The Revised Proposed Village Code For Events

The Village Board has amended the new Village Code to regulate large outdoor special events. The new Code is now seven pages long instead of its original eleven pages. (You’ll find a link to a copy of the proposed seven page Village Code below.)

Frankly, I think it’s still overkill and many local organizations have commented to me that as a result of the proposed new Code, they are looking for locations outside of the Village to hold their events rather than hold them in the Village as they have in the past. That’s a shame and a loss for the Village.

Yes, Village Hall has come up with a one page form and two pages of “Helpful Hints” to be used initially when a group is asking for permission to hold their event, but ultimately, we’re still looking at a seven page law.

In the past, there was a simple notation in the Village Handbook that Village Hall formerly published, that asked any group which was planning on holding an event expecting 80 or more participants, to simply contact Village Hall to let them know about the event. This policy seems to have worked just fine until last summer and it only broke down then because some groups forgot to contact Village Hall prior to their events.

Village Hall claims that this new Village Code is necessary for the “Safety Of The Public.” Jan McChesney, President of the Bellport-Brookhaven Historical Society, asked an interesting question of the Village Board at Monday night’s Village Board Meeting. She ask if the new Code would apply to organizations and individual home owners in the Village or just organizations? Would it apply to a home owner who wanted to have a wedding reception in their backyard for 250 people and maybe 100 cars parked on the street? The Village Board said that it would only apply to organizations and it would not apply to individual home owners. Jan McChesney then pointed out to the Village Board that if that were the case, then their proposed new Code was about “Controlling the Public” rather than the “Public’s Safety” and she was therefore against it. Well, so are we! The role of the Village Government is to “represent” me, not “govern” me.

Click to read the proposed Village Code

Click to read the proposed one page application

Click here for the “Helpful Hints”

If you have a comment and would like to respond to any of the above, we'd be glad to consider printing your response. Please send your comments to larry@bellport.com.

Thanks,