Letters

Were you aware that Mayor Jesse Warren and the Board of Trustees have put forward a draft rental law to potentially require a rental registry, charge a rental fee and allow rental property inspections in our village? I have no opinion on the merit of this legislation, because Mayor Jesse Warren, and the Village of Southampton, have not made the draft legislation available to the public.

Typically, the board should discuss why the law is needed or the problem that it will solve. And the public should be given ample time to review the draft legislation that should be made easily available.

There was no discussion — not a single question — at the board’s March 10 meeting, and I had to call Village Hall this past Friday to confirm the proposed meeting date, because this special meeting was not even reflected on the village website, nor was the proposed legislation available. As of today, this meeting date was changed yet again to Tuesday, April 12. Confusing to say the least.

Is it right to put forward fundamental legislation without any discussion or context, and make it hard for taxpayers to know what’s going on?

Perhaps this proposed rental registration fee is a tax disguised as something else. What would we know? (By the way, an increased Building Department fee was just approved by the Village Board at its last meeting.)

If you have an interest in this matter, then attend the hybrid Board of Trustees meeting at Village Hall on Tuesday, April 12. If you choose to join via Zoom, you must contact the mayor’s assistant, Miranda Weber, the day before or the morning of the meeting and request to be included. Miranda’s email is mweber@southamptonvillage.org.

If you cannot attend or participate via Zoom then you can submit your written comments before April 12, addressed to the Southampton Village Board of Trustees, and deliver or email the mayor’s assistant or Village Administrator Charlene Kagel-Betts, and ask that it be read into the record.

Kimberly Allan

Southampton Village

Allan is a former Southampton Village Board member — Ed.