Woodbury Village Board votes to oppose Skoufis’ proposal

The Woodbury Village Board agreed to keep the moratorium on certain construction in development to help limit the strain on the village’s water supply at the September 12 meeting. Ahead of the vote, several Woodbury residents shared their support for maintaining the moratorium, while also expressing their concern about the impact of overdevelopment on their community.

One such resident, Martha Lopez of Highland, said, “We’re deeply concerned about the impact that all this development is having on our water air and overall health. We have seen these stories play out time and time again with many communities ending up on the losing side.”

Mayor Andrew Giacomazza acknowledged the public’s concern regarding the limited water supply, while highlighting the need for more sewer capacity, which he said was the bigger issue for the village of Woodbury.

“Sewer capacity is the biggest problem we are facing in in Woodbury right now. It is not water because I can drill and get to the water underground. What I cannot do is drill to get down under the ground and find sewer capacity,” said Giacomazza. “It is the biggest issue that we are facing, and it hasn’t really been discussed.”

Giacomazza added that the sewer capacity issue was not one that the village board could solve as it is the county’s responsibility. He explained that the village has met with the county to discuss their plans and that there is no real solution at this time. He further shared that the village has upcoming meetings with the county and claims that the ultimate solution would be the expansion of the Harriman Plan.

Ahead of the vote, Trustee James Freiband re-iterated his previously stated concerns that the wording of the law would invite litigation against the town. “I’m concerned about way the way this law is written. It should really try to be a simple extension amending the prior local law, and as I said I think we would be on much solider ground in terms of potential litigation if we have documentation that we have made progress.”

Woodbury village attorney Kelly Naughton responded to Freiband’s issue by stating that she has worked on many moratoria across the county. She claimed that the public has not set any deadlines for a municipality to make improvements, noting that this is the responsibility of the elected board. She also said that there is no state law that limits the length of a moratorium.

Skoufis’ Town/village plan

During the meeting, the village board passed a resolution solidifying its opposition to State Senator James Skoufis’ proposal to establish a single governing body for the town and village of Woodbury. The resolution cited New York municipal home rule, which prohibits the state from interfering with local government matters. It further explained that the state cannot legislate on the matter of a coterminous government without the agreement of the town and the village of Woodbury. The resolution also called out the state senator for failing to provide data and other materials needed in order for the village of Woodbury to properly consider his proposal.

Freiband, who voted “no” to the resolution, questioned the resolution’s language and claimed the board was deciding against Skoufis’ proposal before getting all the information. Trustee Susan Fries-Ciriello countered his claim by saying the resolution did address the issue of obtaining information and that the village would review it if it was made available to them. She also shared her personal willingness to consider any data provided.

Earlier in the meeting, Desiree Potvin, who was also named full-time treasurer for the village of Woodbury, responding to a resident’s questions, shared her thoughts on the Skoufis’ proposal.

“In my opinion, having 10 people decide on whether property can be annexed or whatnot is better than five. If you didn’t have the village of Woodbury, you could have individual villages throughout the community. You could have a village of Woodbury Junction, you could have a village of Brigadoon, you could have a village of Skyline, you could have a village of Country Crossings — all with their own zoning that they would be in charge of. So by having the village, it gives a protection to the community so that you don’t have spot-zoning in all different areas by these little villages being formed.”

In a statement issued Monday, Skoufis’ office said it disagreed with the decision and claimed it would put Woodbury’s “zoning and quality of life in jeopardy,” but added, “without the support of both boards, the initiative to better protect Woodbury and put an end to the town-village infighting cannot move forward.”

Other business

In other employment news, the village approved the contract renewal for Highway Superintendent Robert Weyant.