May 10, 2007

A Plan of Action

Reforming Nassau County Government

According to a US Census Bureau report, Nassau County residents pay the 2^nd highest property taxes in the nation. Out of the thirty five highest taxed counties in the nation, more than half are located in New York State. The time for studies and talking are over. The people of Nassau County need a plan of action.  

During a Long Islanders for Educational Reform meeting on May 7th, one of the speakers discussed a recent political poll conducted within the Town of Hempstead. The number one issue was taxes at 54%. The second most important issue was affordable housing which came in at 4%.  

The problem of excessive taxation is not insurmountable. A recent example is the village of Lynbrook. The newly elected Mayor, Brian Current ran on a platform of tax relief. After his election, he passed a budget with a tax cut which averaged at ten dollars per household. While this may seem insignificant, he was able to break the cycle of every increasing tax hikes. The Mayor has promised to seek further tax reduction next year as well.  

Not all jurisdictions can cut taxes such as school districts due to state mandates; however they can actually slow the rate of growth or come in with a 0% tax increase. An example is the Sachem school district. The district which is the second largest on New York State was able to deliver a 0% budget.

While all levels of government contribute to the overall tax burden, it is imperative that leadership come from the County Executive. The message of reform must be delivered in the public arena by example. Once delivered, others will follow.

The Plan of Action 

Open Government;

The Disclosure and Accountability Reform Law would require all proposed legislation in final form to be disseminated to the public thirty days prior to its passage by the legislature. This would encourage the legislature to reduce or reject unnecessary expenditures as the public would have the ability to express their opinion with sufficient notice. The current law only allows seven days notice of the proposed legislation in final form and four days notice of hearing. [1]

The voting record of each legislator pertaining to substantive legislation should be disclosed in the legislative meeting minutes.  Currently only vote totals are noted. By posting the actual record, there would be more accountability to the people. This would also discourage party line voting on controversial issues.    

Tax Relief;

One of the key components of higher taxes is increased spending. While many residents enjoy various government services, the level of services must be balanced by what taxpayers can afford. A reduction in spending can be achieved simply by exercising closer scrutiny of expenditures. One recent example involves the effort to allocate $200,000 for an independent audit of the County’s Clerk’s office instead of requesting an audit by the New York State Comptroller.   

Property values should be updated every two years instead of annually. This change will bring some stability in assessments as it would slow the rate of fluctuation without greatly affecting the current market values of homes. This would reduce the cost of tax certiorari to both taxpayers and Nassau County.

The last and most important part of the plan is tax relief through tax reduction. By taking the first four steps, tax reduction is viable. The only question is how much tax relief?[2]  

Both political parties have promised to help the middle class as part of their platform. If the Democrats keep their promise to help “working families” and the Republicans keep their promise to ensure smaller, efficient government, anything is possible.