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Suffolk County Legislature votes to send Water Quality Restoration Fund to voters after heated debate
Summary
The Suffolk County Legislature voted 15–2 on June 25 to place a proposed Water Quality Restoration Fund on the November ballot, adding a one‑eighth percent sales tax to the existing county drinking-water program; supporters said it funds septic upgrades and sewers, opponents warned about past diversions of County water funds.
The Suffolk County Legislature voted 15–2 on June 25 to place a ballot question before voters that would extend the county’s existing quarter‑percent drinking‑water protection program and add a one‑eighth percent sales and use tax to create a Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Fund.
The ballot measure, advanced as IR 1461, would give voters the final say on a local funding stream intended to pay for septic upgrades, sewer expansions and other projects proponents say are needed to reduce nitrogen pollution, protect drinking water and rebuild coastal wetlands.
Supporters framed the proposal as a time‑sensitive, science‑driven effort to modernize aging wastewater infrastructure and access matching state and federal dollars. Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey, who…
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