Village
Government
Built
before the American Revolution, East Hampton Village Hall was once home
to Rev. Lyman Beecher, fourth minister of the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton, and
father of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Village Hall is open Monday through
Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, except holidays.
Introduction
The
Village of East Hampton, population 1,388, is located in the Town of East
Hampton and is a separate, smaller jurisdiction from the Town. The Village
of East Hampton, founded in 1648 and incorporated in 1920, is served by
a publicly elected mayor, four publicly elected trustees, a village administrator,
staff, building and public works departments, planning and zoning departments,
a code enforcement department, a police department, and volunteer fire
and emergency services department. It is the only incorporated village
fully within the boundaries of the Town of East Hampton (a small area
of the Village of Sag Harbor is in East Hampton Town). The other geographical
areas of East Hampton Town: Wainscott, Northwest, Springs, Amagansett,
Napeague, and Montauk are referred to as hamlets and are served by town
government. (See map of the Village of East Hampton
in "Beaches" section).
The
village government administers to the well-being of residents and village
properties. It levies taxes, issues permits, maintains roads, public works,
parking and recreation facilities, and provides police and fire protection.
It has maintained the vital statistics (birth and death records) within
the village since 1920. Village government works with private businesses,
institutions, organizations, and civic groups in enhancing the quality
of life for village residents and visitors.
This
section of the website has been designed to facilitate communication and
interaction with village government. In it you will find the names of
officials and staff and how to contact them as well as access to all permit
applications, claim vouchers, tax information, and much more. If you have
any questions, or suggestions on how to improve this section, please do
not hesitate to contact us.
Village
of East Hampton Vision Statement
(adopted
by citizens advisory committee July 27, 2000)
The
Village of East Hampton treasures its extraordinary natural beauty and
the architectural styles added by generations of residents who sought
to enhance the natural beauty of the area rather than to overwhelm such
rare splendor.
This
generation of residents seeks to reaffirm the wisdom of the founders and
protect and preserve the character of this village. It seeks, as did its
predecessors, to secure "a continuance of its convenient and attractive
features by circumscribing the limits of the area occupied by industrial
and commercial enterprises as related to the area reserved for residential."(1)
Preservation and stabilization are required in order to maintain green
open spaces, natural vegetation, historic structures, and the continuation
of our quality of life.
In
a residential enclave one's quality of life is affected by the other residents.
We appreciate the diversity of our population as well as the variety of
aesthetics, topography, landscape and architecture of the village. The
character of our neighborhoods benefits from dwellings and accessory
facilities that are compatible with one another, with space and screening
to protect neighboring properties.
The
right to peaceful enjoyment of residential property and protection against
the threat of impinging non- residential activity and traffic are of paramount
concern. We foresee no need to expand the commercial areas; the size and
scale of commercial development should be limited. Also, we would like
to encourage a variety of goods and services that meet the needs of residents.
"The
Village of East Hampton is famed as one of America's most beautiful and
uniquely situated villages. Residents of the Village of East Hampton derive
considerable peace of mind from their congenial surroundings. The character
and charm of the village also attracts many visitors. The ever-increasing
number of people drawn to the village poses the greatest threat at this
time."(2) This generation of residents seeks to minimize the effects
of ever-increasing tourism.
While
traffic is a continuing problem in the village, we do not seek radical
solutions that will affect the nature, physical design or charm of the
village. Instead, we should alleviate seasonal traffic congestion and
improve traffic flow only through less dramatic means. The village should
maintain the current configuration of its road system, and should discourage
the use of residential streets for through traffic while encouraging pedestrian
enjoyment of the village. Furthermore, the village should not provide
any additional parking but should maximize the use of existing parking
resources.
The
village and the town share a common history and the desire to preserve
their heritage. The town anticipates an expanding population that inevitably
will interact with the village. The village and the town need to appreciate
and respond to their mutual interests by cooperating in planning for the
future.
In
order to protect and secure this extraordinary village for future generations,
this generation of residents reaffirms and reasserts: "the Village
of East Hampton is committed to the avoidance of assaults on the senses
which in the case of this village are especially dependent on the aesthetic
quality and physical attributes of the community. Among these are the
general form of the land before and after development, the spatial relationships
of structures and open spaces and the retention of the unique aesthetic
quality that is part of the character of the Village of East Hampton."(3)
1
excerpted and edited from minutes of special meeting of the village board,
April 27, 1926. 2,3 excerpted and edited from East Hampton village code, section 13.1,
April 20, 1979, Village of East Hampton Comprehensive Plan.
The
board of trustees is the legislative body of the village. The board has
the power to pass a wide range of laws regarding village government and
concerns. Trustees are publicly elected every four years.
Email:
The Board of Trustees
c/o June Lester, Secretary to the Board of Trustees
Village Administrator
 |
|
Larry
Cantwell
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The
village administrator is the administrative head of the village government
and implements the policies of the village as established by the board
of trustees. The administrator attends the meetings of the board of trustees
and reports on the needs and status of the various government operations.
The village administrator is also the village clerk-treasurer and assumes
all the responsibilities of a village clerk and village treasurer.
Email:
Larry Cantwell
Village Clerk
Larry Cantwell, the village administrator, performs the
duties of the village clerk. These duties include:
• custody of books and records
• responsibility for the minutes of meetings of the
board of trustees
• maintaining a record of all village resolutions
and local laws
• preparing orders to pay all claims
• transmitting funds
• producing books, records, and papers for inspection
• recording all written notices of defect
• coordinating various village functions and administrative
tasks not assigned to other village officials
• filing, publishing, and posting all notices
• notifying state and municipal officials
• contact for the village with the public
• acting as liaison between the citizens and the
village board of trustees
Village
Clerk Office Permits:
•
Parking Permits
•
Environmental Assessment Form, Part I
•
Film & Photo Shoots
Village Treasurer
Larry Cantwell, the village administrator, performs the duties of the
village treasurer. These duties include:
•
maintaining custody of all village funds and keeping the accounts of all
village receipts and expenditures
• depositing all village funds
• signing all checks
• paying out village funds
• filing an annual financial statement.
Village
of East Hampton Claim Voucher
Village Attorney
The
Village Attorney, Linda Riley, works closely with village departments,
officers, and bodies, especially the board of trustees. She can be contacted
by writing Village Hall.
Department
of Code Enforcement
The Department
of Code Enforcement combines the traditional roles and duties of the Building
Inspector, Fire Marshal, Zoning Inspector, and the myriad of titles and
duties normally found in local government. Because our village is relatively
small, we currently have three Code Enforcement Officers, two assigned to
the Office of Building & Zoning and one to the Office of Fire Prevention
- although each officer is fully capable and available in either capacity
for maximum flexibility, economy and efficiency of scale. In the effort
to keep our village government proportional to our geographic scale, many
of our local laws are enforceable by more than one office or official
- the roles and responsibilities are shared such that the multitude of
services and attention required can be provided without an oversized bureaucracy.
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Mayor
Paul Rickenbach served on the Village Police force for 24 years and attained
the rank of Detective Sergeant. He was elected Mayor in 1992 and reelected
in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. The mayor is the chief executive of the village and
serves for four years. He presides at the meetings of the board of trustees
and has the right to vote. The mayor has no veto power over legislative
action of the board. The mayor appoints all department heads and non-elected
employees with the approval of the trustees.
