Village officials in Kiryas Joel on Friday said the decision by the Orange County Legislature to spend $200,000 to fight the annexation issue in court is “an irresponsible waste of taxpayer money and a cynical maneuver in direct opposition to the lawful and legal action by two democratically elected boards.”
The county is joining a legal fight with eight towns and villages in the area contending the environmental review of the annexation was incomplete.
Kiryas Joel Government Relations Coordinator Ari Felberman said the county is “pursuing this political witch-hunt to satisfy a faction in Monroe that has stoked the flames of hate to bolster their clout and their coffers.”
The money spent to fight the annexation would be better spent on education, infrastructure or other quality of life benefits, he said.
“The county appears willing to waste this money to fight to override the decision made by two democratically elected boards that followed the state-prescribed process like any other annexation that occurs around the state,” Felberman said. “In fact, the county is once again acting outside of its authority in seeking to intrude on a purely local municipal matter in direct contravention of the New York State Constitution and state law, an effort previously blocked by Governor Cuomo and the commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.”