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General News: Skoufis Delivers Nearly 10,000 Signatures
June 28, 2015
From the Office of Assemblyman James Skoufis
Skoufis Delivers Nearly 10,000 Signatures Urging Governor to Sign Annexation Oversight Bill
6/25/15
Last week, Assemblyman James Skoufis (D-Woodbury) launched an online petition where residents could make their voices heard by urging the governor to approve his annexation oversight bill. The legislation awaits final approval from the Governor after having passed both the Assembly and State Senate with overwhelming support (A.7639 / S.5643).
“Today we’re delivering to the governor’s office nearly 10,000 signatures of support we’ve received just in the last week,” said Assemblyman Skoufis. “The overwhelming majority of residents in Orange County realize that there are serious and legitimate concerns with the current annexation process. This bill corrects an inadequacy in the process and ensures that all controversial annexation bids in New York State are more properly and thoroughly reviewed.”
An exact total of 9,020 petition signatures were submitted, including 506 signatures gathered in Kiryas Joel on a petition developed and circulated by concerned residents of the village. The Kiryas Joel-developed petition states: “The proposed annexations by the Village of Kiryas Joel have antagonized our neighbors. The process has not been open and transparent. We believe every group involved should have a say in this process. We urge Governor Cuomo to sign legislation that will create a more open discussion with regard to the proposed annexations (A.7639).”
The bipartisan legislation would allow county planning departments to review specific annexation petitions, including the current ones initiated by Kiryas Joel, pursuant to General Municipal Law (GML) 239, a process that already exists for many municipal planning and zoning actions. Following a complete review of the annexation, the county would send a recommendation of approval or disapproval to the municipalities; should the municipalities wish to override a recommended disapproval and proceed with the annexation, a four out of five supermajority vote of each affected board would be required.
In addition to nearly 10,000 petition signatures in one week, numerous organizations, elected officials, and residents have voiced support for Skoufis’ annexation oversight legislation, including the Sierra Club, Scenic Hudson, the New York State Association of Counties, Hudson Valley Patterns for Progress, the Orange County Association of Towns, Villages, and Cities, the Orange County Citizens Foundation, and most recently the New York League of Conservation Voters.
“We’ve received strong and broad support for this bill – not only in the Hudson Valley but from across the state,” Skoufis said. “When you have contentious annexations such as these that could significantly impact an entire region, there must be a higher threshold for approval. I urge the governor to swiftly sign this vital, bipartisan legislation.”
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