Board of Trustee Highlights
by Denise Wright
The February 11 meeting of the East Nassau Board of Trustees opened with a public hearing on the resolution for Local Law No. 1 of 2021. This resolution allows local communities the ability to override the NYS property tax cap of 2 percent during the budget process. As Mayor Acquario stated, the law is primarily a safety net and that the Village has never used this law in the past. The Mayor noted that he keeps focused on “super conservative expenditures” and is “revenue cautious” during the budgetary process. He also expressed his gratitude to many village officials and residents who have helped the Village out during such a financially stressful time. Ultimately the Board will repeal the law at the end of the budget process. Since there was no public comment on the resolution, it was approved, and the Board set up a budget workshop for March 4 at 6 pm at the Hoags Corners Ambulance building. It is open to the public. Social distancing and masks are required. If residents would like to attend electronically, they need to contact the Mayor.
Nomination petitions for two Board positions from Jeff Root and Tom Kernan were accepted. The election will take place on March 16. The Village Clerk, Diane Maguire, discussed the possibility of extending elections to every four years as a time and cost-cutting measure for the Village. Each year it costs approximately $600 in election inspector and notification fees. One concern was would a four-year time period deter people from running. The Board decided to track it this year and review the information for further review and discussion.
During the Mayor’s report, Acquario told the Board that a company had approached him from New Milford, Connecticut, that is interested in putting in a solar farm on a 211-acre parcel of property in the village. He did not have any further information, but members of the Board did express concern about the effect on the community. He also discussed the broadband speed issue. With official meetings now needing the extra expense of being online, the present 4 Mbps (megabits per second) is not adequate, and there is a need to expand it to at least 25 Mbps. As the Spectrum Franchise Agreement becomes finalized, Acquario hopes to have “better internet service in 2021.”
Board of Trustee member Michael Lever displayed the drawing of the new Purple Heart Community signs that the Village will soon display. On Veterans Day, East Nassau received a proclamation designating the Village as a Purple Heart community from Senator Daphne Jordan.”