=== HEADLINE === Residents flood meeting to block village court study === SUMMARY === Croton residents packed the March 11 Board of Trustees meeting to oppose a proposed $30,000 study on dissolving the village justice court, prompting Mayor Brian Pugh to table the item. Earlier, the board unveiled a climate action quilt crafted by Croton 100. === EXECUTIVE BRIEF === • Approved vouchers totaling $266,135.16 across general, water, sewer, and capital funds • Mayor Pugh tabled Resolution D, a proposed CGR study on the village justice court, citing lack of board consensus • Accepted a climate action quilt from Croton 100 for display in the municipal building === ARTICLE === "Get off your high horse and listen." That was Joel Gingold's message to the Board of Trustees Tuesday night, one of nearly a dozen residents who showed up to denounce a proposed study on dissolving the village justice court — a study Mayor Brian Pugh ended up tabling before it ever reached a vote. The irony was thick: the item wasn't even going to be voted on, yet speaker after speaker lined up to bury it anyway. Pugh acknowledged the crowd's likely reason for attending. "Despite his best efforts, we don't have a proposal that appears to have a consensus support," the mayor said of Village Manager Brian Kenney's negotiations with the CGR consulting firm. "So when this item comes up, barring a change in opinion, I will be tabling it." That didn't stop residents from unloading. Gingold, of 55 Nordica Drive, called the $30,000 to $40,000 study "my money" — not the board's — and predicted trustees would keep bringing the issue back "until you get your way, regardless of what your constituents think." Village Justice Sam Watkins, elected nearly 20 years ago, reminded Pugh and Trustee Leo Simon that they were both on the board four years ago when 73 of 74 speakers opposed a similar court consolidation plan. "Fifty-two letters were against. One was in favor," Watkins said. "Do you remember that?" Village Prosecutor Casey Rascob hauled stacks of criminal procedure law books to the podium to make his point. "A consultant can't change it. I can't change it," he said. "This isn't a company you can reorganize." Paul Doyle, a 49-year resident who helped draft two comprehensive plans, framed the court as part of Croton's identity. "We have our own institutions. There is a real sense of place in Croton, and it stems directly from that." Before the courtroom drama, the evening had a softer open. Croton 100 unveiled its third climate action quilt, this one spotlighting the school district's solar installations, electric school buses, and 30 household sustainability actions. Patty Buchanan noted the quilt's border fabric came from silk saris belonging to her late mother-in-law in India — "a very special way to recognize the global and intergenerational connections we have with our climate systems." A short documentary about Croton's clean energy leadership, "The Little Village That Could" by Archipelago Films, is expected to premiere during Earth Month in April. **What to watch for:** The tabled justice court study could return to a future agenda if board consensus shifts. The documentary screening date has not yet been announced — watch croton.news for details.