East Hampton Council Set to Tackle Police Pursuit Rules, Farm Protections, and Water‑Sewer Oversight on Nov. 10

East Hampton’s Town Council has a busy docket for its November 10 meeting. Chief Dennis Woessner says the police department is pushing a rewrite of General Order 3.6 so it lines up with the state‑wide model from the Police Officer Standards and Training Council. The draft adds a line that specifically mentions drivers or passengers who might have been involved in a violent crime – a detail some officials think is long overdue.

At its core, the proposal sticks with the familiar “reasonable‑suspicion” trigger for a chase, but it also forces officers to do a quick mental math: weigh the danger of the pursuit against the risk of letting a suspect stay on the loose. One notable tweak is a hard stop on chasing wrong‑way drivers. Instead of a wild pursuit, officers would have to call dispatch, let the dispatcher know what’s happening, and coordinate a response.

Town Manager David Cox is leaning toward approval, noting the changes could make chases safer for both officers and the public. He’ll be laying out his thoughts in a short memo that will accompany the agenda.

On the water‑and‑sewer front, council members will keep the conversation going about a draft ordinance that would pull the Water Pollution Control Authority out from under the council’s direct control and hand it to a stand‑alone commission. The plan calls for seven regular members and two alternates, all appointed by the council. A public hearing on that ordinance is already penciled in for Nov. 24.

But there’s a snag. The town attorney raised an eyebrow at language that says the authority’s primary job is to act in “users’ best interests.” According to the attorney, that phrasing doesn’t really capture the agency’s statutory duty. The suggested rewrite would shift the focus toward protecting public waters and public health, while still allowing for fair assessments, reasonable charges, and an opportunity for users to weigh in on any proposed fees.

Farmers have a seat at the table, too. The Agriculture Commission has drafted “right‑to‑farm” language that the council will review and, if all goes well, schedule a public hearing for later in the month. The wording aims to keep ordinary farm activities – think livestock noise, equipment hum, occasional odors, and dust – from being labeled a municipal nuisance just because a neighbor’s land use changes.

Importantly, the proposal doesn’t give farms a free pass to ignore health, safety, zoning, or wetlands codes. It simply asks municipal boards and commissions to keep agriculture in mind when they’re making decisions that could affect farms and agricultural land.

Other business on the agenda includes a job description for a new human‑resources generalist – a role that would sit in a two‑person HR department serving both town government and the Board of Education. There’s also a short presentation from the America 250 Committee and a series of proclamations honoring community members such as Kevin Burnham, Michael Scranton, James Burke, Shawn Webster, Gary “Red Oak” O’Neil, Kevin Reich, and Jack Solomon.

Financially, the council will consider four small tax refunds that add up to $248.27. After that, an executive session is slated to address strategy and negotiations around pending claims, litigation, and collective‑bargaining matters – with the note that no formal action will emerge from that closed‑door meeting other than adjournment.

The public can join the meeting in person at Council Chambers, Room 107, Town Hall, 1 Community Drive, starting at 6:30 p.m., or tune in via Zoom (ID 819 0050 2342) or by phone at 646‑558‑8656. Two public‑comment periods are built into the agenda, and speakers will be limited to three minutes each; Zoom attendees should use the “Raise Hand” feature to be recognized.

All of this means East Hampton residents have a chance to weigh in on policies that touch everything from public safety on the roads to the daily rhythm of local farms and the way the town manages its water and sewer systems.