Town Board discusses Building Dept. fees, contractor licensing

At the Tuesday, Oct. 20 Town Board work session, Principal Building Inspector Reed Karen worked with the Board on raising or leaving in place Building Department fees for applications and construction projects.

Mr. Karen began by saying that the overarching idea is to make the process so “fees are paid more by applicants than by the taxpayers. We don’t want to subsidize people’s homes.” He added that it was important to make the fees “progressive so larger homes pay more.”

The Board discussed with Mr. Karen a host of applications and what the fee scale should be on decks, driveways, generators, hot tubs, outdoor showers, carports, tents, pavilions, relocation of a building, generators and others. There were few Island generators prior to Superstorm Sandy blew through in October 2012, Mr. Karen said, when the severe weather caused power outages for days and spawned a run on generator purchases on the Island.

There was also discussion on fees for licensing contractors. A consensus of Board members thought the best way to increase revenue would be not to increase fees on contractors already licensed, but to increase the number of trades to be licensed. Presently a contractor pays $250 to be licensed. 

Also drinking water inspections was discussed, which, Mr. Karen said, could get  “very expensive if done annually.” The Board decided it was best for homeowners to have a water-test certificate valid for three years. 

Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said that Southold and Greenport have a “coordinated traffic study” and asked the Town Board if Shelter Island would like to participate. Ms. Brach-Williams said the Island should be part of it. Members noted how traffic on the North Fork is increasing every year and it affects the Island. There was also discussion of the Island being used as a “land bridge” between the forks. 

Heights Property Owners Corporation General Manager Stella Lagudis said that employees of North Ferry (the corporation owns North Ferry) last summer found that many people were using the boats as a land bridge. She added that her information was anecdotal only and “a traffic study would be terrific.”

The Board seemed to agree.

In March it was announced that Suffolk County will study the possibility of a Peconic Bay ferry system as a potential connection between the traffic-clogged forks. The study — approved by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council at a February meeting — will look at a passenger ferry system between Greenport, Orient, Montauk, Riverhead, Sag Harbor and North Sea. The study is expected to begin later this year and wrap up by March 2028.

Ms. Brach-Williams said she wasn’t quite sure of the numbers, but at least two people had expressed interest to be candidates for the Town Board seat that will become vacant when Councilman Albert Dickson retires at the end of October.