire town, including Edgemont, will become aware of the risks, possible service cuts and tax hikes if Edgemont does break away."

Between now and any referendum, Feiner promised to "continue working hard to provide Edgemont residents and the rest of the town with the best services possible. These are just a handful of initiatives that will be pursued."

A copy of Justice Cacace's order is attached below:

See Attachment

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