05-06-08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 6, 2008
MEDIA CONTACT: Randolph Yunker (516) 571-5048

LEVINSON ASSESSES COMMISSION REPORT ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM

(Mineola, NY) Nassau County Board of Assessors Chairman Harvey Levinson, who called for the creation of the state commission in 2004 and was a lead proponent of consolidation of special taxing jurisdictions since serving on former county executive’s Property Tax Commission in 1989, today expressed his disappointment that the final report released by the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency & Competitiveness stopped short of calling for a total dissolution of commissioner-operated districts. Most glaring is the commission’s failure to address the fact that homeowners and businesses located within many commissioner-operated special districts in Nassau County are paying property tax bills as much as 100% higher than similar valued properties in neighboring communities.

"Unfortunately, there is no way that you can truly save our overburdened taxpayers real money, unless you bite the political bullet and change the system,” stated Chairman Levinson. “I was also quite surprised and frustrated that two distinguished commission members from Nassau County voted against provisions to even study the idea of the county coordinating fire protection services, equipment purchases and building renovations that would save millions of dollars in property taxes each year; and, failed to support the commission’s recommendation for a public referendum requiring an approval of the voters to continue commissioner-run special districts.”

While praising the commission for adopting his suggestion to force special taxing districts to provide more detailed tax information so that homeowners can compare their services to other districts operating within the towns, Chairman Levinson renewed his call for the towns to assume total control of all commissioner-operated sanitation districts and that police, fire, water, sewer and library district spending and oversight be performed at the county level.

Levinson, who served as the former chief deputy district attorney under Denis Dillon, went on to state, “For communities that maintain costly and understaffed police departments in high crime areas such as the Hempstead Village Police Department, it would make sense to merge with the county’s. Not only would Hempstead Village benefit from increased patrols at a lower cost, but the county’s criminal intelligence gathering ability would be significantly improved since jurisdictional barriers would be eliminated. Burglars do not honor special district boundaries.”

Chairman Levinson also questioned why the Port Washington Police District (the only local police district in the county or New York State) was specifically excluded from the study that would weigh the benefits of merging the district with the Nassau County Police Department. The chairman noted that a million dollar home in Port Washington that pays $1,913 for the local police district, would pay approximately $1,238 for the county police district.

“It has been my experience that many special district commissioners operate with little accountability and react negatively when they feel that their authority and existence is being examined or challenged,” Chairman Levinson continued. “For instance, I discovered that the tax rate imposed on homeowners by the Oyster Bay Sewer District was significantly higher than what is charged to residents at the county level - $73.89 compared to $17.42. This means that a home valued at $500,000 would be paying $924 dollars in sewer taxes in Oyster Bay Hamlet as opposed to $218 dollars for the same services provided by the county. When I tried to secure detailed budget information from the chairman of the Oyster Bay Sewer District – who also is the comptroller for the Town of Oyster Bay – he refused to release the information stating that I had no standing to make such a request in my official elected capacity. He went on to write: ‘We are at a loss to understand the reason or reasons for (my) request and accordingly we respectfully decline to provide the information requested.’ The commissioner/comptroller was not only arrogant in the performance of his public duty, he forgets that he works for and is accountable to all of the people! Clearly, there is no reason why this district should not be merged into the county’s sewer district.”

“Commission chair Stan Lundine told the citizens of New York State that ‘we want to encourage leaders to be bold’ as we look to reform the way government taxes and provides services,” concluded Chairman Levinson. “But, unless more radical cost-savings approaches on dealing with the hundreds of special taxing districts are reviewed and adopted, the recommendations of the current committee will become nothing more than a footnote in a long line of politically safe proposals that have been offered time and time again.”