By Laura Lane and Hector Flores
He is following the lead of Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who has suggested looking into consolidating special districts, including water, parks, roads, sanitation, sewers, fire departments and libraries to reduce the property tax burden on residents. Suozzi's efforts, however, are being met by resistance from some East Meadow residents.
To explore the possibility of consolidation, Suozzi has awarded study contracts to two firms - Public Financial Management, in partnership with the Center for Governmental Research and Hofstra University's Center for Suburban Studies; and Malcolm Pirnie, an environmental engineering and consulting firm - to develop proposals in four service areas: school business functions, parks, road maintenance and libraries.
"Nassau County has 54 libraries," Suozzi said at a recent Long Island meeting of the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency & Competitiveness. "We are exploring the possibility of creating a centralized countywide public library district that would have the taxing authority to replace the current decentralized taxing system, and would serve all county residents. We could provide expanded service. And I believe it'll save a bundle."
But Suozzi added that the consultants must still determine how much money would be saved and what the cost savings would mean to residents.
And he is not only focusing on savings through the consolidation of the library system. He is also looking into reducing the burden of school taxes by consolidating business functions.
Arda Nazerian, Suozzi's senior policy advisor and the coordinator of the consolidation effort, said she has received several calls from residents, librarians and library staff. "There's a lot of misinformation out there, a lot of panic and concern," Nazerian said. "We're at the early stages of studying all of this - it needs to be quantified and analyzed. There will be local input before any decisions are made."
Carol Probeyahn, director of the East Meadow Public Library, fears that the consolidation of public libraries would compromise community identity. "In our opinion, libraries are a reflection of communities, just like school districts," Probeyahn said. "We don't want to compromise local library identity or sacrifice local control."
Susan Weiss, an East Meadow resident, shares Probeyahn's concern and does not favor consolidation. "East Meadow has an excellent library, and consolidation could change that," Weiss said. "If the libraries are controlled by Nassau County, we would have to fight for every nickel in our budget. We would lose control of our budget, and that would lessen the quality of our library. It's just not worth it."
Richard Cardozo, also of East Meadow, added that the library's tax is the cheapest - with a current budget of $5.8 million, his share was only $204 this year. "Don't fix what isn't broken," Cardozo said. "The [library's] taxes are very low, and if you can't get a book in one library you can get it in another."
Assemblyman Tom McKevitt, who lives in East Meadow and worked at the library as a teenage, opposes consolidation, and believes that libraries should retain their local control. "I'm against it," he said. "Libraries are identified with the local communities. They are more than just books - they serve as community centers. Also, if a library needs to be expanded or improved, it should be decided by the people in the community, not by a bureaucrat in Mineola."
McKevitt also said he disapproves of the prospect of appointing a commission that would be charged to run the libraries. "The people in the commission would make the decision on how the libraries would run," he said. "What hours, who will work there, what services will be offered and whether buildings will be expanded. Right now, those decisions are made at the local level, in the community, and I think that's where they should remain."
McKevitt added that if consolidation of the libraries were approved, it would not mean cheaper or improved services for residents, but just the opposite. "When New York City has budget problems, the first thing they do is close libraries a couple days a week to save money," he said. "That doesn't serve the community or the children."
On Nov. 27, Suozzi is planning to hold a closed meeting with the county's library trustees to discuss consolidation.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
