September 2, 2020

Dear David,

Alarm bells are sounding here in Wainscott!

The group formerly known as Save Beach Lane, now calling itself Citizens for the Preservation of Wainscott, is about to pull off the largest scam on all the hard-working taxpayers in Wainscott.

But let’s start by calling this group who they actually are: Citizens for the Protection of Beach Lane, a.k.a. Beach Lane Inc.

As a lifetime resident and taxpayer, I would politely request they first disclose to the voting public their proposed operating budget in line-item detail for tax year 2022/23 before there is any vote to incorporate. I only want a basic municipal operating budget for an incorporated village of our size, population, and various zoning districts.

Is this group hiding important facts or are they acutely aware that if the true costs get out, incorporation will and should fail? Why would we vote to triple our own taxes? Here are some very basic numbers just to get the public started regarding costs of running a village.

Incorporated Village of East Hampton: Current annual budget $23 million
Incorporated Village of Sag Harbor: Current annual budget $12 million
Incorporated Village of Sagaponack: Current annual budget $1 million

To pave and service our roads: One mile of road paving costs between $200,000 and $1 million (highway quality, like Route 114). Wainscott has roughly 30 miles of roadways currently maintained by the town. The town does an amazing job thanks to the hard-working crews at the Highway Department. Oh yes, we’ll need a highway department, too!

One full-time police officer costs $200,000 annually including pension benefits, health care, and insurances. There are three shifts per day, so three would be necessary, but two more for rotations, sick days, and vacations, etc., so 24 hours of policing times 365 days times five officers equals roughly $1 million for just one officer covering all of the greater Wainscott territory. The town provides much more protection and service currently.

Lest we not forget the Town Hall: rent, the staffing, office equipment and technology/licenses to join information databases, police car(s), and insurances. C.P.W. is promising more and this is just the start-up cost of a functioning government!

As proposed by Citizens for the Protection of Wainscott, the incorporated village would go from Town Line Beach as far north as Sag Harbor, then in an easterly direction along Route 114 all the way to Stephen Hand’s Path, then south across Georgica Pond (really down the middle of the map for the school district), back around the Georgica Association along the ocean, and back to Town Line Road.

Our size, scope, and population are much more like the area encompassing East Hampton Village ($23 million). We are nothing like Sagaponack, other than having an ocean beach and farmland. Wainscott has a commercial district along Montauk Highway, also making us more like Sag Harbor Village ($12 million). We have hotels, restaurants, a gas station/mini market, Animal Rescue Fund campus, doctors’ offices, retail stores, an indoor tennis club and gaming clubhouse, our local television station, and, yes, we even have a gun club/shooting range. And most important, we also have the East Hampton Town Police station and the airport.

The annual budget of $250,000 to $300,000 that C.P.W. has proposed is a complete joke. Somewhere between East Hampton Village ($23 million) and Sag Harbor Village ($12 million) is the true cost of operating a functioning village with all the trappings necessary to keep the citizenry safe, happy, and well served. The true costs are more like East Hampton Village in scope, $23 million! Are Wainscott taxpayers prepared to spend that kind of money when East Hampton Town is handling our needs just fine now?

We have always enjoyed certain autonomy from the town. We thrive on the hands-off, leave-us-to-ourselves, approach because Wainscott residents pull together and help one another out during hard times. Wainscott United. Remaining a hamlet in the hands of East Hampton Town is a much more appealing fiscal decision.

This is really a back door effort to prevent a cable from being buried under Beach Lane. On their website C.P.W./Beach Lane Inc. makes clear that incorporating is not to benefit Wainscott citizens at all. It is all about a buried cable.

All Wainscott taxpayers should request to see a line-item operating budget before they cast a vote to triple their taxes!

Full disclosure is in order before we are asked to “trust us” with our financial future.

Best,

DOREEN A. NIGGLES