As the Town gets organized for 2023, there’s a new Town Clerk and, in a newly-created position, a director coming to Shelter Island Senior Center.
Supervisor Gerard F. Siller said at Tuesday’s annual organizational meeting that Deputy Town Clerk Amber Wilson had taken charge of the Town Clerk’s office. Her appointment to Town Clerk, Records Officer, and Registrar of Vital Statistics by the Town Board (retroactive to January 1) follows the retirement of long-time Town Clerk Dorothy Ogar as of December 17.
Wilson, who was applauded by those present, will serve through 2023, pending the results of the November election for the position.
Kelly Brochu, hired for a new position as Senior Center Director, will attend an upcoming work session to discuss initial ideas for improving facilities and expanding programs and services. Brochu will be assisted by longstanding senior services providers Laurie Fanelli and Sara Mundy, with Karen Bennet serving as a part-time (PT) office assistant.
Town Justice Stanley I. Birnbaum administered the oath of office to newly re-elected Town Justice Mary-Faith Westervelt.
2023 organizational meeting details
Also present for the meeting at Town Hall were Councilwomen Amber Brach-Williams, BJ Ianfolla, and Meg Larsen; Councilman Jim Colligan; Town Attorney Stephen F. Kiely and Kristina Madjisova Martin, the administrative assistant to the Town Board, Supervisor and Town Attorney.
The supervisor and Council members took turns reading resolutions with all the attendant “whereas” and “be it resolved” language you’d expect. You can watch the meeting on the Town YouTube channel. Find details below.
Basic resolutions
Town Funds. Funds not needed for immediate expenditure will be deposited in certificates of deposit or special time deposit accounts at Chase Bank and Dime Community Bank. Authorized to sign checks are the supervisor and four Council members. Judy Meringer, Barbara Bloom, and Shelby Mundy are allowed to make transfers.
Official Newspapers. To post legal notices, the Shelter Island Reporter and Newsday are the official papers; they have paid print circulations exceeding 2,000 as municipal law requires.
Purchasing Policy and Procedures. The board affirmed its annual review of this 2014 policy and suggested no amendments.
Investment Policy. The board affirmed its annual review of this 2006 amended policy.
Annual Financial Report. The supervisor will submit to the Town Clerk within 30 days after the expiration of the fiscal year a report accounting for all monies received and disbursed by him and within 60 days, will file a copy of the information with the state comptroller.
Reimbursements. Town officials and employees will be reimbursed, subject to audit, at $0.655 per mile for their mileage on Town business. They’ll be reimbursed, subject to audit, for actual and necessary expenses incurred attending training programs and professional meetings, which will enhance their job skills. A Town employee or official request for such meetings or travel must receive the prior approval of the supervisor.
Other appointments
Pay rates for the following appointments are per the 2023 budget:
- Commissioner of Public Works, Brian Sherman
- Highway Department Safety Training Officer, David W. Clark
- Confidential Secretary/Highways, Public Works & Landfill, Debra Speeches
- Custodians (PT), Deborah Brewer, Linda D. Cass, Tracy Gibbs, Giovanna Ketcham, and Lauren Sanwald
- Town Historian (PT), William Clark III
- Residential Repair (PT), Andrew Chapman and Tom Cronin
- Maintenance Mechanic I (PT), Donald Dunning, Tom Hashagen, and Greg Raymond
- AAA Driver (PT), David Binder, Donna Cass, and Mary Ann McGinn
- Minibus Driver (PT), Heather Lee
- Silver Circle Cook (PT), Giovanna Ketcham
- Therapeutic Activities (PT), Donna Cass and Donna King
- Nutrition Program Head Cook, Carl Cosby
- Nutrition Program Cook (PT), Leon Creighton
- Food Service Worker (PT), Alison Binder
- Tax Receiver Clerk (PT), Blanca Frausto
- SIPD Detention Attendants (PT), Arthur Bloom, Gracy Gibbs, Amanda Gutiw, Beau Payne, Catherine Rasmussen and John Spinelli
- Court Officer, John Spinelli
- Harbor Master I (PT), John Mahoney and Peter Vielbig
- School Crossing Guard, Catherine Rasmussen
- FIT Manager, Emily Kraus
- Assistant Recreational Leader (PT), Deborah Brewer, Kate Davidson, Kelsey Lechmanski, Sara Mundy, Katie Potter, and Catherine Rasmussen
- FIT/Recreational Aide (PT), Alex Binder, Deborah Brewer, Kyle Burns, Cori Cass, Trent Firestine, Dawn Harris, Kelsey Lechmanski, Peter Miedema, Katie Potter, Lindsay Rando, and Julia Weisenberg
- Recreation Specialist Instructor (PT), Catherine Brigham, Callie Smith and Peter Miedema
- Provisional Building Inspector/Code Enforcer, Michael DeSanctis
- Provisional Building Department Office Assistant, Kathleen Rielly
- Clerk for Home Improvement Contractor License Board (PT), Kathleen Rielly
- Justice Court Clerk (PT), Michelle Congdon
- Committee Clerks: Coco Lee Thuman — Community Housing, Community Preservation Fund, Comprehensive Plan Update, EMS Advisory, and Medical Department; Kristina Martin-Majdisova — Board of Ethics, Capital Planning and Grants, Waterways Management Advisory, ZBA
- Police Commissioners, the Supervisor, and four Council members
- Deputy Supervisor, Amber Brach-Williams
- Confidential Secretary/Supervisor, Judy Meringer
- EMS Director, Jack H. Thilberg
- Medical Director, Joshua Potter, M.D.
- Social Worker, Alexandra Hakim
- Emergency Management Coordinator, Police Chief James J. Read Jr.
Standard Work Days
The board established the following standard work days for the purpose of reporting to the New York State retirement system:
- Elected positions: 6-hour day — Town Board Members, Justices, Receiver of Taxes; 7-hour day — Town Clerk, Assessor; 8-hour day — Supervisor, Highway Superintendent.
- Appointed positions: 6-hour day — Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board members, Confidential Secretary to the Supervisor; 7-hour day, Deputy Town Clerks; 7.6-hour day — Confidential Secretary to Highway Superintendent; 8-hour day — Town Attorney.
Board Liaisons
The supervisor and Council members will serve as liaisons to these boards, committees, and departments:
- Gerry Siller: Buildings and Grounds, Community Housing Board, Community Preservation Fund Advisory, Deer & Tick, Ferry Study Group, Financial Advisory, Green Options, Highway & Public Works, Recycling, Senior Citizens, Shoreline Access Task Force, Taylor’s Island
- Amber Brach-Williams: Airfield Liaison, Capital Planning and Grants, Community Housing, EMS, Financial Advisory, IT, Media, Planning, Water Quality Improvement Advisory, West Neck Water
- BJ Ianfolla: Community Preservation Fund, Comprehensive Plan Update, Contractor Review, Taylor’s Island, Water Advisory, Waterways Management Advisory, Water Quality Improvement
- Jim Colligan: Capital Planning and Grants, Conservation Advisory, Deer & Tick, FIT/Recreation, Health and Wellness, Peconic Estuary Partnership, Shelter Island Country Club, Shoreline Access Task Force, Transportation, Waterways Management Advisory
- Meg Larsen: Comprehensive Plan Update, Contractor Review, Green Options, Planning, Senior Citizens, Water Advisory, West Neck Water
Several Town employees waived their rights to medical insurance. They will be compensated in accordance with the 2023 budget: Jennifer Beresky, Stanley Birnbaum, Barbara Bloom, Amber Brach-Williams, James Colligan, BJ Ianfolla, Stephen Kiely, Kenneth Lewis, Judy Meringer, Michael Mitchel, Shelby Mundy, Aidan Mysliborski, Annmarie Seddio, Gerard Siller, Mary-Faith Westervelt, and Kelly Brochu.
The board authorized the supervisor to execute documents necessary to make consistent the terms and conditions of employment of the two full-time Harbor Masters (previously known as Bay Constables).
Other business
Councilman Colligan said mechanical dredging is underway at Reel Point, and the Capital Planning/Grants Committee is considering options for how to fund future work at the sandbar that protects the vital Coecles Harbor outlet. The committee is also working to find grant support for required West Neck Water system upgrades to alleviate the financial burden facing homeowners served by the district. Other ongoing projects include funding options for ADA compliance at SIPD HQ and Justice Court. Restoration is underway at the Community Center, with some tasks handled by contractors and others by Town personnel.
Deputy Supervisor Brach-Williams noted that people taking part in the Blood Drive on Thursday, January 19, from 12:30 to 6:30 PM at the Community Center would have to use the ADA entrance, as work on the main entrance is ongoing. Donors will be entered into a raffle for a smartwatch.
She said that the Water Quality Improvement Advisory Board is reviewing a shellfish habitat restoration grant request from Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program. The WQI is also updating the forms homeowners use to apply for septic system upgrade grants. Councilwoman Larsen pointed out that the recent hack of Suffolk County’s website may have contributed to slowdowns in processing grant applications.
Councilwoman Ianfolla said the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board reported $6.7 M in unallocated revenues on Monday. The CPF receives a 2 percent transfer tax that buyers (with some exemptions) pay when making real estate purchases here. During the pandemic, a homebuying surge pushed up annual CPF revenues. While 2022 saw fewer property transactions, “it was a good year,” Ianfolla said.
Ianfolla reported that CPF Chairman Gordon Gooding said the committee would like to participate in any discussions the Town Board undertakes relating to uses of properties purchased with CPF revenues. He was, she said, particularly concerned with setting any new precedents. She used as an example a plan to use a Congdon Road lot to hold dredging spoils temporarily.
“It is my view that precedent doesn’t matter in these discussions,” Ianfolla said. “There are no slippery slopes because there are no slopes. This is each individual, unique property and what use would be or has been proposed for a property.”
“I don’t see us because we put spoils on this property once that we would do it on maybe a very steep property in the future,” she said. “No. That property would be discussed separately.”
“If there is a unique situation — and I’m just going to pull this one out as an example — where it would be the best and perhaps only solution for a nearby homeowner to get water from a CPF property, perhaps that should be considered. Not that all CPF properties would now be open for well-drilling.”
Siller referred to a recent discussion with Assembly Fred W. Thiele Jr., author of the CPF legislation, and said the question isn’t so much what are “alternative uses,” but rather what are “acceptable uses.”
“To me,” Ianfolla said, “it will always come back to individual properties. What’s in the original purchase rationale, what’s in the deed, what is the composition of the CPF [advisory board] at that time, and what is the composition of the Town Board at that time?”
Larsen noted that the next Comprehensive Plan Update (CPU) meeting is at Town Hall on Monday, January 23, at 6 PM. While it’s a working meeting for the CPU Task Force to work with its Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee, members of the public are welcome to attend and comment.
Comments are also welcome via the CPU webpage on the Town website, where chapters of the draft plan are available for review.
In a recently issued request for proposals, the CPU Task Force seeks a consulting firm’s services to help finalize the draft.
