Residents call for independent review after town spent more than $2 million on temporary sewer repairs

Several public commenters urged the Town Board to commission an independent review into the town’s handling of the East Hartsdale Avenue sewer break, saying more than $2 million was spent on temporary repairs and that taxpayers deserve a public accounting.

"Why did the town spend over $2,000,000 unnecessarily with temporary repairs that were not needed? The public deserves answers," said Erica Bakshi, who asked the board to pursue a forensic audit and reveal what went wrong.

Supervisor Paul Feiner responded that he supports an independent review and said the board will consider having someone outside the town analyze the incident, its costs and whether procedures were followed. Feiner also proposed adding, at every future board meeting, an item that identifies emergency contracts and the reasons they were deemed emergencies to increase transparency.