Town Board Meeting — August 20, 2026
Present: Supervisor Rosanna Hamm, Councilperson Vicki Doyle, Councilperson Walter Dietrich. Absent: Councilperson Nicole Ahearn (Deputy Supervisor). The board opened in executive session on personnel matters before convening publicly at 7:04 p.m. Guests included a county dog control officer, County Legislator Eric Alexander, and Duchess County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Steve River. The board adopted the town's updated Emergency Operations Plan, formally introduced a smoking and vaping local law, and worked through committee reports on highway operations, the water district, recreation, and building department activity.
Emergency Operations Plan — Adopted
Adopted
Resolution 69 formally adopted the town's updated 2026 Emergency Operations Plan, following the board's review of language circulated after an August 4 planning meeting. The board previously discussed housing an emergency operations center in the town boardroom, which would require a base radio and a laminated street map; Fire Chief Chris Howard is gathering pricing for consideration in the 2027 budget.
Smoking and Vaping Local Law — Introduced
In Progress
Resolution 68 formally introduced a local law restricting smoking and vaping on municipal property, following a full draft circulated by the town attorney earlier this month. The proposal includes an escalating fine structure starting at $50. Introduction begins the formal adoption process; a public hearing is expected before final adoption.
Animal Control — Humane Law Enforcement Authority
In Progress
Dog Control Officer Kenneth Wallace, who also serves as DCO for Dover, Pawling, and Putnam County, briefed the board on gaps in county-wide humane law enforcement. The Dutchess County SPCA no longer holds humane law investigative authority; that responsibility shifted to the Sheriff's Office in 2022, which Wallace said has been inconsistent in following up on cruelty complaints. As a DCO, Wallace currently has no law enforcement status in Amenia and can only pick up and transport animals, not investigate. He recently was appointed the county's humane law liaison to a new Animal Welfare and Stewardship Committee formed by County Legislators Anna Shaw and Chris Rollison, with Sheriff Kirk Pratt, District Attorney Anthony Parisi, and their designees participating.
The board discussed amending the town's constable law to add humane law enforcement authority, with the intent that Wallace be designated to exercise it — an approach modeled on a similar amendment already adopted in Dover. The town attorney will draft the amendment for introduction at an upcoming meeting. Legislator Alexander noted the county committee is also recommending that all animal abuse reports be routed through 911 for consistent case tracking, a change the county's public safety commissioner has conceptually agreed to.
EV Charging Station Reimbursement
In Progress
The town has received its state contract clearing the way to begin seeking reimbursement for the cost of operating free EV charging stations at the Rail Trail parking lot (Mechanic Street, Depot Hill Road, and Railroad Avenue). Reimbursement requires quarterly reporting; the board has not yet assigned responsibility for tracking and submitting those reports and plans to sort that out in the near term.
Water District Infrastructure
In Progress
The grant-funded module unit for the La Valle Road project is expected to arrive in October or November, with tank retrofitting to follow in 2027; the project remains on budget, meaning no added cost to water district ratepayers if grant funding holds. A coupling failure caused a leak on Midway Road, which has been repaired. Separately, production at the Washington Court well has dropped by roughly half — from about 40 gallons per minute when drilled to about 15 — and a pump company was inspecting the well for a possible pump or pipe issue. Of two recently fracked wells, only one is back online; the town's engineering firm is following up on returning the second to service.
Habitat for Humanity — Depot Hill Road
In Progress
Habitat for Humanity of Dutchess County received a $185,000 award toward the single-family home planned for the site. The property has closed and the organization hopes to begin construction by the end of the year.
Cascade Creek Subdivision — Affordable Housing Component
Under Review
Hudson River Housing received a $199,000 award to assist with construction of four houses as part of the Cascade Creek project's affordable housing component.
Other Business
Via consent agenda, the board also approved Resolution 70, a salary increase for the building inspector/code enforcement officer, and Resolution 71, a transfer of funds; both passed without discussion. The board authorized payment of claims totaling roughly $193,936 across the general fund, highway fund, lighting districts, water fund, and capital projects.
The vintage lights at the pocket park across from Four Corners on Main Street have gone dark because of a failed underground cable between the transformer and the meter, not the meter itself. The board will seek three quotes for the repair and move ahead as soon as possible.
A resident is looking to donate two memorial benches in honor of his parents; the board was receptive to siting them on town property, potentially near Fountain Square or along the town's stretch of the rail trail, and will follow up when he visits in the coming weeks.
The board's contract with landscape architecture firm Aspect 120 has cleared an earlier insurance hurdle; the town attorney is reviewing the remaining contract terms, with a resolution authorizing signature possible at a future meeting.
Duchess County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Steve River briefed the board on the county's Flock/ALPR camera network and the Artic.org transparency portal. He said Amenia has three camera locations, that license plate data is deleted after 30 days, and that the cameras are not used for speed or red-light enforcement. He offered to explore camera-sharing access for Beekman Park at little or no cost to the town if it enrolls early in the county's program.
Highway Superintendent's report: road sealing completed on Deep Hollow, Butts Hollow, Glenn Avenue, Little Glenn, Glenn Hill, Oak Drive, May Lane, and Benton Road; a top coat was applied to the Yellow City Road dirt section from Sheffield to Route 343, reimbursed through New York State CHIPS funding; equipment and materials bids were due back for opening August 24, with award expected at the September 17 meeting.
Recreation report: the summer camp closed August 7 after a successful season; roughly 40–50 people attended the senior picnic; a soccer program begins in September; the Harvest Festival is set for October 17 and Trunk-or-Treat for October 31 at the Four Brothers parking lot (1–3:30 p.m., volunteers and participants asked to register with the recreation department); the Maple Brook pool is expected to reopen for town swim programs in mid-September.
Community announcements: the Amenia Affordability Fair is set for Thursday, September 17, 5–7 p.m. at Town Hall, offering free government services including property tax relief guidance, senior services, low-cost veterinary care, and prescription savings; a data center moratorium roundtable discussion is scheduled for August 26 at 2 p.m. at Limekiln Recreation Park in Hopewell Junction; the Dutchess County household hazardous waste and electronics recycling event is September 19 at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds (pre-registration required, $10 per household); and the CAC's Mini Repair Cafe will be held October 17 in front of the library as part of the Harvest Festival. Councilperson Dietrich also offered a public safety reminder that stinging insects become more aggressive from August through October and urged residents to be cautious of allergic reactions.
Watch the full meeting recording on the AmeniaTV YouTube channel →
This summary was generated from the YouTube recording of the meeting. It is intended as a public service and may contain minor transcription inaccuracies.