Mattituck-Laurel Historical Society to host inaugural budget vote, citing financial struggles

Mattituck-Laurel Historical Society and Museums is asking residents to support local history, preserved since 1964, through its inaugural budget vote on Tuesday, Oct. 21, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. The vote will be held at the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District administration building at 385 Depot Lane, Cutchogue.

The proposition stems from the organization’s impending financial struggles — museum president Charles Gueli said it has roughly five years before it goes out of business without help. 

It has been kept alive for the last 15 years thanks to the donations and memberships of “generous people,” but Mr. Gueli said the society loses between $10,000 and $20,000 every year. Annual expenses are typically between $30,000 to $40,000.

In total, the museum proposed a $60,000 tax levy across the community’s roughly 4,200 homes. Mr. Gueli said taxes would increase between $12 and $18 per home annually, depending on their assessments, if the tax levy is approved. 

The tax levy would support maintenance and operation costs, according to Mr. Gueli. It could also allow the organization’s pursuit of matching grants to help fund future projects. 

The society owns and operates a 2-acre parcel with five buildings on the corner of Main Road and Cardinal Drive in Mattituck: its main museum, two school houses, a carriage house and a milk house. Their histories date back to the 1700s and 1800s, Mr. Gueli said. 

“Mattituck has a deep and, I think, interesting history,” Mr. Gueli said. “And I hope the majority of people in the area would like some access to the historic information of the local community.”

If the budget fails and the society can’t afford to stay open, the state would take over control of the property, Mr. Gueli said. The museum’s artifacts would be distributed to nearby historical societies. Building maintenance would be facilitated by the state, funded by taxes, or the property could be sold for development purposes. 

Following the initial vote, Mr. Gueli said the historical society taxes wouldn’t increase on an annual basis. If a future vote proposing an increase failed, he said the museum would lose the original amount approved by voters. 

Conversely, schools and libraries can increase their tax levies by the state’s 2% tax cap every year with a simple majority vote. Should they pierce the tax cap, the vote must be approved by a supermajority, 60%, of residents. 

Several other East End communities approved tax levies for local historical societies in recent years, including Sag Harbor and Rocky Point. These propositions are made possible through New York State Education Law, which says public museums are educational institutions eligible for support in a similar fashion to local libraries and schools. 

For residents with questions on the proposed tax levy, Mr. Gueli will host an open house at 18200 Main Road, Mattituck, on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. 

“I’m happy to talk to anybody about it,” he said. “I mean, if they have any sense of value for … a place where they can find local history — then I would think they’d support it.”