From fallen trees after a hurricane to a re-examining of the Town's tree ordinance, the Town of Oyster Bay government had a hand in a variety of issues that have impacted the lives of residents in 2012.
As part of our year-end look at the top stories of 2012, here's our list of top ten government stories from this past year.
Town and LIPA: Hurricane Sandy left destruction throughout the Town, and many residents angry over power outages. At a board meeting after the storm, Town Supervisor John Venditto said that town employees had to instruct LIPA workers on how to restore power in several substations.
Storm Costs: The cost of cleaning up after the storm was still being measured a month later and was running into the millions.
Torres: When former Yankee Rusty Torres was arrested for alleged sex abuse in May, questions arose about his role as a town employee.
Budget: The Town passed a 2013 spendng plan that called for a 3.8 percent tax levy increase.
Layoffs: After threaening to lay off between 150 to 200 employees, the Town and union came up with a plan to avoid layoffs.
Bond Rating: Not all the economic news was good as the town's bond rating was downgraded to A from AA by Standard & Poors.
Boat Accident: One of the most tragic stories of the year was the tragic July 4th boating accident, which killed three children. The Town heard from speakers who had ideas about avoiding future tragedies.
Family Footsteps: While Supervisor John Venditto has long been a major political figure in the area, his son Mike made a splash with his election to the Nassau County Legislature.
9/11: The Town's annual Sept. 11 remembeance started a new tradition in 2012 as family members read the names of the 90 Long Island Victims.
Tree Law: Town residents had a lot to say, when officials began to debate revamping the area's tree code.
