FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 20, 2020
MEDIA CONTACTS: Gordon Tepper, Rebecca Cheng, Matthew Leonenko and Michael Anderson | (516) 869-7794

North Hempstead, NY - North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth and the Town Board unanimously approved resolutions to propose measures designed to help businesses impacted by COVID-19. This legislation was introduced at the May 19, 2020 board meeting and will be eligible for a vote on June 18, 2020.

This package of initiatives are a result of Supervisor Judi Bosworth’s COVID-19 Business Response Recovery Team, tasked with examining ways in which, and to what extent, the Town can assist the business community in their recovery.

“It is important that our residents and businesses feel assured that their local government is doing all that it can to provide them with any sort of relief,” said Supervisor Bosworth. “My colleagues on the Town Board have gone above and beyond to make this happen, and I thank them for their hard work and dedication to our Business Response Recovery Team. We all believe that these initiatives will bring much needed support to our residents.”

The Town Board will consider the following:

Building Department Refunds
A resolution that would authorize the Building Department to issue refunds for applications and permits to property owners and business owners who are no longer able to commence planned construction work as a result of extreme financial hardship related to COVID-19.

Extended Hours for Commercial Construction
A local law that would assist businesses in opening sooner by allowing commercial construction work on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., following the issuance of a permit, when such activity does not create or is not likely to create a noise disruption across a residential property boundary.

Local Preference
Legislation that would promote local economic activity by authorizing the Town to award contracts (which are not subject to General Municipal Law §103) for goods and services to a responder other than the lowest responsible bidder where such responder is located within the County of Nassau.

Outdoor Seating
A measure, in anticipation of reduced density requirements inside restaurants, that would allow restaurants to place additional seating outdoors and in certain designated parking areas after obtaining a permit from the Building Department.