By MIKE CAPUTO and MIKE RUSSO
After finalizing $30 million in spending cuts, the Nassau County Legislature voted 10-9 to approve a $2.6 billion budget for 2009 on Wednesday evening.
Shortly before the Legislative session on Wednesday morning, the Democratic majority announced that the additional cutbacks were necessitated by the tumultuous economy.
The cuts included the reduction of working hours for crossing guards, which yielded $1 million. Accompanied by CSEA union leaders, 400 crossing guards attended the Legislative session to protest the cut, which eliminated office hours during winter and summer breaks.
Members of the Republican minority argued that the cut would compromise public safety, but Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey emphasized that the move would not impact public safety because all crossing assignments would remain, and only clerical duties would be eliminated.
A list of cuts also included the elimination of salary increases for about 700 non-union employees in various county offices, and a decrease in funding for various programs like the Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Educational Assistance Corporation.
The Republicans offered an amendment to the budget to the tune of $38 million in cuts/savings as opposed to the 3.9 percent property tax increase, and also creating a rainy-day fund of $23 million in anticipation of further economic troubles. Their amendment failed in a 10-9 vote.
Members of the Democratic majority noted that the cuts were difficult to make, but needed to be done to ensure fiscal stability.
"The public should know this lengthy process of examining every County department line by line was painstakingly taken and intensely debated," said Leg. Diane Yatauro, presiding officer for the Legislature. "The end result of all of our analysis and discussion has positioned us close to $30 million in additional savings for our taxpayers."
County officials said meetings on the budget were held all the way up to the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Afterwards, county Comptroller Howard Weitzman offered his assessment of the budget.
"This year the members of the Nassau County Legislature were faced with anything but 'business as usual' when it came to approving the County's spending plan for 2009 after the budget process was wrestled to the ground by an unprecedented world-wide economic crisis that has greatly changed the financial outlook for the County," Weitzman said. "But the County Executive and Majority lawmakers have risen to the difficult task of making tough decisions. Their amendments to the 2009 budget will help the County begin to cope with the real possibility of harsh economic times ahead. Together, we have begun the hard work of facing the fiscal tsunami that now confronts us all.
"But we may have only just started down that arduous path," the comptroller added. "With these amendments, the administration and Majority members have given the County a financial framework to start with, but as future events unfold in the near term, it will become obvious if more aggressive action might be necessary. I am confident that they will continue to do the right thing for the hard-pressed taxpayers of this County."
Read the Nov. 6 print edition of the Herald for more coverage on the county's approval of the 2009 budget.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
