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March 2, 2026
To the editor,
I have been following the recent Croton Village Board of Trustees discussion about a consultant examining the current structure of the court. As I understand it, the consultant will make recommendations about making the court more efficient and examine the pros and cons of consolidating the court with the Town of Cortlandt court.
I have great concerns about the possibility of consolidating the court into the Town of Cortlandt.
· The village discussed the possibility of consolidating the court a short four years ago with strong resident opposition. What has changed?
· The consultant will cost approximately $36,000 to create a report that will possibly suggest consolidation. The residents have already unequivocally rejected consolidation. Why is the village spending money to review a possibility that the residents have already strongly rejected?
· The Village asked village residents to take a survey about budget priorities in February. Why was the question of the possibility of the village court consolidation with the Town court not included in the survey?
· The Assessor’s office was recently consolidated with the Town of Cortlandt, and we have not had time as a community to determine if this consolidation is helpful or harmful to residents.
· The consultant for the court will not extend the scope to hosting resident forums to gauge residents’ opinions. This is concerning and a failure to fully examine the issue.
· A consolidation puts the onus on residents to collect approximately 1,300 signatures during the busy summer and back to school season in order for a public referendum to appear on the ballot in November. The onus should be on the village to gauge public opinion, not require residents to collect signatures, advertise, and educate our neighbors about the issue. This takes time and should never be rushed.
· The consultant will not interview non-attorneys who use the court, whether for arrests, civilian issues, or as spectators. This creates a lack of vital information to determine if such a consolidation is helpful or harmful to those who utilize the court. Surveying the attorneys for defendants is not a substitute for interviewing those who need to appear in court. Spectators should not be burdened with having to travel to the Town Court to witness our court in action.
· The consultant will not review various record keeping systems to digitize the court’s records. This seems it should be a basic scope of any consultant work requested.
· Our residents who need to seek judicial relief for evictions and other local matters will have to find transportation to the Cortlandt Town Hall. This may not be easy for those who do not have access to a car. The consolidation may create an undue burden on our residents who rent their homes and may face eviction, and other landlord / tenant disputes.
· The Democrat party has already nominated a new judge for the November ballot. This person has stated that he is in favor of court consolidation. He was nominated by the Democrat party over long-standing Croton Judge Watkins who has publicly opposed consolidation. Judge Watkins’ voice should be valued and should hold extra weight. The public support for consolidation by the recently nominated judge candidate creates the appearance that the decision has already been made. Whether this is true or not, the appearance of a forgone conclusion within the Democrat party and hence the majority of the village board is deeply concerning. It leaves one to wonder if the consultant is merely giving data tailored to the desired outcome.
· The village recently spent considerable money and employee time redesigning and upgrading the village courtroom. I fail to understand why such an undertaking would have taken place only to remove the court in a few short years. This is poor resource management at the very least. One assumes that the village realized consolidation was not beneficial to the residents at the time of the courtroom renovation.
· It appears that the village is consolidating with the Town, one department at a time. This is deeply concerning to me.
For all these reasons, I request that the Board not hire a consultant and not move forward with consolidation. This is a serious matter in which residents should have ample time to learn about the issue, discuss, and have an opportunity to weigh in without rush.
Sincerely,
Robert Whiting
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