By:Andrew Coen and Eugene Gilligan
Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi announced recently that the county would earmark $750,000 from a portion of its sales tax revenue for its 64 villages. The increase, which will go into effect in January, will be $250,000 more than the county sales tax distributed to villages this year. The $750,000 triples the $250,000 used for this purpose in the 2003 budget. Until 2001, local villages received no portion of the county's sales tax revenue.
Villages should learn this month how much money they will receive. The money will be divided among the villages based on population, according to county officials.
"As promised, I presented my second consecutive no-tax-increase budget that is conservatively balanced and fiscally responsible," said Suozzi. "Given that we now have the county's fiscal house in order, I can fulfill my pledge of continued - and expanded - financial support and cooperation with our county's 64 villages."
Anthony Panzarella, mayor of the Village of Malverne and president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association, said, "With the financial situations that all of our villages are facing, this generous sum is very much needed and welcomed. We also greatly appreciate the county executive fulfilling his promise. He is a man of his word."
Nassau's villages have fought for many years to get a fair share of the sales tax revenue, but have not succeeded. Former county Executive Thomas Gulotta proposed sharing $9 million with the villages, but his proposal was voted down by the county Legislature.
Since the money will be divided among the villages based on population, villages won't see a great impact on their bottom line. But village officials said the initiative is a move in the right direction. Malverne's annual budget is approximately $10 million, so the $18,000 to $20,000 it will receive under the plan won't make much of an impact.
"Any little bit is a help," Panzarella said. "We perform the same duties that towns perform, plus we run a police department." He said he hopes that as the county's financial picture brightens, the money allocated to villages will increase.
"No matter how small it is, it's more than before," said Lawrence Mayor Dr. Jack Levenbrown, who anticipates that his village will receive about $4,000 in sales tax revenue, compared with $3,428 in 2003.
"Anything that we can get is helpful," said Atlantic Beach Mayor Stephen Mahler, who also serves as vice president of the Village Officials Association. "We're all thrilled that Tom Suozzi is taking this stand." Atlantic Beach received $1,107 from the county in sales tax revenue in 2003.
Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew Parise, whose village has a large shopping district, said he wishes the village could keep its sales tax revenue rather than distributing it among the other villages. "We wish the formula was based on how much we generate, since we have a lot of businesses here," said Parise, whose village received $2,571 in sales tax revenue in 2003 from the county.
"Due to the second consecutive no-tax-increase budget, we now have Nassau County's fiscal house in order," said Legislator Jeff Toback (D-Oceanside), who represents the Five Towns in the 7th District. "We can fulfill our pledge of continued and expanded financial support and cooperation with our county's 64 villages."
Suozzi's announcement was welcomed by the NCVOA, which represents all 64 villages in the county. "On behalf of the village elected officials, we thank County Executive Suozzi for keeping a promise he made when he first took office," said Warren Tackenberg, NCVOA's executive director. "The increasing collaboration between the county and the villages means more benefits to our residents, and more efficiencies all around. We look forward to continued cooperation."
Since Suozzi took over for Gulotta in January 2002, in the midst of a fiscal crisis, the county has generated surpluses each year, with reserve funds amounting to more than $100 million, and has paid off more than $100 million in debt, according to the county executive's office. The county has also gone from being "The Worst Run County in the Country," according to the Maxwell School of Public Policy at Syracuse University, to receiving six bond upgrades, the most of any municipality in a one-year period.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
