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Town board adopts policy limiting land-use volunteers after heated public comment; vote 4-1
Summary
After hours of public comment and testimony from planning-board members and community volunteers, the Greenburgh Town Board adopted TB1, a resolution restricting certain land-use board members from holding officer/director roles in organizations involved in land-use initiatives. The motion passed 4-1.
The Greenburgh Town Board voted 4-1 on July 10 to adopt a resolution (TB1) that prohibits members of town land-use boards and committees from serving as directors, officers or 22key persons22 of organizations whose primary activity involves land-use initiatives that may come before those boards.
The measure prompted an extended public-comment period focused on whether the resolution would discourage volunteer participation and on the proper role of the towns Ethics Board. Planning-board chair Hugh Schwartz and several other volunteers urged the board to delay action and consult the Ethics Board; they said the measure appeared broad and could chill citizen involvement. Johan Snaggs, a planning-board member who also described work on affordable-housing efforts, called the proposal 22retaliatory22 and urged tabling to allow dialogue and to protect independent land-use decisionmaking.
Town Attorney Joseph Danko said the resolution is a town policy, not a change to the code of ethics, and that the board has authority to adopt such a policy. Board members who supported the resolution said it addresses perceived conflicts of interest (where volunteers help promote projects that later come before the planning board) and asserted that the policy clarifies standards for appointments.
The board debated a motion to table the item until the Ethics Board met; that motion failed. After several members spoke for and against delaying, the formal vote on TB1 was recorded as 4 in favor, 1 opposed. The board recorded Supervisor Feiner as the lone no vote.
The resolution text on file restricts officers, directors and 22key persons22 of organizations whose principal work 22involves land-use initiatives that may come before22 town boards from serving on those town boards. The measure does not, as presented, set out a separate enforcement mechanism beyond the resolution itself; several public speakers and board members said a local law or clearer criteria might be a better long-term approach.
What happens next: TB1 takes effect as adopted policy. Several volunteer board members said they will seek clarification of the policys scope and asked the town to coordinate with the Ethics Board on guidance for appointments and recusals. The town clerk will publish the resolution and the town attorney said the office will supply any requested clarifications in writing.
