PROPOSED VILLAGE BOUNDARY
New York State Village Incorporation Law states that a village area has to be less than 5 square miles or be co-terminus with an existing district like a school or fire district. East Quogue is over 8 square miles, not including water/bays and in order to cover everyone to the West outside of the Village of Quogue and to the East in the EQUFSD, we have combined two existing districts into the proposed boundary.
The East Quogue School District + the Northern Fire District = everyone in 11942 zip code + others in the East Quogue school district. The Northern Fire District includes the Wildlife One and The Woodlands developments off of Route 104. The East Quogue School District goes from Sportime north and east to a little past Jones Road.
Services that will stay the same but will be negotiated contracts by the VillageVILLAGE SERVICES
Southampton Town Police Department
Southampton Town Highway Department
Southampton Town Parks Department
East Quogue Fire District
North East Fire Protection District
School Districts stay the same – they are managed by the State
Everything will stay the same except for the creation of our own Planning and Zoning boards, our own Village Building Department and additional Village Code Enforcement. This will allow us to retain local revenues from building and other permitting, which will fund our local Village government. We plan to adopt the same, extensive Comprehensive Plan from the Town of Southampton’s Comprehensive Plan which reflects about 50 years of comprehensive planning for our Hamlet.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
Based on a similar approach to government in the Village of Sagaponack, we estimate that our mostly volunteer government will cost about $800,000/year, of which $600,000+ will be paid for by mortgage tax revenue, permit revenue, revenue sharing with County and Town entities and grants. The expenses are for a Village Clerk/treasurer, contract services for planning and legal needs, rent for the Village Hall, building department and code enforcement support and other revenue-related expenses. We also used current actual revenues like building permit revenues to the Town of Southampton from the East Quogue school district. So the draft budget is a thoughtful reflection of actual costs and revenues. We also plan to time revenues and expenses to be coincident to minimize cost to taxpayers.
So local control of our Village would cost you an additional $.10/$1,000 of assessed value. For someone with a $500,000 assessed value, that means $50/year additional tax for the Village to operate. All current taxes and taxing districts stay the same. Want to read the details? Click here. Village of East Quogue Draft Budget 2020-2021 Want to read about the rest of your taxes? See this Southampton Town Tax Sheet: Tax Rate Sheet 2018-2019. Here is an example of a current tax bill items and rates currently, and how it would change as a Village. Tax Impact EQUFSD Tax Bill
HOW DOES INCORPORATION HAPPEN?
We need at least 20% of all qualified voters in East Quogue to support the incorporation petition. Once the petition is validated, there will be a public hearing through the Town and a special election will be set. The simple majority rules in the special election. If successful, the Village Clerk/treasurer is then appointed and another election is set to elect the non-partisan, volunteer Village Board.
WHY DO PROPERTY VALUES INCREASE IN INCORPORATED VILLAGES?
Property values are generally 15-20% higher in incorporated Villages than in unincorporated areas because of the value of local control and the focus on local issues. In the Town of Southampton, property values in incorporated Villages are generally higher than in unincorporated areas. Villages control their land use decisions which are generally tied to the highest portion of your taxes – your local school district. Higher density drives more needs for services which increases taxes. The Village of East Quogue would work to maintain the quality of life in East Quogue by maintaining low density and low taxes. The highest tax rates in the Town of Southampton, are in the unincorporated areas of Eastport, Flanders/Riverside, Hampton Bays and East Quogue. Some of the lowest tax rates are in the Villages.
DRAFT VILLAGE BUSINESS PLAN
Year One
Hire Village Clerk/Treasurer (paid position) and find location for small Village Hall (donated?)
Elect Mayor and Trustees (volunteer positions)
Appoint volunteer boards (volunteer positions)
Adopt Comprehensive Plan
Create Planning and Building Departments/Resources
Year Two
Further refine the organization and future goals with community input
Year Three
Assess all Village services to recommend optimized inter-municipal agreements and services