2023 Riverbay Board Election Rules – pages 24-27 Riverbay Board Approves FY 2023/24 & 2024/25 Budgets

BY ROZAAN BOONE

The Riverbay Board of Directors approved Management’s proposed 2-year budget for Fiscal Year 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 at the Wednesday, March 29, 2023 business meeting to maintain the current level of services to shareholders while also providing funding for the community’s mandatory Five-Year Capital Plan for necessary infrastructure repairs to the development.

According to Resolution 23-19, the “proposed budget requires a 2.1% increase in carrying charges effective April 1, 2024 in order to maintain a balanced budget through March 31, 2025, all subject to review, analysis and discussion with the NYS HCR.”

In addition to the proposed 2.1% carrying charge increase, transient parking and parking pass rates will also be increased 30%, effective April 1, 2023, should HCR grant approval. The last time these rates were increased was July 2021. together while having a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities we carry,” said Board President Sonia Feliciano. “In reviewing the proposed 2-year budget, our goal was to minimize the impact of increasing the carrying chargestic budget, and working together as a team late into the night for weeks, showed

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BY ROZAAN BOONE

Shareholders who returned their qualifying election packages in the 2023 Riverbay Board of Directors election by the Friday, March 24th deadline were issue of the Co-op City Times. and the Legal department. This review includes a criminal background check

At the March 22nd Open Board meeting reported brown water coming from the taps in their apartments.

candidates will receive instructions for running their campaigns from the chairbay General Counsel Jeff Buss. The candidates will also receive the Co-op City Times editorial guidelines for the three election supplements to be published in three consecutive issues of the newspaper starting on Saturday, April 15; followed by Saturday, April 22; and Saturday, April 29, 2023. The candidates will also be able to get any questions they may have about the process answered by Co-op City Times.

BY BRANDON ORTIZ

live chat feature this week that can connect shareholders directly to a Riverbay representative.

Starting Monday, April 3, shareholders can go online to coopcity.com and scroll down to the bot-

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President’s Report

Sonia Feliciano

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Riverbay’s Maintenance department followed-up

Associate Director of the Riverbay Call Center Lutitia Matthias explained what the new feature is to the Co-op City Times and how the live chat feature will be a helpful resource for shareholders.

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BY BRANDON ORTIZ

Shareholders in Triple-Core buildings can now have their packages delivered safely to a designated Amazon Hub locker.

The lockers are part of a pilot program organized by Amazon and designed to address package thefts and further improve service reliability for Amazon customers in Co-op City.

the bright blue Amazon lockers located in the rear of their building. The pilot program starts with the Triple-Cores and the goal is to expand the services to all buildings, Riverbay’s director of Janitorial Services Joshua Blake explained.

Mr. Blake also addressed service improvements shareholders in the Triple-Cores can expect as a result of the new Amazon lockers.

“I do believe this is a game changer for Co-op City shareholders,” Mr. Blake said. “The service reliabil- kasher vesame’ach.”

Have a kosher ity of knowing your packages will be secure in the Amazon hub box will greatly improve service delivery as there will now be accountability and the shareholder will receive their package,” Mr. Blake pointed out.

“This is a pilot program that Amazon brought to us, and we here at Co-op City were very interested in participating. The program is starting with Amazon Hub lockers located behind the building under the portico in all Triple-Core buildings. I encourage shareholders to utilize these Amazon Hub boxes as frequently as possible, as we want to expand the program to the Chevron and Tower buildings,” added Mr. Blake. “The more shareholders who use the lockers, the more we will be able to demonstrate

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Hope everyone is doing well.

As I have been communicating to you, we are mandated to have a 2-year Operating budget within our 5-year capital budget plan. The Board has been working with Management for weeks to reduce expenses, taking away some of the burdens from our shareholders. The proposed budget - duces about $2M.

During this budget year, we reduced 39 positions, eliminating garage attendants and the anticipated reduction in natural gas expenses due to the implementation of a hedging strategy. With the annual asbestos abatement, and insurance increased substantially. Our current property insurance rose from ects will be funded with reserves from our mortgage. Some of the things it will include over the 5-year period are garage elevators, repair of garages, town-

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During the orientation meeting, a random drawing will be held to determine the order in which the candidates’ names will appear on a ballot. Names will be automatically rotated on the ballot. This same order ments will be rotated to give each of the three election issues of the newspaper. erbay Board director and their views on issues facing the community in their statements and ads. They will each receive a free ¼ page ad, although they may purchase additional advertising in the Co-op City Times. to publication making it essential for candidates to adhere to the newspaper’s editorial deadline established for the election supplements. Candidates are encouraged to submit their statements and ad copy electronically to the Co-op City Times partment located in the Bartow Center. annual Board election. campaign signs, literature and other material (posters, gummed stickers, etc.) in Co-op City is prohibited except on personal property, or within a shareholder’s premises, with the owner’s permission. This speprohibited from posting campaign material on New York City property if said posting violates any City, Campaign literature can be handed out by candidates and their supporters after only assumed name, (ii) engage in personal attacks on fellow candidates or shareholders, or (iii) make defam- bo-calling or similar systems to contact shareholders for campaigning or election-related purposes is prohibited. Candidates will have an opportunity to debate and discuss issues relevant to the election and their candidacy at three Candidates’ Forums, which will be issue.

Congratulations to Riverbay’s director of Community Relations, Michelle Sajous, who received a Woman of Distinction award from City Council member Rafael Salamanca Jr. Michelle was one of four honorees at Councilman Salamanca’s Women’s History Month recognition program, held at the Bronx Zoo on Thursday evening, March 30, 2023.