Murray pushing for end to county ‘headquarters tax’

As part of his continuing protest of service cuts imposed by the Nassau County Police Department and his effort to eliminate the county’s so-called “headquarters tax,” Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray detailed service eliminations, cutbacks and “double dipping” in an interview with a local TV station last week.

Murray said that the county has eliminated its Juvenile Aid Bureau, its Firearms Range (and practice ammunition) and the Emergency Vehicle Operations course it has provided for emergency driver training. As a result, the village is now responsible for processing juveniles who are arrested. It has also had to find — and fund — alternatives for driver training and the annual retraining of police officers.

Murray also said that the NCPD’s narcotics squad has been cut back, and that its gang squad has been merged with a different unit.

According to Murray, the county now charges for ambulances that make runs into Rockville Centre when the North Shore-LIJ and village Fire Department ambulances are not available, or when more are needed. The county has charged residents for its service, and it has tried to charge the village.

Last year, residents paid a total of $6.1 million in headquarters tax, part of their county tax bill. It is the largest item on the bill, accounting for 43 percent of the county tax levy. The mayor said that Rockville Centre does not get $6 million worth of service from the county, noting that the entire village police budget is $8 million. Therefore, he said, he believes the headquarters tax should be abolished, and he added that the village would gladly pay for all county services it actually uses rather than having residents pay what amounts to a flat rate for services they don’t use or no longer get.

Murray stressed that he was not complaining about the quality of the county Police Department, but simply responding to county manpower cuts that are affecting services.