After five years, three lawsuits and several angry exchanges between elected officials the villages of Williston Park and East Williston came to agreement last week on a 25-year water service agreement.
The agreement, which could last up to 40 years, calls for East Williston to buy its water exclusively from Williston Park for 25 years, with the current rate of $4.33 per thousand gallons locked in until June 2018.
Rate hikes would have to maintain the ratio of East Williston’s rate to Williston Park’s residential rate.
The agreement between the neighboring villages seems to embody the quote often attributed to Winston Churchill that Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing after they have exhausted all other possibilities.
Among those possibilities pursued by East Williston were deals with neighboring water districts and construction of its own water supply system at a cost of $7.5 million. In May, East Williston trustees voted 3-2 against a proposal to put the plan to voters in a referendum.
These plans were considered after two rate hikes were approved by Williston Park trustees followed by two lawsuits filed against Williston Park by East Williston trustees.
After tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees, a judge ruled in favor of East Williston in the first suit and in favor of Williston Park in the second.
Under the terms of the water service agreement, East Williston must pay Williston Park $100,000 in penalties and interest to settle a lawsuit stemming from the first two lawsuits.
At times, officials for both sides took their arguments to the letters and new pages of the Williston Times rather than talking directly to each other.
While this made the paper a more interesting place, it probably did not advance the negotiations very far.
But the elected officials deserve much credit for being willing to put aside any hard feelings developed over the past five years and come to an equitable agreement.
In fact, thanks to a last-minute change, the law allows the agreement to last longer than originally anticipated.
Before this month, the neighboring villages’ agreement was an inter-municipal agreement, which legally can last only five years.
But at the last minute they agreed to call it a water-supply agreement, which can last up to 40 years.
Officials for the two neighboring villages were understandably pleased.
It’s been a long time coming,” Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar said. “I believe the water agreement serves both villages very well, and I think will continue to do so for the next 25 years.”
“I’m pleased and looking forward to a cordial business relationship,” East Williston Mayor David Tanner said.
It wasn’t pretty and it wasn’t cheap. But congratulations to both sides for finally getting the deal done.
