by AnnGardner Eubank
IRVINGTON—Following contentious debate and varying sentiments among council and residents on Thursday, January 9, Irvington is making headway towards adopting an ordinance to detail public forum and input when incurring large public debt for major projects.
Dianne Mumford swears in Fran Westbrook for a four year term on Irvington Town Council. Fredrick Johnson, Mary Cary Bradley and Mayor Julie Harris also were sworn into office.
Council held its first reading and public hearing on a related proposed ordinance in wake of a resident-driven petition which garnered major support for council to enact a public referendum when considering taking on major public debt. The petition ultimately led to months of discussion and a draft proposal of how to handle the concern.
According to council member Mary Cary Bradley, the new guidelines would be triggered if the proposed debt value exceeds 0.5% of the prior year’s property value, excluding schools and churches. At the current value, the town would be able to borrow nearly a million dollars before….
