§ 256-b. Suffolk county wastewater management district. 1. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general, special or local law to the contrary, including this article, the county legislature of Suffolk county is hereby authorized to establish by resolution a Suffolk county wastewater management district, hereinafter referred to in this section as the "district", which shall include all powers of a sewer district and a wastewater disposal district as provided in section two hundred fifty of this article and as set forth in this subdivision, pursuant to the procedure contained in this section.

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(b) In addition to the powers provided in section two hundred fifty of this article, the district shall have the power, as determined by the county legislature, to: (i) consolidate all of the original county sewer districts within the county as well as unsewered areas of the county, under the jurisdiction of the district; (ii) establish one or more zones of assessment within the district, coterminous with the territorial boundaries of the existing county sewer districts, consolidated pursuant to this section, the method of wastewater collection, treatment and disposal, existing or proposed, or both, and make changes to such zones of assessments; (iii) acquire interests in real property which may be completed by the transfer of property of original county sewer districts to the district, necessary for the installation and maintenance of district facilities; (iv) prioritize district projects in accordance with the Suffolk county subwatershed wastewater plan (SWP) adopted by the county legislature, and any amendments thereto; (v) receive funds from the Suffolk county water quality restoration fund, as established by section one thousand two hundred ten-F of the tax law, and distribute grant proceeds within the district in accordance with the goals established in the Suffolk county subwatershed wastewater plan; (vi) assume and pay any remaining indebtedness of each original county sewer district; (vii) within the zones of assessment, establish and provide for the collection of charges, rates, taxes or assessments to provide for the costs of operation, expenses, the sums sufficient to pay the annual installment of principal of, and interest on, obligations for improvements of the district, maintenance and improvements of the district, including but not limited to: (A) special assessment as defined in subdivision fifteen of § 102 of the real property tax law; (B) special ad valorem levy as defined in subdivision fourteen of § 102 of the real property tax law; (C) sewer rent as provided under Article 14-F of the general municipal law; (viii) distribute grant proceeds within the district in accordance with the goals established in the SWP; and (ix) adopt, amend and repeal, from time to time, rules and regulations for the operation of a county district. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the collection of charges, rates, taxes, or assessments authorized by this section outside of the established zones of assessment within the unsewered portions of the district or within town or village sewer districts.

2. Boundaries. The boundaries of the district upon formation shall include the boundaries of all county sewer districts consolidated into the district and all unsewered areas of the county. Until such time as a town or village sewer district is consolidated into the district as set forth in subdivision ten of this section, the boundaries of the district shall not include territorial boundaries of town or village sewer districts located wholly or in part in the county of Suffolk.

3. County agency review and report. The county legislature may direct the county agency, appointed or established pursuant to section two hundred fifty-one of this article, to, or the county agency on its own motion may, review and report thereon to the county legislature on the creation of the district and the merger therewith of any or all existing county sewer districts in accordance with this section and such other details as may be directed by the county legislature consistent with this article. When the agency has caused such report to be prepared, it shall transmit it to the county legislature. Upon receipt of the report, the county legislature shall call a public hearing pursuant to subdivision five of this section to create a Suffolk county wastewater management district in accordance with this section. Such report shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the legislature of Suffolk county.

4. Resolution. The county legislature of Suffolk county may adopt a resolution calling a public hearing upon the proposed creation of the district.

5. Notice. The clerk of the county legislature shall give notice of the hearing described in subdivision four of this section in such newspapers and within such time period as set forth in section two hundred fifty-four of this article. Such notice shall specify the time, date and location of such hearing and, in general terms, describe the proposed establishment of the district and the proposed basis of the future assessment of all costs of operation, maintenance and improvements of the district.

6. Hearing and resolution to establish. The county legislature shall meet at the time, date and location specified in such notice and hear all persons interested in the subject matter thereof concerning the same. If the county legislature determines that it is in the public interest to establish the district as specified in such notice, it shall further determine by resolution: (i) whether all property and property owners within the proposed district are benefited thereby; and (ii) whether all of the property and property owners benefited are included within the limits of the proposed district, the county legislature may adopt a resolution, subject to a permissive referendum, establishing the district.

7. Notice of adoption of resolution. Within ten days after the adoption by the county legislature of the resolution to establish the district described in subdivision six of this section, the county legislature shall give notice thereof, at the expense of the county, by the publication of a notice in such newspapers and within such time period as set forth in section one hundred one of this chapter. Such notice shall set forth the date of adoption of the resolution and contain an abstract of such resolution, describing, in general terms, the district, the basis for the future assessment of all costs of operation, maintenance and improvements, and that such resolution was adopted subject to a permissive referendum.

8. Assessments, levies and charges. After the establishment of the district in accordance with this section, the county is hereby authorized by resolution approved by majority vote of the total membership of the county legislature to assess, levy and collect upon each lot or parcel of land within the zones of assessment established by this section: (a) special assessments as that term is defined in subdivision fifteen of § 102 of the real property tax law; (b) special ad valorem levy as that term is defined in subdivision fourteen of § 102 of the real property tax law; and (c) sewer rents as provided by Article 14-F of the general municipal law. Such costs and expenses may include, but shall not be limited to, the amount of money required to pay the annual expenses of maintenance, operation, personnel services of the district and the sums sufficient to pay the annual installment of principal of, and interest on, obligations for improvements of the district. Such sums so levied shall be collected by the local tax collectors or receivers of taxes and assessments and shall be paid over to the chief fiscal officer of the county, in the same manner and at the same time as taxes levied for general county purposes. The chief fiscal officer shall keep a separate account of such moneys and they shall be used only for purposes set forth in this section, and in addition, all monies collected from each zone of assessment established or amended in accordance with this section shall be further segregated and shall not be commingled with monies of other zones of assessment except upon approval by resolution of the county legislature upon recommendation of the board of trustees established in accordance with the Suffolk county water quality restoration act. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the collection of charges, rates, taxes, or assessments authorized by this section outside of the established zones of assessment within the unsewered portions of the district or within town or village sewer districts.

8-a. Recording determination. The clerk of the county legislature shall within ten days after the effective date of the resolution creating the district cause a certified copy to be recorded in the office of the clerk of the county and when so recorded such order shall be presumptive evidence of the regularity of the proceedings for the creation of the district and of all other action taken by the county legislature pursuant to this section. A certified copy shall also be filed in the office of the state department of audit and control in Albany, New York.

9. Other laws. All provisions of the real property tax law and the Suffolk county tax act, as the same may be amended from time to time, not inconsistent with the provisions of this article, relating to the assessing, levy and collection and enforcement of special assessments, ad valorem levies and sewer rents in the county shall apply and be of equal force and applicability to special assessments, ad valorem levies and sewer rents authorized pursuant to this section. Nothing in this section shall be construed to permit the collection of charges, rates, taxes, or assessments authorized by this section outside of the established zones of assessment within the unsewered portions of the district or within town or village sewer districts.

10. Towns and villages. This section shall not be construed as merging the sewer districts of towns and villages within the county of Suffolk into the district created by this section, provided, however, that the merger of any town or village sewer district, or village sewerage system, with the district shall be upon petition of a town or village, in accordance with section two hundred seventy-seven of this article, and, upon the adoption of an order as set forth therein, the town or village sewer district, or village sewerage system, if so determined by the county legislature of Suffolk, shall be merged into and consolidated with the district, and the boundaries of the district shall be deemed extended.

11. Water quality restoration fund. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the county of Suffolk shall deposit the net collections from the sales and compensating use tax authorized by section one thousand two hundred ten-F of the tax law into the Suffolk county water quality restoration fund established in accordance therewith, and shall utilize all monies transferred from the fund consistent with this section. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to prevent the financing in whole or in part, pursuant to the local finance law, of any project authorized pursuant to this section. Monies from the fund may be utilized to repay any indebtedness or obligations incurred pursuant to the local finance law consistent with effectuating the purposes of this section. Where Suffolk county finances a project, in whole, or in part, pursuant to the local finance law, the resolution authorizing such indebtedness shall be accompanied by a report from the county executive demonstrating how said indebtedness will be repaid by the fund. Said report shall include an estimate of projected revenues of the fund during the period of indebtedness. The report shall also provide an accounting of all other indebtedness incurred against the fund to be repaid for the same period. The county legislature shall make findings by resolution that there will be sufficient revenue to repay such indebtedness in its entirety from the fund before authorizing such indebtedness. Monies in said fund may be appropriated from or expended in any fiscal year to implement the powers set forth in this section and to repay any indebtedness or obligations incurred pursuant to the local finance law for the purposes authorized pursuant to this section.

(b) (i) Water quality improvement projects shall be eligible for funding pursuant to this section. For purposes of this section, "water quality improvement projects" shall mean the planning, design, construction, acquisition, enlargement, extension, or alteration of a county, town or village wastewater treatment facility, including individual hookups, or an individual septic system, including an alternative wastewater treatment facility or an individual septic system with active treatment, to treat, neutralize, stabilize, eliminate or partially eliminate sewage or reduce pollutants, including permanent or pilot demonstration wastewater treatment projects, or equipment or furnishings thereof. In the case of individual septic system projects, the funding of the operation and maintenance of such projects shall be included in the definition of "water quality improvement projects". Such projects shall have as their purpose the remediation of existing water quality to meet specific water quality standards consistent with the SWP. Projects consistent with or listed in the SWP that are part of a plan adopted by a local government resulting in a net nitrogen reduction shall be eligible for consideration by the board of trustees, established in accordance with subparagraph (i) of paragraph (c) of this subdivision.

(ii) Of the annual collections of the fund, administration of the county wastewater management district shall not exceed ten percent. Not less than seventy-five percent of the remaining annual funds after administration shall be used toward funding individual septic systems projects. In addition to water quality improvement projects, other eligible expenditures from the fund shall include the preparation of an annual SWP implementation action plan to protect, preserve, and rehabilitate groundwater, surface water, and drinking water.

(iii) Other than for the payment of indebtedness or obligations incurred as set forth in paragraph (a) of this subdivision, and except for the preparation of the SWP implementation plan itself, no monies may be expended until the SWP implementation plan has been prepared and approved as provided for in this section.

(c) (i) Within the local law, ordinance or resolution establishing the Suffolk county water quality restoration fund, pursuant to section one thousand two hundred ten-F of the tax law, the county shall establish a board of trustees of twenty-one members to prepare, review and approve the SWP implementation plan for submission to the county executive and county legislature and shall specify the powers and duties of the board of trustees, including the procedures for appointment of a chairperson. Such approval shall be in addition to all other approvals required by law. The board of trustees shall consist of: (A) a representative from the department of environmental conservation; (B) a representative from the East End supervisors and mayors association; (C) a representative of the Suffolk town supervisors association; (D) a representative of the Suffolk County Village Officials Association; (E) a town representative from the State Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission to be designated by the commission; (F) a municipal representative from the Peconic Estuary Partnership; (G) a municipal representative from the State South Shore Estuary Reserve; (H) a municipal representative from the Long Island Sound Estuary; (I) a representative of the Long Island Federation of Labor; (J) a representative of Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau & Suffolk counties; (K) a representative from a regional environmental organization; (L) the chair of the Suffolk county planning commission; (M) the county executive or designee; (N) the presiding officer of the county legislature or designee; (O) the minority leader of the county legislature or designee; (P) the county department of public works commissioner or designee; (Q) the county department of health services commissioner or designee; (R) a representative from a regional economic development organization; (S) a representative from the liquid waste industry; (T) a representative from the Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers, Inc.; and (U) a representative from the Long Island Contractors Association.

(ii) The powers and duties of the board of trustees shall oversee the annual audit pursuant to paragraph (e) of this subdivision, making prudent recommendations for resource allocations for county-approved alternative wastewater treatment technologies not contemplated in the Suffolk county subwatersheds wastewater plan and long-term progress monitoring of the implementation of the Suffolk county subwatersheds wastewater plan regarding achievements of nitrogen load reductions and ecological endpoints.

(d) Annual SWP implementation plan. The board of trustees shall prepare, review and approve and submit to the county executive the SWP implementation plan within one year of the effective date of this section, and in every five years thereafter in a like manner. The board of trustees shall conduct a public hearing on said plan before its adoption or subsequent amendment. Said plan shall list every water quality restoration project which the county plans to undertake pursuant to the fund and shall state how such project would improve existing water quality. Funds may only be expended pursuant to this section for projects which have been included in said plan. Said plan shall be consistent with state, federal, county, and local government land use and wastewater management plans. After submission and approval by the county executive, such plan shall be submitted to the county legislature. Upon review, the county legislature shall determine, by local law, whether to approve the proposed plan, if the plan is denied, the plan shall be remanded to the board of trustees for further study. Such plan shall not become effective until approved by local law. Projects may be added or removed from the currently effective SWP implementation plan in a like manner.

(e) Annual audit. The county shall annually commission an independent audit of the fund. The audit shall be conducted by an independent certified public accountant or an independent public accountant. Said audit shall be performed by a certified public accountant or an independent public accountant other than the one that performs the general audit of the county's finances. Such audit shall be an examination of the fund and shall determine whether the fund has been administered consistent with the provisions of this section and all other applicable provisions of state law. Said audit shall be initiated within sixty days of the close of the fiscal year of the county and shall be completed within one hundred twenty days of the close of the fiscal year. A copy of the audit shall be submitted annually to the state comptroller and the county comptroller. A copy of the audit shall be made available to the public within thirty days of its completion. A notice of the completion of the audit shall be published in the official newspaper of the county and shall also be posted on the internet website for the county. The cost of the audit may be a charge to the fund.

(f) Annual report. In addition to any other report required by this section, the board of trustees, through its chairperson, shall deliver annually a report to the county legislature. Such report shall be presented by May fifteenth of each year. The report shall describe in detail the projects undertaken, the monies expended, and the administrative activities of the water quality fund and district established in accordance with this section, during the prior year. At the conclusion of the report, the chairperson of the board of trustees shall be prepared to answer the questions of the county legislature with respect to the projects undertaken, the monies expended, and the administrative activities during the past year.