It's easy to be open on small, inconsequential matters. Most politicians are quick to summon the spotlight whenever they score a simple success.
But the issue of tax certioraris, otherwise known as property tax assessment claims for reductions and refunds, is complicated. There are many sides to the problem, and each side has advocates and antagonists.
In 2001, businesses filed about 12,000 commercial property tax claims asking for $50 million to $60 million. About 50,000 residents filed $12 million to $15 million in claims.
The county is looking at a $400 million deficit by 2005 if spending isn't significantly reduced and revenues substantially increased. The property tax system, instead of being most of the solution, is part of the problem Nassau government faces in trying to regain its financial balance.
Residential property owners have every right to challenge their assessments. The county's fiscal mess shouldn't mean people are taxed at a rate predicated on an incorrect assessment.
Business owners, and the attorneys who represent commercial tax claimants insist - rightly - that nothing be done to limit the legitimate access such claimants have to appeal a denial in court.
But while all these rights are fairly pursued, the county has had to borrow $1.3 billion in the last 10 years - $970 million of which is still owed - to finance the cost of property tax refunds, leading Nassau to have the highest debt-per-capita ratio in the state.
To complicate the matter further, Nassau is the only county in the state that must refund 100 percent of a property tax settlement even though only 19 percent of a property owner's taxes go to the county; 60 percent goes to school districts and 21 percent to towns and special districts.
The system is a mess, has been for a long time, and little to nothing's been done to fix it.
It is a perfect problem coming at a perfect time for a popularly elected county executive to call a few of the "old boys" into a backroom, close the door, and - sans the politically incorrect cigars - just decide what's best. No legislative input needed. No public show of the ideas and plans. No open government.
But that's not what Suozzi did, and we applaud him for it.
Late last month, Suozzi called a summit on the tax certiorari problem. He even invited the press.
Tax cert. attorneys, Suozzi's newly-appointed Assessment Review Commission (ARC), the county's treasurer, newly-elected Comptroller Howard Weitzman, the county attorney and staff, experts in the field, business people, the county exec.'s staff were all there.
Legislators could observe. We saw Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs there, as well as Legislator Dave Denenberg.
Suozzi offered his proposals, which were many.
Some of his suggestions are to stop further accumulation of claims by "professionalizing" the ARC, making it resolve every grievance on the merits every year and prioritize high-exposure claims. He would eliminate the backlog of claims by Dec. 31, 2003, by upgrading staff and information technologies at the ARC and county attorney's office. He'd have the ARC and attorney's office "blast through" all open cases together; bring property valuation staff in-house, eliminating outside contracts; and amend the ARC statute to allow the ARC to resolve all open assessment challenges.
There were other, much more controversial proposals.
Suozzi asked the summit participants for their thoughts on imposing a three-year moratorium on assessment changes for commercial properties after a court-ordered reduction; eliminating the county guarantee of school, town and special district taxes starting with the revaluation roll, a proposal sure to arouse school boards concern.
There were other ideas. Whether they're acceptable to enough different interests remains to be seen. Whether he can obtain county and state legislative approval for some of the changes also remains to be seen. Whether they will work is yet to be demonstrated.
Whatever the merits of each individual idea, the act of calling a summit for everyone to say where they stand, raise their objections and add their constructive views is a huge step in the right direction, not only to solving the tax-claim problem but to restoring faith in county government.
It will be nearly impossible for Nassau to survive without the former. It will never become Suozzi's proud example of what a mature suburban county can become without the latter.
