Dering Harbor: Round six coming up for construction law

A proposal to amend the Village of Dering Harbor’s construction law, which includes banning excessive noise on summer weekends from home maintenance and landscaping, came up for the fifth time at the March 2 meeting.

After a discussion among the Board of Trustees and residents indicated that there was strong support for the change —provided there was a homeowner exemption — the hearing was adjourned to the April 13 meeting when a vote will be taken. The law will be proposed with a carve-out from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on summer Saturdays for homeowners only, not contractors.

In other business: The board approved the resolution to have Suffolk County Water Authority install water meters throughout the village. The cost for each meter is $1,050, which will be billed to the homeowner.

Patrick Parcells reported that a test well had been dug at Manhanset and Dering Woods roads and that the quality of water was very good. It is anticipated that two new wells will be dug to serve the village, one to the south and one to the north of Dering Woods Road.

Mayor Betsy Morgan asked the clerk to inform residents that there is an election on Tuesday, June 18. In addition to voting on one board seat, “It’s important to make people aware,” she said, that there will be a referendum on moving Election Day to the Friday of Memorial Day weekend in future years.

The board discussed a motion to amend the zoning code to eliminate a reference to set fees for building permits and other requirements. Upon approval from the Suffolk County Planning Commission, a new fee schedule will be drafted and posted on the village website. It is expected to be voted on at the April meeting.

A preliminary budget for 2019-2020 was introduced and will be made available on the website. Mr. Parcells outlined estimations that the operating budget would reflect savings from reducing staff and outsourcing their functions. By 2020, he indicated, the Village could reduce taxes as a result of the streamlined budget.

Resolutions to have public hearings for two proposed laws were approved. One would permit sleeping and sanitation facilities be allowed in accessory buildings on residential properties. Another would change the current code that now requires all owners of non-conforming lots to get Zoning Board approval for any changes, even if those changes were still within the code.

Because most of the village lots are non-conforming, it required a lengthy approval process for many homeowners. These two laws will be voted on at the April 13 meeting.