New City NY: The Town of Clarkstown has reached a civil settlement with the operators of what officials described as an illegal daycare on Maple Avenue in New City, according to a statement released by Supervisor George Hoehmann.
Under the agreement, the town imposed $40,000 in fines, which Hoehmann said ranks among the largest penalties collected for a code enforcement violation in Clarkstown’s history. The operators are also permanently barred from conducting business in the Town of Clarkstown under the terms of the settlement.
Town officials said the case involved serious code violations at the daycare site. In his statement, Hoehmann said the penalties reflected what he called the severity of those violations and said the town viewed the matter as a serious public safety issue.
The settlement addresses the civil side of the case, but criminal proceedings are still pending. Hoehmann said the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office is handling criminal charges of endangering the welfare of a child connected to the matter. Those charges have not been resolved in the statement released by the town, and no further details about the allegations, court schedule, or the identities of the operators were included in the release.
The daycare had been operating on Maple Avenue in New City, according to the statement. Town officials did not specify how long the facility had been in operation, how many children may have been affected, or what specific code provisions were allegedly violated. The town also did not say when the daycare was shut down, though Hoehmann credited multiple agencies for closing the facility quickly.
In the statement, Hoehmann thanked town, county, and state departments and agencies for what he described as a fast response. He said their work helped ensure that the facility was shut down as quickly as possible and that the operators were held accountable through the legal process.
The case highlights the overlapping roles of local code enforcement and criminal prosecution. In matters like this, towns can pursue civil penalties for violations of municipal codes, while county prosecutors may separately pursue criminal charges if they believe state law was violated. In this instance, Clarkstown’s announcement makes clear that the town’s settlement does not end the criminal case.
Hoehmann also used the announcement to emphasize the town’s broader enforcement posture. He said Clarkstown would continue working to protect residents from illegal and unlawful behavior and urged the public to report suspected code violations.
Residents can file complaints through the town’s MyClarkstown app or by calling the Supervisor’s Office at 845-639-2050, according to the statement.
Because the announcement came in the form of a press release from the supervisor’s office, many questions remain unanswered. The town did not release the names of the daycare operators in the statement, nor did it provide the text of the settlement agreement. It also did not identify which agencies participated in the investigation or enforcement action, beyond referencing town, county, and state departments and the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office.
It is also not clear from the release whether the daycare operators admitted wrongdoing as part of the civil compromise. Civil settlements can resolve disputes without a formal finding at trial, and the town’s statement did not describe the legal terms in greater detail.
Even with those open questions, the town’s position was clear: Clarkstown officials consider the matter a significant enforcement case and say they intend to continue monitoring for similar violations. The unusually large fine and permanent ban suggest the town viewed the circumstances as especially serious compared with typical code cases.
For residents, the announcement serves as both a case update and a public notice. The civil case has resulted in a substantial financial penalty and a prohibition against future operation in Clarkstown, while the criminal case remains active at the county level.
As of the town’s statement, the most concrete facts are these: the case involved an illegal daycare on Maple Avenue in New City; the town reached a civil settlement with the operators; the settlement includes $40,000 in fines and a permanent bar from operating in Clarkstown; and criminal charges alleging endangering the welfare of a child are still pending with the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office.
