Huntington Bay Board Discusses Fee Increases for Residents

Huntington Bay residents should be expected to pay more for fees associated with building permit applications, according to village attorney Mara S. Manin, who made the suggestion at a board of trustees meeting Monday night at village hall.

Citing current fees in Lloyd Harbor, which Manin said are more than twice those of Huntington Bay, she suggested that the village board amend the current law in an effort to cut costs.

"I don't think you should lose money on every single application, and that is what's going on here,' said Manin.

Not all trustees were in favor of the proposed plan.

Trustee Don Rave said having to go through two hearings for revisions to village homes is bad enough and the law requiring residents to pay more would add insult to injury.

"It's almost like getting a bill from the police department if they arrest you," said Rave.

The new law could pass on transcription costs to residents, if approoved.

Village clerk Lynn Pincomb estimated between $14,000 and 24,000 is spent by the village on application-related fees each year. 

Manin suggested that because applications for permits are voluntary requests, the fees should be paid by residents.

"I think we should be trying to obtain revenue instead of losing money just because someone wants to construct something," said Manin.

"We're not a business," said Rave.

Before a decision is made, Mayor Herb Morrow suggested the board review basic building application costs in five or six nearby villages including Lloyd Harbor, Northport and Westbury.

The mayor explained why village fees set Huntington Bay apart from some other areas.  

"The reason villages were formed across Long Island was to protect land use. So if you move into a village and you don't realize that your going to have more constraints than if you move to Hicksville then you are really not the smartest buyer," said Morrow. 

The mayor said the issue came up at the meeting because Manin had just been through a building project in North Harbor.

Also at the meeting, the board discussed the possibility of granting the village building inspector the same authority as a code enforcement officer. 

"This would allow the building inspector to have the authority of a code enforcement officer to issue violations under his signature when people have not responded," said Morrow.

"As it stands now the police have to go out and issue a summons," said Marin, who suggested the amendment to the law.

The board authorized Manin to draft a revision to the code which will be voted on by the board after a public hearing later this year, according to the mayor.