Village of Pelham Manor officials gave updates on the impact of Covid-19 on the Village, and took the first steps on next year’s annual budget at the Board of Trustees meeting on Monday.

The board and other officials present, in accordance with Governor Cuomo’s executive orders and related guidance, practiced strict social distancing and sanitation procedures that occurred throughout the duration of the meeting. Village Manager John Pierpont also discussed the changes in staff shifts, noting that “Following the governor’s executive order, we have limited staff for essential services here. We’ve staggered our staff so half our staff is here at one time and the other half at a separate time.”

The administration and board reported that they are working around the clock to ensure that essential services like law enforcement, garbage collection, and the fire department are continually operating during the pandemic. Essential services within the town hall in terms of finance and administration are still running. Although services in these areas are being slowed down due to the staggered shifts, they are still functioning. 

Regarding the number of cases in the Village of Pelham Manor, as of 8:15 p.m. on March 23, the time of the meeting, Pelham Manor Mayor Jennifer Monachino-Lapey stated that “five more cases were reported, so we now have a total of seven cases of COVID-19.” 

Mayor Monachino-Lapey continued by issuing a reminder that in the face of adversity, one must remember to be kind and neighborly to others throughout this trying time. She counseled everyone to remain mindful that people are under incredible stress and are scared, saying “If you’re not acting courteously during this public health emergency, I would consider you to rethink your actions.” 

More information can be found regarding COVID-19 via the electronic newsletter on their website.

In other news, the board also introduced and discussed the tentative 2020-2021 town budget. It was determined that at the Board of Trustees meeting on April 13 the board would reconvene to discuss questions from the public regarding the town budget. The questions can be submitted via email on the village website. Questions can be submitted further past this date until the budget is adopted. In order to allow the public to formulate questions, the budget can be found on the town website as well.

The Board of Trustees’ next meeting will be on April 13th at 8:15 p.m.