Opponents of an annexation petition to move 507 acres from the Town of Monroe into the Satmar hasidic Village of Kiryas Joel are suing the State of New York for appointing Kiryas Joel lead agency for the proposed annexation's environmental review, noting that Kiryas Joel has fined by the DEC and the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to comply with state and federal environmental laws.
The Times Herald-Record reports:
Opponents of an annexation petition to move 507 acres from the Town of Monroe into [the Satmar hasidic Village of] Kiryas Joel were furious when the [New York] state Department of Environmental Conservation picked the [hasidic] village to lead an environmental review of the proposal.
Now they are challenging that decision in court, saying the agency abdicated its responsibility by selecting an entity [the Village of Kiryas Joel] that has been repeatedly fined by the DEC and the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to comply with state and federal environmental laws.…
The Article 78 [petition] filed in state Supreme Court in Goshen also names DEC Commissioner Joseph Martens as a respondent, along with Town of Monroe, Orange County, the Kiryas Joel Village Board, the Monroe-Woodbury school district and the numerous property owners who are part of the annexation petition. The petitioners include United Monroe, Preserve Hudson Valley and three private citizens.
The annexation petition, which would nearly double the size of Kiryas Joel, has roiled the Town of Monroe. Because Kiryas Joel typically has high density housing, most residents fear the annexation will lead to similar housing in their vicinity and will put a strain on water and sewer services.…
[The Article 78 petition] also refers to what it calls Kiryas Joel’s blatant lack of respect for the state Open Meetings Law and the Freedom of Information Act Law as another reason why the village should not be the lead agency for a controversial project like the annexation petition.
Kiryas Joel does "not have the interest of the public at heart," said Susan Shapiro, attorney for the petitioners.…
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