Commission merger won’t harm city, mayor says
KINGSTON, N.Y. » Legislation to merge Kingston’s landmarks and heritage commissions does not put the city at risk of losing its Certified Local Government status and does not water down local preservation expertise, Mayor Steve Noble said Wednesday.
The mayor’s comments were in response to a May 22 letter from R. Daniel Mackay, the state’s deputy commissioner for the historic preservation. Mackay wrote that state staffers reviewed an April 2018 draft of the legislation and were “concerned that not only has the proposed legislation weakened the powers of the HLPC (Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission), but the changes would place the city out of compliance with the regulations of the CLG (Certified Local Government) program, and therefore may lead to decertification.”
Mackay said if that occurred, Kingston would no longer be eligible for federal grants through
the program, and the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission would no longer receive technical assistance from his office.
Noble said he had a conversation with Mackay on Wednesday that helped clear up any misunderstandings. He also said the city is consulting with Mackay’s office, as well as the city Planning
Board, Ulster County Planning Board and nearby municipalities about its proposal to merge Kingston’s Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission and Heritage Area Commission.
“After speaking with the deputy commissioner today, I am confident that we are not at risk of losing our Certified Local Government status, and I look forward to continuing the discussion of this issue with our partners at the state, the Common Council and the public,”
Noble said.
The legislation calls for merging the commissions into one body comprising seven members and three alternates appointed by the mayor. The Common Council is expected to vote on a resolution next week that would set a June 20 public hearing on the proposal, as well as refer it to the city and county planning boards, the state Historic Preservation Office and neighboring towns for comment.
While Mackay’s office reviewed
the April 2018 draft legislation for the proposed merger, there is a newer version dated May 16. Mackay said his office would review that and provide comments to the city in a follow-up letter.
“Please note that any claim that the proposed legislation attempts to ‘water down’ the local preservation expertise is not accurate,” Noble said. He also said the qualifications for members of the commission have not been diminished
or reduced from the original ones, which are based on the state’s previous Model Law.
The current qualifications for members of the Historic Landmarks Preservation Commission are the same as the proposed qualifications for members of the merged commission, according to the latest draft of the legislation.
“The qualifications as stated in the new Model Law are different, as are other provisions in the
Model Law,” Noble said. “However, our intent was not to adopt the Model Law at this time. Instead, there is a focus on preserving the powers and responsibilities of these important commissions and developing the administrative support structure that is not currently in place.”
Noble said he would recommend the Common Council consider a second piece of legislation later this year that reflects the new Model Law or its equivalent.