About Us:

Frequently Asked Questions  

What is the Property Owners’ Association of Garden City Estates, Inc.?  

The Village of Garden City is an incorporated village in the State of New York.  Early on, the Village was actually made up of three separate communities – “Old Garden City” (now known as the Central section), Garden City Estates and Garden City East.  To provide for a more uniform system of the provision of services, these three communities decided to incorporate the Village formally, which occurred in July 1919.

The Property Owners’ Association of Garden City Estates, Inc. (the “Estates POA”) is the successor to the original Garden City Estates community governing body.  Each of the 4 sections of the Village (Estates, Central, Eastern and Western) has a property owners’ association. We are a private organization.

The Community Agreement, Unified Procedure and the Mayor  

The three original communities agreed (along with the West Section, which was formed later) to abide by the “Community Agreement”.   While not legally binding, the Community Agreement provides that each of the 4 sections of the Village will nominate for election by the Village residents 2 persons to the Village’s Board of Trustees for a total of 8 persons.  The Mayor position is technically not a Trustee position but actually its own office. Pursuant to the terms of the Community Agreement, the POAs agreed to support each other’s nominees for Village Trustee, which is an arrangement similar to that of the School Board in electing its trustees.  The Community Agreement is intended to avoid partisan politics in election of Village officials, foster community among the 4 POA groups and to retain equality of services and costs for each of the sections regardless of the number of residents within each section. 

Each section is responsible for providing its own candidates for the annual General Village Election, held in March and governed by NYS Election Law. The candidates from the four sections are presented as The Community Agreement Party slate.

Each of the four POA groups also agreed to be bound by what is called the “Unified Procedure.”  To form the Community Agreement Party slate, each section has a nominating committee that presents candidates for the March General Election. Under the Unified Procedure, residents of the respective sections meet in January at their “Electors” meetings. It is at these meetings that additional nominees may be presented by persons eligible to vote in general elections who reside within that section.  Should that occur, a local run-off or primary election is held two weeks later. Only persons residing within that section may vote in the 'runoff' election. The winner becomes that section's entry on the Community Agreement Party's ballot for the March General Election.  The position of Mayor traditionally rotates among the four POA groups.

The Estates’ POA represents the residents of the Estates’ section, and coordinates the process of electing Village Trustees and School Board Trustees.  This is done by the 15 Member Nominating Committee, which is made up of residents in the Estates section. The POA encourages residents to participate in meetings of the POA and to become involved as a director or officer or by joining one of its committees. Nominees for Village and School Board Trustee positions are usually the result of a resident’s involvement in the POA.       

What is the POA’s function?  

The POA is a legally formed not for profit entity.  While not an official government body, the POA provides the residents of the Estates section of the Village with the opportunity to voice their concerns and opinions regarding matters in the Estates section and the Village at large, including things such as schools and education, public safety and traffic, local taxes, the maintenance of parks and streets, the Long Island Railroad and numerous other topics. As mentioned, one of the POA’s primary functions is to help select candidates for Village elections to the positions of Village and School Board Trustees. The Estates POA also awards two scholarships per year to graduating high school seniors. The scholarships are named after Mort Yuter and Jerie Newman, two long time Estates POA members who made invaluable contributions to the Estates Section and the Village as a whole.

Because our Village relies to a large extent upon the work and commitment of volunteers, the POA also makes recommendations to the Village Trustees and officials, of the names of persons who may be interested or qualified in serving on official and unofficial Village wide committees and entities such as Recreation, Traffic, Zoning and Architectural Boards.

Does the POA have any input in Village Matters?  

The POAs have been in existence for decades.  The Village relies upon the service of volunteers for various official and unofficial committees and boards.  The Village Board of Trustees and the School Board Trustees solicit candidates for services through the POA groups. A list of the various Village and School Committees on which volunteers serve is available on this website.

The POAs are not official government entities. The Village Board of Trustees and the School Board are not bound by any requests or suggestions made by any of the POAs.  That being said, the POAs are an important source of information, feedback and public opinion for both Boards. 

How Does the Estates POA Function?  

Similar to a corporation, we are governed by a set of by-laws.  Like most corporations, the Estates POA by-laws provide that the POA will have a Board of Directors and officers.  The Board is comprised of 15 of your neighbors.  The Board is separated into 3 classes, of 5 members each, and every director serves for 3-year terms.  It also has 4 officers, who are chosen by and from the Board.   Everyone is a volunteer -- no director or officer gets paid. 

Only official members of the POA can vote for the election of the POA directors or serve on a committee.  However, the 15 member nominating committee consists of residents of the Estates section and not just members of the POA.  Any resident wishing to apply for the nominating committee can submit their name for election. 

The Estates POA Board of Directors meets every month except July and August. The meetings are typically held on the second Wednesday of every month at the Stratford School in the Auditorium or Cafeteria at 8PM.  The January meeting is held on the third Tuesday of that month.  It consists of two parts, the regular Estates POA meeting and the Electors’ Meeting.  As described above, the Electors’ meeting is uniformly held by each of the POAs at the same time, and its purpose is to elect nominees for Village Trustee in harmony with the Community Agreement and Unified Procedure.

The Estates POA invites all Estates residents to come to its meetings and participate in discussion or to raise issues of concern.  The Estates’ Village Trustees and the School Board Trustee and volunteers on the various Village committees are regularly in attendance to answer inquiries or address matters that may be confronting the Village.

Are there ways to be involved but not become an Officer or Director? 

Absolutely!  First and foremost, just attending and participating in the discussions at our POA meetings is involvement.  We urge all residents to come and participate and influence what is going on in the Estates section and in the Village at large. 

The Nominating Committee is charged with seeking candidates to run for the Board of Directors, Village Trustee and School Board Trustee positions.  This committee makes recommendations to the residents and the POA.

How do I join? 

It’s very simple. Attend a meeting. Or contact one of our officers or directors.  We also run ads in the local papers from time to time when we are looking for committee members or persons to serve as directors. We also send periodic mailings to all addresses in the Estates section. We send an enrollment card every year to every household in the Estates’ section.  You can also sign up for e-mail alerts by submitting your information through this website.

Is there a Fee? 

The annual fee is $20.00 per household to become a member of the POA. Only dues paying members can vote in the election of POA directors or serve on a committee. The nominating committee, however, is open to all Estates residents. 

We use these dues to support our activities, such as running any runoff elections, and other community based purposes.  We are currently considering event community based proposals and welcome suggestions.  

*** Working Together To Make Garden City a Better Place To Live ***