Statement on the status of the Woodbury police department and animal shelter

Andrew Giacomazza, mayor of the Village of Woodbury, has recently made several statements at public meetings and in his newsletter about the transfer of the Town of Woodbury Police Department and the Woodbury Animal Shelter from the town government to the village government. Mayor Giacomazza has spoken as if this purported transfer is already happening, which has led to rumors and confusion within the Woodbury community. The Town Board wants to take this opportunity to set the record straight. There is no legal mechanism by which the village can wrest control of the town’s police department or animal shelter from the town except through a voluntarily negotiated transfer of the department and shelter through a formal Intermunicipal Agreement (IMA). The current IMA is set to expire at the end of this year, and the Town Board has made several requests to village officials to commence negotiations. As of today, these negotiations have not commenced, nor has Mayor Giacomazza proffered any proposals or spoken with anyone from the Town Board about the purported transfers. The Town Board is always interested in pursuing the best methods to deliver essential government services like police protection and animal services to the citizens of Woodbury, so it will listen with an open mind if the mayor ever decides to present his case to the Board. As of now, however, the Town Board sees no savings or other advantage in transferring the police department or the animal shelter to the village’s control. If and when there is a viable proposal for such transfers being considered, the citizens of Woodbury can rest assured the Town Board would solicit public comment and proceed in an open and transparent manner. To be clear, no such proposals have been made or are being considered by the Town Board at this time.

The Town Board and a quorum of the Village of Trustees have agreed to commence discussions around the renewal of the IMA in a public meeting on August 12, 2024, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. The meeting will also be recorded and released to the public in the same manner as Town Board meetings. We would encourage all interested citizens to attend the meeting to hear directly from your elected officials about the current status of the IMA.

Woodbury Town Board

Woodbury