The Riverhead Town Board on Thursday tabled a resolution to ratify a $400-an-hour agreement with a Florida-based attorney for the Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund Advisory Committee, after residents and board members raised concerns about the cost and the town's lack of input in choosing the lawyer.
Resident Barbara questioned the attorney's travel compensation and billing history. One board member said she was "offended" by the arrangement. "I just feel again, it's the state taking over and dictating to the town what they have to do in their own local community, destroying our home rule even more," she said. Eric Howard said Riverhead's share of the attorney's costs was about 5.3% in 2023, compared with 33% for East Hampton, 51% for Southampton, 1.7% for Shelter Island and 8.5% for Southold.
The board held a public hearing on a new local law that would grant a full property tax exemption to permanently and totally disabled veterans, covering an estimated 200 veterans townwide. One councilman said the underlying state law had changed repeatedly and now requires each town to enact its own local law. Assessor Laverne Tenenberg identified drafting errors in the proposed law, including wrong terminology and a citation to a nonexistent subsection, but said her office is mailing notices to more than 200 veterans about the exemption next week.
Resident Paul Osinski urged approval, saying most eligible veterans are elderly. "This is your opportunity to thank a vet by approving this," he said. A Vietnam veteran who described himself as 100% combat-disabled asked the board to consider the hardship faced by disabled veterans. "If it was you, if it was you, would you be asking for this?" he said.
The board also held a hearing on a developer-funded, $347,000 project to relocate a water main at 1001 Scott Avenue in Calverton to enable construction on an undeveloped EPCAL parcel, with Water Superintendent Frank Mancini saying it would come at no cost to ratepayers. The board also heard that the 2027 preliminary budget carries a tax levy increase of 1.79%, below the state cap of 2.79%.
The board approved acceptance of appraisals for the joint acquisition of development rights on Young's Farm, part of the town's farmland preservation program. It also declared a public emergency and approved services for immediate removal of yard waste piled up at the Young's Avenue Northside facility following storm debris from the Fourth of July.
Resident Marjorie Acevedo said she was relieved the community preservation fund contract was tabled. "I am so glad that you tabled that, because I don't know how this affects our open space funds," she said. She also praised the town's storm cleanup crew for quickly removing a fallen tree from her street.
Public comment also included a tense exchange between a resident and the board over records requests. The resident said he could not get officials to confirm whether a Hispanic Development committee vice chairman was alive after filing a public records request. "No one could be bothered to answer a simple question from a resident about whether a town board committee member is in fact alive or dead," he said. A board member responded that all of his requests had been answered and that the committee member in question is not deceased, telling him, "Don't attack people. Participate in the process."
The meeting also included a lengthy, politically charged comment from resident Dolan Zabrowski criticizing the board, and a moment in which a woman was told she was out of order and asked to leave after a confrontation with another speaker, though she continued speaking about hometown hero banners before the board voted to close public comment and adjourn.