[HISTORY: Comes from L.L. No. 94-1972, adopted 9-12-1972, effective 9-19-1972.]
[Amended 3-14-2023 by L.L. No. 22-2023, effective 4-4-2023]
There shall be in the Town of Hempstead a Department of Water. The executive head of such Department shall be the Commissioner of the Department of Water, who shall be appointed by the Town Board for a term fixed by the Town Board, or at the pleasure of the Town Board, at such salary as may from time to time be fixed by said Town Board. The Commissioner of the Department of Water shall be appointed on the basis of administrative experience. There may be Deputy Commissioners of Water. The Deputy Commissioners, individually, shall have the authority to act for and in place of the Commissioner of Water in all regards. The Commissioner shall designate, in writing, the order in which the deputies shall act, in case of the Commissioner's absence, inability to work, or vacancy. The Commissioner shall have the power to appoint and remove all subordinate officers and other employees and to assign them to their respective duties. The Commissioner shall be in the unclassified service of the civil service. The position of Deputy Commissioner shall, pursuant to the statutory authority contained in the Municipal Home Rule Law and the Civil Service Law, be in the exempt class.
There shall be within the Department of Water the following Divisions:
A. 
Administrative. To have general supervision of intradepartmental matters, including supervision of personnel and maintenance of personnel records, maintenance of accounting and departmental records, including budget control and statistical analysis of overall direction and coordination of divisional activities.
B. 
Operations and Planning. To supervise all phases of water supply operations, including the maintenance and repair of pumping, treatment and distribution systems equipment, and perform under general supervision the gathering of information and analysis thereof, and the preparation and submission for Town Board consideration of reports and recommendations based upon such studies and relating to all matters involving town services and facilities, or as may be in any manner beneficial to town government in promoting the economic and social wellbeing of the town, its residents, taxpayers and commercial community.
A. 
The Department of Water shall have the following powers and duties, to be exercised under the general supervision of the Department Commissioner.
(1) 
To construct, operate and maintain the water pumping, treatment and distribution systems of the various water districts under the sole jurisdiction of the Town Board and regulations appertaining thereto.
(2) 
Typical duties. Responsibility for the maintenance of standards consistent with applicable public health laws; plans and reports on capital improvement programs.
(3) 
Jurisdiction over and enforcement of all of the rules and regulations of its own Department and of the following water districts and any and all water districts hereafter created:
Bowling Green Estates
East Meadow
Levittown
Lido-Point Lookout
Roosevelt Field
Uniondale
B. 
All costs and expenses incurred by the Department or its officers, agents or employees, on behalf of a special improvement district or special town project, shall be charged against such district or project and paid from the funds duly appropriated for the purpose of such district or project.
A. 
The Water Division of the Department of Public Works, presently existing, is hereby transferred in its entirety, including all property, equipment and budget appropriations, to the Department of Water. The employees of such division shall be continued as employees in the Department of Water with the same classifications, pension and retirement rights and privileges as they had immediately prior to such transfer.
B. 
The Commissioner, only when specifically authorized so to do by resolution of the Town Board, may from time to time employ such additional persons, including technical consultants, as may be necessary in the discharge of his duties.