By JOSEPH KELLARD
Levinson noted that Nassau County has 400 taxing authorities, some with little oversight, and admitted that the tax system is "not rational," citing as an example how dramatically disproportionate property taxes are for the same homes in different areas - or even in the same town. Pointing to Foxhurst Road in Oceanside, Levinson said that homes on one side of this main street are in Sanitation District Number 2, and owners pay 80 percent more in taxes for garbage pickup there than their neighbors across the street, who are in district Number 7. Levinson said that homes that are in different fire districts find themselves in similar situations.
"Some way or another, we must find a way for [the Town of Hempstead] to provide these service at the same cost," Levinson said.
As a solution to such disparities, the county assessor favors uniform taxes for all property owners, citing the county tax as a "reasonable and fair" model.
Levinson used the Roosevelt Field Mall as an example of an equitable way to redistribute commercial taxes to assist all residents who pay school property taxes. "A portion of the mall's commercial property taxes should go to you, and should be fairly divided among all the school districts...," he said. "The bottom line is, it's not fair that only Uniondale and Garden City benefit from Roosevelt Field's commercial property."
Levinson explained that school property taxes are based on the size of school budgets, how much residential and commercial property exists in a given communities and its values, and state mandates on required programs, such as special education. Levinson said he doesn't fault districts for high taxes so much as the process they must follow.
His proposed solution to finance schools is to replace property taxes with a "modest" income tax, asserting that under his plan, residents' taxes would go down by two-thirds and that school districts in middle-income communities like Oceanside would "break even."
Questioning the county assessor's proposal, Maryanne Lehrer, one of several Oceanside school board members in attendance, said that while the value of people's property cannot be hidden, their income can, and thus school districts could fall short on the necessary funds needed to finance their budgets.
Levinson claimed that his plan would save the county $20 million a year, part of which could be used to open a division at the district attorney's office to go after tax cheaters. "We have to have the conviction to do it," Levinson said. "...There's an enormous amount of cheating, but if we could reduce it, we'd probably solve the deficit problem."
One resident questioned the burden an income tax for schools would put on non-property owners, such as young adults who live with their parents. "Most people don't live with their parents forever...," Levinson responded, adding that "the rate on some low-income jobs would be a very small rate."
Addressing the county's system of assessing property, Levinson said that the original reassessments had some serious flaws, the most prominent one being the failure to account for negatives (such as commercial properties) and positives (such as golf courses) near residential properties. He said his department is in the process of correcting such flaws, and plans to assess homes within a 5 to 10 percent range of their market value.
Levinson then said, "Values went up in Oceanside by about 22 percent from last year's tax roll. We've never seen such an explosion of values. ... I'll have no choice but to raise your assessed values."
Some residents in the audience raised the issue of illegal housing and its impact on taxes. Levinson said it is a serious issue that has become a "monumental" problem, pointing in particular to safety and health issue related to it. Levinson charged that the Town of Hempstead is "doing nothing about" illegal housing, and presented himself as virtually the only person willing to force the town to take action.
When Brown took to the podium, he distributed the district's annual newsletter devoted strictly to its budget, due to be in all residents' mailboxes by next week. He said that Oceanside has "excellent" schools compared with others in the county, and used both academic and economic factors to support his claim. Brown pointed to Oceanside High's Advanced Placement program, which allows students to take college-level courses to earn college credits. While the number of students taking these courses and exams increases each year, the newsletter read, "Nearly half of the students who took exams last year achieved the distinction of being Advanced Placement Scholars."
Said Brown, "Because of our AP program, many of our students graduate college in three and a half years, because they were able to come into college with 15 credits."
The superintendent, and the newsletter, also pointed out that OHS's science department has produced five semifinalists in the Intel science competition over the past three years, an exceptional number considering that just 300 students from over 15,000 school districts nationwide achieve this distinction each year. Regarding extra activities Oceanside offers, Brown noted that the district has more than 200 clubs and 75 sports teams.
In discussing the ways the district saves money, Brown explained that during the 1990s, the district changed insurance companies, and has thus saved millions over the years. In 1989 the annual insurance premium was about $700,000, and it is $400,000 today.
Because of this and similar savings, Brown pointed out that the district spends only $14,400 a year per pupil, about $3,100 less than the county average. He also noted that teachers' salaries in the district are around the county average, "and we want to keep them there, because we want to attract good teachers to come to Oceanside to work for your children."
Brown said that, overall, the district saves about $20 million a year under the county average, calling this "a very powerful stat."
The superintendent's talk was part of the district's effort to get information out to the community about the budget throughout the school year rather than around budget time in April and May. His visit with the Oceanside Civic Association was just one of a few with such organizations, such as the Rotary Club and PTAs, he and other administrators have been making throughout the community. Said Brown, "We decided to be pro-active on this issue this year."
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