Southampton Board to Hold Official Town Board Meeting in Community Center

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — The Southampton Town Board continues to take their meetings on the road.

The first regular town board meeting held outside of Southampton Town Hall will be held on October 25 at 6 p.m. at the Hampton Bays Community Center, according to town officials.

While the town board has held work sessions and “special” town board meetings at other locations, the meeting will be the first regular town board meeting to be held outside of Town Hall.

Southampton Town officials worked with Cablevision to install the proper wiring to give the town the capability of going live from the Hampton Bays Community Center through SEA TV, a release from Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman's office said.

As a result, the release said, additional meetings will be planned in the future at that location. Plans are also being discussed to bring the same live transmission capability to the David Crohan Community Center in Flanders.

Schneiderman said since taking office he's made bringing work sessions into the community a priority, with an eye toward giving residents a better chance to interact with the town board.

In July, the town board held a work session at the Hampton Bays Fire Department and in August the board held a work session at the Flanders Fire Department.

“We believe both the public and the board get a lot out of it,” Schneiderman said. “We hear from people who might not ordinarily come to Town Hall for a meeting and that’s what government should be — a dialogue with residents.”

The meeting on October 25 is also the first public hearing for the preliminary 2017 budget, which proposes a nearly two percent drop in the property tax rate, the largest reduction in the tax rate in more than a decade, Schneiderman said.

Schneiderman formally submitted his tentative $94.7 million budget last month, and it was converted to the preliminary budget on October 6.

“We know the budget is always of interest to our residents. We’re looking forward to going into the community to hear what they have to say," the supervisor said.

The budget must be adopted by the town board on or before November 20.

The full budget document can be viewed online by clicking here.

The Hampton Bays Community Center is located at 25 Ponquogue Avenue in Hampton Bays.