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Deputy building inspector rebukes "baseless" delay claims; tense board exchange follows
Summary
Deputy Building Inspector Liz Garrity told the Greenburgh Town Board a public email alleging permit delays was "baseless" and urged members to consult the department before public accusations; the supervisor and other board members then engaged in an extended, heated exchange over communications and staff treatment.
Liz Garrity, deputy building inspector for the Town of Greenburgh, addressed the board at the Feb. 10 work session to rebut public comments and an email that had alleged permitting delays and characterized the building department as obstructive.
Garrity said the complaint she reviewed did not come from the business owner and that the building department had been meeting with the applicant and responding promptly. She outlined the outstanding items that prevent legal occupancy for one restaurant applicant — fire suppression, sprinklers, alarm, HVAC, plumbing, county public-health approvals and corrections to ADA restroom deficiencies — and said those outstanding approvals, not internal obstruction, were the reason a certificate of occupancy had not been issued. "Project delays most often result from unmet legal requirements, unfinished construction, code non compliance, missing documentation, or required county approvals, not obstruction by the town staff," she said.
The supervisor (identified in the record by his first name) said he had copied the board on constituent correspondence because he had been contacted by business owners concerned about long permit timelines. Several board members and staff criticized the supervisor's decision to copy the outside complainant on internal correspondence and urged that personnel matters and unverified accusations not be aired publicly without first consulting the relevant department.
The exchange grew heated at times, with multiple interruptions and rebukes in the room; the town attorney later stated the board was in compliance with open-meetings law. Garrity provided contact information for the building department and encouraged business owners to call staff directly so the department could explain outstanding approvals and help move projects forward.
The board did not take a formal vote on personnel matters during the work session; at the meeting's close the supervisor moved into executive session for personnel and legal advice and the motion carried unanimously.
