1st the Legislature announced there would be no action today as much more information was needed re: the CEQ's decisions...all the opponents spoke at the public portion and then left believing there would be no action today. Then at about 3:30 the Legislature took up 1922-2009 and discussed tabling with no action and then, well let's just say what happened might have been worth sticking around for...we'll not get fooled agian...
The Suffolk County Legislature then tabled a local law determination at this, the very last session of the present legislative body to a date certain next year after another elected legislature takes office, all to avoid new public hearings. The 1st business meeting in January will again have the Legacy Village local law matter on the agenda. Apparently, never before has the out-going legislature voted to keep alive a local law that failed to achieve passage during the legislative session for consideration by the new in-coming body....Mr. Lindsey introduced the motion and Leg. Browning withdrew her tabling motion which would have allowed the matter to die a quiet death at the close of this legislative session....just another trick up the CE sleeve ....at least for now.
The vote was 14-4. Guess we get to do it again in January. The counsel for the County Executive advised the legislature and labeled the matter a simple proprietary action rather than governmental...we think wrongly. Local laws are clearly governmental and we question the legality for an out-going legislature to bind over action on local laws to an in-coming legislature. Just in case the County Executive labeled the CEQ determination flawed and defective in that it failed to name a lead agency or even dictate a coordinated review be undertaken. Lindsey did not want to have everything done over....but just fine for the citizens to have to undertake the matter again and for the two in-coming legislators to be deprived of the public hearings that would have been required (and should be to their benefits and enlightment) to have to be rescheduled?
