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Written by Timothy Bolger
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 22:03 |
In a one-of-a-kind deal, the village of Saltaire will ante up more than $85 an hour for each Suffolk police officer that responds, depending on the type of case.
Suffolk County and Saltaire recently came to the agreement after county officials realized that the village opted out of the county police district when it was founded 50 years ago—meaning it is only taxed for rescue and high-level investigations, but not basic police coverage—and the village never formed a police department of its own. Although village officials were unsure of just how big the pay-per-cop bill will be, they are still confident it would cost less than joining the police district, which was estimated at nearly $1.2 million, a cost that would have been shared by the 400 homeowners there.
“It wasn’t a terrible surprise,” said Saltaire village administrator Mario Posillico. “It was just a matter of negotiating a contract that was fair to both sides.”
Saltaire village approved the deal last month and Suffolk lawmakers passed it on Feb. 2.
Suffolk County Attorney Christine Malafi said the village’s case, which the county discovered nearly two years ago, is a unique one. Saltaire is “the only village that opted out of the Suffolk County Police District but never created their own police department, so they’re the only ones in this position,” Malafi said.
The village, which already has its own fire department and lifeguards, is not considering establishing a police department to avoid the bill, either. “The issue of law enforcement is almost entirely dealt with by our security officers,” Posillico said. “It’s not really going to change anything on the ground.”
But Saltaire’s security officers are not legally allowed to make arrests. "The guards--think mall cop, but on the beach--can write summonses when they witness violations but in the event of a misdemeanor or felony, they have to call Suffolk police’s Marine Bureau officers for backup."
As for medical emergencies, the village will be billed whenever a Suffolk County police officer responds to a 911 call, whether for a crime or to help an injured or sick person. The use of the police boats or helicopters, however, are included in county taxes.
While county property taxes pay for critical police protections such as homicide investigations, the hourly rate will kick in for the village on cases that rise above a simple no-light-on-bike ticket but are not serious enough to require Suffolk police to assign a detective.
“Based on previous uses and taking into account the agreed-upon schedule of fees, we estimate that Saltaire’s annual cost should run between $3,000 - $15,000, more likely toward the lower than higher end of that range,” the Saltaire village board said in a statement. “We will, of course, be able to more precisely budget in the future after actual experience with the agreement,” adding that they don’t anticipate the need for a tax increase to pay for the new contract.
Homeowners seemed to take it all in stride.
“We do not use the Suffolk County force except in a rare emergency,” said Cheryl Valente, a board member on the Saltaire Citizen Advisory Association. “They do not patrol our streets. They have no presence here, other than traveling down the beach on their way to other towns.”
That said, the mother of three who has summered in Saltaire with her husband and family for nearly 20 years added: “I don't think it is unreasonable to pay for the service of Suffolk County when they are needed.”
Saltaire 911: Some calls to which Suffolk police responded in recent years:
2009
July 22
3:16 p.m. An 82-year-old Saltaire woman called police asking for assistance getting out of the bathtub at her Broadway home. The woman got out of the tub without assistance and without injury prior to police arrival.
May 24
9:29 p.m. A 60-year-old woman reported a barbeque fire at her Navy Walk home in Saltaire. Saltaire Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. Some damage to the deck.
2008
June 8
2:46 a.m., Saltaire Security found a 22-year-old Virginia man unconscious on East Walk.
June 22
7:55 a.m. The homeowner of a house on West Promenade in Saltaire reported an unknown man sleeping in his house. He spoke to the man but did not press charges.
July 5
3:20 p.m. A hypodermic needle was found on the ocean beach in Saltaire and was disposed of.
July 8
A dead dolphin was removed from the beach in Saltaire and was taken to the Riverhead Foundation.
Aug. 5
4:27 p.m. A 4-year-old boy was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital from Sea Walk in Saltaire after he leaned on a window screen and fell out, hitting the ground 6 feet below.
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Written by Steve Weinstein
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Friday, 22 January 2010 22:47 |
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Promising to build upon “tradition,” three new owners take over the former John Whyte properties on the bay front in the Pines.
After two days of frantic speculation set off by a report in Next magazine, a press release from the New York City public relations firm Edelman confirms that Eric von Kuersteiner and his life and business partner Tony Roncalli have sold their properties in Fire Island Pines. Realtor Jon Wilner of Island Properties confirmed the sale by phone to the News on January 20. |
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Written by Michael K. Lavers
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 18:09 |
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The icy remoteness of winter in Water Island became a fire hazard January 6 as a wind-swept fire blazed through one home and damaged another, with no one to stop it.
A Suffolk County Police Department helicopter first spotted the blaze on West Walk shortly after 12:40 a.m. Mike Horton of the Ocean Bay Park Fire Department commanded the scene until Fire Island Pines Fire Department chief Joe Geiman arrived from the mainland.
“The difficulty of getting to a fire on Fire Island in the winter is very challenging,” Geiman said. “Add the fact the bay was frozen over and extra time needed to drive to the East End and then back made it even more challenging.” A wind-swept fire destroyed a Water Island home and damaged this one early on Jan. 6. Photo courtesy of Karen Boss |
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Written by Timothy Bolger
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Thursday, 07 January 2010 20:52 |
As if the taxes aren’t high enough on Fire Island, Fair Harbor’s nearly 450 homeowners received a little sticker shock as an early Christmas present this past holiday season when the hamlet’s fire district tax bill arrived last month: the amount due was between an average of $600 to $700 more than expected. And this is a community that was already expecting an about 20-percent bigger bill, as the fire commissioners recently floated a bond to pay for a much-anticipated firehouse renovation.
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Written by Ed Mattson
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Monday, 30 November 2009 17:57 |
The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) would like to remind residents of the importance of verifying Authority employees requesting to enter your home. Authority employees are required to carry photo IDs at all times and IDs are available for viewing upon request.
“In response to a recent news report warning residents of burglars who posed as utility workers in Nassau County, we would like to assure customers that we are keeping their safety in mind. We are proactively reaching out to our residents to let them know we are in the area,” explained SCWA Chairman Michael LoGrande. “This notification and scheduling effort comes in addition to already strict ID procedures.”
When in doubt, call the SCWA to verify that there are workers scheduled to arrive at your residence at (631) 698-9500. For more information, please call or visit www.scwa.com.
The Suffolk County Water Authority is an independent public-benefit corporation operating by virtue of the Public Authorities Law of the State of New York. Serving almost 1.3 million of Suffolk’s County’s residents, it operates without taxing power on a not-for-profit basis. |
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