The Town of Plattekill has scheduled a public hearing for Nov. 17 on a proposed local law that would ban cannabis retail dispensaries and cannabis consumption sites in the town.

Supervisor Joseph Croce read the local law at the Town Board’s Oct. 20 meeting and said the local law is subject to a permissive referendum.

The Town Board is expected to vote on the opt-out local law on Nov. 17 after hearing from the public. The board appears to be leaning towards adopting the local law that would prohibit the establishment of cannabis retail businesses and lounges, the latter where marijuana can be consumed on-site by customers.

If the town does nothing, Plattekill is automatically considered as opting in and cannabis dispensaries and lounges would be eligible to open within the town’s boundaries in 2022 under New York State regulations adopted earlier this year.

If Plattekill decides to go with an opt-out local law, it must be approved by Dec. 31, 2021. If the town does not opt out by the end of the year, there won’t be a second chance to prohibit the businesses.

Locally, the Walden Village Board voted unanimously in September to opt out of allowing cannabis dispensaries and on-site consumption establishments in the village.

Croce said the Town of Plattekill has the option of approving cannabis dispensaries and lounges down the road if the current board approves an opt-out law before the end of 2021.

“A future board could have a little bit more information and make some good decisions about what areas of our town they would allow it if they wanted to opt in,” Croce said.

Although no decision will be made on the opt-out local law until the public is heard, Croce feels like the current town board is generally in favor of the opt-out option.

“I think it’s the common-sense thing to do,” he said. “I don’t like making decisions in haste. Another thing that comes into play is that we have an election coming up and there will be some changes to the board. To put something on the books that the new incoming board might have a different viewpoint on leads me to say, ‘What’s the rush?’”

The Town Board will have at least two new members in 2022. In addition to Croce leaving after deciding not to seek re-election as Supervisor this year, board member Michael Putnam announced at the meeting that he is resigning effective Oct. 31.

Two other seats will be up for grabs as incumbents Dean DePew Sr. and Darryl Matthews are running for re-election and former board member Cindy Delgado has also thrown her hat into the ring.

Putnam, 63, said he was moving to Tennessee to be near family members after retiring following 21 years as a power plant technician in the Town of Newburgh. He spent nearly 10 years on the Town Board, having won re-election to his third four-year term in November, 2019. He also spent three years on the town’s zoning board of appeals.

Putnam, a U.S. Navy veteran, said he was especially proud of his work as a member of the Plattekill Veterans Committee.

“I’ll miss the town,” Putnam said. “I was very involved in scouting, but when my kids (three sons) graduated from scouts I got more involved in the town and I really enjoyed it.”

Putnam was presented with two plaques – one from the Town Board and the other from Sis Morse of the Plattekill Veterans Committee.

“Mike has been an extremely valuable board member,” Croce said before presenting him with a plaque. “He’s a worker. If you ask him to get something done, he gets it done. We’ll miss him dearly.”

Croce said the board will appoint someone to fill the vacancy and the appointee will serve until Dec. 31, 2022.

There will be an election in November, 2022, to fill out the remainder of Putnam’s term which expires on Dec. 31, 2023.

The board voted 5-0 to approve Juneteenth as a paid holiday for town employees starting in 2022. The day was recognized as a federal holiday on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law.

The board also set a public hearing for the 2022 preliminary town budget for Nov. 3.

“We hope to finish up budget meetings with department heads this week,” Croce said.