Rules for public meetings passed by Board — Supervisor: Some work sessions have ‘gotten out of hand’

New rules for the public attending Town Hall meetings were voted in unanimously at the Feb. 19 Town Board meeting.

The new legislation, which includes a time limit of three minutes for speakers addressing the board — a clerk will let the speaker know when time’s up — is called “Rules of Conduct and Decorum,” and has 18 items regulating do’s-and-don’ts for the public attending meetings.

Supervisor Gerry Siller read the reasons for the new regulations stated in the resolution, noting that New York State law and the New York State Committee on Open Government “has agreed that reasonable rules may be adopted to limit the length, general nature, and time when public comments may be heard, in order for the Board to consider various points of view and run an efficient meeting.”

Mr. Siller then turned to Town Attorney Stephen Kiely to read the 18 regulations, which include banning the use of “profane, vulgar, inflammatory, threatening, disparaging language.” Also prohibited are what the resolution terms, “political speeches or calls for political action.”

It also states that those who wish to address the Board must sign in when entering the meeting room with their names and topics they want to discuss. Those appearing virtually at the meeting must raise their hand, state their names and topics to be discussed.

No one will be allowed to speak until recognized by the supervisor.

The resolution says there will be no speaking “to each other ”during a meeting, but only to the Board after they’ve been recognized by the supervisor.

Other items ban slanderous, racial, ethnic or sexual slurs. If a resident “fails to abide by the Rules of Conduct, or otherwise acts in a  boisterous or inappropriate manner,” they “shall be barred from any participation in the Meeting.” If a person violating the rules “refuse[s] to cease upon directives from the Supervisor [they] shall be removed from the meeting room.”

After the unanimous vote, Mr. Siller said, “It’s become obvious to us that some recent work sessions have gotten a little out of hand” and the new rules are to establish a sense of order.

Councilman Jim Colligan said the resolution was simply a call for “reasonable behavior.” He added that disruptions at meetings are wasting the time the Board has to discuss pressing issues.

What may have inspired the new rules — or was the final straw after many contentious meetings — was a work session earlier this month, where the supervisor and resident Bert Waife got into a shouting match and continued with exchanges of angry words. Mr. Waife charged that Mike Anglin, former owner of Jack’s Marine, was selling his influence as a member of the Waterways Management Advisory Council to help people seeking mooring permits, a charge that Mr. Anglin has vigorously refuted.

As the discussion grew more heated, and Mr. Waife wouldn’t accept appeals by Board members that the discussion be revisited at another time, Mr. Siller threatened to have him removed from Town Hall.

In other business: It seems that the idea to put a wastewater treatment facility under the preserved land at Klenawicus air field is dead. Responding to a question from a resident, Mr. Colligan said the Town will be looking for an alternative site.

The town passed a resolution to purchase a parcel of land just under an acre at 69 North Ferry Road from The Nature Conservancy for $365,000 so the Town can build affordable housing. Part of the agreement is that there will be a reserved “greenway” on the property with access to Sachem’s Woods. After the resolution unanimously passed, Marian Lindberg, a conservation specialist at the Conservancy, thanked Beth King, who donated the property “with the expectation that it would be sold to raise funds for Mashomack’s operations.” The sale, Ms. Lindberg said “allows us to achieve mutual goals — preserving access to Sachem’s Woods and the town gets to pursue an important priority.”

It’s official: The Town will not replace Craig Wood as assessor after he resigned in December, but Assessors Pat Castoldi and Judith Lechmanski will receive raises in salary because of their increased workload.