MONROE – A deal that will end a lawsuit over the Village of Kiryas Joel’s
efforts to annex 164 acres of Monroe town land into the village has been
agreed upon by village officials and leaders of two local citizens groups
that have opposed the proposal.
United Monroe and Preserve Hudson Valley have been against the annexation
and another, much larger proposal, to annex 507 acres into the village.
This deal will allow creation of the new town, the Town of Palm Tree,
with 56 acres of Monroe town land and Kiryas Joel.
Two-thirds of the county legislature must approve it before it would be
placed before Monroe voters on November 7.
Legislature Chairman Stephen Brescia said Wednesday that the deal appears
to be “the most palatable” solution for all involved. He noted
it will be up to the voters of the Town of Monroe to give the final approval.
The agreement would require withdrawal of KJ’s appeal to annex 507
acres and withdrawal of Preserve Hudson Valley’s appeal of the 164
annexation approvals.
It would require that the boundaries of the school districts of KJ and
Monroe-Woodbury be altered to conform with the new boundaries.
It would prohibit Kiryas Joel and the new town from approving or supporting
annexations from Monroe or Blooming Grove for 10 years and prohibit KJ
and the new town from encouraging or assisting in the formation of any
new villages for 10 years after the commencement of the new town.
The county legislature will conduct two public hearings on the proposal
on August 15 and 16 and vote on the plan at its September meeting. A super-majority
vote is needed for the legislature to advance it to an election day vote
and Brescia said at this point, he is unsure how the vote would go.
