Bellmore-Merrick leaders look ahead to 2011

In the first days of the new year, elected and civic leaders are already hard at work tackling issues that have pestered Bellmore and Merrick for months, if not years. Local politicians and community activists have set their sights on their top priorities for 2011.

State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr., a Republican from Merrick, said that the top issue he would work on this year is property-tax relief. “Everywhere I go, people talk about property taxes and how high school taxes are,” Fuschillo said. “We're going to work with the new governor to obtain a property-tax cap to provide much-needed relief for all residents in Bellmore and Merrick, and throughout the state.”

On a statewide level, Fuschillo said he intends to look for ways to create more jobs and cut spending.

County Legislator Dave Denenberg, a Democrat from Merrick, said that his top priority in 2011 is to continue being accessible to the community. “The top job as a legislator is constituent service,” Denenberg said, “and that requires being as accessible as possible.”

Another overriding concern is Nassau’s fiscal crisis, Denenberg said: The county faces a $340 million deficit. He said he plans to work toward fixing the county’s broken property-tax assessment system to help balance the budget. “The bottom line for me is protecting the taxpayers,” he said.

Denenberg also said he wants to continue implementing public-works projects in Merrick and Bellmore to improve the area’s infrastructure. In particular, he would like to complete downtown revitalization projects on Merrick Road.

Bellmore and Merrick civic groups are also looking ahead. “[What] comes to mind first is this new flood hazard zone that was implemented” by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Joe Baker, president of the South Merrick Community Civic Association. “It has gotten a lot of people upset because they’re now included in a flood hazard zone.”

In September 2009, FEMA re-categorized flood zones after conducting a five-year map-modernization program to determine which areas were most likely to be flooded in a hurricane or other storm. Residents whose neighborhoods were re-categorized as high-risk flood zones saw their flood insurance rates spike.