Rye Officials Lay Out Plans on Budget, Playland at The Osborn

On Monday, city officials held a community forum at The Osborn Retirement Community to hear what local residents had to say about the economy, Playland, and a range of other topics during an hour-long forum.

About 15 people attended the meeting, which Mayor Doug French said was designed to inform Rye residents about the progress his administration has made in its first year. The last time French and council members came to The Osborn was for a campaign stop last fall.

He said the forum was all the more valuable this time around because none of the officials were campaigning.

"Just because no one is running for anything doesn't mean we shouldn't be talking to voters and finding out what the issues are," French said. "It seems like every four years, [candidates] come to The Osborn, have a debate, and that's it."

Several people in attendence were eager to talk about the controversial decision handed down by an appeals court last week that will help end a 13-year standoff between the Rye City School District and The Osborn over the home's tax-exempt status.

The decision will see The Osborn lose that status, and the home will have to fork over the amount it would have paid between 1997 and 2006. Still unclear is how much the home will owe for the last four years.

Rye resident David Blank pleaded with the officials to bring a swift end to the protracted battle. French replied that with the case settled, all involved are moving forward.

"A year ago we sat here and agreed that we would wait to see what the court had to say," the mayor said. "The court has given us clarity, and we are committed to sitting down and using that clarity as a framework."

Councilman Peter Jovanovich said he hopes that both sides can forget about the past and look to implementing a fair arrangement for the future.

"Both sides have said goodbye to the lawyers, and let's come to an agreement, but both have also said they were right from the beginning," the freshman councilman said. "The past doesn't matter; let's just talk about how we can solve these problems going forward."

An Osborn resident who did not give her name said the case could provide a "sad precedent" by requiring that taxes be paid by the health care wing of The Osborn.

"No other nursing home in the state has to pay taxes. It would be very sad for the whole state," said the woman, who identified herself as a nurse. "I can live with the taxes on housing, but not with taxes on the nursing home."

The appeals court ruled that The Osborn is primarily a residence and not a health care facility, so it isn't tax exempt.

Residents also were curious about recent developments at Playland, including its potential sale by the county to a private developer and the proposed Children's Museum that would occupy what is now the South Bathhouse.

Councilwoman Catherine Parker, who sits on the city's Playland Strategic Planning Group, said that a recent general interest meeting attracted dozens of companies, from marketing firms to entertainment groups. According to news reports, those visitors included concert promoter Live Nation and executives from Donald Trump's development firm.

"Playland is not closing" and will not be turned into a residential complex, Parker said, reiterating assurances that have come from county officials. The county "is looking to make Playland better for taxpayers" and park visitors, she added.

Parker also said that the county is waiting to review all development proposals before deciding on the fate of the Children's Museum, which would offer interactive exhibits with a focus on science and the environment. Proposals are due in February.

Jovanovich acknowledged that it could take years to make the park profitable, as it currently "loses 40 or 50 cents on the dollar," and that it would require a developer to take some risks.

"There is just as much risk as there is opportunity with this project," he said.

Playland wasn't the only big project that was touched on during Monday's forum. Councilwoman Suzanna Keith ticked off a number of projects aimed at increasing pedestrian safety in the wake of a number of accidents this year.

"We would like to see more people walking and biking around town, and more children walking to school," Keith said, adding that the projects include work on the sidewalk on Oakland Beach Avenue and new signs and lights at the intersection of Midland and Palisade and on Library Lane.

Officials also acknowledged the reverberations of the Great Recession on the city's budgeting process, noting that taxes would rise by at least 10 percent next year if steep cuts aren't made.

Councilman Joe Sack applauded the move to begin budget deliberations earlier in the year. Previously officials only began the process after Election Day, leaving only a few weeks to cobble a spending plan together.

"That's a compressed period to talk about the most important thing we do as a council," Sack said, adding that the early start gives officials more time to talk to various interest groups around Rye. But Sack warned that all of the groups—and the city's taxpayers—will have to commit to a shared sacrifice.

"All of these groups are going to be hit, and they will have to either share in the pain or contribute more," he said.

Councilman Richard Filippi said that the steep tax hikes the city faces are due to increases in contributions to county-run health care programs and the state retirement system. Pension costs alone are expected to rise by up to 37 percent.

French provided a sobering view of the upcoming budget, saying that city agencies "may not just be doing more with less, we may just have to do less."