Millerton board moves to let Dutchess County residents serve on planning and zoning boards after hearing

The Village of Millerton Board of Trustees adopted a local law on July 29, 2025 to change residency requirements for membership on the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board.

Mayor Jenn Najdek opened the public hearing at 7:33 PM and told the room that "the proposed local law will allow residents of Dutchess County to apply for the position," explaining the change is intended to address multiple vacancies on both boards. The hearing included comments from village residents and board stakeholders.

During public testimony, Ray Nelson raised a concern that residents from outside the village "may not understand the issues of the village," while Kelly Kilmer, the newly appointed chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, urged the change to fill vacancies, saying "it is very important to fill the positions on the boards." Joanne Scasso said she supported the change, and Cathy Fenn urged that priority be given to town or village applicants and recommended more training for board members.

After public comment closed, trustees moved to adopt the local law by unanimous vote. The meeting minutes record the public hearing as "Local Law X of 2025" and the adoption motion as Resolution 2025-40 to adopt "Local Law 2 of 2025"; the board record contains this naming discrepancy and the minutes reflect the vote as 5-0 in favor.

The change allows the village to consider a broader pool of applicants from Dutchess County to fill long-open seats on two advisory land-use boards. The board did not specify an effective date in the minutes.