East Quogue Village Gets a Second Hearing
Pictured Above: A map of the proposed boundaries of the Village of East Quogue.
Southampton Town is planning to hold a public hearing on a revised petition for the incorporation of a Village of East Quogue on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 6 p.m. at the East Quogue Fire Department at 465 Montauk Highway in East Quogue.
A public hearing on the original petition, submitted in April, was held in May, and the petitioners filed an amended petition in June, removing the names of 34 deceased people from a list of inhabitants at the request of Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.
The East Quogue Village Exploratory Committee, which filed the petition, garnered 780 signatures on their original petition, significantly more than the 595 required by New York State law, which requires the signatures of at least 20 percent of the residents of the proposed village.
East Quogue residents who filed the petition are seeking greater control over their local affairs in the wake of Southampton Town’s handling of a proposed 118-unit housing and golf course subdivision known as “The Hills at East Quogue,” and have modeled their proposal after the Village of Sagaponack, which was incorporated in 2005.
The Aug. 14 public hearing is “to consider the legal sufficiency of the petition,” according to Southampton Town’s legal notice of the hearing.
“Objections to the legal sufficiency of the petition must be in writing and signed by one or more residents of the Town of Southampton,” it added.
If Mr. Schneiderman deems the revised petition to be legally sufficient, the petition for incorporation will go up for a vote before all registered voters in East Quogue, who could pass the measure with a simple majority of votes cast.
The boundaries of the proposed village include everyone in the 11942 zip code, along with any properties outside that zip code in the East Quogue School District.
The area in the 11942 zip code includes the East Quogue School District and the North East Quogue Fire Protection Area, which includes much of the northern portion of the Quogue Wildlife Refuge and land north of the Village of Quogue and west of Route 104, including the Wildlife One and The Woodlands subdivisions.
That vote must be held within 70 days of Mr. Schneiderman deeming the petition sufficient.
The East Quogue Village Exploratory Committee plans to continue to negotiate contracts with Southampton Town Police, Highway and Parks departments and the East Quogue and North East Fire Protection Districts, but plans to create its own planning and zoning boards, building department and code enforcement department contained in a small village hall building. They plan to adopt Southampton Town’s Comprehensive Plan for future development.
Based on the Village of Sagaponack’s operating expenses, they estimate the cost of running the village at $600,000 per year, of which $400,000 would be paid for by mortgage tax and permit revenue and revenue sharing with Southampton Town and Suffolk County. They estimate the remaining $200,0000 in annual expenses would cost ten cents for every $1,000 of assessed valuation, which would come out to about $50 per year for a property owner whose house is valued at $500,000.
