The East Quogue Civic just sent another false mailing to our community. The mailing includes no facts, just innuendo. It is designed to promote fear, not information. The Civic has become a political organization endorsing political candidates, an in this instance, spreading misinformation. As for the mailing, see our response below. The “Mailing” is the statement from the mailing and the following comment is “Our Response”. As always, we strive to provide facts and sources and we are open to all feedback from the community. All of the information about the proposed village has been posted at this website for over six months. All of it is factual and sourced in actual data from the Town, the State and/or other Villages.
Please contact info@eqvillageexploratorycommittee.com with any questions or suggestions.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: PROPOSED TAX INCREASES FOR 2020
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: There are no proposed Tax increases for 2020. Once the Village is Incorporated, the Village would have to approve any Village budget. The cost of incorporating the Village has already been raised by donations from local citizens.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: Please be aware of the potential tax and fee increases for East Quogue as a result of incorporating the village.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: The small budget proposed for the Village government is posted at the website, eqvillageexploratorycommittee.com. The current tax rate in East Quogue is approximately $14.00 per $1,000 of assessed value. The proposed Village budget would make the total tax rate $14.10, an increase of $.10 (.0715%). The $.10 for the Village budget is the same irrespective of the school district and has no impact on the school budget.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: Costs for the services currently provided by the Town of Southampton will no longer be shared amongst the hamlets.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: This is misleading. All of the services currently provided by the Town of Southampton will CONTINUE to be provided by the Town and shared amongst Villages and hamlets across the Town of Southampton, including police, fire and highway department. The only services that will be provided by the Village are local decision making, local clerk, building and code enforcement.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: As a hamlet of Southampton, East Quogue benefits from valued services that small villages can not afford.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: This is misleading. As a Village in the Town of Southampton, East Quogue will continue to benefit from valued services better provided by the Town, the County and/or the State as is currently the case. As a Village, East Quogue will be able to have local decision makers who will be able to speak and negotiate on our behalf, with only East Quogue in mind..
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: Services and products negotiated and purchased in bulk are typically less expensive. As an incorporated village East Quogue will have less leverage negotiating for products and services.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: This is not true. The Village of East Quogue can continue to use Town services at the going rate for all hamlets and Villages that use them. The Village of East Quogue will have local representation to make sure those services are being provided effectively. In addition, the Villages have access to the same services and rates available to the Villages and hamlets of the town.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: The current resources provided by the Town of Southampton will become the responsibility of the newly created East Quogue Village.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: This is misleading. The Village of East Quogue can maintain any of the current resources provided by the Town of Southampton at the going rate for all hamlets and Villages that use them. The Village will need to enter into inter municipal agreements with the Town after two years per State Law, but the Village can continue with those agreements in perpetuity.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: TAXES AND FEES WILL BE NECESSARY TO PAY FOR THE FOLLOWING: Tax Assessor, Clerk, Attorney, Engineer, Highway Department, Fire/Police, Code Enforcement, Parks Department.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: This is misleading. All of these fees are already included in your current tax bill. The only additional fees will be for a Village Clerk and part time attorney and for items connected to revenue streams for the Village. The rest will continue as the are now. These fees will be offset by local revenues that will finally stay local. Building Department and other existing revenue streams will pay for most of the Village expenses. See the proposed budget at this website.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: Taxes in East Quogue are currently amongst the lowest of Long Island.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: This is not true. Taxes in East Quogue are among the highest in the Town of Southampton. This is because of the relative density in the EQUFSD. The only way to maintain the tax rate and/or lower it, is to control density. Taxes continue to climb in the hamlets while the Village tax rates are among the lowest in the Town. As an unincorporated hamlet, we have no say and no control over Town decisions that could increase density.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: Incorporated villages on Long Island have discovered that converting to an incorporated village resulted in substantially less services and dramatically higher taxes.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: This is not true. Nearly all of the 500+ villages in the State of New York experience low taxes, high property values and stable local decision making. It seems the Civic is pointing to one example, Mastic, which failed because of the approach they took. The Village of East Quogue has an entirely different approach that seeks the smallest government with the highest revenues to provide local control with cost efficiencies. The tax rates are low in Town Villages and they have equal if not additional local services.
EQ CIVIC ASSOCIATION MAILING: The East Quogue Civic Association respectively request the Southampton Town Board review the signatures submitted for their authenticity and how they were obtained as a signature.
EQ VILLAGE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE RESPONSE: Anyone who wants to review the petition will be able to do so once it is submitted to the Town Supervisor. All are authentic and obtained at meetings, on main street and in door to door walking efforts.