Saddle Rock Board of Trustees holds three public hearings, residents call for more transparency

Local News Saddle Rock Board of Trustees holds three public hearings, residents call for more transparency By Nicholas Gordon … Comments Posted on November 9, 2026 Village of Saddle Rock’s legal counsel Keith Corbett moderated three public hearings at the board’s recent meeting. Nicholas Gordon The Village of Saddle Rock Board of Trustees held three public hearings at its meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4, covering the 45-foot setback for homes, the potential reinstatement of a village planning board, and compliance with state building and fire codes. Residents engaged in impassioned back-and-forth discussions with the Village M ayor Kambiz “Eli” Akhavan and legal counsel Keith Corbett, and at times, with each other. The board also introduced tax assessor Tom Donato, who will oversee a new village tax assessment. Donato, who works as a tax consultant for numerous towns in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, said that a new village property tax assessment is forthcoming and should be “fair, equitable, and transparent.” Several residents raised concerns about their property taxes potentially increasing under the new assessment, with one resident anticipating that the new assessment would be a “seismic thing for the village.” “The village will have a board of assessment and you can present your case fairly if you have any concerns,” Donato said, adding that in the meantime he would gladly take calls to discuss any tax-related questions. Donato reminded attendees that the village has not yet adopted a budget and is still operating under the previous administration’s budget. The tax levy, he explained, will cover the remaining expenses after all village income has been accounted for. “At that point, it’s just math,” Donato said, emphasizing that the property taxes are determined by property value, not by subjective factors. Akhavan said that the village is “aiming for objectivity with the tax assessment.” The testiest exchange came at the outset of the first hearing, when local firebrand Vivian Kollenscher criticized what she described as the board’s failure to properly notify residents of the issues up for discussion, which is symptomatic of an ongoing lack of transparency, she said. “It’s our right to be involved,” Kollenscher said, citing Article 78, a legal action that can be filed to challenge local government. “We wanted to get an email from you informing us that these issues were on the agenda. How can anybody speak to the proposals when they haven’t even seen them? You said the updated website was coming four or five months ago, so where is it? This is not transparency. Residents need to be involved and informed and you need to do a better job of that.” The mayor cut in. “Vivian, I’m frankly getting frustrated with your threats of Article 78, which costs the village money to defend,” Akhavan said. “Our residents do not want to be threatened with lawsuits from you.” Kollenscher apologized and stated that she wants the village to comply with New York state transparency requirements, including providing meeting minutes, the village budget, and audited financial statements. Corbett urged her to stay on the topic of the hearing, the 45-foot setback. Some residents pressed for the board to enforce the two-minute talking time limit on Kollenscher, while others applauded her verbose outspokenness. The discussion then returned to the 45-foot setback law, which establishes the minimum distance between a home and the street or property line. One resident said she opposed the 45-foot setback on behalf of homebuilders yet to come. “I built my house here over 20 years ago under the 45-foot law so now I have a giant front lawn that I can’t do anything with,” she said. “I want this very unfair rule to be removed for others. We want fairness and we don’t want 45 feet.” A resident who identified himself as a taxi driver pleaded for expert insights on the 45-foot setback. “We should not be deciding on this,” the driver said. “We need somebody with more knowledge, an engineer or architect, to assess it and give us feedback on what is best.” The mayor expressed his view that the 45-foot law is outdated and should be reevaluated. Two residents advocated reducing the setback requirement to 35 feet. Others griped that they needed time to research the best solutions and the potential impacts involved with changing the current setback law. The board ultimately voted to keep the hearing open until its next meeting. Corbett, who moderated the at-times contentious meeting, praised the residents’ commitment to showing up and engaging in the discussions. At another moment, Corbett told some disgruntled attendees, “You’re getting everything asked for here. They’re giving you the proper forum to discuss the issues.” The second and third hearings, concerning the reinstatement of a planning board to oversee zoning matters and the village’s compliance with state building and fire codes, respectively, proceeded without a hitch Both hearings were kept open until the next meeting so that residents have ample time to bone up on the particulars. Residents asked whether the village had previously had a planning board and who would select its new members. “The village must have had a planning board at some point, but it doesn’t currently have one so it’s being reinstated,” Corbett said, adding that residents could provide their input on board selection to their elected officials when the time comes. Residents asked who had made zoning decisions in the absence of a visible planning board. “If you find out, let me know,” Corbett said. During the public meeting, residents discussed the issue of speeding, with one resident suggesting that adding a roundabout or two could solve the problem, as well as enhance the village’s beauty. With village beauty in mind, Akhavan said that a street cleaning crew had been approved and that they were now waiting on a date for the first round. Going forward, the mayor said they would have to see how often they’ll need to clean the drains this winter. Regarding the website, Akhavan acknowledged that there had been regrettable delays in progress but that it should be up and running at full capacity soon. “One of the first issues I took on was getting a contract with a company to update the website,” Akhavan said. “There have been some issues in communicating with this company, to our chagrin and disappointment, and if we see that this company further delays the update, then we’re going to move on.” Some residents spoke about problems with traffic lights, but Corbett was quick to inform them that the issue was beyond the jurisdiction of the board. “The county controls 98% of all traffic lights in Nassau,” Corbett said. “They meet twice a month in Mineola. You’re welcome to join them; they’d love to have you all there.” Not all was vitriol at the meeting. Residents Marsha and Jacob Toledano, who have lived in the village for more than 40 years, said they were “very happy with the public engagement” and the board’s responsiveness so far. Another resident said that “the tax guy was a big surprise,” expressing optimism that he could help clarify the village tax assessment. “I’m looking forward to progress after years of no progress,” Marsha Toledano said. About the Author All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines . Schneps Media does not endorse the views shared by readers in our comment sections.