BOARDS & COMMISSIONS

TOWN BOARD

The Town Board is the governing board of the town and is comprised of the Town Supervisor and four Council Members. Some of the responsibilities of the town board include filling vacancies in town offices; providing for the hiring of such employees as necessary for conducting the town’s business; overseeing town operations; adopting budgets; fixing salaries of officers and employees; managing expenditures; establishing policies and procedures; and enacting local legislation.
TOWN BOARD AGENDAS & DOCUMENTS

PLANNING BOARD

The Planning Board is an administrative body of local government. It is comprised of seven members and the primary responsibilities of the planning board are to review and approve subdivision plats; review and approve site plans; review and approve special use permits; prepare land subdivision regulations and recommend their adoption to the local legislature (town board); participate in the preparation of the town’s comprehensive plan; report on matters referred to it by the local legislature, including amendments to the zoning ordinance, the adoption of official maps and capital improvements; advise the local legislature and other boards on matters affecting the town’s development; and prepare other regulations relating to subject matter over which the planning board has jurisdiction and recommend their adoption to the local legislature.
PLANNING BOARD AGENDAS & DOCUMENTS

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

The Zoning Board of Appeals is a quasi-judicial five-member board. New York State regulations require communities to have a Zoning Board of Appeals to review requests for relief from existing regulations for changes in density and uses not permitted by current zoning (Use Variances); dimensional relief from existing regulation relating to building setbacks, building heights, allowed signage, etcetera (Area Variances); and interpretation of the regulations in the zoning ordinance made by the Town’s Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer (Interpretations). The Zoning Board of Appeals is can review the applications of a person who has applied to the Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer for a building permit and such permit was denied. An “aggrieved” citizen can also appeal the decision of the Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer where a permit was granted. In both cases, the ZBA is the first level of appeal from the decision of the Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer. The applicant must file its Notice of Appeal with the ZBA within 60 days after the Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer has filed his decision or action.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS AGENDAS & DOCUMENTS

RECREATION COMMISSION

The Recreation Commission is a five-member commission with the authority to establish, equip, operate, and maintain playgrounds and community programs and facilities.

CONSERVATION ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Conservation Advisory Council (CAC) is an advisory council comprised of at least five members, one of whom may be a youth member between the ages of 16 and 21. Persons residing within the Town of New Lebanon and nonresidents who own property within the Town of New Lebanon who are interested in the improvement and preservation of environmental quality are eligible for appointment as members of the CAC. The CAC advises in the development, management and protection of the Town’s natural resources. They may provide input, assistance, comments and recommendations regarding environmental assessments and environmental impact statements for proposed actions; advise the Town Board on matters affecting the preservation, development and use of the natural and physical features and conditions of the Town insofar as beauty, quality, ecological integrity and other environmental factors so as to enhance the long-range value of the environment to the people of Town; conduct studies, surveys and inventories of natural and physical features within the Town to ensure the wise use of natural resources and to enhance and protect the environment; maintain an up-to-date inventory of all open areas within the Town in public or private ownership including natural landmarks, streams and their floodplains, swamps, marshlands and other wetlands, unique biotic communities, scenic and other open areas of natural or ecological value, to provide a base of information for recommendations by the CAC for their preservation and/or ecologically suitable use; working in cooperation with the Planning Board, recommend to the Town Board features, plans and programs relating to environmental improvement for inclusion in the Comprehensive Plan of the Town of New Lebanon; and recommend to the Town Board appropriate and desirable changes in existing local laws and ordinances relating to environmental control or recommend new local laws and ordinances.

BOARD OF ETHICS

The Board of Ethics is an advisory board comprised of five members, a majority of such members are persons other than Town officers or employees, but at least one member is an appointed Town officer or employee. Upon the written request of any Town officer or employee, the Board of Ethics may render a written advisory opinion with respect to the interpretation or application of the Town of New Lebanon’s Code of Ethics or of Article 18 of the General Municipal Law. Any other person may similarly request an advisory opinion but only with respect to whether his own action might violate a provision of the Town’s Code of Ethics or Article 18. The opinions of the Board of Ethics are advisory, and in no event shall the identity of the Town officer or employee be disclosed.

BOARD OF ASSESSMENT REVIEW

The Board of Assessment Review (BAR) is a three-member board that is charged with reviewing and adjudicating all complaints received on real property assessments. Members of the BAR are required to attend an introductory training course upon initial appointment to the board and supplementary training upon reappointment from the Office of Real Property Services. The board provides an administrative review of assessments as part of the “grievance” process that is conducted at the municipal level. Any person who pays property taxes can grieve an assessment, including property owners, purchasers, and tenants who are required to pay property taxes pursuant to a lease or written agreement. It is the function of the BAR to make an independent judgment on the evidence presented and rule on the validity of the assessment in question guaranteeing property owners’ right to a fair and impartial decision regarding property assessments guaranteeing property owners’ right to a fair and impartial decision regarding property assessments.

ZONING RE-WRITE COMMITTEE

The Zoning Re-Write Committee (ZRC), re-established by the Town Board in 2013, is responsible for identifying, researching, and recommending to the Town Board for adoption enhancements to the New Lebanon Zoning Code. The ZRC consists of representatives from the Town Board, Planning Board, Zoning Board of Appeals and Conservation Advisory Commission.