Post-election, Riverhead Town Board unanimously acts on all resolutions

It was business as usual at Thursday’s Riverhead Town Board meeting, the first since the election, with no outward signs of lingering animosity from the just-ended campaign for town supervisor.

At the start of the meeting, Council Member Ken Rothwell, who unsuccessfully challenged Supervisor Jerry Halpin’s bid for re-election, congratulated Halpin on his victory and pledged to work with him and the rest of the board.

“I am committed to working together with the supervisor and all the members of the Town Board,” Rothwell said, adding that he looked forward to working for town residents over the next two years.

“Thank you very much,” Halpin responded. “We’re going to do great things.”

The board rode the kumbaya moment through the meeting’s conclusion, taking unanimous actions on all matters that came before it.

The board unanimously tabled a proposed $400-per-hour contract with a regional Community Preservation Fund attorney Thursday, following objections from residents and board members over the arrangement’s cost, oversight and impact on local control of preservation funds.

The board also advanced a proposed joint farmland preservation purchase with Suffolk County, declared an emergency at the town’s Youngs Avenue yard waste facility, in order to approve the removal of storm debris without a bidding process, and scheduled public hearings on zoning and code amendments.

Three public hearings were held, including one on a proposed full property tax exemption for permanently and totally disabled veterans and another on the town’s proposed 2027 budget.

Board tables regional CPF attorney agreement

The board voted 5-0 to table a resolution authorizing Supervisor Jerry Halpin to sign an agreement retaining attorney Mary Wilson as regional counsel to the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Committee, an entity established under state legislation governing the five East End towns’ preservation funds.

The proposed contract calls for Wilson to receive $400 per hour, with the cost divided among Riverhead, Southampton, East Hampton, Southold and Shelter Island based on their respective shares of regional Community Preservation Fund revenues. It also provides for reimbursement of travel time and certain other expenses.

Jamesport resident Barbara Blass, speaking during public comment on resolutions, questioned why Riverhead should be required to contribute toward legal services concerning CPF matters in other towns.

Blass noted that Riverhead has historically used its comparatively limited CPF revenues to preserve farmland and open space, while other East End towns collect substantially greater sums and spent funds on a wider variety of acquisitions.

She also questioned the selection of Wilson, who resides in Florida, and whether her agreement would permit reimbursement for travel between Florida and Long Island.

Town Attorney Erik Howard said the agreement divides the towns’ responsibilities for the legal fee according to their relative shares of total regional CPF revenues.  Riverhead’s share of regional CPF revenues was approximately 5.3% in 2023, compared with 51% for Southampton and 33% for East Hampton, for example, Howard said. The allocation is recalculated annually, he said.

Howard said he had not received any invoices from Wilson. He also said the other towns had signed agreements retaining her.

The arrangements are the result of a state law creating a regional CPF 

Council Member Denise Merrifield objected to the state law requiring the towns to participate in the regional arrangement.

“I was really offended that the state is requiring this of us,” Merrifield said. “We had no choice; we had to enter into this.”

Rothwell also supported postponing action, citing questions about the regional committee’s authority and its potential involvement in future changes to Riverhead’s CPF program.

The board voted unanimously to table the contract pending further review.

Board advances preservation of nearly 53 acres of farmland

The board unanimously approved appraisals and a reconciled valuation for the proposed purchase of development rights to approximately 52.9 acres of farmland owned by Youngs Farm Association LP.

The farmland is part of a 56.93-acre parcel on the south side of Sound Avenue and west side of Roanoke Avenue.

The proposed acquisition would be undertaken jointly by Riverhead and Suffolk County, with each government paying half the purchase price. Riverhead’s share would come from its Community Preservation Fund.

The resolution accepts two independent appraisal reports obtained by Suffolk County and the value established through the county’s appraisal review process.

It does not disclose the purchase price or authorize the expenditure of town funds. The transaction remains subject to additional approvals, including a public hearing and final authorization of the acquisition.

Emergency declared at Youngs Avenue yard waste facility

The board unanimously declared a public emergency at the town’s Northside Yard Waste Facility on Youngs Avenue, where accumulated yard waste has brought the facility close to its permitted capacity.

The facility is authorized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to accept no more than 10,000 cubic yards of material.

According to the resolution, waste volumes have increased steadily since 2020, with particularly heavy use this year, compounded by repeated storms that generated large amounts of vegetative debris.

Town officials said the accumulation threatens to push the facility beyond its permitted capacity, potentially exposing Riverhead to state enforcement action, fines, suspension or closure.

Under an arrangement approved by the board, Delea Sod Farm will remove an estimated 7,000 to 8,000 cubic yards of ground and composting material from the facility and transport it to its own property for further processing and use.

The work will be performed at no cost to the town, according to the resolution.

The emergency declaration is intended to allow the town to reduce the accumulated material before the influx of leaves and other yard waste during the fall collection season.

Disabled veterans urge passage of property tax exemption

Several veterans appeared before the Town Board to support a proposed local law granting a full property tax exemption to qualifying veterans who are permanently and totally disabled as a result of military service.

The exemption, authorized under recently amended state law, would apply to eligible veterans’ primary residences and include certain special district charges and assessments.

Aquebogue resident Paul Leszczynski, a former Riverhead Town assessor and a Vietnam-era Green Beret veteran, urged the board to act promptly, noting that many of the veterans who would benefit are elderly.

He recounted the hostile reception endured by Vietnam war veterans when they returned home.

“This is your opportunity to thank a vet by approving this,” Leszczynski told the board. “Most of us, like I said, are elderly.”

Eugene Backus, a Riverhead resident who serves as commander of the American Legion in Eastport, described being wounded twice while serving in Vietnam, spoke about the lasting effects of his injuries, including recent surgery to remove shrapnel from his back.

“Veterans never ask for anything and I’m not here to ask you to pass this bill,” Backus said. “I’m here to ask you, where were you in 1968? Where were you in 1969? I can tell you where I was. I was in the jungles of Vietnam with my other brothers,” Backus said.

The Riverhead American Legion post commander Robert Robesch, who also serves as the Long Island district commander, told the board that the number of veterans eligible to receive the benefit is relatively small and the impacts to the town’s tax roll would not be significant, he said.

Assessor Laverne Tennenberg said her office is preparing a mailing to more than 200 disabled veterans whose existing exemption records will be reviewed for eligibility under the proposed law.

She said veterans who already have exemption applications on file generally will not need to submit new applications, although some may need additional documentation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Tennenberg also identified several technical and drafting errors in the proposed legislation that require correction.

\Written comments on the proposed law will be accepted through Nov. 16.

Public hearing held on 2027 town budget

The board held a public hearing on the proposed 2027 town budget, which Financial Administrator Jeannette DiPaola introduced. DiPaola said the budget carries a projected tax levy increase of 1.79%, which she said is below the town’s applicable tax levy limit of 2.79%.

No residents spoke during the budget hearing.

The board left the written comment period open through Nov. 16.

Townwide changes to parking requirements proposed

The board scheduled a Nov. 17 public hearing on proposed zoning amendments that would make shared-parking reductions available in all zoning districts.

The proposed legislation would permit a reduction of up to 20% in required off-street parking for developments with multiple uses whose peak parking demands occur at different times.

The reductions would require supporting traffic data or other credible evidence from a licensed traffic engineer and would be subject to approval by the board responsible for reviewing the development.

Similar provisions currently exist in several commercial zoning districts. The proposal would move those provisions into the town code’s supplementary use regulations, making them potentially applicable townwide.

The hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.

Other actions taken

In other business, the Town Board:

• Approved a $225,000 budget transfer to cover additional general liability insurance claims incurred this year, using $205,700 in available workers’ compensation appropriations and additional funds from other accounts.
• Transferred $134,000 from other Water District appropriations to cover electricity costs through the end of the year.
• Increased the hourly rate for part-time police officers from $27 to $28, effective Nov. 1.
• Accepted the resignation of Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Liam Keating, effective Nov. 6. Board members thanked Keating for his service and indicated he was leaving for a position in East Hampton.
• Scheduled a Nov. 17 hearing on proposed increases in penalties for tampering with Water District infrastructure and illegal use of district facilities. The proposed fines would range from $2,500 to $10,000, with higher penalties for repeat violations.
• Scheduled a Nov. 17 hearing on an additional accessible parking space on Second Street.
• Authorized bids for Water District well and pump testing and requested proposals for a supervisory control and data acquisition system for the Riverhead Sewer District.
• Approved the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association’s Merry Market, scheduled for Dec. 5 in downtown Riverhead.

Resident raises town square development concerns

During the meeting’s open public comment period, resident John McAuliff questioned the town’s handling of downtown redevelopment projects, contrasting its use of a competitive request-for-proposals process for the former science center property with the negotiated agreement for the proposed hotel development on the other side of the planned town square.

McAuliff urged town officials to make proposals for the science center property publicly available and suggested reconsidering the hotel project if the developer’s agreement falls apart.