Government Briefs 09.22.16

Southampton Town

LIPA-Town Settlement

The Town of Southampton and Long Island Power Authority have reached an agreement that ends a multiyear dispute and ensures that taxpayers west of the Shinnecock Canal will not have to pay for lines that were buried. In 2008, the town asked LIPA to bury transmission lines along a four-mile stretch from Southampton Village to Bridgehampton after residents complained 60-foot-tall poles would destroy open vistas. LIPA agreed to bury the lines at a cost of $11.1 million, which was to be paid over a 20-year period from customers in a “visual benefit” assessment area. The town was responsible for any unpaid charges.

In 2013, however, LIPA filed suit against the town in State Supreme Court seeking to recover more than $200,000 in delinquent payments. The charges have accrued to more than $470,000.

After taking office in January, Supervisor Jay Schneiderman and LIPA officials sat down and agreed that $150,000 in interest would be waived and the billing process for past-due charges for customers in the visual benefit area would pay the fees rather than the municipality. LIPA also agreed to waive future interest.

The supervisor said it would have been unfair to charge taxpayers west of the Shinnecock Canal for visual improvements that only benefited residents east of it.

While the settlement has been signed by the supervisor and Thomas Falcone, LIPA’s chief executive officer, is also must be approved by the court.

$5 Million for Clean Water

New York State has granted the State University of New York at Stony Brook’s Center for Clear Water Technology $5 million for the creation and testing of alternative wastewater treatment systems in pilot projects to address pollutants threatening ground and surface waters, according to Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. In partnership with the Town of Southampton and Suffolk County, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo established the Center for Clear Water Technology in 2014.