With little fanfare, the Maybrook village board unanimously adopted a local law Monday, after a public hearing, to permit village justices to live not just in Maybrook, but anywhere in either the Towns of Montgomery or Hamptonburgh.

Previously, anyone running for village justice was required to live in Maybrook. But the village is so small, there were no formal candidates in last year’s election and current Justice Joseph Byrne won with a small number of write-in votes.

Trustee William Giannico said the local law to change the residency requirements was “necessary”. With Trustees Daryl Capozzoli and William Treco absent, the rest of the board agreed.

There were few other comments about the new law, except for Judge Byrne who had noted at a prior meeting that he supported the measure, although it could mean competition for him if he runs for re-election. He reiterated those feelings at Monday’s public hearing.

“I definitely support it,” he said. “I think it will be good, especially if, later, the state mandates that all town and village justices be attorneys. We’ll already be ahead of the game.”

Mayor Dennis Leahy had asked Maybrook’s local state representatives more than a year ago for “home rule” legislation permitting anyone living anywhere in the Towns of Montgomery or Hamptonburgh to serve as Maybrook village justice. But it only happened recently when Governor Kathy Hochul signed the legislation into law.