State senate OKs feasibility study for NYAW in Sea Cliff district

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The New York State Senate voted to pass Sen. Carl Marcellino's bill on Wednesday, which requires a feasibility study in relation to a takeover of New York American Water in the Sea Cliff district. The bill passed 57-4.

The state Assembly is expected to vote on the legislation before June 20, said Kirk Ives, Marcellino's chief of staff.

If passed, the bill would allocate state funding for a study to determine if Jericho Water, a neighboring water authority, has the means to accommodate NYAW ratepayers in Sea Cliff and Glen Head in the event that the state condemns the district.

The study would be conducted by the Public Service Commission, Ives added. “The PSC had a hand in causing this problem by approving the [rate] increase, and the senator wants to make them part of the solution,” he said.

Last May, the PSC approved a four year phase-in of rate increases for NYAW customers, which resulted in an average annual increase of $200, with 70 percent of the bills paying the company's property taxes.

The question of a feasibility study was first raised in February, when local civics and elected officials attended a Jericho Water board meeting to plead a case for consolidation.

More on this story as it develops.