(Editor's Note: This is the final installment of a three-part series entitled "Special District Tax Burden - The Information You Should Have to Make Your Own Educated Opinion," which is submitted by the Hicksville Water District. Part I appeared in the Feb. 3 issue and Part II appeared in the Feb. 10 issue.)

Over the last few weeks, this series has addressed how the cost of water compares to other tax costs we face as part of the Long Island community. As discussed, the cost of water in Hicksville's tax base represents only about 2.5 percent of the taxes paid by the typical resident for its excellent water system - an extremely reliable home-based service providing the residents and business with drinking water, water for home and commercial use, irrigation water and water for fire protection.

It is hard to understand what is more fundamental to a community than its water system. In your tax bill there are 20 different categories for taxing - schools, numerous town and county related taxes and the two truly "special" districts - water and fire. The Hicksville Water District has been serving this community since its early days having begun back in 1921 and, today, provides over two billion gallons of high quality water annually to the nearly 48,000 people who reside in Hicksville.

In many ways the district provides a first-class system with all the benefits of total local control through only 18 employees who live and work in Hicksville. The benefits of local control include your ability to elect the board of commissioners directly, attend any board meeting, know your elected and management personnel through community based meetings, receive the district's informative newsletter and call for immediate, friendly and responsive service to receive straight answers to your questions. You get all this through a system managed by your neighbors that is state-of-the-art in terms of plant operations, computer controls, water treatment, quality control testing and emergency power. Once you get past New York's largest dozen or so cities and towns, there are few communities that rival Hicksville's diverse residential, commercial and industrial community for population and importance (www.city-data.com). This is a fact that is oftentimes missed since Hicksville is unincorporated.

Let us not forget that it is Hicksville's true "special" districts - water and fire - that help to maintain our identity and sense of place. Your water supply system is an efficient and effective provider of high quality service to the community. There are other models to deliver water on Long Island besides the special district. These include: for-profit water companies, such as New York Water Service that provides water to the communities of Merrick, Bellmore, Wantagh and Seaford; public water authorities, such as the Suffolk County Water Authority that provides water service to much of that county; city and village systems that provide service to many incorporated areas; and, special districts, such as Hicksville.

The different types reflect the history of Long Island itself and how it developed. For example, the Suffolk County Water Authority came into being only in the 1950's before the county really developed. There are still strong special districts in western Suffolk County that cover most of Huntington and a large town system that covers Riverhead. It is possible to have a strong, efficient and effective system under any of the different type operating models.

When one looks at the cost of water to a typical resident, there are a number of factors that must be considered to get the true picture: the location; residential density; residential-commercial mix; average water use; the need for water treatment; off-setting costs that appear elsewhere, e.g., hydrant rentals; the degree of modernization; and, debt and its service. These differences can have a dramatic impact on cost. For example, if a supplier must treat its well it will cost as much as 50 percent more to operate that well just for the electric power.

Staying with water treatment for a moment, one must recognize that there is a huge capital investment in water treatment in areas like Hicksville that have been impacted by its industrial base that goes back well before the arrival of county sewers - the fact is that Hicksville is not Muttontown. Regarding debt, it should be noted that the average debt per customer is five times lower in Hicksville than in the largest public authorities.

Despite the cost burdens of having to treat two out of every three of its wells, the Hicksville Water District has managed to keep the total cost of water for its average resident below the average for a typical water supplier covering all operating models. The water district has accomplished all this while keeping its debt at low levels - choosing rather a pay-as-you-go approach.

The chart above includes the cost for water as it appears on your tax bill with the added cost that appears on your water bill. There is a significant cost associated with hydrant rental charges that are assessed against your local fire district. Since you pay these costs, they have been factored into the analysis for comparison purposes so all the others are viewed on the same plane. As you can readily see, the Hicksville Water District (#6 on the chart) compares very favorably against this sampling of all types of water systems and is well below the average for the group. Hicksville manages to do this despite its heavy reliance on very costly water treatment that is intended to ensure you water of the highest quality.

The average total cost for water in Hicksville is about $20 per month - compare that to any other bill that we pay and certainly there is nothing, anywhere near as essential. Like you, the district must fight to control its costs to keep its rates low. We must deal with ever increasing power costs with fuel and demand surcharges. The district also confronts the spiraling costs for healthcare and pension costs for its public employees. Yet we remain the most cost effective service that you see.

At a time when our leaders in government are painting a bleak picture of "special districts", it is our hope that we have demonstrated to the community through this series of articles that the water being provided by the Hicksville Water District is safe, efficient and very reasonably priced. When our leaders make the point that water costs more than a glass of milk, we recognize that they probably neither shop nor know the cost of water. This experience has shown us that they really need to be educated on the entire process and that they should reach out to the leading water suppliers in those "special districts" and work with them instead of against them.

The Hicksville Water District welcomes the community's thoughts and ideas. Come out and attend the district's community meetings. The district can be reached at 931-0184 or at PO Box 9065, Hicksville, NY 11802. Additional information is also available at www.hicksvillewater.org.