The New York Civil Liberties Union wants the state Assembly to stop efforts to establish a town code enforcement bureau in Oyster Bay. The civil court bureau would dole out misdemeanors for things like grass that grows taller than eight inches.
The bureau is one step closer to becoming reality after the state Senate passed a bill this week. Supporters said the special court should keep private the identities of people who report code violations to the town.
The ACLU said it's a "misguided local attempt to roll back recent reforms that ensure full due process, including discovery rights.”
The towns of Babylon and East Hampton also have gotten the go-ahead from the state Senate for similar civil court bureaus.