City Update from the Mayor
Mayor Cohn keeps us regularly posted on City government as well as the incidence of Covid-19 in Rye and countywide. As of April 14, 97 Rye residents have tested positive for Covid-19. The number in Westchester is approaching 19,800, with some 9,300 recovered and 557 deaths. “We have 1,182 hospitalized in Westchester, but the County inventory is of more than 3,000 beds, so we are not yet strained,” he reported.
The City Council will meet April 15 at 7:30 p.m. by video connection, viewable by the public on ryeny.gov. At the meeting, Interim City Manager Greg Usry will outline potential changes in the City’s financial position as a result of the Covid-19 economy.
“This discussion, which will be ongoing, will necessarily be driven by a range of assumptions,” said Cohn, “particularly with respect to our customary revenue items. We will be helped in developing a view as others start to release projections important to the City’s condition, such as the County’s projections of sales tax revenue. Remember, please, that we start with a great advantage. Over the past two years, at the suggestion of the Finance Committee, we created a capital reserve fund, saving several million dollars to prime the infrastructure program that we still need and hope we can undertake. That capital reserve fund can, if necessary, provide liquidity for other purposes if the financial situation requires.”
In response to calls from residents urging that a ban on leaf-blowing be implemented now, Cohn has asked the local landscapers association to voluntarily lay down their leaf blowers during the health emergency. He awaits their response.
“On the census side, the City of Rye is not yet a leader and we should be,” stressed the mayor. “Other Westchester municipalities have reached a 60% participation rate in the early part of April. We are not there. If we don’t count ourselves, no one will do it for us. We will be under-funded, under-represented, and under-respected in all sorts of population-based decision makings over the coming decade.”
Mark your calendars for the premiere of the Rye’s Up! virtual showcase from the Rye Chamber of Commerce scheduled for April 20. Everyone is welcome on the red carpet to help Rye’s businesses through this crisis.
“The paused life is deeply straining. It places heavy demands of its own, while disabling us from dealing with many of the things of greatest concern to us. With that in mind, I post again information for the mental health hotline 995-1900 (8 am-8 pm) or text 914-461-7281. And for instances of domestic abuse, My Sister’s Place, 800-298-7233 (24/7).”
Useful Contacts:
- People under self-quarantine or exposure to known case, call 866-588-0195 or 2-1-1 to self-report;
- NYS Department of Health COVID-19 Hotline, 888-364-3065;
- Westchester County COVID-19 Information, call 211.
CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus-2020.html
NY Dept of Health Coronavirus Update
https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
NY Dept of Health Contacts
https://health.ny.gov/contact/contact_information/
County COVID Updates
https://health.westchestergov.com/2019-novel-coronavirus
Court Closing Information
https://ww2.nycourts.gov/courts/9jd/emergency.shtml
The State is still eager to recruit non-working health care workers as volunteers in this battle. If you are interested, go to http://health.ny.gov/assitance.
The Rye business Sew Happy is working on fabricating face masks. If you would like to help out, go to https://www.sewhappyusa.net/.
To receive messages directly from the Mayor and the City, residents and businesses are encouraged to go to the ryeny.gov homepage, scroll down to “Resident Services”, and click on sign up for emails and news.
