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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTB-08/03/2022 PH 1 COUNTY OF SUFFOLK : STATE OF NEW YORK TOWN OF SOUTHOLD -------------------------------------------------- TOWN OF SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD MEETING ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING -------------------------------------------------- Southold, New York August 3 , 2022 1 : 30 P . M . B E F 0 R E : SCOTT A . RUSSELL, SUPERVISOR LOUISA P . EVANS , JUSTICE JILL DOHERTY, COUNCILWOMAN BRIAN 0 . MEALY, COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI , COUNCILMAN SARAH E . NAPPA, COUNCILWOMAN August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 2 ANNUAL FISHERS ISLAND MEETING SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Okay . I am going to invite anybody who would like to address the Town Board to please feel free? MR . WILLARD SOPER : Yes . Thank you . My name is Willard Soper, and I am president of the Island Community Board . And have been for the last three years . First of all , I would like to thank all of you, as you have thanked all -- everyone for coming today, and bringing so many people who could meet with residents about various topics about roads and situations with certain roads to our Town owned ferry managed road to our Transfer Station, which is worse than any ride at Disney or any theme park, when you try to get down there . You don ' t know if you ' re going on a water ride or a -- just bumper cards . And other things . So thank you all for coming and having the meeting for these various residents and representatives from the Community Board . I just have August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 3 some brief formal comments I would like to make . The Island Community Board engages the Fishers Island community and informs the community, identifies challenges and opportunities and builds consensus . We ' re proud of the great team by the ICB and the island help and embraced by all the organizations who have kept our island relatively safe during the pandemic . And this is the first time you have been able to come in three years . So we certainly appreciate that you have been able to come . They ( inaudible ) consensus builder and consistent voice in communication in the Town Council and Southold managers very seriously . Once again, we would like to thank you for the support and enhancements provided to the community during the COVID pandemic over the past few years . These include a three-way Stop Sign at the intersection of Oriental and Montauk to make pedestrian and bike traffic more safely . The new side walk from the Village Center to the August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 4 grocery store . Financial support for the ferry during the COVID period . Creation of the neighborhood aide position and hiring of Beth ( inaudible ) . The Zoning approval for the Walsh Park project on school property after the consensus was achieved between the surrounding homeowners and the organization as to the density . The ICB would like to acknowledge the important role the Walsh Park plays and housing to our year round community and acknowledge the recent outreach in communication -- recent communication with the community . As we move on the pandemic period, the community is focused on infrastructure, housing, health insurance and I hope you all know that if we have individuals that are residents of Fishers Island and they go on Obama Care , to get a doctor, they have to take -- they don ' t get the ferry to pick them up at the Plum Island Dock and take them . They have to take a ferry and then move onto another ferry to Orient because the doctor ' s in August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 5 Connecticut can ' t service a New York resident . This is a major, major, major, major problem for Islanders . And we have a team of community members working on solutions to that . So focus on infrastructure, housing, health insurance , the cost of living for year-round residents and the potential impact of New York State local legislation on our small island . A specific note regarding safety are the need for better speed control on Whistler Avenue . Consideration of a four-way stop sign by the ball field . Petitions have been submitted to the UCB on behalf of both of those . Additional replacements of sidewalks . We realize they ' re more expensive, but they also provide safety for our children and/or our elderly and everybody in between . And the repair of our roads , I already mentioned the Transfer Station . On the legislative side, regarding the Peconic Bay tax and Affordable Housing, an ICB Subcommittee was formed, which held August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 6 numerous meetings with residents and has presented the Town with a draft document . At this time, George DeMeril and Richard Miller would like to now formerly present their final to you, the Town Council . Thank you . MR . GEORGE DEMERIL : Thank you, Willard . Thank you Scott Russell and all the members of the Town Board . We on Fishers Island have been studying carefully AC2633 , the enabling legislation signed by the Governor last Fall . We certainly agree -- there is a broad agreement that Affordable Housing is a critical issue for the future of Fishers Island and for many other communities . It may not -- will not surprise you, as we look at this , as Fishers Islanders , a concern that we have, the focus that we have, is that the efforts that Fishers Island makes , that Fishers Island land transfers make to the fund, will support in fact our needful community on Fishers Island . There are people on Fishers Island who August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 7 definitely need support and Affordable Housing and we are concerned that this fund may not actually reach then . There is an alternative approach, which has been advanced to create an independent housing authority in each of the hamlets and regions of the Town . And that has many advantages . However, that is not A2633 . And what is before us right now is A2633 . We have looked carefully at the law . A committee with Willard Soper, Sally Sipnale (phonetic ) , Richard Miller, will take you through the recommendations . Gina Scumachi and myself, have gone through it . And have the following recommendations to make should that bill be in fact voted favorably in November . MR . RICHARD MILLER : Thank you for this opportunity to address you . And I want to begin by emphasizing what George said, which there is a need for more Affordable Housing on Fishers Island . I also want to say that the points that I am going to take you through are issues August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 8 and questions that we ' re wrestling with and thinking about and learn about . We don ' t think that we have final answers on any of this . We ' re anxious to know more . This is a large group to turn into a useful session on details . And for you to give us the benefit of your expertise . But if you have input on this that would help us on Fishers Island, we would very much love to -- we hope that you will share that with us . These are the things that are on our minds . With reference to this particular legislation . First , and I understand that the wheels are already turning on this question, we think that the Town should appoint a resident on Fishers Island as one of their representatives on the Advisory Board that is to be set-up for this legislation . As we read the legislation, it seems to kind of -- like most of the aide would flow through kind of a complicated process , whereby somebody builds a new development . They August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 9 get a subsidy . They get a real estate tax relief as well , and then they have to release it to tenants , according to the rules of the Affordable Housing Programs . That seems like a long and round about way to get aide to people who need housing assistance . And one that at least on Fishers Island is likely to be a long time in evolution . And so we have a simpler idea, when you have someone who qualifies for Affordable Housing, can you not simply give them an abatement of real estate taxes , paid for from the fund? In other words , if somebody qualifies for assistance, you reduce their taxes by $ 1 , 000 and then you take a $ 1 , 000 from the fund and move in to the Town Budget . Just a thought . It ' s much simpler . It ' s quicker and it would get money into the right hands . Deserving hands sooner . We ' re not clear -- as I mentioned, subsidizing people who rent seems to take place only for people who building -- you know, building a unit August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 10 and having ( inaudible ) terms of the Affordable Housing . We can ' t find anything that allows a direct subsidy of rental costs for people that are entitled to Affordable Housing . If there is such a way, we ' re anxious to learn and we think this is something that other components of the Town of Southold would be interested in as well . Here on Fishers , we have an entity called Walsh Park . They have been around for a long time . I know Fishers well . One of the things contemplated by the statute is , public private partnerships . And we would like to have it established at the beginning that they would be considered an eligible participant with the Town in any private/public partnership . And then, there is some Town land here . And some of it can be used for Affordable Housing . One of the things that occurred to us is , is it possible for that land to be turned over to Town land for Affordable Housing purposes . And August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 11 simply having the Town reimburse itself out of our share of the monies that would be in this fund . The next one is , really kind of -- I think people focus on the most . You know, we ' re not interested here on Fishers Island and have no inclination whatsoever to discriminate according to race , color, natural origin, region, sex, gender preference . Any of those things . But we do want to give a preference or maybe a public school teacher . Or maybe even someone with other critical skills , such as someone who can repair a telephone poll during a storm when they come down and nobody from New London can come and fix it . We ' re not clear about the extent to which these preferences of this kind can be made under the Affordable Housing rules . I am speaking to my partner at lunch, and she was under the impression that there were ways in which it can be done . We would love to be educated about this . To us , this really is a very important feature . August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 12 We ' re not interested in, you know, giving somebody a subsidy so that they would have a nice home in front of the water . That is not the purpose of Affordable Housing . George eluded to this , and we note that the law says or the bill says , that the plan requires a equitable distribution of funds from the community housing fund . And we would like just a little bit of attention to be focused on what equitable means . And we would hope that people would consider that equitable means that people -- that the various regions of the Town of Southold receive funds back from the fund that there are some reasonable relation to the amount of funds that we ' re contributing by that area . And then the other one is , as you know, as mentioned, we have Walsh Park . And we don ' t want this governmental program to be a replacement for Walsh Park . And in fact, it gas been suggested that perhaps someone who -- I am not sure if it would be the transferor or the transferee, but August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 13 whoever is responsible for paying that tax, the extra half percent , instead of paying the funds into the Town fund, could instead make that contribution towards Walsh Park . It ' s a way of using these funds ( inaudible ) which all of us think is very successful . And that is really the end of the questions and the points that we have . I just want to emphasize what I said at the beginning . This is a complicated piece of legislation . We here at Fishers never had to deal with Housing Authority and all of this kind of stuff . We ' re very anxious to learn more and we ' re hoping that you will help us . Thank you very much . COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : I just want to make a couple of comments . I am the liaison to the Housing that we will be working on . And I cannot answer any of those questions right now because we have a lot of the same questions . And this is what this Board is going to form and look into all these different August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 14 things . But that ( inaudible ) representative from Fishers Island to here . Doesn ' t mean that we won ' t also be reaching out to the Community Board of Walsh Park or any other things . We ' re at the very beginning stage of it and are consultants that we hired to do this , is here today . And we ' re going to be working on it . So we will keep in touch with Fishers Island . They won ' t be forgotten . COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : I think the only thing that I will add to that is , one of the real benefits that this Board sees in legislation, is the broad latitude it provides us to use these funds in different ways in different parts of the community to meet the needs of that area . And it really gives us the ability as a community to take ownership of solving this problem in the context of our community . It takes the power away from our developers and puts the power in the hands of the community to provide this sort of housing that August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 15 works for us . So as you talk about an organization like Walsh Park, that has been very successful on Fishers Island, to me it makes perfect sense to work with them and figure out how to meet the needs here . But there is broad latitude within this law to use many different mechanism to provide Affordable Housing . Thank you . COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Thank you all for what you shared . If you have anything that the Board should see, could you just submit it to our counselor, Mr . Noncarrow at the end of the table . We just want to make sure that if you have important documents you want to share with us , that they ' re shared out to the entire Board . Thank you . SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : I would like to invite anybody that would like to come up and address the Board on any issue? MR . PETER BURR : My name is Peter Burr . I just wanted to recognize , I August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 16 understand that Melissa Spiro is retiring . And she has been a terrific support and help and constant help to us over the years . So we wish her well . SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : I will open it up to anyone who would like to address the Town Board on any issue? (No Response ) . JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Motion to adjourn . COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Second . SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : All in favor? COUNCILWOMAN JILL DOHERTY : Aye . COUNCILMAN BRIAN MEALY : Aye . COUNCILWOMAN SARAH NAPPA: Aye . COUNCILMAN GREG DOROSKI : Aye . JUSTICE LOUISA EVANS : Aye . SUPERVISOR SCOTT RUSSELL : Aye . (Whereupon, the, meeting concluded at this time . ) August 3, 2022 Fishers Island 17 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I , JESSICA DILALLO, a Court Reporter and Notary Public, for and within the State of New York, do hereby certify : THAT the above and foregoing contains a true and correct transcription of the Meeting held on August 3 , 2022 , via videoconference , and were transcribed by me . I further certify that I am not related to any of the parties to this action by blood or by marriage and that I am in no way interested in the outcome of this matter . IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of August , 2022 . 4-1' J ssica DiLallo