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Critics call cost increase for county field use 'unfair'
Nassau County Legislator Dave Denenberg, a Democrat who represents Bellmore-Merrick, held a press conference on Monday at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow to question County Executive Ed Mangano's decision to increase field use permit fees without seeking legislative approval.
While previously costing $15 per hour for field use during the day and $50 per hour for night-lit use, field use now costs $25 hourly per daytime and $75 hourly per nighttime use.
Under both the Municipal Home Rule Law and the Nassau County charter, according to Denenberg, the county legislator must approve any fee modification increases that might be proposed by the Parks Department or the county executive.
Further, the executive intends to launch Nassau County-run adult recreation leagues. Denenberg says that the county executive is diverting more than 50 percent of the funds into a "Friends of Nassau Recreation" account instead of the Nassau County General Fund.
"What's most troubling is enacting park fee increases without seeking legislative approval," said Denenberg. "I commend the county executive for creating county-run leagues, but strongly oppose diverting league fees out of the general fund."
With the new policy that has already been enacted as of last week, the cost of joining a county team would be $675, according to Denenberg. Of that money, $195 would go to Nassau County, and $480 to Friends of Nassau County.
Instead of recreational league fees going back to the county's general fund, the county executive has put the half the leagues' fees into an account from which the parks department can spend funds without legislative approval.
"Friends organizations were set up to bring private money to assist public facilities," said Denenberg. "We don't run public facilities for the benefit of private Friends groups. That is completely the opposite of why Friends groups exist. To me, it looks like an organization that is taking money that the taxpayers don't know about."
