Mayor to seek Franklin Ave. speed reduction from DOT

MILLBROOK — As the meeting of the Village of Millbrook Board of Trustees got under way on Wednesday, Oct. 11, a resolution was passed to allow Mayor Tim Collopy to request that the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT)  lower the speed limit on Franklin Avenue to 25 miles per hour, specifically, from Most Physical Therapy to Cardinal Hays School. 

Franklin Avenue is a state road and any changes must come from DOT. This request has been made before and been rejected by DOT. 

Karen McLaughlin, senior account clerk, gave a report on the financial condition of the village, adding that, last year, the theme was stability; this year, it is safety and liquidity. Property tax remained under the 2% state tax cap, at $4.85 per $1,000 assessed value, up $0.07 from last year. 

Trustee Peter Doro gave an update on the work being done on the short-term rental (STR) project. Instead of a lottery system, it would be first come, first served, and there would be a wait list. The maximum number of STRs allowed would be 15 instead of 20, with a two-year fee of $1,000. The number of renters would be eight rather than six and there would be no limit on annual maximum days of rentals. 

The restriction to only one rental per week would be lifted. The requirement for resident-on-premises-only would have an extended grace period from six months to two years. A two-hour time limit to respond to problems would be lowered to a one-hour response time, and the provision against two adjacent properties allowed to be STRs would be removed.

Some discussion ensued with audience members, but this was not up for a vote and will be discussed further. A new resolution, and a new public hearing, are all in the future.

Trustee Mike Herzog said that the village is waiting on permits from DOT to begin replacing the designated sidewalks on Franklin Avenue. Some preliminary work may be done, such as the removal of trees. Then the actual work on the sidewalks themselves will depend on when the permit is obtained as well as the weather. The replacement trees will be ordered over the winter, to be ready for spring planting.