It wasn’t so long ago that you could be arrested for loitering or taking topsoil from village property in East Williston.
In fact, there was the remote possibility that it could have happened last week. But that all changed at Monday night’s village board meeting, when Deputy Mayor James Daw Jr. proposed that all parts of the village code calling for jail sentences for minor infractions be eliminated.
“Some of the things which we had a penalty of incarceration for were completely inappropriate, such as peddling,” Daw said.
The other three board members who were present unanimously agreed. And after what may have been the shortest public hearing in the village’s history, they made the prospect of being locked for loitering a thing of the past.
Of course, as Daw pointed out, there was quite a sensible reason for recasting the village code, aside from its draconian aspects.
“We don’t have a village jail,” Daw noted.
The new local law approved by the trustees stated, summarily, “incarceration shall not be a provision of the village code.” Daw added that it “means jail is out, but the fine is still in.”
Speaking about the recent blizzard, he made particular mention of a seasonal offense that also could draw a fine. Daw said the village will send a “friendly reminder” to residents who don’t clear their sidewalks after the next snowfall. But the next time the residents who receive those notices don’t get their snow shovels out, he said they’d receive a ticket.
“If you really can’t do it, get a neighbor to help you, or some community-minded kids from one of the schools,” he suggested. “It has to be done.”
On another snowstorm-related issue, Daw said that the three members of the East Williston Department of Public Works – who he described as “dynamos” in clearing the village streets of snow – encountered teenagers strolling in the streets who were barely visible during the blizzard.
“If you have adolescents in the house, please ask them not to walk in the street. And if they hear the snow plow coming, tell them to get out of the way,” Daw said.
On another serious snowfall issue, Trustee Michael Braito asked that residents clear the area around fire hydrants in front of their houses.
“It’s a benefit to you and a benefit to your neighbors,” Braito said
Turning to a high-tech topic, Braito said he was seeking to recruit a college student “to bring our website into the next century.” The objective, Braito said was to enable residents to secure different types of permits online and transmit e-mails back to village officials, making the website “much more interactive.”
Noting the difference between snow removal in East Williston and parts of New York City, Mayor Nancy Zolezzi advised residents to send a message to Gov. Andrew Cuomo about the legislation he drafted before taking office that would make it easier to consolidate or eliminate villages.
“The new governor has made it his mission to eliminate villages. It’s important to let him know you like living in a village,” she said.
Commenting on the potential impact of Cuomo’s proposed 2 percent property tax cap, Braito wondered whether municipalities could expect to get a break from the state on mandates for which they foot the bill.
“One of the big questions we have is if they’re going to eliminate the unfunded mandates,” he said.
Daw suggested it was politics as usual.
“They do it all the time,” he said. “They float these great ideas.”
