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Residents press Shelter Island board over quick auction buy and lack of public input
Summary
Public commenters criticized the town’s handling of a recent winning auction bid for a School/Scribe Street property, saying the board disclosed key steps only to the executive session and asking whether the town should use housing-fund dollars or borrow; the board said public discussion will follow closing.
Public commenters at the Shelter Island Town Board meeting argued the town acted too quickly and with too little transparency in pursuing a recently won auction for a property on School/Scribe Street. Steven Jacobs told the board he had raised concerns at a prior meeting and said he was still waiting for public disclosure about the town’s intended use and funding plan for the parcel.
"As to transparency, I didn't hear any good reason why notice of the issue...was held up and not made public until, I think it is 04:28, Friday afternoon," Jacobs said, and urged the board to let the public weigh in on whether the purchase should be funded from the community housing fund or by borrowing. He proposed using the housing fund first and, if plans change, borrowing later to reimburse that fund to save long-term interest costs.
Zoom commenter Yan Sudo pressed the board on timing and price, saying the town had already advanced a 10% deposit and that the winning bid was nearly $800,000 for a half-acre parcel. "So how can the town justify spending 800,000 for this property?" Sudo asked, contrasting recent vacant-lot sales priced around $375,000–$450,000.
Board chair responded that there will be public discussion as the process moves forward and that the town acted within the terms of the auction, but that public input would come "after the closing" so staff can complete due diligence. The chair also said an employee who was doing legwork on municipal uses had been out sick and that the board would place the matter on a future agenda.
The public record at the meeting includes repeated calls for a facilities masterplan and, from Sudo, a permissive referendum option if the board proceeds with long-term borrowing rather than a one-year bond anticipation note. Town officials acknowledged the board had placed a 10% deposit and said the process and next steps — including any inspection findings that might affect the purchase — will be shared as they move forward.
