Kiryas Joel Can Become Separate Town, Voters Say

KIRYAS JOEL, NY — Voters in the Town of Monroe in Orange County overwhelmingly approved a proposal to create a new town for Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic community. According to unofficial results, 8,656 voters were in favor of creating the Town of Palm Tree out of the Town of Monroe. There were 1, 749 votes against.

The leader of the village, Gedalye Szegdin, said the historic results “will usher in a new era of peace and stability for all the residents of Monroe,” the Jerusalem Post said.

One result of the separation, which won’t occur until 2020 unless state lawmakers expedite it, will be that the village’s bloc of Hasidic voters will not further impact Monroe’s elections, News 12 said.

The approved proposal will also separate school districts and instill a 10-year freeze on requesting more land.

The future town will be comprised of the current village and 56 additional acres, the Times Herald-Record said, giving the community room to expand.

Monroe will lose about $1.9 million annually in tax revenue from the separation. Taxes will have to be raised to compensate for it, the Times Herald-Record said.

For more, read Jerusalem Post, News 12 and Times Herald-Record.

Photo caption: The current location of Kiryas Joel. Photo credit: Google Maps.