Documents › Zoning Board of Appeals, 2025-12-16

minutes 2 pages

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2025 PRESENT: Christine Wagner, Chairperson Daron Weber Jim Tuman William Goldsmith Doug Olcott ALSO PRESENT: Ron Wegner, Assistant Village Engineer, PE Maria Slippen, Village Board Liaison 1. CALL TO ORDER at 7:01 p.m. Chairperson Wagner called the meeting to order and officially welcomed Mr. William Goldsmith to the Zoning Board of Appeals. 2. NEW BUSINESS a) Referral from the Village Board of Trustees to review draft Local Law Introductory No. 14 of 2025 to permit the Village Board of Trustees to appoint an alternate member to the Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board for the term of one official year. At the request of the Village Board of Trustees, the Zoning Board of Appeals reviewed and discussed draft Local Law Introductory No. 14 of 2025, which would authorize the Village Board to appoint an alternate member to both the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board for a term of one official year. The purpose of the law is to allow an alternate to serve in place of a regular member who is absent or must recuse themselves. During the discussion, ZBA members sought clarification on several key points, including whether there would be one alternate shared between both boards or one for each (with the consensus favoring one alternate per Board), what level of participation alternates should have at meetings, and how they would stay informed on ongoing cases. The Board generally agreed that alternates should only participate in deliberations or discussions when officially seated as a voting member. Concerns were also raised about the proposed one-year term, which several members felt was too short to allow an alternate to become effective, and about whether such a change was even necessary, as attendance issues were believed not to be an on-going issue. One resident of the public, Ed Riely of 110 Truesdale Drive spoke in opposition to the proposal, stating that he felt it was unnecessary and potentially political. He expressed his belief that both Boards already function effectively and rarely lack a quorum. Some Board members agreed the proposal might be overly complicated, while others acknowledged the potential benefit of having an alternate available to prevent scheduling delays. However, all agreed that more clarity was needed from the Village Board regarding the motivation behind the proposal and the specific problem it is intended to solve. In conclusion, the Board decided not to take a formal position for or against the proposed law at this time. Instead, the Board agreed to write a memorandum to the Village Board summarizing its discussion, highlighting the need for clearer language of the law and on the alternate’s role and responsibilities, questioning the necessity of the position, expressing concern about the short one-year term, and noting the logistical challenges of keeping an alternate adequately informed. While the Board recognized the intent of the proposal, they believe further clarification was needed before a final decision is made. b) Discussion regarding the rescheduling of regular Zoning Board of Appeals meetings to either the first or third Tuesday of each month. The Board discussed rescheduling its regular meetings in response to the Planning Board’s decision to move their meetings to the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month to accommodate scheduling needs. After discussion, the Board agreed that holding meetings on the third Tuesday of each month would be the best option as it would only adjust the application deadline by one week and all members are available to attend. It was concluded that beginning December 16, 2025, the Zoning Board of Appeals will meet on the third Tuesday of each month. 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. Tuman made a motion to approve the minutes of August 26, 2025. Seconded by Mr. Olcott. All in Favor. The motion was carried by a vote of 3-0 (Chairperson Wagner, abstained, Mr. Goldsmith, abstained). Chairperson Wagner made a motion to approve the Minutes of September 30, 2025 with noted edits seconded by Mr. Weber. All in Favor. The motion was carried by a vote of 4-0 (Mr. Goldsmith, abstained). 4. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the Board, the meeting was duly adjourned at 7:26p.m. --- Editorial note (croton.news): name spelling(s) in this copy were corrected against official records: ‘Ed Riely’ corrected to ‘Ed Riely’. The original document, as issued, is available from the Village; see croton.news/editorial-policy for our corrections policy.