Town Board debates expedited East Hartsdale sewage repair as procurement critics call for bids

The Greenburgh Town Board spent significant time debating procurement for work on East Hartsdale Avenue after residents continued to experience sewage backups and property damage.

A board member pressed for a vote to authorize repairs the speaker said must begin "once we authorize it," noting the work would start immediately if the board approved and citing a rough project cost of "$5,100,000." The official urged action to reduce public-health impacts and to complete the work before the school year to limit traffic disruptions.

Other members questioned whether the project met the legal definition of an emergency that permits use of an emergency vendor rather than competitive bids. One lawmaker said the issue ‘‘continues to be’’ and that some members believed the project had been ongoing for years, arguing that an emergency procurement was inappropriate for work that dates back multiple seasons.

Several board members also raised concerns about public perception and messaging. One member criticized repeated public posts that called the contract "no bid," saying the town's official materials and a local reporter were being misled by presentation of those posts. "You keep saying there's a no bid contract. That's your opinion," the member said, adding that the controller and town attorney did not share that conclusion.

Supporters of the expedited repair framed the measure as narrowly tailored: because a repair in place (rather than a new line routed around a private building) may be both viable and faster, the town could relieve residents from recurring sewage intrusions and avoid large private costs to reconnect laterals.

The board did not finalize an outcome on the procurement during the work session; members suggested staff pursue additional legal advice from the state controller's office and confirmed there would be follow-up discussion about whether the town could rescind or revisit authorizations depending on any advisory guidance received.

What happens next: the item remained on the agenda for potential action at the regular meeting; members instructed staff to seek further counsel and to document the factual basis for any emergency procurement before a final vote.