Smithtown Town Board Regular Meeting – November 13, 2025

On Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 2:00 PM in the Victor T. Liss Board Room, Smithtown Town Hall (99 West Main Street, Smithtown, NY), the Town Board held its regular meeting. Present were Supervisor Edward R. Wehrheim, Councilman Thomas J. McCarthy, Councilwoman Lisa M. Inzerillo, and Councilman Thomas Lohmann Sr.; Councilwoman Lynne Nowick was absent. The Board briefly convened as the Board of Water Commissioners before the regular Town Board agenda. Unless otherwise noted, all actions were approved unanimously (4-0), with Supervisor Wehrheim moving and Councilman McCarthy seconding.

Board of Water Commissioners

• Based on the raw transcript (not reflected in the official minutes), the Board approved water-related items including ratification of the Chairman's execution of an agreement with the New York Environmental Facilities Corporation grant for water main improvements on Oakside Drive, authorization to advertise Bid #25-105 for the 881 West Jericho Turnpike Water Main Extension, award of RFP #25-074 for the design of a new water main for Oakside Drive, and a transfer item.

Correspondence

• Accepted the Building Department October 2025 Report.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the October 23, 2025 and November 4, 2025 Town Board meetings.
• Adopted unanimously the block of 24 Comptroller transfer items and two levy-of-cost resolutions: 20 Dawson Avenue, Kings Park ($4,416.11) and costs against seven properties.
• Note on discrepancies: the agenda lists two consecutive Comptroller transfers as resolution 3191, while the minutes assign the second DEW Environmental Protection transfer the number 3216; the agenda also repeats item numbers 3191 and 3204 for different matters.

Public Hearings

• Community Development Program Year 2026: Kelly Brown, Housing Rehabilitation Administrator, presented the funding request. The projected funding amount is $216,000. Past-year projects included full renovation and handicap accessibility of the men's and ladies' restrooms in Town Hall, outdoor handrails on seniors' homes, the senior citizen home chore program, and first-time funding for the Smithtown Food Pantry, which helps over 170 families per month. The hearing was closed unanimously.
• Smithtown Water District Boundary and Water Main Extension for Oakside Drive and Landing Avenue: Rachel Lenberger presented. The proposal includes two boundary extensions: Oakside Drive adding 25 parcels and Landing Avenue adding 9 parcels, giving private-well parcels the option to connect to public water. The improvements would be financed by $1.667 million in bonds assessed on the entire water district, reduced by any federal, state, or county grants. The hearing was closed unanimously.

Advertise for Public Hearing

• Authorized advertising two public hearings for Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at 7:00 PM at the Eugene Cannataro Senior Citizens Center: Zone Change Petition #2023-02 Beechwood Smithtown, LLC, and Proposed Local Law #14-2025 amending Chapter 207, 'Noise,' as it relates to exceptions. Adopted unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mike Rosado spoke in opposition to the proposed Beechwood 'Country Point Estates' project, a 288-unit condominium development on 71 acres that he described as the largest privately owned area of forested land in Smithtown. He stated Beechwood owns 27 of the 71 acres, and is under contract to purchase the adjoining 17-acre Raleigh farm and another 27 acres owned by the Korea family. He said County Legislator Rob Trotter had approached the owners about selling to the county, but the Raleigh and Korea families declined after Beechwood made a much higher bid based on the town's signaling it would increase density from half-acre residential to planned residential development (PRD). He noted current zoning allows two homes per acre, while PRD zoning allows six units per acre, and raised concerns about environmental, traffic, and school impacts, the town's master plan, and the precedent that could allow similar density on 42 adjacent acres, potentially increasing homes in that Kings Park area to 500, an almost 10 percent increase in the hamlet. He also alleged a pattern of impropriety favoring well-connected interests and campaign voters, and stated that the Kings Park Community Association had over 20 percent of homeowners within 100 feet of the project sign a petition forcing a supermajority town board vote. He submitted the petition to the Town Clerk. No other public speakers were heard.

Discussion Items

• 2026 Preliminary Budget (Resolution 3206): Councilman Lohmann made a statement before the vote, saying that preparing a municipal budget is difficult because of unpredictable revenues, rising fixed costs, pensions, infrastructure, services, and competing departmental priorities. He said he could not support the reduction of 46 full-time employees and hundreds of part-time youth employees in parks, beaches, and recreational camps to stay under the 2% tax cap, but he voted yes. The budget was adopted unanimously.
• Zoning amendment: The Board adopted an amendment to Chapter 322 of the Town Code, 'Zoning,' related to mixed-use buildings in the Hauppauge Industrial Park Overlay District.

Key Outcomes

• Approved bid advertisements for Bid #25-103 (Sale of Surplus Metals), Bid #25-104 (Bulk Delivery of Portland Cement Powder), and Bid #25-106 (Annual Supply Contract for Lumber, Plywood and Building Materials), all returnable December 4, 2025.
• Awarded Bid #25-091 for Pre-Cast Concrete Drainage Items to Pelkowski Precast Corp. and Bid #25-092 for Recycling of Electronic Waste to Cornerstone Technologies, Inc.
• Approved agreements and authorizations including the National Grid St. James Gas Replacement Project ratification, extension of resident parking permits from December 31, 2025 to March 31, 2026, the Hayduk Engineering amendment for Paul T. Given Park bridge work, extension of the Urban Forestry Management bid with Long Island Tree & Landscaping Service, Inc., software maintenance renewal with SHI Government Solutions, a one-month loader bucket rental, an agreement with The Timmons Group Geospatial Solutions, the Suffolk County Horizons prevention services contract, the 2026 Youth Sports and Education Grant application, the ASPCA Animal Shelter grant application, and multiple Supervisor-authorized agreements (including SCWA easement amendment, Horizons Optum Health renewal, employee leave transfer, Nurse Practitioner Kristen Carman consulting agreement, Suffolk County traffic signal agreement, Zag's Photo Booth for the Holiday Tree Lighting, and Site Tech Wireless lease assignment to SBA Towers XI, LLC).
• Accepted donations of $1,330 from Partnership for Children, Youth and Families for the Youth Bureau and $30 from STS. Philip and James R.C. Church for the Animal Shelter.
• Approved settlements as recommended by the Town Attorney: Instyle Nail & Spa v. Town of Smithtown ($5,706.00), Anthony D'Angelo III v. Town of Smithtown ($300.00), Lois Aprile v. Town of Smithtown ($193.84), and Paul Kruger v. Town of Smithtown ($981.66).
• Approved personnel matters: part-time appointments of Tara Murphy and Nadia Guagliano as Recreation Aide II at $16.00/hour, effective November 14, 2025; full-time appointment of Keith Barters as Park Ranger I at $29.11/hour, effective November 24, 2025; and provisional promotion of William Sabid to Senior Building Plans Examiner at $37.40/hour, effective November 17, 2025, including appointment to assist the Chief Building Inspector with Board of Zoning Appeals hearings.