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Leaders of the United Monroe citizens group said last week they will defer to the Monroe Town Board's judgment on a recent request by Kiryas Joel to annex 70 acres off Larkin Drive that it owns and where the village has a park and some of its wells.

United Monroe had negotiated a court settlement with Kiryas Joel officials in which both sides supported Kiryas Joel's separation from Monroe — forming the new Town of Palm Tree in January — and Kiryas Joel pledged to annex no land from Monroe or Blooming Grove for 10 years. The new request would violate that pledge, but United Monroe leaders said in a statement on Thursday that Kiryas Joel has "made its case for why it believes this annexation is vitally-needed, and asked us to consider granting a waiver of the prohibition."

The group's executive committee said the current Town Board members have tried to "govern equitably and wisely for the benefit of the public interest of all residents," and are trusted to do the same with Kiryas Joel's request.

"Therefore, United Monroe will rely on this town board to make the right decision on this annexation petition," they wrote. "We will support the town board's decision, regardless of whether it approves or denies the annexation. If it issues an approval, we will not oppose it in any way."

Monroe Supervisor Tony Cardone said last week that the board will likely vote on the request in May. In the meantime, that proposal has placed on hold a petition by Hasidic property owners to create a 1.9-square-mile Village of Seven Springs out of most of the unincorporated Monroe land surrounding Kiryas Joel.