Talks to settle a protracted water-rate dispute between the villages of East Williston and Williston Park have been revived in the past few months as a legal battle between the two villages continues.
At a village board meeting on Monday night, Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said he and Williston Park Deputy Mayor Kevin Rynne had discussed proposals three months ago with East Williston Mayor David Tanner and East Williston Trustee Robert Vella Jr. to resolve issues over what Williston Park charges the neighboring village for water.
The dispute has prompted the East Williston board to file two lawsuits against the Williston Park board in the past two years.
“We had a meeting back in May. Some things were proposed at that time,” Ehrbar said.
In response to a question from a resident about developments in the water-rate dispute, Ehrbar also said the two sides had exchanged correspondence since May. He recently received a letter from Tanner seeking another meeting to attempt to resolve the dispute, Ehrbar said.
“These communications are all in an effort to settle the two litigations,” said Williston Park village attorney James Bradley.
The Village of East Williston filed suit against the Village of Williston Park two years ago after Williston Park announced in April 2011 that it would be raising East Williston’s water rates from $2.99 per thousand gallons to $3.83 per thousand gallons.
The Williston Park village board voted last August to raise East Williston’s water rates a second time, imposing a 13 percent increase to $4.33 per 1,000 gallons of water from the $3.83 per 1,000 gallons of water. That rate increase prompted the East Williston board to file a second lawsuit last December.
The August rate increase came on the heels of a ruling Judge R. Bruce Cozzens issued in Nassau County Supreme Court invalidating the first rate increase on procedural grounds. Cozzens ruled that the Williston Park board should have held a public hearing before raising East Williston’s rate to $3.83 per 1,000 gallons in April 2011. The Williston Park board filed an appeal in response.
Tanner confirmed that he had recently sent Ehrbar a letter suggesting the two sides meet again to discuss the water rates.
“When there was something to discuss, we’ve always discussed it with them,” Tanner said. “We’ll continue to try to work it out.”
Vella said he has participated in the meetings with Tanner and was anticipating another meeting in the near future.
“There was a meeting and we’re hoping to have another one,” Vella said.
The last meeting between the two sides before this year’s May meeting was a meeting held last year just prior to the second water rate increase.
Ehrbar, Tanner and Vella all declined to comment on whether communications between the two sides had produced progress or any expectation of a settlement.
