The Cornwall Town Board is exploring where the town’s next police chief should live – in Cornwall, outside Cornwall but in Orange County, or somewhere within a 10 mile radius of the community?

Chief Joseph Gebert, who retired September 23, is a Cornwall resident, which meant it wasn’t an issue the board had to worry about when they hired him in 2023. But as the board interviews replacement candidates in the weeks ahead – those interviews started last week – it will become an issue, because the Town Code currently says the chief must live in the town.

“The majority of those on the Orange County list do not live here,” Supervisor Josh Wojehowski said at the board’s September 15 meeting. He explained that there is a certain Civil Service protocol that the town must follow in hiring a chief, which includes starting at the top of the list, even if there are current CPD officers, or Cornwall residents, on it.

The supervisor noted that a 2001 change to the Code allows that officers can live in Orange, Sullivan, Putnam, Ulster, Rockland or Westchester counties.
To change the chief’s residency requirements, a local law would have to be adopted, and that would need a public hearing first. Wojehowski asked last week to schedule that hearing, but no motion was made. It’s expected the matter will be discussed at an upcoming meeting.

In several other matters from the meeting:
- The board also did not finalize times for upcoming Town Board budget meetings. Wojehowski asked for 6 p.m. meetings on October 6, 8 and 15, and a 5:30 p.m. meeting on October 13. There was some pushback about the earlier-than-usual start, but the supervisor made the case that many of those meetings involve town employees who he is hoping to not keep at Town Hall until late in the night. The board needs to hold a public hearing on the preliminary budget by November 5, and adopt a budget by November 20.

- Permission was granted to Newburgh’s Blasphemous Movie Corp. to shoot scenes for the feature film ‘Milkshake’ on Orange County Land Trust property at 50 Ogden Dr., Mountainville, and on Otterkill, Clove and Taylor Rds. It’s expected to take place over several days in October, and some police assistance for traffic control will be needed.

- Several change orders were approved for the Hasbrouck Ave. drainage project, involving some storm drain and sanitary sewer line work. “We’re actually almost done this project,” Wojehowski said.

- The board adopted a three-way stop law at Sycamore and Shore Drives.

- In committee reports, Tree Warden Angelo Schembari said he believes the young trees planted in the town this past year are all in good shape to make it through the winter; Deputy Supervisor Tim McCarty said the town had 347,000 tons of garbage and 69 tons of recycling in August; McCarty also praised the Highway Department for the work they have done at Riverlight Park recently, particularly on the basketball court.