On Monday, Jan. 12, the Thomaston Board of Trustees met at the village hall for roughly half an hour to discuss upcoming changes for the residents of the village.
The board began the public hearing on an amendment to the village code on short-term rental or transient dwellings. This largely affects Airbnbs, which have been strongly rejected by residents in previous hearings. The conversation will be continued at the next hearing on Feb. 9 due to failure to adequately remind the public before the meeting. Notice of the public forum has been proposed to be posted on the newly refurbished website a week in advance.
“The village historically has always been a permanent resident community, or if anyone was leasing their unit, meaning their house or an apartment, they were doing so for a year or more,” Mayor Steven Weinberg says. “It was a rental that was required to be done pursuant to existing zoning, and our objective is to maintain it that way.”
The 2026-2027 budget and tax warrant was another important topic on the agenda for the meeting. Members notified residents that there will not be a tax rate increase for property owners. The village has not increased this rate in 16 years.
Thomaston is maintaining its debt-free status in the new year and not proposing any new borrowing. For the upcoming 2026 elections, board trustees voted to host polling at the village hall in Great Neck. On March 18, veteran polling inspectors will be overseeing the election. Village Administrator Denise Knowland will be up for re-election along with trustees Aaron Halpern, Jay Chagrin, and Nancy Sherman.
Changes are on the way for residents of Thomaston who have complained about inadequate street lighting. The Board of Trustees has begun the process of getting quotes on poles and light fixtures to remedy the problem. “We’ve been increasing the wattage around the village, but there are certain blocks or within a block where there are just too few poles,” Weinberg says.
In addition to the streetlights, new signage for the village is underway, along with new traffic signs. Residents can expect further changes as the board plans a capital project for Susquehanna, which includes drainage improvements, while continuing to work on the beautification of the traffic islands. Red maple trees will continue to be added to select traffic partitions. Shoreward is a candidate for drainage improvements as well. Trustee members plan to apply for state grants to offset the costs of the projects with taxpayer money.
