The annexation court fight goes on

Editor’s note: Kiryas Joel Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin emailed the following missive to county and town officials earlier this regarding the ongoing dispute over annexation of land from the Town of Monroe into the village. United Monroe dropped its opposition to the annexation as part of its agreement with the Village of Kiryas Joel to create the Town of Palm Tree, which would eliminate Kiryas Joel political might from Monroe politics. Voters approved the plan last November. The challenge brought by the county and surrounding towns and villages continued this week in court.

Dear County Executive, Town Supervisors and Mayors:
Your lawyer representing the County of Orange, the Town of Chester, Woodbury and Blooming Grove in the Court challenge to the KJ annexation has announced last week that he will continue challenging the KJ annexation in court on your behalf, even though KJ, Monroe, and United Monroe have reached an out-of-court settlement and the Town of Palm Tree is in the process of being formed.
At the time your lawyers are fighting KJ annexation in court “you” are busy giving political talk on fighting the KJ overflow into the Greens of Chester, Woodbury and Blooming Grove, but you are ignoring the fact that the entire KJ Overflow was/is caused by your stubborn policy of fighting the anti-KJ Annexation court fight.
Don’t you realize that your foreclosing the opportunity to build homes “in” KJ for KJ residents will only force people to look for homes elsewhere? Including in Chester?
Don’t you realize that the only way to keep the MWSD, Chester SD, and Washingtonville SD as is is only by making sure that enough homes can be built “in” the KJSD?
Can you explain to any rational person why Chester, BG and Woodbury was and continues to be a plaintiff in the Monroe to KJ annexation?
Actions have consequences. The County’s fighting the KJ water and KJ annexation efforts have motivated and forced KJ residents to move out of KJ in droves in to Woodbury, South Blooming Grove and now to Chester against the wishes of the KJ community.
How shortsighted can you be to continue the same anti-KJ Annexation court fight and than complain about KJ families moving in to Greens of Chester?
There will be another court hearing this week in the NY State Supreme Court before the Hon. Judge Marx. Please instruct your lawyers to drop the County, Chester, Woodbury and Blooming Grove versus KJ annexation case. It’s time to end the failed policy of choking the KJ housing market, it’s time to end the annexation court fight, it’s time to let KJ residents stay in KJ, it’s time to provide enough affordable housing in KJ instead of causing a massive overflow in to neighboring towns and School Districts.
Please instruct your lawyers to end the annexation court cases.
In addition, please stop using the issue of County Sewer Capacity as a means to stop the KJ Overflow into Chester, sewer is a simple utility it shouldn’t be used politically for social engineering to determine were KJ residents should reside in case of a housing crisis created by the County annexation and water lawsuits.
Again, please instruct your legal team to discontinue the annexation lawsuits at the court hearing or stop complaining about the KJ overflow to the Greens of Chester, Woodbury and Blooming Grove.
Gedalye Szegedin
Kiryas Joel Village Administrator