The Siemens energy contract.

What the Town bought

In April 2024 the Clarkstown Town Board authorized $9 million for an Article 9 energy performance contract with Siemens Industry, Inc., according to the Rockland County Business Journal. The contract funded lighting and building improvements and a new playground at Zukor Park in New City honoring the late Councilman Mark Woods. In July 2025 the Town Board reduced the playground estimate from $2.8 million to $1.3 million and defined the project as “duly authorized energy-related playground improvements.”

Under an energy performance contract, a company designs and installs energy-saving upgrades and the town pays for them up front, expecting to recover the cost through lower utility bills over time.

What the Director of Engineering reported

What the Town says

On July 29 the Town Attorney released documents including a report prepared by Siemens and a review by the Town Comptroller that, in the Town’s words, verified “both the Siemens report and the accuracy of the payments.” The Town’s position, as stated by the Town Attorney:

• Every payment complied with the contract, and outside auditors reviewing prior years found no issues.
• The $680,320 was a negotiated flat fee that covered procurement, planning, design, construction management, commissioning and safety, hourly labor, subcontractors, insurance, bonding and contingencies, of which certified payroll was “only one small component.”
• Gianatasio himself approved all 17 payment vouchers to Siemens.
• Reducing the playground’s scope secured “a $1.5M credit from the original plan.”
• His boiler figures ignore the terms of the master contract.

The Town Attorney has also filed an ethics complaint against Gianatasio alleging undisclosed business interests, and the Town says its investigation of him began before he raised the billing concerns. Gianatasio disputes the allegations. Through his attorney he told News 12 that he raised the concerns “to protect public funds” and called for an independent review of the contract: “Questioning payments when the numbers do not add up is not misconduct.”

What is still open

In an August 31 statement reported by Rockland News, the Town said an internal investigation, an independent ethics investigation and an external criminal investigation are under way involving employees and vendors connected to its Department of Engineering and Facilities Management. A second department engineer has since been placed on paid leave; the Town has not said why. No findings had been announced as of that update.

The review the Town released rests on a report prepared by Siemens, the company whose billing is in question, as the Business Journal has noted.

Where Eugene stands

Residents should not have to choose between the Town’s account and its engineer’s. They should get an independent one. Bondar’s first-100-days plan commits to pulling every existing Town contract to confirm it was legally and competitively procured, and to a complete forensic audit of Town finances by a national firm, with the findings published in full. The Siemens contract, its payment applications and its certified payrolls would be part of that review.

Common questions