NY State Senate Bill 2025-S2701

Senate Bill S2701

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to the trustees of the Freeholders and the Commonalty of the town of Southampton, county of Suffolk

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 22, 2025	referred to local government

2025-S2701 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Local Government
Law Section:: Suffolk County
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2017-2018: S4117
2019-2020: S3730
2021-2022: S7529
2023-2024: S2156

2025-S2701 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to the trustees of the Freeholders and the Commonalty of the town of Southampton, county of Suffolk; provides that the trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton have and shall continue to have the authority to enforce the public's easement and access upon the ocean beaches within the town of Southampton, including all rights of the public with respect to the said ocean beaches which were conferred upon them by the Dongan Patent of 1686; defines "ocean beaches".

2025-S2701 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2701

SPONSOR: PALUMBO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act in relation to the trustees of the Freeholders and the Commonalty
of the town of Southampton, county of Suffolk

 
PURPOSE:

This legislation clarifies certain powers of the trustees of the Free-
holders and the Commonalty of the town of Southampton.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Legislative findings.

Section 2. The legislature declares that the Trustees for the Proprie-
tors of the town of Southampton, created by Chapter 255 of the Laws of
1818, no longer exist.

Section 3. Affirms that the trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty

of the town of Southampton shall continue to have the right to protect
the public's easement upon the ocean beaches within the town of South-
ampton and to exercise for the benefit of the people of the Town all of
the regulatory powers with respect to the said ocean beaches which were
conferred upon them by the Dongan Patent of 1686; the rights of owner-
ship and the powers to regulate the use of ocean beaches in the town.

Section 4. Clarifies that "ocean beaches" defined for the purposes of
this act as the area of the Atlantic Ocean beaches within the town of
Southampton that lies between the crest of the primary dune and the
high-water mark of the Atlantic Ocean.

Section 5. Affirms that the trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty
of the town of Southampton shall continue to have and exercise all of
the rights of ownership and regulation over the waters of the town of
Southampton and the products thereof that they had and exercised by
virtue of the powers conferred upon them by the Dongan Patent and that
they had an exercised prior to the year 1818, as well as the rights of
ownership and regulation over the said waters and the productions there-
of that they were authorized to have and exercise by chapter 255 of the
laws of 1818 and chapter 283 of the laws of 1831.

Section 6. Upholds the powers of the trustees of the Freeholders and
Commonalty of the town of Southampton that were conferred upon them by
Chapter 283 of the laws of 1831, including with limitation the power to
make rules, orders and by laws for the management of the property and
franchises of the town to regulate their affairs to impose penalties on
any person offending against such rules, orders or by laws and to appro-
priate and apply the funds arising from their activities as they deem
most proper to promote the interest of the town.

Section 7. Nothing in this act shall be construed as affecting any power
or authority of any incorporated village within the town of Southampton
over lands, beaches and waters within such villages, pursuant to the
village law, the general municipal law, the municipal home rule or any
other state law.

Section 8. Sets forth an immediate effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

This legislation would clarify in statute the powers of the trustees of
the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton with respect
to their rights to manage and protect the public easement to the ocean
beaches located within the town of Southampton and the rights of owner-
ship and regulation over the town waters and the products thereof. This
legislation is necessary to allow the trustees to carry out the duties
they are charged with under the Dongan Patent of 1686 to protect certain
lands, territories and waters of the town of Southampton for the benefit
of the residents, freeholders and taxpayers of the town of Southampton.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2024 S.2156; 2022 S.7529A/A.8476A; 2020 S.3730/A.5523; 2018
S.4117/A.4838; 2016 S.7259/A.9823

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

2025-S2701 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2701
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 22, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. PALUMBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
 
 AN ACT in relation to the trustees of the Freeholders and the Commonalty
   of the town of Southampton, county of Suffolk
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Legislative findings. The legislature enacted chapter 255
 of the laws of 1818 and chapter 283 of the laws of 1831, addressing  the
 respective  powers  of the trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of
 the town of Southampton, a body politic created by the Dongan Patent  of
 1686, and the trustees for the proprietors of the town of Southampton, a
 body  created  by  chapter  255 of the laws of 1818, with respect to the
 title to and use of the ocean beaches in the town, and further, to  make
 clear  the  continuing  ownership of the trustees of the Freeholders and
 Commonalty of the town of Southampton of the  underwater  lands  in  the
 town  and the taking of the products thereof, and their right to protect
 the public's right to use and enjoy the easement upon the ocean  beaches
 that  was  granted  to  them  by the Dongan Patent. The trustees for the
 proprietors of the town of Southampton sold the last of the ocean  beach
 lands  owned  by  them  and  disbanded the board of trustees in 1882 and
 thereafter ceased to exist. The legislature enacted chapter 257  of  the
 laws  of  1892 and chapter 872 of the laws of 1896 authorizing the Trus-
 tees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton, "from
 time to time, whenever in their judgment it shall become  necessary"  to
 determine  the  necessity and location of one or more inlets in the town
 of Southampton from the Atlantic Ocean to Shinnecock Bay, or into  Mecox
 Bay,  or into Sag Pond, and to exercise the power of eminent domain over
 ocean beaches in order to locate such inlet or inlets. For more  than  a
 century  the  courts  of this state have rendered inconsistent decisions
 with respect to the powers of the said trustees over the ocean  beaches.
 The  legislature  wishes  to  confirm  that the Proprietors' Trustees no
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07168-01-5

 S. 2701                             2
 
 longer exist, address the powers of the trustees of the Freeholders  and
 Commonalty  of  the town of Southampton in light of contemporary circum-
 stances, and clarify the application of chapter 255 of the laws of  1818
 and chapter 283 of the laws of 1831.
   § 2. The legislature confirms that the Trustees for the Proprietors of
 the town of Southampton, created by chapter 255 of the laws of 1818, are
 extinguished as a body politic.
   § 3. Notwithstanding any provisions of chapter 255 of the laws of 1818
 and chapter 283 of the laws of 1831 to the contrary, the trustees of the
 Freeholders  and  Commonalty  of  the town of Southampton have and shall
 continue to have the authority to  enforce  the  public's  easement  and
 access  upon the ocean beaches within the town of Southampton, including
 all rights of the public with respect to the said  ocean  beaches  which
 were  conferred  upon them by the Dongan Patent of 1686. The legislature
 recognizes that any authority over the ocean beaches that may have  been
 conferred upon the trustees for the proprietors of the town of Southamp-
 ton revert to the trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town
 of Southampton.
   §  4.  For the purposes of this act, "ocean beaches" shall be the area
 of the Atlantic Ocean beaches within the town of Southampton  that  lies
 between  the  crest  of  the primary dune and the high water mark of the
 Atlantic Ocean.
   § 5. The trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty  of  the  town  of
 Southampton  shall  continue  to  have and exercise all of the rights of
 ownership over the waters of the town of Southampton  and  the  products
 thereof  that  they  had and exercised by virtue of the powers conferred
 upon them by the Dongan Patent, as well as the rights of ownership  over
 the said waters and the productions thereof that they were authorized to
 have  and exercise by chapter 255 of the laws of 1818 and chapter 283 of
 the laws of 1831.
   § 6. Nothing in this act shall be construed to take from the  trustees
 of  the Freeholders and Commonalty of the town of Southampton any of the
 powers conferred upon them by chapter 283 of the laws of 1831, including
 the power to make rules, orders and by-laws for the  management  of  the
 property  and  franchises  of  the  town;  to regulate their affairs; to
 impose penalties on any person offending against such rules,  orders  or
 by-laws;  and  to  appropriate  and  apply  the funds arising from their
 activities as they deem most proper to promote the interest of the town.
   § 7. Nothing in this act shall be construed as affecting any power  or
 authority  of  any  incorporated  village within the town of Southampton
 over lands, beaches, and waters within such villages,  pursuant  to  the
 village  law, the general municipal law, the municipal home rule law, or
 any other state law.
   § 8. This act shall take effect immediately.

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