October 23, 2009

Dear BID Member,

The election of the 2010 Board of Directors of the Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID) is scheduled for December 17th, 2009.  This year we are following a new procedure.  Voters must come in person to City Hall to vote, or request an absentee ballot by December 7, 2009.  Proxy votes will not be accepted.  On December 1, 2009 a notification will be mailed to all BID members with the names that will appear on the ballot.

Voting will be held on the first floor of City Hall on December 17th, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be conducted using voting machines.  B.I.D. property owners receive one vote for each tax parcel owned within the B.I.D District and can only vote for those named on the owner’s ballot. Owners must show a photo I.D. at the time of the vote and will be checked against the tax role. Tenants get one vote and can only vote for those named on the tenant ballot. Tenants must show proof of tenancy at the time of voting (such as a lease or utility bill). 

Absentee ballots can be requested from the DPW office (734-4130) until December 7th, 2009 and must be returned to the D.P.W. office or postmarked no later than 5 p.m. on December 17th, 2009.  Absentee ballots for owners will only be mailed to the address of the property owner as stated on the tax role.  Absentee ballots for tenants will only be mailed to the business address within the B.I.D district. Due to this new procedure, the use of proxy votes will not be accepted for this election.

The votes from the voting machines will be tallied by the City Clerk.  The absentee ballots received or postmarked by December 17th, 2009 will be counted on December 21st, 2009 and added to the number tallied from the voting machines.  The results of the vote will be posted on the B.I.D. website and included in the BID mailing for the General Membership Meeting to be scheduled for January, 2010.

Sincerely,

BID Election Committee

Please note:  The BID Board of Directors will vote at their November 10, 2009 meeting at 6pm in the Field Library/Neighborhood Center to amend Article IV, Section 7(g) of the BID By-Laws to remove the availability of voting by proxy in the annual election.  All are welcome to attend.

INFORMATION TO RUN FOR THE 2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Commercial property owners and commercial tenants within the Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID) are eligible to run for a seat on the Board of Directors for a two year term.  For 2010, three (3) property owner seats and one (1) tenant seat are available.  We’d like to invite all BID members to take this opportunity to become an active participant in the revitalization of downtown Peekskill.

To be on the ballot, property owners within the BID district must get five signatures from other property owners within the BID on their petition.  All property owners must be current in their property tax payments.  Commercial tenants must get five signatures from other commercial tenants within the BID district.  Corporations owning or renting a property within the BID district can appoint one member of the Corporation to run on behalf of the corporation.  A letter from the corporate board must be attached to the submitted petition.   The nominee must have the petition notarized.  A notary is available in the City Clerk’s office.  The nominee may submit a brief position statement (optional) that will be mailed to the BID membership on December 1st. 

Petitions for owners and tenants can be picked up or requested from the D.P.W office on the first floor of City Hall starting on October 26th, 2009 and must be notarized and returned to the D.P.W. office no later than November 19th at 5 p.m.  Petitions received after November 19th, 2009 will not be included on the upcoming ballot.

On November 20th, 2009 the Election Committee will verify the petitions and compile a slate of eligible candidates for property owners and commercial tenants.  On December 1st, 2009 a notification will be mailed to all BID members with the names that will be on the ballot along with the position statements and the procedure for voting. 

The BID operates on an annual budget of $100,000 that is funded by a tax surcharge on properties within the BID district.  The Board of Directors manages this budget, and sets the goals and priorities for how these funds are to be spent.  The Board may delegate day-to-day management to an Executive Director and BID committees.  Of the eleven-member Board, six seats are designated for Commercial Property Owner Representatives, and two for Commercial Tenant Representatives.  The Mayor, the City Manager, and the Comptroller (or their designees) fill the remaining three seats. 

Board members are required to attend monthly meetings and assume an active role by:

Since the BID relies heavily on volunteers to accomplish the bulk of its work, the Board asks that each member head up or participate on BID committees and assist with events during the course of their term.

Click Here for Election Information

 

Certification of 2010 Election

Amendment to Election By-Law