Divisions remain over how to resolve the Village of East Williston’s water supply issues, but most residents and trustees on Monday agreed the public should decide which path to take.
Every East Williston trustee except Deputy Mayor Bonnie Parente thinks a bond referendum is the most democratic way to determine whether the village should build an independent water supply system or enter the 25-year agreement trustees have brokered with the Village of Williston Park, they said at Monday’s Village Board meeting.
“This way the community — the whole community, not just people who come to a meeting, not just people we happen to see on the street talking to us — have everybody weigh in on a monumental decision this community has to make,” Mayor David Tanner said.
East Williston has weighed the $7.5 million plan to build a supply system at Devlin Field since 2014 as an alternative to an agreement with Williston Park.
The Village Board first proposed a bond referendum in December, and the fact that it was still on the table frustrated Williston Park trustees at the villages’ March 3 public negotiation.
A referendum would put the decision in residents’ hands and bring some closure to the issue, Tanner said.
The village cannot legally put out a referendum on the Williston Park agreement, trustees said, but a vote against the bond would effectively be a vote for the agreement.
“This way, 20 years from now, whatever the situation is, there’ll be a clear record, historical record for our community as to why we have whatever situation we may have at the time,” he said.
While Parente formerly favored the independent system, she said, the board should now choose the agreement.
“We now are in control, because they can’t raise their rate less than they’re raising ours,” said Parente, who said she would vote against authorizing a bond referendum. “They’re going to be locked in the entire time.”
Passing the referendum would authorize the board to finance and build a well, but would not necessarily mandate it be built, Village Attorney Jeffrey Blinkoff said.
Residents on both sides of the issue said the Village Board should word it carefully and ensure residents understood what their vote would mean.
“I think you have to couch this in such a way that if we decided to enter into the contract rather than build our own well, everyone who lives here owns it,” said James Daw, a former village deputy mayor who supports the independent system.
Agreement supporter Louis Sasso said he favors a referendum because it would allow opponents of the independent system to stop the proposal.
Along with Parente, Trustee James Iannone said he favors the agreement because it requires that Williston Park maintain the ratio of East Williston’s water rate to its residential rate.
Outgoing Trustee Robert Vella, though, said he favors the independent system because it offers East Williston more long-term rate stability, as Williston Park’s infrastructure is aging and its water tower may need to be replaced.
“Water is essential. We’re not asking them to give us soda. We’re not buying food,” said Vella, who is not seeking re-election this year. “It’s as if they could breathe air, the same air we breathe, but pay less for it, if that were the case.”
Neither Tanner nor Trustee Christopher Siciliano have taken public stances on the issue, but both have said they think a bond vote is the best approach.
Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said he is “getting tired of (East Williston) telling us our infrastructure is falling apart.”
Williston Park has made upgrades to its entire water system over the past six years, he said.
The water tower may need to be repainted in the next few years, Ehrbar said, but won’t need to be replaced.
“If they had a reason to be worried about it, I’d be worried about it,” he said. “I’m not worried about it. Williston Park’s not worried about it. We’re maintaining our water infrastructure.”
Williston Park trustees are currently reviewing the draft agreement the villages reached March 3 and plan to send it to East Williston next week, Ehrbar said.
Under the agreement, East Williston would buy water exclusively from Williston Park for 25 years starting at the current rate of $4.33 per thousand gallons, which would be locked until June 2018.
Any future rate hikes would have to maintain the current ratio of East Williston’s rate to Williston Park’s residential rate, and East Williston officials would get to give input with Williston Park’s board before a public hearing on an increase.
Williston Park would continue to chlorinate the water, and both villages would continue maintaining their own water infrastructure.
The Nassau County health department must approve the agreement’s emergency chlorination provisions before East Williston trustees can vote on whether to hold a bond referendum, Tanner said.
The vote must take place between 10 and 60 days after the referendum is authorized, according to village law.
The law also allows residents to demand a referendum by filing a petition with a number of signatures equal to 20 percent of the number of registered voters in the last election.
