Island Park school School district defends position in dispute over funds

Island Park School District officials once again defended their stance on withholding more than $500,000 in tax payments from the Island Park Public Library, arguing that the district needs the funds to maintain student programs and services.

At an April 16 Board of Education meeting, board trustees reiterated that the library is not entitled to any part of the settlement that the district won in a dispute between Long Island Power Authority and Nassau County over tax assessments on the E.F. Barrett Power Plant.

LIPA agreed to pay $12 million to the school district over four years starting in 2022-2023, after the agency claimed it was being over-assessed and sought tax reductions. The settlement came in 2022 after a decade-long litigation with LIPA, but the agreement failed to include language setting aside a portion of the taxes and payments in lieu of taxes, or PILOTs, to the library. Library officials said this would place a financial strain on them, forcing taxpayers to shoulder the burden.

The school district maintains that the library’s budget has remained consistent in recent years, with no direct impact from the LIPA settlement. However, library officials have projected a more than 12 percent increase in its proposed 2024-25 budget, which would amount to a $50 increase in taxes per home per year. The average household currently pays roughly $350 per year in library taxes.

“The school board and the library board of trustees share a common goal, which is to serve the Island Park community,” Jack Vobis, the school board president, said. “In this regard, the school board and administration work tirelessly to carefully allocate resources that serve our students and continue to advance programming and opportunities for Island Park students.

“To further support the library and services for our community, we have provided rent-free space for the library in the building on Long Beach Road for over 20 years,” Vobis added.

The school board president said that redirecting some of the tax settlement payments to the library would negatively impact students.

“Directing any portion of these funds to maintain anything other than the school district’s programming and operations will directly impact the quality of education we provide our students,” Vobis said. “This is not what our students deserve or our families expect.”

In a detailed document released to the public, the school district outlined its position on several critical aspects of the dispute. The district pointed out that the library’s board of trustees determines its budget annually, including the collection of real property taxes, which is entirely separate from the school district’s budgeting process, and by law, the school district must act as the intermediary in collecting taxes specifically allocated for the library and ensure that the library receives all the funds collected without any deductions or withholdings. This ensures that the library receives the full amount of taxes it is entitled to. The district asserts that it has faithfully adhered to this obligation, and has not withheld any portion of the collected taxes due to the library.

The school district also has asserted that the settlement agreement between the county and LIPA failed to include any provision for allocating funds to the library. The district clarified that it cannot alter the terms of the settlement agreement on its own because it was not directly involved in its creation or negotiation. Any changes to the agreement would likely require involvement and agreement from the parties originally involved in its creation.

During the April 16 meeting, resident Richard Schurin called on the school board to assist in any necessary repairs to the library building.

“You own that building,” Schurin told the school board. “The building is 20 years old. It’s a beautiful, fantastic building and as it gets older, it’s going to require repairs. You can’t expect (the library) to pay for that out of their budget, and you’re the landlord . . . The school district should be responsible for those repairs, you shouldn’t force it on the library such that they have to raise their budget or they have to bond it and take out loans. It’s only going to get worse because the repairs they have to make now are minor but that building is going to need repairs as any building does.”

The school district suggested that library officials explore alternative measures, such as utilizing the library’s unassigned fund balance and reserve funds, to offset potential tax increases. Library officials have denied that the library has a significant amount of reserve funding.

Schurin, who is a member of the Island Park Civic Association, suggested that in the future the school board should make an effort to engage in more direct communication with the library and community members.

“It’s a lot easier and more convenient for face-to-face engagement, rather than directing people to the website,” Schurin said.