NY Governor Andrew Cuomo has just vetoed Assembly Bills A07629 and A07639. These bills were specifically designed to stunt the natural growth of Kiryas Joel, the large Chasidic community within the town of Monroe in Orange County.
The Governor had until midnight to sign or veto legislation that would give Orange County a vital say in the contentious land annexation proposal involving the Village of Kiryas Joel and the Town of Monroe.
The legislation first proposed by Assembly James Skoufis would have given county planning departments more of a say in these types of land annexation deals.
The bill cleared the Assembly and Senate before the end of session.
Right now, Kiryas Joel is overseeing the annexation process as the lead agency.
They stand to more than double in size if the deal goes through, and would receive over 500 acres of land from the Town of Monroe.
They say they need it to build housing for their growing community.
Many people who live in the town have voiced concerns about quality of life if the annexation goes through.
