Susan Greico/Herald
It's an idea that has not gained much traction over the years, but certainly hasnÕt been thrown out.
A report, compiled by the Commission on Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, is scheduled to be released in April. It outlines, what Weitzman said, is wasteful spending within the county garbage districts and will present a more cost efficient system.
The result, they hope, will help unburden area residents saddled with some of the highest property and school taxes in the state.
Recommendations include the elimination of compensation to special district garbage commissioners. He said that only in Nassau County do they receive compensation.
"If you are on a school board you donÕt get paid. If you are a fire commissioner you donÕt get paid. If you are a library trustee you donÕt get paid," said Weitzman, asking "Why do garbage and water and sewer commissioners [get paid]? It makes no sense," he said.
Eliminating commissioners, he said, will not save a lot of money overall, but will aid in regulating county spending.
"IÕm tired of reading about districts that meet 240 times a year so they can claim $100 per meeting. Situations where breakfast meetings are considered meetings, where golf outings and conventions in Disneyland are being paid for, Weitzman told the group. "These abuses donÕt need to be taking place, especially when all of us are feeling the pressure of high taxes."
Depending on where you live, the garbage gets picked up by the town or a special garbage district. Some studies have shown that millions of dollars could be saved by moving garbage services over to the town. In the Five Towns area that would impact Sanitary District 1.
Under the plan, the operation of the current district would remain intact, with the commissioners acting as ombudsman to help the community figure out the level of service," he said. The service, however, would be delivered by the town and the expenses would also be absorbed by the town.
The larger the operation of garbage collection becomes, he explained, the less expensive the service becomes. It also, in his opinion, makes the towns more transparent and accountable.
Nat Swergold, Counsel for Sanitary District 1 which covers the Five Towns, felt that the district he represents is run extremely well and shouldn't be compared with other districts that may have experienced some difficulties or have been saddled with abuse allegations.
Since garbage commissioners are elected officials this would require legislation to dismantle the payment structure. "You just can't say puff and its gone," he said, referring to commissioner salaries.
He also questioned whether elimination of such salaries would actually save homeowner's money. He said that residents living in Sanitary District 1 already have the lowest tax rate for such services and said the tax bill outlines that.
In addition to his talk on special district reform, Weitzman also spoke about lack of school aid.
"Our friends in Albany think we are all wealthy," he said, telling the crowd that just because the value of homes on Long Island are still relatively high, that doesn't make us wealthy.
"The problem with that is 70 percent of the people who live in Nassau County today canÕt afford to buy their houses back at todayÕs prices."
He added that "school taxes are predicated on the fact that we can afford those homes, therefore, the state keeps down the state aid we get."
One solution he offered to fortify our community with a stronger tax base is "smart development." Something many community groups have been opposed to since it would highlight multi-family dwellings.
His formula for the Five Towns would be to follow the lead of other surrounding communities that revitalized their downtown areas.
Like those areas, the Five Towns would have a downtown area surrounding a railroad with a business district that generates tax revenue. On the outskirts of those areas sit very expensive single family housing, he said. He hoped that Nassau County will move in this direction.
He suggested that if downtown areas built more multi-dwelling buildings, residents could walk to the railroad, be less dependent on foreign oil, frequent shopping areas more easily and reap the benefits of lower taxes and affordable housing.
Comments about this story? MAnder@liherald.com
