Saltaire board to continue talks with SCWA on water-system management

Mayor Hugh O’Brien told the Board the village has again been in discussions with the Suffolk County Water Authority about a potential management agreement for the Saltaire water system. He said the proposal under consideration would keep village ownership of the infrastructure while the SCWA would assume operational control and bill customers directly under the terms of the agreement.

Village Administrator Mario Posillico summarized the village’s water infrastructure and outlined the initial pros and cons of such an arrangement. Board members asked questions and the mayor said the trustees plan to discuss the matter at multiple summer meetings before making any decision. He said the Board will hold one meeting specifically focused on the topic and that an SCWA representative will be present to answer public questions.

"The Village would retain ownership of the system, while the SCWA would assume control of the water operation and directly bill the customers pursuant to the terms of agreement," Mayor O’Brien said. The trustees did not take any formal action; the discussion was informational and the Board agreed no decision would be made before the end of the summer at the earliest.