COMPLEX ISSUES AND LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES

A volunteer government runs on enormous amounts of community spirit, a ton of hard work, a serious demeanor, and the willingness to tackle issues that are often complex, and have important long-term consequences for our Village.

Our Village government is about community service – in theory, a noble and rewarding concept. The reality of it, however, is that there are some difficult issues and real problems that don’t resolve with a “hit or miss” approach. It’s always easy to criticize, find fault, focus on a pet peeve. The fact is that dealing with the issues facing our Village takes some know-how, serious commitment, perseverance, and the courage of one’s convictions.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Taxes & Fees: Over the last five years municipalities in NY State have been hit with unprecedented increases in mandated pension contributions as well as medical and other fringe benefits. The NY Conference of Mayors reports the following:

• Cost of employee benefits to villages increased 67 % for the period 1999-2005.

• Mandated pension contributions increased 1005% from 2003-05 alone.

• Local property tax levies (all classes of gov’t) increased 60%, for period 1995-2005, & most of the increase was in the last 5 years.

We have coped better than most, by managing expenses, shifting various fees to the actual users, & accessing additional income where possible. For the period 1999 – 2007 our cumulative tax increase was 42.96%. For 2007-08 it is 4.67%, per the budget detail that all residents have just received. At the April ‘07 meeting, Village accountant Vincent Cullen (Cullen, Fondotos et al.) confirmed the fiscal health of the Village: “In the last 4-5 years the net worth of the Village has been maintained at a relatively stable position. It shows financial strength, (and) allows for a stable budget…

POLICE DEPARTMENT

Our Police Department should never be a political pawn. It exists to enforce Village laws in an even-handed and effective manner, and to protect and assist residents. The Officers of the LHPD are better trained than ever before, having worked in other jobs in plainclothes, violent crime, narcotics and various patrol operations before coming to Lloyd Harbor. They perform a difficult, often delicate job in an exemplary and dedicated manner, and deserve our trust and appreciation. The Officers of the LHPD have our full support. We are proud of their professionalism, competency & good conduct.
[more on Our Police]

INFRASTRUCTURE

VILLAGE ROADS:
Never designed for the traffic that they bear today - 350,000 plus entrants to Caumsett alone; heavy use by beachgoers to Huntington’s West Neck Beach; multiple types of vehicles supporting building & renovation at numerous Village locations; repeated rip-up by Suffolk County & Keyspan for water main & gas line installation. The issue of funding the repair and rebuilding of our roads is real and the cost significant. Contrary to the anonymous allegations, Village accountants confirmed at April budget meeting that there was no “unfunded liability”, and that the Village has ample reserve funds to complete this project. Further, Mayor Hairr never said that construction would be done on West Neck Road before grant funding was received. What he said was that needed repairs would be made – and they have been. See below.

• Grant Funds Committed: The Mayor & Trustees are proud to have arranged grant funding of over $3,000,000 for the reconstruction and repair of Village roads & storm water compliance. State monies are available. However, federal grant funds are temporarily delayed, due to the fact that US DOT must sign off before federal funds can flow to NYS DOT, & then to us. Bureaucratic slow-down is frustrating for everyone – but worth the wait to properly reconstruct & repave West Neck Road. Management follow-through is critical both to accessing these funds, and successfully dealing with grant requirements involving design & reconstruction.

• Funds expected: $2.4 million in Federal Transit funds supported by Congressman Steve Israel & Senators Schumer and Clinton for reconstruction and repaving of West Neck Road.

• $200,000 from Senator Marcellino (State multi –modal grant) for State- required Phase II Storm Water Control Project to control road run-off & repair underground drainage systems at Lloyd Lane/Lloyd Harbor Rd.& West Neck/Middle Hollow Rd.

• Funds Received & Projects Completed: $469,000 ($200,000 from Senator Marcellino & $269,000 from NYS EPA Fund) to construct stormwater drains on West Neck Rd. & complete Fiske Pond restoration for stormwater retention.

Meanwhile, needed roadwork continues to be done. We have:

• REPAVED THE FOLLOWING (all or part): Snake Hill Rd; Jennings Rd; Lloyd Lane; School Lane; Southdown Rd; Mill Road; Middle Hollow Rd.; pedestrian path from Huntington town line to Middle Hollow Rd. ( remainder to be done after West Neck Rd. construction.)

• REPAIRED & REPAVED: sections of WEST NECK ROAD several times to the due to general deterioration and water main & gas line excavation work done by Suffolk County Water Authority & Key Span.

Arranging grant funding to substantially defray cost of reconstructing& repairing our main road is a first for our Village. This was not easy to do, and we are proud to have secured these funds & commitments.

• VILLAGE HALL RENOVATION: We have accomplished the major portion of a badly-needed renovation for roughly $550,000. All monies have come from a capital improvement fund. Prior to our Administration there was talk of building a new Village Hall at the top of the Village Park across from the Seminary. Current cost estimates of such new construction: $3.5 - $4 million.
  With no expansion of footprint, our renovation brings Village Hall into full code compliance (electric, heating, ventilation & air-conditioning); makes it ADA accessible via installation of an elevator; provides fire resistant storage for records; adds much-needed storage; allows for meeting & work space for all boards & commissions; meets requirements & standards for housing a municipal courthouse; renovates & brings into code compliance Highway & Refuse Dep’t office & staff areas.

We are really proud of this renovation. We think that this is exactly the way good government should function. We discarded the option of a far too expensive new building; saved a piece of open parkland and salvaged a piece of Village history (Village Hall was originally a barn on Burrwood, the Oliver Jennings estate.)

INITIATIVES

• DEER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

This is an issue of public health & safety, plain & simple. Our Administration put a lot of time & effort into determining the most appropriate way to deal with what clearly was an emerging problem. We convened a panel of experts, held numerous public meetings, and adopted a Deer Management Plan. The plan includes annual culling, & all the inherent difficulties in arranging a program on land not owned by the Village, but largely by the State & Seminary. All meat is sent to homeless shelters such as the Harry Chapin program, Long Island Cares.

Despite the fact that culling routinely takes place in all NY State Parks, our Village was subject to targeted harassment and vandalism by individuals claiming affiliation with the Animal Defense League. The Mayor’s house, cars and business were vandalized. All Trustees received abusive and threatening phone calls in the middle of the night. The Village staff was subjected to harassing calls. Seminary personnel were harassed. Illegal actions also took place at the Diocese headquarters in Rockville Centre.
The Result?? The LHPD had to commit substantial time over & above normal duty hours for surveillance, protection, & collaborative investigation with the FBI, Special Agents in Nassau & Suffolk, & the Joint Terrorist Task Force.

We believe continuation of a deer management program is the right thing to do for the health & safety of our residents.

• MASTER PLAN UPDATE

Several years ago we completed a major overhaul of the Village Zoning Code so that it would respond to current conditions. It took an enormous amount of time & hard work, but the result is that the “McMansion effect” and fights over “how big is too big” have largely stopped in our Village. An equally critical document, The Village’s Master Plan, was last updated in the mid 1970’s, when the Village Park was created. Our Administration has initiated, via the Planning Board, a full review of our Master Plan in order to position our very unique & special Village for the future.

A Master (or Comprehensive) Plan addresses the following kinds of issues: What are the impacts of further development – on groundwater, on Village services, on our roads, on our schools. How much traffic can our roads handle? How much wear & tear? How should we preserve open land? Undeveloped shoreline? How does the Village’s valuable LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan) tie into these questions? The list goes on…
A Comprehensive Plan will provide guidance for future development and for preservation of natural resources & open space in our Village.

We think review & update of this Plan is critical for the future of our Village and absolutely worth the time, effort and resources that it will take.