No matter where you currently stand on the opportunity to incorporate East Quogue into the sovereign Village of East Quogue, there is really only one question to ask yourself. What is the Risk of incorporating and what is the Risk if we don’t?
What is the Risk of incorporating? This we know. The committee has proposed a budget, reviewed and vetted by municipal finance experts, that would cost the average homeowner (assessed value of $500,000) $50* a year for the Village , but they will also save $20 in Town Taxes so it will cost $30 net over what they are paying today to establish Home Rule. Their tax bill otherwise, will stay the same. This is a very nominal expense to control what happens in the future in East Quogue.
What is the Risk of NOT incorporating? Based on the actions of the Town of Southampton, you will likely be facing a changed East Quogue. An East Quogue that will see rezoning by the Town to accommodate max. density, affordable housing units in the Hamlet. If such projects produce any more than 10 students in the school district, then the additional costs to the school district will go up more than the Village would cost. Look at Speonk and Sandy Hollow and the pending Gospel Church developments. These are max density (12 units/acre) developments. These would make parts of East Quogue literally look more like a neighborhood in Nassau County than our beautiful East Quogue community. Look at the new rezoning plan for Hampton Bays Business District that shows an increase of over 200 residential apartment units, some of which would be in three-story buildings on Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays. This could be coming next for East Quogue.
So ask yourself, how much Risk are you willing to take with your community and your tax bill? If you want to reduce your risk and protect East Quogue you should vote FOR incorporation. Village Incorporation is the only way we can have a say and protect East Quogue.
Please don’t risk your future. Please don’t risk the future of East Quogue for our kids. Please do not think that we will have a say as a hamlet because we won’t. Ask anyone in Hampton Bays if they have a say in their future. They will tell you that they don’t.
Please vote FOR Village Incorporation and for Home Rule on Thursday, October 17, from 12P to 9P at the East Quogue Elementary School.
*(because it is $.10/$1,000 of assessed value for the incremental cost of the Village)