At its
January 29 meeting, this first of 2019, the Huntington Town Board enacted
ethics reforms, strengthening the Town’s Ethics Code and financial disclosure
requirements, scheduled fourteen public hearings for the February 13 Town Board
meeting, among other Town business.
The Town
Board voted to add clarifications and amendments to the Town Ethics Code to be
consistent with State Law. Amendments included adding grandparents and
grandchildren to the definition of “Relative;” adding dependents to reporting
requirements; requiring Town political party chairpersons to file annual
statements of financial disclosure; expanding the window, from 30 to 90 days,
prohibiting Town officers and employees from seeking or accepting future
private post-government employment with persons or organizations with certain
matters pending before the employee or any board or commission; strengthening
rules preventing nepotism; requiring reporting persons hired after the
reporting deadline to file disclosure statements within 30 days of starting
employment; and shortening the window, from six months to three months, in
which newly elected, appointed or hired officers and employees must receive
ethics training.
Supervisor
Chad A. Lupinacci stated: “Ethics reform has been a priority of my
administration and I am pleased to announce that in addition to enacting term
limits in my first month in office and successfully enhancing the independence
of the Ethics Board from Town leadership during my first year, we have now
strengthened the Town’s Ethics Code to ensure our government is as open and
transparent as possible for the residents we serve.”
The Town
Board also amended the Town of Huntington Annual Statement of Financial
Disclosure, per the recommendation of Ethics Board counsel Stephen Leventhal,
providing updated contact information for the Board of Ethics should a
reporting person have an inquiry; making the box for checking “none” more
conspicuous; excluding the reporting of credit card debt; and allowing for the
aggregation of investments of less than 5% of publically-held corporations by
identifying the brokerage firm (instead of individual stocks).
The Town
Board allocated up to $115,000 in Neighborhood Enhancement funding from the
EOSPA Open Space Land and Park Improvements Reserve Fund for parking and
streetscape enhancements to the Poe Place right-of-way in East Northport, near
Kew Avenue Park and John J. Walsh Park.
“My
office has worked with the neighboring residents, East Northport Public Library
and Larkfield Little League, holding meetings with multiple Town departments to
address the parking and traffic safety concerns near the library and the Town’s
parks and ball fields,” said Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. “The much-needed
improvements, supporting the usage of the Town’s parks and open space, includes
27 standard and two handicap-accessible parking spaces, concrete curbs,
sidewalk, and handicap-accessible ramps, crosswalks, and signage along Poe
Place to create safe community access to the parks and alleviate traffic flow
issues.”
The Town
Board approved the purchase a .25-acre vacant lot on the southeast corner of
New York Avenue and Pulaski Road in Huntington Station from the County of
Suffolk to establish much-needed parking in the area. While the parcel was
listed at $10,000, Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci was able to negotiate a
significantly discounted price of $2,500.
In
other action, the Town Board:
·
Urged
the New York State Legislature and Governor Cuomo to restore $1.1 million in
funding for the Town of Huntington, which the Governor proposed be cut from the
State’s Aid and Incentives for Municipalities Program.
·
Urged
the New York State Legislature and Governor Cuomo to enact legislation and
appropriate funding to protect taxpayers in the Town of Huntington and the
Northport-East Northport School District in the event of a settlement or an
adverse judgment in the pending tax certiorari challenges brought by the Long
Island Power Authority (LIPA) and National Grid Generation, LLC.
·
Renamed
the Town of Huntington Opioid Task Force to the Town of Huntington Opioid and
Addiction Task Force.
·
Authorized
the Town of Huntington Department of Planning and Environment to apply for free
trees from the National Wildlife Federation’s trees for Wildlife Program to
support the Town’s 2019 Earth Day and Arbor Day events.
·
Amended
the Code of the Town of Huntington, Chapter 21 Environmental Open Space and
Park Funds, to update and more accurately reflect the administration of EOSPA
and criteria to be followed by EOSPA, specifically reflecting the use of
revenue rather than the use of bonds, setting forth the criteria the Committee
will utilize in making its annual recommendations to the Town Board, and
removing the sunset provision set forth in this Chapter.
·
Authorized
the Supervisor to enter into an agreement with Cool Events, Inc. DBA Eventpower
to produce the Town of Huntington Project P.L.A.Y. 5K Run Fundraising Event on
May 18, 2019.
·
Appointed
Marietta Costa as a member of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the Dix
Hills Water District to fill a vacancy on the committee upon the recommendation
of other members of the committee.
·
Appointed
Susan Coleman as a member of the Advisory Committee pursuant to the Community
Benefits Agreement to fill a vacancy on the committee.
·
Appointed
an organizational representative from the Fort Salonga Property Owners
Association to serve as a member of the Crab Meadow Watershed Advisory
Committee.
·
Appointed
Jeffrey M. Bartholomew and Kathleen Casey and reappointed Sam Miller and Sheryl
L. Randazzo, Esq. as members of the Town of Huntington Board of Ethics.
·
Appointed
Nicholas D. Loizides and reappointed Jennifer Casey, Robert S. Kissam, Elissa
Kyle, N. Christian Hansen, Lawrence Leek, and Alfred Walker as members of the
Historic Preservation Commission.
·
Reappointed
John Borelli, Paul J. Ponturo, P.E., and Peter A. Wolpensinger, P.E. as members
of the Plumbing Advisory Board of the Town of Huntington.
·
Amended
the name of the Dr. Samuel Teich House to the Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Teich
House, at the request of the Teich family.
·
Scheduled
public hearings for the Wednesday, February 13, 2019 Town Board meeting at 7:00
PM:
Ø To consider awarding a license
agreement for the use of private locker room space at Dix Hills Park Ice Rink
with the Long Island Rebels.
Ø To consider issuing a Certificate of
Approval in an Historic District Re: 22 Goose Hill Road, Cold Spring Harbor – Cold
Spring Harbor Historic District.
Ø To consider installing a Stop Sign
for westbound traffic on Catalpa Drive at Crest Drive in East Northport.
Ø To consider authorizing various
actions be taken upon certain properties designated as blighted in accordance with
Chapter 156, Article VII, §156-60 (Blighted Property).
Ø To consider exempting the Huntington
Manor Fire District from Site Plan Review and the Town of Huntington Code as is
necessary to build an exercise building on the east side New York Avenue, between
East 12th Street and East 13th Street, Huntington Station.
Ø To consider adding a Stop Sign for
northbound traffic on Sleepy Hollow Lane at Wildwood Drive in Dix Hills.
Ø To consider adding No Stopping
restrictions on the west side of Tobey Place from 250 feet south of 5th
Avenue south for 25 feet in East Northport.
Ø To consider amending the code of the
Town of Huntington, Chapter 159 (Recreational Facilities), Article III, (Permit
for use of Park Facilities) §159-31 (Permit: Application, Conditions and Issuance),
to adopt permit fees for the use of recreation or park facilities and establish
a late fee if required documents are not submitted within the specified time
period.
Ø To consider amending the Code of the
Town of Huntington, Chapter 160 (Registration and Permitting of Property),
Article IV (Short Term Rentals), to require resident applicants to comply with
all applicable state, federal, and local laws; to reduce the number of calendar
days per year that a property may be used as a short-term rental from 120 to
90; and to strengthen the effect of the revocation of a short-term rental
permit.
Ø To consider amending the Code of the
Town of Huntington, Chapter 178 Taxation, Article IV Alternative Veterans
Exemption, to provide a real estate tax exemption to resident service men and
women of the Town of Huntington who participated in Operation Graphic Hand
during the 1970 U.S. Postal worker strike in order to maintain postal service
operations.
Ø To consider amending the Code of the
Town of Huntington, Chapter 198 (Zoning), Article XVII (Planning Board
Approvals), to help the Assessor’s office conduct a more accurate assessment on
merged commercial properties and avoid placing an undue burden on commercial
property owners with multiple tenants.
Ø To consider amending the Code of the
Town of Huntington, Chapter 198 Zoning, Article XVI Zoning Board of Appeals,
§198-108 Continuation of Board; Members; Alternate Members; Term of Office, and
Article XVII (Planning Board Approvals), §198-112 Rules as to Procedure;
Hearings; Notice; §198-117 Term of Office; Procedural Rules and Regulations, to
codify the authorization of the Town Board to select a Vice Chairman of the
Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and Planning Board and establishing the
Chairman’s duties.
Ø To consider amending the Code of the
Town of Huntington, Chapter 198 Zoning, Article XVI Zoning Board of Appeals
§198-113 Expiration of Special Use Permit, Special Exception or variance, to
allow the ZBA to grant an additional extension to obtain a building permit at
the conclusion of an initial six-month extension if the ZBA determines the
applicant has demonstrated compelling reasons for the delay.
Ø To consider the execution of an
extension to a license agreement nunc pro tunc pursuant to the Marine Conservation
Law, Town Code Chapter 137, to maintain a residential pier assemblage. Owner:
Douglas C. Horn and Robin K. Horn, Location: 14 Harbor Park Court, Centerport,
N.Y.
Attachment:
Existing Conditions and Removals at Kew Avenue and Poe Place in East Northport;
Proposed Concept Plan for Kew Avenue and Poe Place in East Northport.
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