Suffolk water board OKs rate hike

The Suffolk Water Authority board has unanimously approved a 4.2 percent rate increase, after a public hearing where only one speaker testified - the head of the employee union.

The new rate hike, which will generate about $4 million annually, will take effect June 1. It will raise the average customer's current $306 annual bill by about $12 for 160,000 gallons of water. Authority officials say the rate increase is needed to pay higher pension, health and union costs despite cutbacks in staff and capital spending. They said their rates are among the lowest in the nation.

In the Monday night hearing, Nick Caracappa, president of the Utility Workers of America Local 393, said the 345 member union made concessions last year that he thought were aimed at avoiding a rate increase. He also questioned the hiring of new high-paid "nonessential" officials, whose jobs do not directly improve customer service. "We're willing to work together," he said Tuesday in an interview. "But the cuts can't come just on the backs of those working hard in the trenches providing direct customer service."

The union settled a three-year contract that froze pay in 2009-10 fiscal year and called for a 2 percent raise this year and next.Caracappa criticism alludes to the recent hiring of former Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy aides Carrie Meek Gallagher, chief sustainability officer, Tim Motz, the authority's new spokesman, lobbyist and head of the manage unit. Also hired was Chad Bellone who is the brother of Babylon supervisor Steve Bellone and works in the automated meter reading unit.

James Gaughran, authority chairman said, "We've restructured the organization to put more of a focus on the environment and that is why we hired Carrie, and Tim is doing a job that was previously done by three people." He added Bellone applied through the authority website and was the "most qualified" for the job. "We're not going to discriminate against him because of who his brother is," said Gaughran.