Blog

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)

Hello everyone. The EQVEC will host its last informational meeting Thursday, October 10 at 7P at the East Quogue Elementary School Cafetorium.

There will be experts at the meeting to answer your questions including Village Trustees from other Villages, a former Town Comptroller who now advises three Long Island Villages, Volunteer Planning Board members from other Villages and a Municipal Attorney who was also a former Village Mayor and Trustee.

We hope you will take the time to learn about this once in a lifetime opportunity for the community. Home Rule for East Quogue is an idea whose time has come.

It is official! East Quogue gets to vote on the subject of Village Incorporation on Thursday, October 17 from 12P to 9P at the East Quogue Elementary School. Be sure to check your voter registration at suffolkvotes.com. If you are not already registered, register online with the DMV’s website.

Get the facts about this unique opportunity to protect your community and schools from over development. It costs very little to become the Village of East Quogue with truly local, non-partisan representation.

The petition from this committee to support an election by the People of East Quogue as to whether or not they want to incorporate as a Village was filed in early April at Town Hall. Per State Law, the Town Supervisor has to hold a hearing about the sufficiency of the petition. That hearing is scheduled for Monday, May 13 at 6P at the EQ Elementary School. There will also be additional meetings held thereafter for the community to learn more about the proposed Village of East Quogue. Watch for those upcoming meetings.

The Southampton Town Board is mulling a proposal to increase density on a lot in unincorporated Southampton from 7 units to 60 units. The lot is behind a church on County Road 39 near the North Sea Road (7-11) intersection. The zoning is currently for 7 units but the Board is considering a zone change to increase the units to 60. This is the kind of thing that can happen by way of this Town Board, but only in unincorporated areas. Read the whole story here.

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.

Last night, our committee had an extended committee meeting with some additional guests from the community.  From all accounts, it was well received.  Why?  Most people know that they have no say in Town decision making which can impact East Quogue.  And most people know that a well-run local government, like the Village of Quogue, is beneficial to property owners and other residents.  Want to join the movement?  #EQHaveYourSay?  Send an email to info@eqvillageexploratorycommittee so we can connect.  We want all of East Quogue to understand and enjoy the benefits of local governance at little cost to taxpayers.  Our mantra? Be Small.  Be Strategic.  Be Effective.  Be Inexpensive.

On April 11, 2018, about 100 families were notified that they could not use their private well water for drinking or cooking due to a contaminant detected  in the soil near the Damascus Dump.  Since then, the Town has been providing limited water supplies and has been working with the County to schedule the testing of private wells.  The Village of East Quogue will work to make sure public water is finally available to everyone in the Village because private wells will need expensive carbon filtration systems and expensive, ongoing testing.  The Village would also work with the Town, County and the State to come up with a long term plan for the Damascus Dumping Grounds.

UPDATE: November 6, 2018

At the Town Board’s work session on November 1, 2018, the Town Board seems to doubt the work of the hydrogeologist they hired to understand where the PFOS contaminant is coming from.  The Scientist pointed to the Dump owned by the Town.  The Town Board pointed to Gabreski Airport.  The Weesuck Creek watershed does not include Gabreski Airport.  All water recharge from there flows towards Quogue/Westhampton.  Newsday covered the story here.

UPDATE: January 23, 2019

The Town has just approved the earmarking of $4M of 2019 CPF funds for water quality improvements including water main and hook ups for East Quogue.  This will help everyone have access to County water and fire protection throughout East Quogue.  Thanks to the many committee members who spoke at Town meetings to maintain the focus on solving this issue.  Thanks to Councilwoman Scalera and Supervisor Schneiderman for helping get this significant issue addressed.  Now we will push to get the mains and hook ups as quickly as possible.