What’s on tap for county legislators this week: police activities, body cameras, the upcoming election and more

Committee meetings of the Suffolk County Legislature will be held at the Evans K. Griffing County Center in Riverside this week in advance of the next general meeting on Sept. 9.

Highlights include a presentation on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. by Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart, who will provide an update on police statistics and activities, and a presentation on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. by the Suffolk County Board of Elections about voting in Suffolk County and the preparations underway for the November 2020 elections.

A livestream of the committee meetings will be available at www.scnylegislature.us. Resolutions that are approved in committees will be considered by the full legislature at the Sept. 9 general meeting, which will be conducted via Zoom.

Legislators will meet in person for the committee meetings at the Maxine S. Postal Auditorium of the Evans K. Griffing Building, located at 300 Center Drive in Riverside. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and by Executive Order of the Governor, the meetings will remain closed to the public and the public portion of committee meetings will continue to be suspended. Interested parties may weigh in on proposed legislation or any topics of concern by submitting comments as follows:

• Over the Phone: Parties can call (631) 853-3685 and leave a three-minute message. Residents should include their name as well as whether they are addressing a particular committee or speaking about a specific resolution.
• By Email: Comments may be submitted in writing by emailingClerk.Legislature@suffolkcountyny.gov.
• By Regular Mail: Comments may be mailed to the attention of the Clerk’s Office at the Suffolk County Legislature, William H. Rogers Building, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Smithtown, NY 11787.

Committee meeting schedule

Monday – Environment, Parks & Agriculture (10 a.m.) | Veterans & Consumer Affairs (1 p.m.) | Public Works, Transportation & Energy (2 p.m.)

Tuesday – Budget & Finance (9:30 a.m.) | Seniors & Human Services (CANCELED) | Fire, Rescue and Emergency Medical Services & Preparedness (11:30 a.m.)

Wednesday  – Government Operations, Personnel, Information Technology & Diversity (10 a.m) | Education & Labor (12:30 p.m.) | Economic Development, Planning & Housing (2:00 p.m.)

Thursday 9/3/2020 – Public Safety (9:30a.m.) | Ways & Means (12:30 p.m.) | Health (2:00 p.m.)

Committee meeting highlights

On Monday at 10 a.m., legislators on the Environment, Parks and Agriculture Committeewill hear a presentation from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services on a proposed amendment to the Suffolk County Sanitary Code to require the use of innovative and alternative onsite wastewater treatment systems for new or expanded single-family residences and other new construction projects. Lawmakers will also discuss reconvening the Water Quality Protection and Restoration Program Committee to review a pending grant application by the Coalition for Fire Island Waste Water Solutions, which is looking for funding to develop a comprehensive wastewater treatment plan for Fire Island. Also on the agenda is a resolution to authorize the acquisition of farmland development rights for an 11.2-acre parcel located at 4945 South Avenue in Riverhead.

Then at 1 p.m., legislators on the Veterans & Consumer Affairs Committee will hear a presentation by Joseph Pecorella, chief auditor at the Suffolk County Comptroller’s Office, who will speak about the 2020 Audit Report on the Registration of Nonprofit Veterans Organizations.

Also on Monday, at 2 p.m. legislators on the Public Works, Transportation & Energy Committee will discuss a measure by Deputy Presiding Officer Hahn to streamline the consideration of sewer connection applications. Under the proposal, the departments of public works and health services would examine their sewer connection application processes and work to assess strategies to streamline the process, including studying the feasibility of establishing a single application and review process. Lawmakers will also consider appropriating $4.5 million in serial bonds for site improvements in connection with the dredging of county waters. Priority navigation channels in 2020 include Mount Sinai Harbor, Tuthills Cove and Dike, Timber Point East Marina County Park, Ketchums Creek/Bayview Canal and Champlin Creek.

On Wednesday at 10 a.m., legislators on the Government Operations, Personnel, Information Technology and Diversity Committee will consider a measure to suspend step and salary increases in 2020 and 2021 for county employees excluded from bargaining units to address revenue shortfalls. The payments would be deferred until an employee leaves county service.

Also on Wednesday, at 2 p.m. legislators on the Economic Development, Planning and Housing Committee will consider accepting federal grant funds for the preparation of a conceptual design for the Suffolk County Bike and Hike program, which proposes a network of over 1,200 miles of hike/bike facilities. Lawmakers will also weigh accepting a donation of bike repair stations from the Long Island Board of Realtors.

On Thursday at 9:30 a.m., legislators on the Public Safety Committee will hear from Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Geraldine Hart who will provide an update on police statistics and activities. Lawmakers will also consider a resolution by Deputy Presiding Officer Hahn to require that the police commissioner notify the legislature when 5 percent or more of the budgeted public safety dispatcher or emergency complaint operator positions in the department are vacant. Currently notification is required when vacancies reach 10 percent. Legislators will also consider a tabled proposal by Legislator Jason Richberg related to obtaining quotes on implementing a body camera program for Suffolk County police officers and deputy sheriffs. This measure would direct the Suffolk County Police Department and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office to jointly draft and issue a request for expressions of interest that would include a cost estimate, the image resolution quality provided by the proposed cameras, the costs for storing video footage, a third-party monitoring component, and costs projected for data storage capabilities.

Also on Thursday, at 12:30 p.m. the Ways and Means Committee members will hear a presentation from Suffolk County Board of Elections Commissioners Anita Katz and Nick LaLota, who will provide an overview of the status of voting in Suffolk County, including lessons learned from the June 2020 primary. Committee Chair Legislator Bridget Fleming will ask how the board of elections is responding to the Executive Orders from Governor Andrew Cuomo, including staffing for early voting and on Election Day, and will inquire about the preparations being made for absentee ballot registration and mail-in voting given the social distancing requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lawmakers at Ways and Means will also consider a proposal by Legislator Samuel Gonzalez to extend the salary freeze for elected officials for an additional four years, and a proposal by Presiding Officer Rob Calarco to place the portion of real property tax revenues collected to support Suffolk County Community College on a separate line of the tax bill from the County General Fund.

Then at 2 p.m. on Thursday, legislators on the Health Committee will hear from Dr. David Fiorella, who will provide an update on Stony Brook Medicine’s deployment of mobile stroke units in Suffolk County. Committee members will also weigh Legislator Tom Cilmi’s proposal to prohibit purposely feeding, baiting or providing food to any wild animal in Suffolk County.

Source: Press release from Presiding Officer Rob Calarco