Category Archives: work session

Solutions, work session

Preemptive Strike

Leave a comment

Follow Progress For Westhampton Beach

By:  Progress for Westhampton Beach

The work session was called to order promptly at 7:00.

The Town of Southampton recently adopted a local law banning plastic bags and Town Councilman  Brad Bender has asked the Village of Westhampton Beach to do the same.  It was on the work session agenda tonight for a presentation by Councilman Bender and Dieter von Lehsten, the co-chair of the Southampton Town sustainability committee.  The presentation focused on the benefits of using durable bags for re-use rather than the single use plastic bags.  In addition to the town law, Councilman  Bender offered to provide the SEQRA determination made by the Town Board.

The State of New York has adopted legislation regulating plastic bags:  NYS Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Law.

This state law focuses on recycling plastic bags and authorizes the State Department of Environmental Conservation to adopt regulations to implement the law.  The State law also includes language specifically preempting local laws relating to the recycling and reuse of plastic bags.

When Mr. Bender was asked about whether the Town attorney had rendered an opinion that the local law was, in fact, legal and not preempted by the State law, he could not make that representation.  He simply said Southampton has not been sued yet.

There is important language in this state law that should not be ignored…

Continue reading Preemptive Strike →

Trustee Meeting, work session

March 18th, a full agenda

By:  Progress for Westhampton Beach

The evenings meeting was a combined Trustee Meeting and Work Session owing to the March 5th snow storm.  It was a full agenda.

Highlights on the Board’s agenda were:

  • Hiring a grant writer for an amount not to exceed $7,500.00. This is an important addition as the Board of Trustees endeavors to take advantage of available grants from county, state and federal governments.  It could prove to be a worthwhile investment. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
  • Authorizing publication of a Request For Proposals (RFP) to provide for concession at the village marina for Canoe / Kayak / Paddle Board Rentals.  If successful, this could generate modest revenue for the village and more importantly make one of the village’s most valuable assets, its waterfront, more accessible to its residents.
  • The Board of Trustees, by a vote of 3-1, awarded the concession for the Rogers Beach snack bar to JR WATER CORP.  There was one suggestion that the bidding in the future be restricted to businesses already established in the village.  It is doubtful such a corporate residency requirement would be legal.  If the village wants the beach concession profits to benefit residents only it would probably have to manage the food service itself and then restrict employment to residents only.1)a government run food concession brings to mind the school cafeteria,  uggh.school cafeteria  Then the village would be on the food service liability hook, with a privately operated concession there is no village liability.  The concession gets bid every year, earnest local entrepreneurs will have the chance to get their game on and then all residents win.
  • Sean Johnson was appointed as the Beach Manager for the 2015 beach season.  Mr. Johnson’s was in attendance and was warmly received.
  • Thomas Abbatiello is returning as the head lifeguard and together with Mr. Johnson we can expect to have another fine season at Rogers and Lashley beaches.
  • The Board of Trustees has authorized the Mayor to reserve excess sewage capacity from Suffolk County at the treatment facility located at the Gabreski Airport.  This is an important, albeit non-binding, statement of interest on the part of the Board of Trustees.  Many in the community thought this had been an opportunity lost.  Lets hope it gets proper consideration this time, it is worthy of serious evaluation.  As with most things, the devil will be in the details.

 

 

References   [ + ]

1. ↑ a government run food concession brings to mind the school cafeteria,  uggh.school cafeteria
work session

February 18, 2015

By:  Progress for Westhampton Beach

The meeting was called to order at 7:02 and the first matter taken up was the last item on the agenda.   

stephen-r-angelThe village attorney requested the matter of Public Meeting Procedures be considered by the Board of Trustees.  After sitting through the public hearing on the matter of the local law to create the position of Police Commissioner he suggested the Board implement rules that are successfully used at public meetings conducted at other municipalities so that each person’s right to be heard would be protected.1)“The application of parliamentary law is the best method yet devised to enable assemblies of any size, with due regard for every member’s opinion, to arrive at the general will on the maximum number of questions of varying complexity in a minimum amount of time and under all kinds of internal climate ranging from total harmony to hardened or impassioned division of opinion.”
[Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised [RONR (11th ed.), Introduction, p. liii]

This brought to mind a quote that has been attributed to Barry Goldwater “to disagree, one doesn’t have to be disagreeable.”

With respect to public hearings

  • Mr. Angel suggested that people who wished to speak sign up on a list or a card with their name and address so that when the public hearing was opened each person could be called to the podium to be heard in the order in which they signed up.  This would insure that everyone who wanted to speak would be certain to have the opportunity, and no one should be able to insist on speaking without having gone to the podium where he could be seen and heard by all.
  • Comments from speakers should be addressed to the Board collectively, and that it is improper to request an individual board member to give a final opinion on the the question presented by the hearing while the hearing is still open.  The Board has yet to deliberate on facts and opinions presented at such a hearing and any final expression on the issue would be premature.  However much a Trustee might be swayed by the passions of the moment, it is appropriate to leave room for calm reflection.  In the end, each member of the Board of Trustees bears the responsibility for the decision made after the hearing. 

With respect to work sessions

  • The Board might consider having a comment period at the close of a work session.  Interjections by the audience during discussions by the Trustees can be disruptive to a productive meeting.
  • Individuals who have an application or matter directly under consideration by the Board could make such presentations as the Board requests during the meeting in support of that particular business.

At the public hearing on February 5th those who actually went to the podium to speak to the Board of Trustees, for the most part, demonstrated the decorum appropriate to a public hearing, they were able to disagree without being disagreeable.

After the village attorney concluded his proposed changes to meeting procedures the Board continued with the evenings agenda…

Continue reading February 18, 2015 →

References   [ + ]

1. ↑ “The application of parliamentary law is the best method yet devised to enable assemblies of any size, with due regard for every member’s opinion, to arrive at the general will on the maximum number of questions of varying complexity in a minimum amount of time and under all kinds of internal climate ranging from total harmony to hardened or impassioned division of opinion.”
[Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised [RONR (11th ed.), Introduction, p. liii]