Advocates urge town to expedite public acquisition of Liberty Water and oppose proposed rate hike

A representative of Allied Clean Air Water and Soil urged the town to hold appointees to the South Nassau Water Authority accountable for completing a public acquisition of Liberty Water before a proposed 37% rate increase takes effect. Claudia Borecki told the board SENA (South Nassau Water Authority) has failed to complete the acquisition after 4.5 years and has only now submitted a second purchase offer.

"If Liberty fails to respond in good faith, your commissioner should immediately ask the Public Service Commission to penalize Liberty for violating the timeline mandated in his joint proposal agreement that allowed Liberty to acquire New York American Water in the first place," Borecki said. She argued Liberty customers have paid franchise and property taxes through their water bills for decades while the town benefited from those tax dollars without passing utilities onto those same customers.

Town leaders agreed publicly that the PSC should not approve a rate hike without scrutiny and said they will raise concerns with the Public Service Commission; they pledged to press appointees and state regulators to enforce timelines. Borecki also asked the town to consider establishing a special water district to direct taxes paid by Liberty customers toward acquisition and services that benefit those ratepayers.