Council tables blight ordinance, OKs land deals

Town Council · Meeting of January 13, 2026

EAST HAMPTON — The East Hampton Town Council tabled a blight ordinance rewrite after residents warned it could be used as a weapon between neighbors, then approved two land deals and a planning survey on 5-1 votes. Five residents, including Chris Bitel and Jesse Brunson, told the council the rules' vague "certain conditions observed" language invited retaliatory code enforcement. Council Member Ted Hintz, Jr. cast the lone dissenting vote on a $750,000 Portland water-site agreement, a $100,000 purchase of 292 West High Street for Joint Facilities, and a Plan of Conservation and Development survey, saying he would not support anything that "could put the town in a spot where we could be forced" into expanded water or sewer systems.

Town Manager David Cox said the blight amendments mainly aimed to define debris as blight, calling the existing penalty process a multi-step warning and hearing system. The council approved a Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget policy statement and $4,430.14 in tax refunds, both 6-0.

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Source: the Town Council meeting of January 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.

The Full Article

EAST HAMPTON — January 13, 2026 — The East Hampton Town Council voted 6-0 Tuesday to table a revised blight and nuisance ordinance after a wave of public opposition, then approved a Portland water-site investigation, a $100,000 land purchase and a townwide planning survey on separate 5-1 votes, with Council Member Ted Hintz, Jr. dissenting on each.

Chairman Dean Markham presided over the meeting, which drew five residents to a public hearing on proposed changes to Chapter 171 of the town code. Council members ultimately agreed the rewritten language did not resolve concerns about vague enforcement standards, and voted to send it back for further work.

The Full Story

Five residents spoke against the proposed blight ordinance changes during a public hearing before the council took up the item. Sal Nucifora of 147 Colchester Avenue said the ordinance lacked any guidance on remediation for property owners. Bonnie Sweet Reilly of 41 Lake Boulevard asked who would investigate reported blight and where fine money would go. Ray Swol of 1 Daniel Street and Chris Bitel of 15 Old Clark Hill Road both said they feared the rules could be wielded as a weapon between neighbors, and Jesse Brunson of 20 Cone Road described what he called punitive code-enforcement calls after disputes with neighbors.

Town Manager David Cox told the council the amendments were intended mainly to define debris as a blight condition and to clean up existing language, not to create new restrictions. He walked through the town's enforcement process, which begins with a warning letter and can end in a hearing before an independent hearing officer.

"The condition still exists, we consider it a violation of the code," Cox said, describing the escalation process for unresolved complaints.

[00:36:58] — Town Manager David Cox

Resident Chris Bitel criticized a provision allowing officials to cite "certain conditions observed" on a property as its own category of blight, separate from specific definitions already in the code.

"It echoes what you learn in school about the Soviet secret police, and they would say, show me the man, I'll show you the crime. Now, I don't think anybody from the town is going to throw you in a gulag, but this is very much so, show me the resident, I'll show you the zoning violation." [00:14:01] — Chris Bitel, resident

Council Member Karen Wanat moved to table the ordinance "so that the council can move this item further," a motion seconded by Hintz and approved 6-0.

The council then approved, 5-1, a revised site access agreement allowing the town to drill test wells on a Route 66 property in Portland owned by Global Portland II, LLC, with a related purchase and sale agreement setting a $750,000 price if the town later decides to buy the land. Vice Chairman Jack Solomon argued the town needs a large, clean water source and said the agreement commits no town money beyond testing. Hintz opposed the deal, citing concerns tied to pending state housing legislation and the risk that a private water company could eventually profit from a publicly developed source.

"I am not supporting anything that is going down that road that could put the town in a spot where we could be forced to do this," Hintz said.

[00:57:04] — Council Member Ted Hintz, Jr.

The council also voted 5-1 to approve a $100,000 purchase and sale agreement for a vacant parcel at 292 West High Street, which Public Utilities Director Tony DeSimone said is needed so Joint Facilities can build new wastewater treatment equipment "offline" without shutting down the aging 1980s-era plant. The purchase will be funded by ratepayer money from the five communities served by Joint Facilities, not town tax dollars, officials said.

In a third 5-1 vote, the council approved a lengthy Plan of Conservation and Development survey presented by Town Planner Juliet Hodge, who said the document must be released to the public by a state-mandated February 1 deadline. The council unanimously, 6-0, approved a Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget policy statement and received, without voting, a committee proposal to modernize the council's by-laws.

Why It Matters

Residents who spoke at the hearing said the blight ordinance's vague standards, including a provision letting officials cite "certain conditions observed" on private property, could let neighbors use code enforcement as a weapon in personal disputes. The council's decision to table the measure means no new enforcement language takes effect for now.

The water and land votes set up longer processes: the Portland water deal and the West High Street purchase both still require Board of Finance review and Town Meeting approval before any final purchase, and the $750,000 Portland property sale depends on well-testing results expected before the access agreement expires September 30, 2026.

Key Motions & Votes

- Vote: Adoption of the meeting agenda Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Approval of December 9, 2025 minutes, as amended Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Proclamation for Elizabeth Naaman as Lions Club Humanitarian of the Year Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Action: Blight and nuisance ordinance amendments — Tabled for further council review - Vote: Portland water site access agreement and purchase and sale agreement Tally: For: 5, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Purchase and sale agreement for 292 West High Street Tally: For: 5, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Plan of Conservation and Development survey Tally: For: 5, Against: 1, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: FY2026-27 Budget Policy Statement Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Board and commission reappointments Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Promotion of alternates to full board/commission membership Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: New board and commission appointments Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Tax refunds totaling $4,430.14 Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6 - Vote: Adjournment Tally: For: 6, Against: 0, Abstain: 0, Total: 6

Source

Town of East Hampton Connecticut: Town Council meeting, January 13, 2026