Schneiderman Files Bill To Shift Funding To Montauk Lighthouse

Montauk - Earlier last month Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman opposed the passage of Resolution 805-2009, a local law to reauthorize the hotel and motel tax. This legislation increases the county hotel/motel tax from 0.75 percent to three percent. The law is expected to go into effect as early as December, much to the outrage of some local lawmakers and hotel owners.

Legislator Schneiderman's district contains more than half of the total number of hotels in Suffolk County and he strongly objects because this hotel tax was drawn up without consulting the industry. The tax is estimated to collect an additional $5 million in tax revenues, of that $2 million will be used to supplement the county budget. Of the remaining $3 million, $700,000 will supplement the operation of the Vanderbilt Museum and an additional $100,000 is earmarked for the Walt Whitman Museum. This bill, which purports to help tourism, contains these two earmarks exclusively in the Huntington area where only four percent of the county's hotels are located. None of the revenue collected by the increase in the hotel tax was specifically allocated to the eastern portion of Long Island.

The East End of Long Island collects 36 percent of the total tax, this is why Schneiderman has introduced Introductory Resolution 1896-2009, A Local Law to Preserve the Montauk Point Lighthouse. He maintains that a portion of the money that is allocated through the increase in taxes should go to an eastern Suffolk historic landmark to balance out the earmarks for western Suffolk. Schneiderman is hoping the Montauk Point Lighthouse can receive 1.5 percent of all revenues collected to support and preserve the most important and recognizable Long Island landmark and tourist destination. This would equal the allocation for the Walt Whitman birthplace.

The Montauk Point Lighthouse is located in Montauk Point State Park at the easternmost point of Long Island in the Town of East Hampton. Construction of the lighthouse was authorized by the Second United States Congress, under President George Washington in 1792, and it's currently the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States. Construction began on June 7, 1796 and was completed on November 5, 1796. The current light, equivalent to 2.5 candle power, flashes every five seconds and can be seen a distance of 19 nautical miles. This historic landmark has been part of Long Island's land and seascape for over 200 years and still serves as an active aid to navigation.

The Montauk Historical Society owns and maintains the Montauk Point Lighthouse. The Historical Society's continuing efforts to preserve this historic monument and its history are only made possible by continuing generous contributions to the Lighthouse Fund.