City manager highlights grants, hiring and upcoming planning-board vote; public urges preservation of historic Villa Clara and flags overtime and parking issues

City Manager Dan Creighton opened the Jan. 7 meeting by noting the council’s first session of 2025, announcing the loss of two long-time city employees and reporting several administrative items, including grants and hiring priorities.

Creighton said the city had been awarded three grants totaling nearly $1.2 million for a Bay Bayfront planning study, a salt storage facility and rehabilitation of Sherman Brown Park, and that the awards were included in the capital plan. He said the city is aggressively pursuing grant funding, and he urged residents to consult LongBeachNY.gov/jobs for openings, noting the city’s current need for part-time bus drivers and special police officers. He also reminded the public of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march on Jan. 20.

Creighton told the council the administration will bring legislation on Jan. 21 to create a planning board that will define powers, processes and procedures; he described the board as a priority to give the city “more proactive tools” to manage development and to “help to control excessive overdevelopment.” He said the administration looks forward to discussion and a vote on that legislation at the Jan. 21 meeting.

During public comment, resident Frank McQuade urged the council to act to preserve Villa Clara, the late Daniel Steele’s former home on Laurelton Boulevard, which he said is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. McQuade asked the city to “do what you can to prevent the demolition” and preserve the property’s legacy. Council members responded that legal authority is limited: staff noted an ongoing private legal matter among owners and said that property owners generally have the right to alter or demolish structures unless local landmark or historic-protection ordinances are in place.

Resident Ron (last name Paganini in the record) praised reductions in overtime spending and urged continued attention to cutting “wasteful overtime” as the city prepares a budget. City officials said they would confirm overtime figures and that labor units have been cooperative in efforts to reduce overtime costs.

Resident Linda Giles asked about the parking committee and the process for serving on advisory bodies; city leaders said the parking committee has met to help draft a consultant RFP and will review proposals when they arrive. Officials described a forthcoming application process for the new planning board and said some panels (such as an architectural review board) may have professional requirements.

The meeting record shows the council filed the monthly personnel report and then moved on to the regular calendar; Creighton closed his report shortly before agenda items began.