Dan's Papers - June 6, 2008 - Suffolk County Taketh From The Rich Towns

While East End towns continue to work out the problems with their CPF funds, it appears their very existence could draw land preservation money away from the South Fork.

The report issued by the Budget Review Office (BRO) of the Suffolk Legislature on May 15 suggests that the county invest the majority of its preservation efforts toward western Suffolk County, the North Fork and Brookhaven Town. The thinking is that, basically, East Hampton and Southampton already raise land preservation money independently through the Community Preservation Fund (CPF), and those monies are used solely by the respective communities. So towns without the benefit of CPF coffers should be given preferential treatment with county preservation monies.

The BRO report cites that other communities do not have a resource of this magnitude, and suggests "the county may wish to concentrate its spending - at least in the short run - on land acquisitions in the western part of the county...including Brookhaven, and the North Fork where town CPF funds are not as ample."

Government officials representing East Hampton and Southampton are outraged at this suggestion, questioning such thinking when the majority of open farmland and other natural sites are on the East End, as opposed to the more heavily populated areas of western Suffolk. Legislator Edward Romaine (Suffolk County, 1st District) responded, "There has been an attempt by the Suffolk Legislature's present majority to reduce funding for land acquisition on the East End at the very time we need it most ...We have a short window of opportunity to purchase farmland development rights and open space before the island is fully developed. This is the time we should be concentrating on preserving as much farmland and open space as we can before development brings additional taxes and traffic."

However, the issues faced by the CPF funds extend past this recent controversy. Back on March 31, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office subpoenaed all documentation relating to the use of the East Hampton CPF. The New York State Comptroller's Office is also presently auditing all town budgetary practices.

In addition, New York State Assemblymen Fred Thiele and Marc Alessi, as well as Senator Ken LaValle, had proposed new rules and methods concerning the funds. The draft proposal introduced by the three hoped to better define how the money is used and to raise public awareness of when and why CPF monies are used. Other stipulations would prohibit the towns from using the Fund for maintenance purposes of historic properties (except for the original restoration and rehabilitation effort). However, the towns have the power to nullify the motions in the draft, and no fixed timetable was established for putting the bill to a vote.

As the East End government struggles with these CPF issues, the Suffolk County Budget Office review continues to recommend that the County apply its preservation funding elsewhere. The BRO claims its analysis shows that in just over 20 years, the county will combine with the East End to spend close to $3 billion in funding for land preservation acquisitions, which may be at cross purposes with the development of sites for affordable housing. The suggestion is that some property needs to be put aside for workforce housing, rather than preserved as farmland. The office also claims that money must be directed toward other areas of environmental protection, such as water quality, sewer development and energy issues.

This, along with the Budget Review's assertion that the economy is heading in a negative direction, has influenced the capital budget County Executive Steve Levy has proposed, which includes the suggestions of the Budget Review Office. However, the County Legislature, which is currently looking at the budget, does have the power to add or remove items (which Levy can in turn veto or accept), and being that the legislature generally works closely with the Budget Review Office during this process - it could make for an interesting turn of events with the many East End elected officials who are strongly against the county's newly suggested preservation spending.