Town Board Meeting - Thursday, July 21

Thursday night’s hybrid meeting made use of new “OWL” technology that allowed better quality sound and visuals for those attending online.

Among the many committee and board reports, highlights included:

• A draft of the revised Comprehensive Plan is expected soon and will be posted online with a request for comments and feedback. Following any revisions, the plan will be presented at a public hearing and put to a vote by the Town Board. The revision of the comprehensive plan is a necessary step in revising town zoning laws. Keep up to date with developments by signing up for the town newsletter and email blasts HERE.

• The recently created Grant Appropriations Committee is applying for matching funds to research options to expand or replace the Town Hall. Some board members said they are committed to an ADA compliant facility, including for Town Court, and want to ensure the exploratory study considers a wide range of potential uses for any new or expanded facility.

• The board agreed to establish a Housing Committee to address the housing shortage within the town. The committee’s first assignment will be to study existing housing needs and to identify areas where more housing might be created or incorporated. A call for volunteer committee members will be put out on the town website soon.

• A PUBLIC HEARING will take place on August 4 to hear comment on a proposed local law that will allow for a continuation of hybrid public meetings that were first instituted due to Covid precautions. Such a law would allow a board member to attend meetings and to vote virtually under “extraordinary circumstances” (“…disability, illness, caregiving responsibilities, or any other significant or unexpected factor or event which precludes the member’s physical attendance at such meeting”) under an amendment of the NYS Open Meetings Law.