2023 New York Laws › PBA - Public Authorities › Article 5 - Public Utility Authorities › Title 8-B - Water Authority of Great Neck North › 1197-D - Water Authority of Great Neck North.

§  1197-d. Water authority of Great Neck north. 1. A corporation known
as "water authority of Great Neck  north"  is  hereby  created  for  the
purposes  and  charged with the duties and having the powers provided in
this title. The authority  shall  be  a  corporate  governmental  agency
constituting  a  public  benefit  corporation  and  shall  be  a "public
district" for the  purposes  of  section  eighty-nine-l  of  the  public
service  law.  The  authority  shall be governed by a board of directors
consisting of  eight  members.  The  chief  executive  officers  of  the
villages   of   Great  Neck,  Great  Neck  Estates,  Great  Neck  Plaza,
Kensington, Kings Point, Saddle Rock, Thomaston and the  town  of  North
Hempstead  shall  each appoint one member. Each member shall serve for a
period of two years. Each chief executive officer shall  file  with  the
secretary  of state a certificate of appointment or reappointment of any
member appointed or reappointed by such chief  executive  within  thirty
days  of  the  appointment  or  reappointment.  Members shall receive no
compensation for their services but shall be entitled  to  reimbursement
of  their  necessary expenses, including traveling expenses, incurred in
the discharge of their duties. Nothing  herein  shall  be  construed  as
preventing  a  chief executive officer of a municipality from appointing
himself or herself to be a member of the board of directors.
2. Any one or more of the members of the board of directors may be  an
official  or an employee of a municipality situated within the district.
In the event that an official or an employee of such municipality  shall
be  appointed  as  a  member  of  the  board of directors, acceptance or
retention of such appointment shall not be deemed a forfeiture of his or
her municipal office or employment, or incompatible therewith or  affect
his or her tenure or compensation in any way.
3.  No  action  shall be taken by the authority except pursuant to the
favorable vote of fifty-one  percent  of  the  total  authorized  voting
strength of the board of directors. The total authorized voting strength
of the board of directors shall be 100.0.
(a) The number of weighted votes possessed by each member of the board
of  directors shall be determined in accordance with paragraphs (c), (d)
and (e) of this subdivision.
(b) No action shall be taken by the authority except pursuant  to  the
favorable  vote  of  at  least:  (i)  fifty-one  percent  of  the  total
authorized voting strength of the board  of  directors;  and  (ii)  four
members  of  the  board  of directors, at least two of whom must be from
among the four members of the board of directors possessing the greatest
number of weighted votes.
(c) The vote of each member shall be equal to one  hundred  multiplied
by  a fraction, the numerator of which shall be equal to the quantity of
water supplied by the authority to the owners,  tenants,  occupants  and
other  water  users  in  the  municipality  from  which  such member was
appointed and the denominator of which shall be equal to the quantity of
water supplied by the authority to the owners,  tenants,  occupants  and
other water users in all of the municipalities within the district.
(d)  Based  upon  the  water supplied to the municipalities within the
district in nineteen hundred eighty-two, the voting shall be weighted as
follows:
MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE CHIEF   AUTHORIZED NUMBER
EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE           OF VOTES
Village of Kings Point             32.9
Village of Great Neck              24.4
Village of Great Neck Plaza        14.2
Village of Great Neck Estates      11.7
Town of North Hempstead             8.0
Village of Kensington               4.4
Village of Saddle Rock              3.9
Village of Thomaston                0.5
----
total 100.0
(e) Commencing on the first day of April, nineteen hundred eighty-nine
and  every four years thereafter, the authorized number of votes of each
member shall be adjusted in accordance with the  formula  set  forth  in
paragraph (c) of this subdivision to reflect the total quantity of water
supplied  by the authority to owners, tenants, occupants and other water
users in each municipality within the district during the  two  calendar
years  immediately  preceding  the date on which the adjustment is being
made.
4. The powers of the  authority  shall  be  vested  in  and  shall  be
exercised  by  the board of directors at a meeting duly called and held.
Five members of the board of directors, who together are  authorized  to
cast  a  majority  of  the weighted vote, shall constitute a quorum. The
board of directors may delegate to one or more of its members, or to one
or more of the officers, agents or  employees  of  the  authority,  such
powers and duties as it may deem proper.
5.  The officers of the authority shall consist of a chairperson, vice
chairperson, deputy chairperson, treasurer, and secretary, who may,  but
need  not  be  members  of  the  board of directors. The officers of the
authority shall be appointed by the board of  directors.  The  board  of
directors  may  appoint  and  at  its pleasure remove an attorney and an
engineer, which positions, in addition  to  the  officers  above  named,
shall  be  in  the exempt class of the civil service and such additional
officers and employees as it may require  for  the  performance  of  its
duties,  fix  and  determine their qualifications, duties, compensations
and terms of office or tenure, subject to the provisions  of  the  civil
service  law of the state and such rules as the civil service commission
may adopt and make applicable to the authority. The authority  may  also
from  time to time contract for expert professional services. The duties
of the officers shall be as follows:
(a) Chairperson. The chairperson shall be the chief executive  officer
of  the  authority and it shall be the responsibility of the chairperson
to:
(i) preside at all meetings of the  board  of  directors  and  of  the
officers;
(ii)  manage  the  water  facility,  the transmission facility and the
distribution system and to effectuate the  decisions  of  the  board  of
directors;
(iii)  exercise  supervision  over  the  conduct  of  the officers and
employees of the authority;
(iv)  report  annually  to  each  customer,  either  by  mail  or   by
publication  once  in  a newspaper having general circulation within the
district; such report shall include but not be limited to the  following
information:
(1)  a  brief  financial  account  on  operations  of the water system
including, but not limited to, water rates,  total  revenues,  operating
and maintenance expense, and interest on bonds and notes;
(2) the population served by the authority;
(3)  the number of wells, towers and other storage facilities operated
by the authority;
(4) the total pumpage of groundwater  including  the  amount  received
through  interdistrict  interconnections  and  the estimated amount lost
from the system;
(5) the single highest level from each well of each synthetic  organic
chemical,  nitrate  and chloride constituent tested for by the authority
at any time during the year which exceeds the  applicable  county  water
quality  standard  or guideline, that standard or guideline, the site of
each  well at which each reported constituent was found, and the date on
which each reported constituent was analyzed;
(6) the highest  level  from  each  well  of  each  synthetic  organic
chemical,  nitrate  and chloride constituent tested for by the authority
at any time during the year which does not exceed the applicable  county
water  standard  or  guideline,  but  which contains a level equal to or
greater than two-thirds of  the  amount  permitted  before  exceeding  a
standard or guideline, that standard or guideline, the site of each well
at  which each reported constituent was found and the date on which each
reported constituent was analyzed;
(7) once every five  years,  the  highest  level  of  any  constituent
discovered  within  the distribution system which contains a level equal
to or greater than two-thirds of the amount permitted before exceeding a
standard or guideline, that standard or  guideline,  and  the  resulting
action taken by the authority;
(8)  any well restricted, removed from service or otherwise limited in
its use and the cause for such action;
(9) any actions taken to secure new supplies or replace lost capacity;
(10) the types of treatment which the water receives  before  entering
the distribution system;
(11)   any  compliance  activities  required  by  regulations  of  the
department of environmental conservation or the department of health  or
any local health department and any instances of noncompliance;
(12)  the  present  condition  of  the  distribution  system  and  any
significant actions, as determined  by  the  authority,  to  improve  or
maintain the system;
(13)  any  special  public  services the authority provides during the
year; and
(14)  information  on  water  conservation  measures   customers   can
implement,  such as, but not limited to, retrofitting plumbing fixtures,
altering irrigation timing, using irrigation  sensors,  leak  detection,
proper  use  of  water-consuming  appliances, daily conscientious use of
water and estimated savings of water, energy, and  money,  from  use  of
these measures;
(v) execute all contracts in the name of the authority;
(vi)  institute, at the direction of the board of directors, all civil
actions in the name of the authority;
(vii) provide for the enforcement of all of the rules and  regulations
of the authority and cause all violations thereof to be prosecuted;
(viii)  sign  orders  to  pay  claims  when authorized by the board of
directors;
(ix) sign checks in the absence  or  inability  of  the  treasurer  or
deputy treasurer, if any, when authorized by the board of directors; and
a  certified  copy  of  a  resolution  of the board of directors to that
effect shall be notice to the depository of such authorization;
(x) appoint, subject to  the  approval  of  the  board  of  directors,
non-elected   officers,   counsel,   accountants,  and  other  financial
advisors, engineers and other technical advisors;
(xi)  employ,  promote  and  discharge   managers,   supervisors   and
employees; and
(xii) take all other reasonable and necessary actions to carry out his
or  her  office  as  the  chief  executive  of  the  authority.  If  the
chairperson has not been appointed as a member of the board of directors
of the authority pursuant to this section,  such  chairperson  shall  be

deemed an ex officio member of the board of directors. Such status shall
not  carry  with it the right to vote on matters coming before the board
of directors nor shall the presence of such chairperson be  counted  for
the purpose of determining a quorum.
(b)  Vice  chairperson.  The vice chairperson shall perform all duties
delegated to him or her by the chairperson and, in the absence or during
the disability of the chairperson, the vice  chairperson  shall  act  as
chairperson.
(c)  Deputy  chairperson.  The  deputy  chairperson  shall perform all
duties  delegated  to  him  or  her  by  the  chairperson  or  the  vice
chairperson.
(d)   Secretary.   (i)  The  secretary  shall  be  the  recording  and
corresponding officer of the authority and the custodian of the  records
of the authority.
(ii)  The  secretary  shall  prepare  and send required notices of all
meetings when directed to do so by the chairperson  or  by  the  written
request of four members who have specified the issues to be discussed at
the meeting.
(iii)  In  the absence or disability of the secretary, the chairperson
may appoint a temporary secretary.
(e) Treasurer. (i) The treasurer shall  have  custody  of  all  moneys
belonging  to  the  authority  and  keep  accounts  of  all receipts and
expenditures in conformance with a uniform system of accounts formulated
and prescribed by the comptroller pursuant to section thirty-six of  the
general municipal law.
(ii) The treasurer shall execute a bond, conditioned upon the faithful
performance  of  the  duties  of  his  or  her  office,  the  amount and
sufficiency of which shall be approved by the board of directors and the
premium therefor shall be paid by the authority.
(iii) The treasurer shall  deposit,  within  ten  days  after  receipt
thereof,  in  the  name  of  the authority, in one or more banks, and/or
trust companies, designated  by  the  board  of  directors,  all  moneys
received by him or her.
(iv) The treasurer may sign checks with the facsimile signature of the
treasurer,  as  reproduced  by  a  machine or device commonly known as a
checksigner, when authorized by the board of directors.
(v) The treasurer shall pay out moneys  from  the  authority  treasury
only  as  authorized  by  the  board  of  directors and by law. All such
payments, except as may be authorized by the board of  directors  for  a
petty cash account, shall be by check.
(vi)  The  treasurer  shall  issue  a  report  on  the finances of the
authority at each regular meeting of the board of directors.
(vii) The treasurer shall file in the office of the authority,  within
sixty  days  after  the  end  of the fiscal year, a statement showing in
detail all revenues and expenditures during the previous fiscal year and
the outstanding indebtedness of the authority  as  of  the  end  of  the
fiscal  year.  The members shall, within ten days, cause to be published
once in a newspaper having general circulation within  the  district,  a
notice  that  the  annual  financial  statement  has  been  filed and is
available for inspection or a  summary  of  such  statement  in  a  form
approved  by  the  comptroller, with an endorsement thereon that details
thereof are on file in the office of the authority.  The  members  shall
cause  to  be  audited by a certified public accountant engaged for that
purpose, such report and supporting records.
6.  The  term  of  the  chairperson,  vice  chairperson   and   deputy
chairperson  first  appointed  shall be staggered, the chairperson first
appointed shall serve for a period of four years, the  vice  chairperson
first  appointed  shall serve for a period of three years and the deputy

chairperson first appointed shall serve  for  a  period  of  two  years;
thereafter  their  successors  shall  serve for terms of four years. The
remaining officers shall each serve terms of  one  year.  The  board  of
directors  shall  have  the right, at any time, to extend any such term,
for  a  period  of  months,  to  provide  that  such   term   terminates
contemporaneously with the end of the fiscal year of the authority.
7.  The  officers of the authority shall receive such compensation for
their services as shall be fixed by the board of directors and shall  be
reimbursed  for all necessary and actual expenses incurred in connection
with their duties as such officers and in connection with  the  carrying
out of the purposes of this title.
8.  The  authority  and  its  corporate existence shall continue until
terminated by law; provided, however, that no such law shall take effect
so long as the agency shall have bonds or other obligations  outstanding
unless  adequate provision has been made for the payment or satisfaction
thereof. Upon termination of the existence of the authority, all of  the
rights  and properties of the authority then remaining shall pass to and
vest in the municipalities within the district. Such property  shall  be
apportioned and distributed among the municipalities within the district
in  direct  proportion  to  their  weighted  voting  on  the date of the
termination of the authority.
9. In addition to any powers granted to it by law, the governing  body
of  each  of  the municipalities within the district, from time to time,
may appropriate sums of money to defray project costs or any other costs
and expenses of the authority. Subject to  the  rights  of  bondholders,
each governing body may determine if the moneys so appropriated shall be
subject to repayment by the authority to the municipalities, and in such
event, the manner and time or times for such repayment.
10.  Neither  the  public  service  commission  nor any other board or
commission of like character, shall have jurisdiction over the authority
in the management and control of its properties  or  operations  or  any
power  over  the  regulation  of rates fixed or charges collected by the
authority.
11. It is hereby determined and declared that the  authority  and  the
carrying  out of its powers, purposes and duties are in all respects for
the benefit of the people of the municipalities within the district  and
state,  for  the improvement of their health, welfare and prosperity and
that the said purposes are public purposes and that the authority is and
will be performing an essential governmental function in the exercise of
the powers conferred upon it by this title.