Village Hall Holiday Schedule: Village Hall will close at noon Christmas Eve in observance of the Christmas holiday and will reopen at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26. Village offices will also close at noon Dec. 31 in observance of the New Year's holiday and will reopen at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 2. For your convenience, correspondence may be placed in the letter slot at the easterly entrance to Village Hall.

Village Taxes: The second half of village taxes, which were due and payable Dec. 1, are normally subject to penalty if payment is not made within a 30-day grace period. This year due to the holiday schedule, payments received after Jan. 1 will be subject to penalty. Please return the "second half" bill stub with your payment made payable to the Incorporated Village of Garden City. Please note that Village Hall closes at noon Dec. 31 in observance of the New Year holiday. For your convenience, tax payments may be placed in the letter slot at the easterly entrance to Village Hall.

Veterans Real Property Tax Exemption: The deadline for applications for veterans tax exemptions is Dec. 31. Applications cannot be accepted after the close of business at noon on that date.

The village's solicitation law prohibits all unwanted commercial solicitations and distributions on all private residential property in the village and prohibits non-commercial solicitations and distributions on private property to the extent desired by the resident. This law was designed to protect residents from unwanted invasions of their privacy.

Any resident requesting not to be solicited should complete a "Notice of Objection" form at the Village Hall. Presently, the board has authorized certain groups to solicit door-to-door in the village.

The next regularly scheduled village board of trustees meeting is on Thursday, Dec. 20, at 8 p.m. I encourage residents to periodically utilize the village's website for information regarding the village's operations, as well as items of seasonal and special interest. The address is www.gardencityny.net. Also please be aware that I have a village email address and would be delighted to hear from village residents about their concerns - it is as follows: MayorPBee@gardencityny.net. Residents in the Village of Garden City are very fortunate in having a vital business community comprised of merchants who are committed to serve us from their shops along Franklin Avenue, Seventh Street and New Hyde Park Road. I urge each of you to continue to patronize these local businesses during the holiday and throughout the year. Our business community wants to know how they are doing, so take a minute the next time you are shopping and let them know what you think about the quality of their products, attention to customer service and the new "Merchant Card" program of our local Chamber of Commerce.