Village of Dering Harbor Trustees Organizational Meeting
Minutes
June 6th, 2026 9:00 am

● The meeting was called to order at 9:01am
● Attendance- Ari Benacerraf (mayor), Karen Kelsey, Eric Deutsch; absent- Sam Ashner, Tom Kusner; Wayne Bruyn (village attorney), Vicki Shields (village clerk), Donna Ritzzmann (stenographer), John Colby, Bridgford Hunt
● Announcement of Election Results from May 22, 2026. Ari, Sam, and Tom were all re-elected.
● The Oath of Office was administered to newly re-elected Mayor, Ari Benacerraf.
Trustees Samuel Ashner and Thomas Kusner were not present. Their Oaths of Office would be administered the next time they are at Village hall.
● A motion to accept the minutes from the May 9th, 2026 meeting was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
● Organizational Resolutions:

a. The following appointment of Deputy Mayor (subject to being sworn in) was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS, the Honorable Ari Benacerraf, Mayor of the Village of Dering Harbor, has the responsibility pursuant to Section 4-400(1)(h) to appoint a member of the Board of Trustees as the Deputy Mayor of the Village of Dering Harbor, and
WHEREAS, Samuel Ashner is a duly elected Trustee of the Village of
Dering Harbor and possesses the knowledge, skills and experience to perform the duties
of Mayor in the event of the absence of the Mayor and will distinguish the Village in that capacity, it is therefore,
RESOLVED, that Samuel Ashner is hereby appointed Deputy Mayor of the Village of Dering Harbor.
b. Resolutions for the appointment of Village officers and officials are as follows:
● A motion to appoint Vicki Shields as Village Clerk, Treasurer, and Records Access Officer was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to appoint Wayne Bruyn, Esq as Village Attorney was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to appoint Suffolk County Water Authority as Commissioner of the Water Department was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor..
● A motion to appoint Village Clerk, Vicki Shields, as Agent for Mailing Notice of Claim was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to appoint East End Accounting Services Corp. as Village Accountant and bookkeeper was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to appoint Christopher Talbot as Village Building Inspector and Stormwater Management Officer was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to appoint Beau Payne as Village Waterways Commissioner was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to appoint Arthur Bloom as Village Code Enforcement Officer and Fire Marshall was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to appoint the Shelter Island Town Clerk, Shelby Mundy, as Village Registrar of Vital Statistics was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor..
c. ARB and ZBA appointments
● Melinda Carroll was reappointed to the Architectural Review Board for a 3-year term, 6/26-6/29
● Kay Lawson was reappointed to the Architectural Review Board for a 3-year term, 6/26-6/29
● John Broderick was newly appointed to the Architectural Review Board for a 3-year term, 6/26-6/29
● Rob Ferris was appointed Chairperson of the Architectural Review Board for a 1-year term
● Devon Cross was reappointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a 5-year term, 6/26-6/31
● Kay Lawson was appointed Chairperson of the Zoning Board of Appeals for a 1-year term.
d. The following resolution to appoint Cullen and Danowski as Village Auditors was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Board of Trustees of the Village of Dering Harbor has determined that it is in the best interests of the Village of Dering Harbor to retain the accounting firm of Cullen and Danowski, as Village Auditors; it is therefore,
RESOLVED that Cullen and Danowski is hereby appointed as the Village Auditors of the Village of Dering Harbor.
e. The following resolution determining the cost of bonding Village Officers to be a Village expense was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS certain officers of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor are required by law to be bonded, and
WHEREAS such bonding is in conjunction with the discharge of their duties and WHEREAS the Board of Trustees by law may determine that the cost of such
bonding is a Village expense, it is therefore,
RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Dering Harbor that the cost of the bonding required of certain Village officers in conjunction with the discharge of their duties as a Village officer is a Village expense, and that such charge shall be charged to and paid by the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor.
f. The following resolution waiving requirement for the Mayor and Trustees to post an undertaking was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
RESOLVED that the requirement for the Mayor and Trustees to post an undertaking is hereby waived.
g. The following resolution designating Dime Community Bank as the official Village bank was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor are required to designate and approve a bank as the official depository of the Village for the deposit of Village funds, it is therefore,
RESOLVED that the official bank and depository of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor shall be the Dime Community Bank, subject to the review of appropriate documentation of the bank by the Village Attorney and Treasurer.
h. The following resolution designating the Shelter Island Reporter as the official Village newspaper was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor..
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor are required to designate and approve a newspaper as the official newspaper of the Village for the posting of public notices of the Village and other requirements, it is therefore,
RESOLVED that the official newspaper of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor shall be the Shelter Island Reporter of Shelter Island, New York.
i. The following resolution setting the following dates and times of regular monthly meetings and adopting the rules of the Open Meetings Law was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor are required to set the date for regular monthly meetings of the Board of Trustees through the year, unless otherwise designated by the Board and proper public notification is given, and
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees are desirous of adopting the requirements of the open meetings law as set forth in the Public Officers Law and the other laws of the state of New York, it is therefore,
RESOLVED that the regular meeting date of the Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor, unless set by the Trustees for a different date or time, shall be the second Saturday of each month at 9:00 am (7/11/26, 8/8/26, 9/19/26, 10/10/26, 11/14/26, 12/12/26, 1/9/27, 3/6/27, 4/10/27, 5/8/27, 6/12/27) at the
Village of Dering Harbor Village Hall, unless a vote of the Board with proper public notice is otherwise made and given, then the meeting for that month shall be on such other date as may be set by the Board, and it is further;
RESOLVED that the Board of Trustees hereby adopts the notice requirements of the Public Officer Law as the official procedure of the Board, and directs the Village Clerk, unless otherwise directed or required, to provide at least seventy-two hours’ notice to and in the media of every meeting of the Board, except a special meeting where prevailing circumstances require a special meeting with less notice, in which case the notice shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Public Officers Law.
j. The following resolution establishing procedures for the setting and notification of a special meeting was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor desire to establish a procedure for setting special meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Village, it is therefore,
RESOLVED, that a special meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Village of Dering Harbor may be called by either by the Mayor or by two Trustees of the Village of Dering Harbor acting together, and it is further
RESOLVED that in the event of a special meeting being called, the Mayor and every member of the Board of Trustees shall be informed by telephone or electronic mail by either the Village Clerk or another member of the Board of Trustees of the date, time, location and subject of the special meeting, and unless the meeting is called to respond to an emergency concerning the safety and welfare of the Village, notice of the meeting shall be given to the Trustees and newspapers, and posted on the Village notice website at least seventy-two hours in advance of the meeting, and otherwise as in conformance with the Public Officers Law, and the other laws of the State of New York.
k. The following resolution adopting Roberts Rules of Order as the official procedure of the Board was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor are able to develop or designate rules of procedure and meetings to be applied for the meetings of the Board, and
WHEREAS the Board of Trustees believes it is in the best interests of the Village to adopt the Roberts Rules of Order as the rules of procedure for the Board, it is therefore,
RESOLVED that the Roberts Rule of Order are hereby adopted as the rules of procedure for the Board of Trustees of the Village to the extent that they are not inconsistent with New York State law.
l. The following resolution adopting the Village cash management and investment policy was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor are required to adopt or formulate certain policy and procedures regarding the investment and deposit of Village funds, and the management of that money, and
WHEREAS the Village of Dering Harbor has previously adopted the model cash management and investment policy of the Office of the State comptroller as the Cash Management and Investment Policy of the Village, it is therefore,
RESOLVED that the investment policy of the Village of Dering Harbor shall hereby be the model cash management and investment policy of the Office of the State Comptroller as currently in effect as the cash management and investment policy of the Village of Dering Harbor.
m. The following resolution adopting the Village procurement policy was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS, §104-b of the New York State General Municipal Law requires the governing body of every municipality to adopt a procurement policy for all goods and services which are not required by law to be publicly bid; and
WHEREAS, the Village of Dering Harbor has previously adopted a Procurement Policy and is required to annually review and update as necessary.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Dering Harbor hereby adopts the Procurement Policy, dated June 15, 2024, which is intended to apply to all goods and services which are not required to be publicly bid.
n. The following resolution authorizing payment of certain claims prior to audit was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor have determined that it may be necessary and in the best interests of the Village to make payment of certain claims regarding utilities postage, freight and express charges prior to audit by the Board of Trustees, it is therefore,
RESOLVED that the Village Treasurer is hereby authorized to make payment of invoices prior to audit by the Board of Trustees of public utility services, postage, freight and express charges, and it is further,
RESOLVED that in the event that a claim is paid prior to audit by the Board of Trustees pursuant to this resolution, the claimant and officer of the Village approving or incurring same shall be jointly and severally liable for any amount disallowed by the Board of Trustees in the subsequent audit of that claim.
o. The following resolution setting the date of the 2027 organizational meeting was moved by Karen and seconded by Eric. All Board members present voted in favor.
WHEREAS the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Incorporated Village of Dering Harbor are empowered to set the date of the 2027 organizational meeting of the Village of Dering Harbor, it is therefore,
RESOLVED that the 2027 Organizational Meeting of the Village of Dering Harbor shall be held on Saturday, June 12, 2027, at 9:00 a.m., or at such other time as may properly be set by the Board of Trustees at that time.

● A resolution to authorize payment of the Outstanding Bills Abstract payment was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.

● New Business

a. A motion to open the Public Hearing on a Local Law amending §230-47 of the Zoning Law to replace the existing requirements to obtain a certificate of occupancy and require an updated certificate of occupancy upon change of ownership was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
Wayne gave an explanation of the proposed local law, that it clarifies the procedure of obtaining a CO. The other thing it does is requires an up-to-date CO on the transfer, and it is not unusual. Many other municipalities have this in their codes. The purpose is to have a verification of the safety of the property. In particular, smoke alarms and pool fences. It also ensures compliance to the code. With respect to the real estate business, this is a commonplace practice. Having an up-to-date CO procedure ensures this for the real estate transfer process. Wayne does not believe this change will overwhelm the Village Building Department.
Ari questioned if a buyer can buy a property without an updated CO. Wayne said yes. This change is meant to protect the buyer. Eric asked if non-compliance of a particular property confers any liability on the Village. Wayne said no, unless the Village had knowledge of the non-compliance and did nothing about it.
Ari acknowledged receipt of four letters from residents on this topic (John Colby, Brandon Rose, Kirk Ressler, and Charles Modica) and they were made part of the record.
Public comments:
1. Jon Colby said he spoke to a bunch of residents. He feels this is more than a clarification of legislation and is a change to legislation. He thinks that a buyer of a property has the right to buy a property as is, and a seller has the right to enter into a private contract with a buyer.
2. Bridford commented that he received a copy of the letter from Brandon Rose and rather than write his own letter or making comments, he stated that he agrees with Brandon’s letter and think he nails the issue.
Karen asked if there is another avenue of dealing with a violation. Wayne said the enforcement process. She also asked about the conditions that need to be met that are listed in the proposed local law. Wayne said this is standard practice and makes the requirements very clear. Ari asked John Colby and Bridgford Hunt if they are opposed to the entirety of the law. Bridg commented no, just on the paragraph regarding the sale of a property. To him, it seems to protect those whom the Village does not represent and it encumbers those whom the Village does represent. John Colby said the new proposed
portion of the code encumbers the process too much. But they are both in favor of the portion of the code that clarifies the process of obtaining a CO. Wayne said having compliance is a primary issue in a real estate transaction. From both the purchaser and seller standpoint, this makes the process more clear and streamlined. Bridg commented that if the buyer wants an up-to-date CO, they can put the onus on the seller. He just doesn’t think it should be mandated.
A motion to keep the public hearing open and adjourn to the July 11th meeting was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
b. A motion to open a Public Hearing on a Local Law to require removal of underground fuel oil storage tanks upon transfer of property was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
Wayne gave some background on the proposed LL. He noted what the Town of Shelter Island has on their code. He said underground storage tanks are ticking time bombs. The longer they are in the ground, particularly in areas with more moisture in the soil, the degrade quicker. And the biggest problem is because you can’t see them. Removal of these tanks (as opposed to abandoning them) is always the best remedy and it protects the Village water supply. There are county regulations that give municipalities standards for this process, but there is no county oversight. Many local municipalities have adopted processes for addressing these underground storage tanks. He explained that the problem with abandonment, as opposed to removal, is that often there is no one there to oversee if the process was property executed.
Public Comments:
1. John Colby is wondering why the board is asking questions of the Village attorney if they are the ones that asked him to look into it. Ari explained that there are a whole host of things in the Village code that need updating, which the BOT is systematically cleaning up one at a time. John thinks the two proposed LL’s seem to be interlocking. Karen clarified that they are not interlocking and are two separate issues.
2. Bridgford thinks the remedy may be if you delete paragraph E in the first piece, then the issue of the underground tanks should stand on its own, it transcends property lines and benefits everyone.
A motion to keep the public hearing open and adjourn to the July 11th meeting was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
c. A motion to approve a Special Event parking request from John Colby (5 Dering Woods Road) for Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 5 pm-7pm was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
d. A motion to approve a Special Event parking request from Sam Ashner (26 Harbor Lane) for Friday, July 3rd, 2026 from 4pm-10pm was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
e. A motion to approve a Special Event parking request from George Birman (6 South Street) for Friday, June 26th, 2026 from 4pm-8pm was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
f. A motion to approve a Special event parking request from Susannah Rose (23 Harbor Lane) for Friday, July 24th was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
g. A motion to approve Bridgford Hunt’s application for emergency tree removal was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.

● Old Business

a. Renewal of Fire Contract with Shelter Island Board of Fire Commissioners still not resolved. Karen and Vicki continue to work on getting the updated contract from the Board of Fire Commissioners.
b. A motion for the following resolution authorizing purchase of a speed bump from Town of Shelter Island was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Dering Harbor hereby approves the purchase of a speed bump with seven (7) sections and two (2) end caps from the Town of Shelter Island through their contract with Glenco Supply, Inc. at the cost of $2,545.00.

● Legal/Litigation Update. No new litigation or claims
● A motion to go into Executive Session at 9:56am to discuss Litigation/ Personnel was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
● A motion to reopen the meeting at 10:32am was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.
● Date for next regular Trustee’s meeting – July 11, 2026 at 9 a.m.
● A motion to adjourn at 10:32am was moved by Eric and seconded by Karen. All Board members present voted in favor.