Increases the term of office from two years to four years for the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton, county of Suffolk, and providing for the staggering of such terms of office.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A10478
SPONSOR: Schiavoni TITLE OF BILL:
An act in relation to increasing the term of office from two years to
four years for the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the
town of Southampton and providing for the staggering of such terms of
office
PURPOSE:
To increase the terms of office for the Trustees of the Freeholders and
Commonalty of the town of Southampton and to provide for the staggering
of such terms of office.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Affirms the authority and proprietary rights of the Trustees
of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton and sets
the parameters for increasing the terms of office and election stagger-
ing, whereby after the 2026 biennial election, the top three vote-get-
ters will serve a full term of 4 years, and the remaining 2 will hold
office for 2 years. For all succeeding elections, Trustees will hold
office for a term of 4 years.
Section 2. Effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
This legislation, beginning in 2026 and biennially thereafter, increases
the term limits for the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of
the town of Southampton from two to four years and staggers elections.
The Town of East Hampton was granted a similar modification to the make-
up of their body via Chapter 366 of 2021.
This bill would provide cost savings for the County Board of Elections
and the Town of Southampton. It will also provide greater political
stability to the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the Town
of Southampton, the longest-serving elected body in the State of New
York. Since 1686, the Trustees have been charged with safeguarding
public easements along the bay bottoms and protecting public rights to
access ocean and bay beaches.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10478
IN ASSEMBLY
March 6, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SCHIAVONI -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Local Governments
AN ACT in relation to increasing the term of office from two years to
four years for the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the
town of Southampton and providing for the staggering of such terms of
office
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The electors of the town of Southampton are hereby author-
2 ized and empowered to elect by ballot from their number at the biennial
3 town election to be held in such town in 2026 and biennially thereafter,
4 in the same manner as other town officers are elected, 5 freeholders as
5 trustees, who shall continue to be known as the Trustees of the Free-
6 holders and Commonalty of the Town of Southampton. They shall hold
7 office for a term of 4 years, provided that at the biennial election to
8 be held in such town in 2026, 3 trustees shall hold office for a term of
9 4 years and 2 trustees shall hold office for a term of 2 years. At the
10 biennial election to be held in such town in 2026, the 3 candidates
11 receiving the largest number of votes shall be entitled to hold office
12 for a term of 4 years. The remaining 2 successful candidates shall hold
13 office for a term of 2 years. Thereafter, at all subsequent biennial
14 town elections, all trustees shall hold office for a term of 4 years.
15 They shall within 10 days after their election and qualification, meet
16 and choose from their number, by majority vote, a chairman and a clerk
17 of such board. Such trustees, or a majority of them, are hereby author-
18 ized and empowered to manage, lease, convey or otherwise dispose of all
19 or any part of all such common lands, waters, and lands under water, or
20 rights or other interests therein, subject, as to lands under water, to
21 the public right of navigation and to the riparian rights of adjoining
22 upland owners, as the trustees have acquired and now hold by virtue of
23 any colonial patent or charter; and for this purpose said board may
24 execute all such conveyances, leases, permits, agreements or other writ-
25 ings, necessary or proper in carrying into effect the provisions of this
26 act; subject, however, to and in accordance with such rules and regu-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14652-02-6
A. 10478 2
1 lations, if any, concerning the management and disposition of such prop-
2 erty and rights, as the electors of such town may adopt or impose at a
3 biennial town election; and the electors of such town are hereby
4 empowered to adopt from time to time such rules and regulations as a
5 proposition at any biennial town election.
6 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
