Tuesday, June 23 – PRIMARY DAY

Election Day Polls are open from 6 am until 9 pm at your usual polling place. 

Not sure where to vote? Go to vote.org, put in your address, and you’ll find your polling site. 

Primary results will identify candidates for the November election. In our area, choose from these candidates: 

NYS Assembly Districts 106 Primary Election 

• Assembly District 106 candidates for NYS legislature: 

• Didi Barrett 

  1. Sam Hodge

• NYS Comptroller

• Thomas DiNapoli 

  1.  Raj Goyle

  2. Drew Warshaw

NYS Assembly Districts 107 Primary Election

The only primary contest in AD 107  for Town of Chatham voters is:

•  NYS Comptroller

• Thomas DiNapoli 

  1.  Raj Goyle

  2. Drew Warshaw

Announcements

1. Reminder: Draft Solar Law public meeting to take place at Tri-Village Firehouse at 2 pm on Saturday, June 20.

2. Community Picnic at Crellin Park is scheduled for July 18, from 11 am to 4 pm

3. Congratulations to the Chatham High School Varsity Girls’ Softball team who recently won the NYS Class B Softball Championship 

Old Business

Supervisor Collins highlighted upcoming resolutions: (1) that will allow for transfer of money within the budget to begin work of Town Hall to address energy efficient heating, cooling, and transportation; and (2) that will approve additional funds to complete paving of the Town Hall parking lot, due to increased costs since the original board approval of funds for this project.

Board member Simonetti reported on progress in purchasing AEDs for Town Hall and the Town Highway Garage. She will also set up training for staff on AED use. 

Supervisor Collins clarified with other Board members that written correspondence to the Town Board will be posted on the Town website, rather than included in Town Board meeting agendas.

Collins said that the Town has the option to invest with the EPIC NY Local Government Investment Program, referenced information given to the Board about this program, and recommended that the Board approve this option for investment of available funds.

New Business

Supervisor Collins advised that additional funds from NYS have been allocated for road work in the Town, and that there is a resolution to add this additional money to the Highway Department budget for 2026. 

Public comment

What has become an annual discussion/controversy re-surfaced during public comment related to a current request for a special use permit that allows the sale of beer at the annual Crellin Park Day. Several speakers said they have consistently opposed this permit due to concerns that there is a potential liability for the Town if alcohol is misused, and that alcohol use at a family event and that the incidental modeling of alcohol use for children in attendance is inappropriate. The counter point of view was that the sale of alcohol at the annual Crellin Park Day event has occurred for years, it has not ever resulted in a problem, that the application for a special permit is necessary and rigorous, and that it includes verification of liability insurance by the applicant with the Town named as an additional insured.

Draft Solar Law presented and discussed

A public meeting on the Town’s DRAFT SOLAR LAW took place on Saturday, June 20 at the Tri-Village Fire Company.

The meeting began with a presentation on recent legal rulings in NYS related to solar installations by Michael Boncardo of the law firm Hodgson Russ. Mr. Boncardo had reviewed an earlier draft law and made suggestions / comments to the Solar Law Committee regarding how best to strengthen the law and reduce the likelihood of litigation. His presentation emphasized that the regulatory landscape for solar development in NYS has changed markedly in recent years. Currently, the development of renewable energy facilities, including solar development, are considered “public utility” projects. As such, they are afforded special status for development and are likely to be eligible for exemptions from local zoning restrictions.  Mr. Boncardo’s comments on this and other pertinent aspects of the current legal climate and his comments on the draft solar law are found here. 

The second part of the meeting included a review of the current draft of the solar law proposed for the Town of Chatham; Planner Michael Allen of Regrowth Planning, who has worked with the Solar Law Committee on the proposed law, made the presentation. 

Allen explained the various levels of solar installations allowed by the draft law along with limitations on where installations can be located, based on several criteria designed to protect farmland, adhere to the Comprehensive Plan, and allow for other planful guidance of these types of energy installations. 

The allowable levels of solar installation include small rooftop residential installations and ground mounted installations for generating power for onsite use; larger rooftop installations for onsite and offsite use (limited in size by the roof size); larger ground mounted installations (up to 4 acres) for onsite use; and installations up to 30 acres in size that would generate power for offsite use and would only be permitted in designated “overlay zones” within the town. Solar installations larger than 30+ acres are not permitted by the current draft law. A “dual use” solar installation is also permitted that would allow for a combination of specified agricultural use of land in combination with a solar installation. Depending on the size and type of any proposed installation, a site plan review and special use permit may be required.

Following Allen’s presentation, he opened the floor for questions and comments from the audience and took notes for committee review. The discussion was lively, civil, and wide ranging. It was apparent that the Solar Law Committee has taken many factors into account in devising the draft law, and that additional changes may be made based on public comments.  Anyone can comment on the proposed solar law prior to close of business on July 6, 2026. Based on the presentation, it seems likely that the Town Board will schedule a public hearing and vote on the draft law in coming months, as the Town’s moratorium on certain levels of solar development is about to expire. 

The town website includes the following links to information about the DRAFT SOLAR LAW PUBLIC MEETING on June 20, 2026: 

Video
Solar Law Presentation Slides
Hodgson Russ Presentation Slides
Comments are requested by close of business, July 6, 2026.