L.B. youth programs face funding cuts

A budget conflict in Nassau County has left some organizations in Long Beach worried that their funding could be in jeopardy as the fate of the county Youth Board hangs in the balance.

The Martin Luther King Center, the Harriet Eisman Community School and Circulo de la Hispanidad all receive money from the county to operate youth and family services. The county’s budget is subject to review by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which is expected to make a determination on Friday. If NIFA rejects the latest version of the budget — as it did a previous one on Nov. 19 — it could take control of the county’s finances, potentially leading to cuts in youth services.

“The most important thing for me is to protect the Youth Board,” said Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach). “Those programs are the ones that serve our most vulnerable populations. I would like to try and make it so these agencies aren’t worried every year when the budget comes forward.”

Ford added that youth and family services are often the first on the chopping block when budgets are tight.

NIFA previously determined that the county’s proposed budget contained approximately $81 million in risks that needed to be addressed before it could be approved. The Office of Youth Services’ programs account for $6.4 million of the nearly $3 billion budget.

“We’re looking at it on a macro level,” said NIFA Chairman Jon Kaiman. “And not necessarily program by program or service by service. That’s not on us. We’re simply looking at the numbers.”

The initial budget, drafted last month by County Executive Ed Mangano’s office, contained a 1.2 percent property tax hike, but the spending plan was amended by the Legislature to remove the tax increase. Mangano then vetoed the amended budget, and the veto was overridden by the Legislature.