December 5, 2008

Weitzman declares two water districts serve no purpose and
should be absorbed by larger neighboring districts

A report issued today by Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman found that two commissioner-run water districts in Nassau County basically serve no purpose and could be eliminated to streamline government and save taxpayer money. The two districts--Cathedral Gardens in West Hempstead and Glenwood in Roslyn--merely move water that is provided by larger, neighboring water districts. Cathedral Gardens does not drill, pump or treat water, read water meters, bill water users or take payments for water. Glenwood gets its water from Roslyn; it doesn’t drill, pump or treat water, but does send out its own bills.

     “A water district that doesn’t provide water, but costs taxpayers, is an expensive dinosaur that Nassau County residents can no longer afford,” Weitzman said.

The report showed that the annual savings from eliminating Cathedral Gardens in 2007 would have been $32,502 and from eliminating Glenwood would have been $114,856.

“While the savings are not large when divided by each home in the potential combined districts, in these times of extreme fiscal pressure on Nassau County taxpayers, all savings are worth pursuing,” said Weitzman. “The outdated, patchwork quilt of special districts is no longer viable in this day and age when they cost residents money without providing any benefit.”

Nassau County homeowners receive water from municipalities, private water companies, authorities and special districts.  Special districts that provide water, with the exception of districts serving portions of the Town of Hempstead, are run by paid commissioners, elected by the residents of each district.

The Cathedral Gardens Water District serves only 342 properties, 297 of which are homes. Water for Cathedral Gardens and all water billing services are provided by a neighboring water district, West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens (“West Hempstead”). The Cathedral Gardens District does not provide any services beyond owning the pipes that distribute the water to its 342 parcels.

Not surprisingly, Cathedral Gardens and West Hempstead charge the average homeowner almost the identical amount for water use. In 2006, the average homeowner in Cathedral Gardens paid $258 for water; the average homeowner in West Hempstead-Hempstead Gardens paid $260. The costs for taxpayers in both districts could be reduced, and taxpayer savings achieved, if the Cathedral Gardens Water District were eliminated.

Items such as Commissioners’ fees representing 132 per diem payments totaling $10,560,  for 44 meetings by the commissioners each year or almost one meeting a week, secretary’s fees ($4,080),  liability insurance ($7,018) and accountant’s fees ($4,525) could all be eliminated since they would be covered by West Hempstead’s budget. The resulting savings of $32,502 in every year could be shared between the taxpayers of the two districts.

The Glenwood Water District serves only 236 properties, fewer than Cathedral Gardens. 196 of the Glenwood parcels are homes. Like Cathedral Gardens, Glenwood purchases its water from a neighboring district, the Roslyn Water District, and sends out its own bills for water use and collects late payments for user fees. The Glenwood and Roslyn Water Districts charge the average homeowner almost an identical amount for water use. In 2006 the average homeowner in Glenwood paid $302 for water; the average homeowner in Roslyn paid $305. The costs for all the taxpayers could be reduced, and taxpayer savings achieved, if the Glenwood Water District were eliminated.

The expense related to the Glenwood commissioners would be completely eliminated if Roslyn took over the district. The 2007 expenditures for the three commissioners’ fees was $22,000.  Divided evenly among the three commissioners, this is the equivalent of $7,253 paid to each commissioner for working a total of 91 days each or almost two meetings a week. 

If Roslyn were to take over the Glenwood district and eliminate the unnecessary spending now being done in Glenwood, taxpayers in the two districts could share the approximately $115,000 in savings every year.

Click below for a copy of the report:

Commissioner Run Water Districts That Serve No Purpose