North East’s new Town Hall held up by courtroom drama

MILLERTON — North East Town Council members have come under fire over plans to relocate town court service to Amenia’s Town Hall.

Town Justices Dennis Johnson and Casey McCabe sharply criticized the plans during public comment at a regular meeting of the Town Board on Thursday, June 11. Town Board members have been discussing a proposal that would allow for court proceedings to take place at Amenia Town Hall to save floor space in the new Town Hall.

The debate comes as North East prepares to relocate Town Hall from its current Maple Avenue location to a former Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Hall on Route 22. The town purchased the approximately 4,500-square-foot building in 2023, with plans to renovate it into a new, fully accessible municipal complex. Town officials have said space constraints within the building have prompted discussions about whether a dedicated courtroom can be accommodated alongside other municipal offices.

The plans involve a proposed contract with the Town of Amenia that would allow use of its courtroom for North East Town Court proceedings. Court Clerk and justice offices would be located in the new Town Hall, located in a former Jehovah’s Witnesses hall on Route 22.

Johnson said he first heard of the plans from Town Supervisor Chis Kennan’s public comments at an Amenia Town Board meeting on June 4. North East Town Board members have been discussing the plans in public meetings since April.

Johnson expressed frustration over what he described as a lack of communication between the Town Board and the court.

“I don’t understand how it is that we got to this point,” Johnson said. “That neither of the justices had been consulted about this.”

Johnson described the multi-year process that went into designing the planned courtroom. He said the town’s court employees and justices had spent months working with the New York Office of Court Administration and designers to ensure the room would meet Americans with Disabilities Act and New York State standards.

Johnson defended courtroom plans, saying the space would be shared as the current courtroom in North East’s Town Hall on Maple Avenue currently is.

McCabe’s protests centered around courtroom organization and access to court records. She said it would be difficult for the court to adapt to unexpected circumstances if court records and documents were stored in North East while proceedings took place in Amenia.

She described the ongoing discussions among Town Board members as an unnecessary further expense, echoing pleas from Johnson that the justices be included in further plans for the town court.

Johnson and McCabe both described providing a town court in North East as a responsibility, saying that moving court proceedings out of town would be disenfranchising and unfair to residents and taxpayers.

Johnson and McCabe both declined to provide further comment.

“I gave my public comment,” Johnson said in response to further questions after the meeting.

Kennan clarified the town’s position following the meeting. He said the public comment at Amenia’s Town Board was an attempt to kickstart discussion with the town, not an official proposal.

He said Town Board members were exploring options for saving space at the new Town Hall. Kennan said court officials have insisted on a separation between the court and the Town Board.

“Justice Johnson has reminded me several times that the court is a separate unit of government and that the town has no role with the court,” Kennan said. “As I understand it, our only role is to find them space for their court clerk and for their courtroom.”

At the Amenia meeting, Kennan described requirements for the courtroom and associated infrastructure as “mind-boggling.” He said there are no laws requiring courts to be located within town limits and cited guidance from Dutchess County and New York that municipalities should be looking for opportunities to consolidate services.

Kennan said he has since reached out to the justices and expects to meet with them this week. He acknowledged that planning for the new Town Hall has taken considerable time, but expressed optimism that things can start getting underway soon.

“I am really looking forward to fitting out the former Jehovah’s Witnesses building as a really good, accessible Town Hall,” Kennan said. “It has taken too long — no question — but it will be a great location.”