The Village of Farmingdale Board of Trustees is continuing to explore handing over control of its water supply by hiring outside consultants to help analyze the proposals.

At Monday night's board meeting, Mayor George Starkie said that both the Bethpage Water District and Suffolk County Water Authority have expressed interest.

"We're hiring an outside agency to help us," Starkie said. "It's getting very difficult to decide, like comparing an apple and an orange. One would require a tax line to bond the upgrades and one just a flat rate."

The board approved the hiring of Guastella Associates, a Massachusetts-based consulting firm, and for their services provided to not exceed $9,000.

"Their whole mainstay is water," Starkie said. "They have an incredible resume, they are experts in this industry."

For about two years, the Village of Farmingdale has been shopping around for an outside source to help run the water supply. Mayor George Starkie presented some options, including a proposal from the Suffolk County Water Authority, at the December board meeting. Benefits of handing over control are updated water technology and savings for residents, the board says.

The Suffolk County Water Authority deal would require legislation from Albany to happen and if chosen, Farmingdale will be the first Nassau County municipality to work with the Suffolk Authority.

The village board also discussed the Suffolk Authority's recent evaluation of the water infrastructure.

"Both water companies are curious what they are getting into," Starkie said. "We know that for every three gallons of water we pump we are only billing for two, there is a known gap. It's a package deal, the companies would be on the hook to fix it, so they are looking at their risks and asking questions, which they should."

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