January 3, 2008

Maintaining Momentum in 2008

Comptroller Weitzman starts new year with hefty list of goals

Saving county taxpayers money and showing how special taxing districts could lower taxes will continue to be top issues on Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman’s “To Do” list for 2008, along with some tremendous challenges, such as reinstituting sales tax audits to increase collections as Nassau tries to adjust to a projected shortfall in sales tax growth this year.

“I will be keeping a watchful eye on the county’s sales tax receipts and seeking state approval to reinstitute sales tax audits to ensure that merchants are turning over their sales tax receipts,” Weitzman said. “As the county adjusts to a slowing housing market, I am committed to working closely with the administration and legislature to help the county overcome its fiscal challenges in 2008. I will also continue to assist the administration and legislature with suggestions on how to control the county’s skyrocketing costs of healthcare benefits.”

Comptroller Weitzman’s agenda for 2008 will also include work on having towns take over services delivered by special taxing districts without cutting services, when the change would save taxpayers money.

“I think 2007 can be viewed as the year that Nassau County residents had their consciousness raised in regards to special taxing districts,” said Weitzman. “We made tremendous progress in this area, which I believe will result in taxpayers saving millions of dollars. I anticipate that 2008 will begin a new era in this County which places the interests of taxpayers first. Where only a selected few benefit from special taxing districts, they must be reformed.”

As a member of the Governor’s Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, Comptroller Weitzman said he is looking forward to the issuance of the panel’s recommendations and to seeing the recommendations instituted in the near future.

            Accomplishments of 2007 include:

• Under Weitzman’s urging, the Town of Hempstead agreed to join North Hempstead and Oyster Bay exercise its authority to review the budgets of special taxing districts.
  
  
• In April Comptroller Weitzman was appointed by the Governor to the New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, a panel charged with developing a plan to streamline government.
  
  
• Comptroller’s Office conducted important audits of the Westbury, Franklin Square and Hicksville Water Districts and the Great Neck Pollution Control District; among others.
  
  
• A Comptroller’s report analyzing what residents pay for garbage collection, water and fire protection showed that some Nassau County residents pay far too much for these services and depending on where a person lives, they could be paying twice as much as their neighbor. The report also pointed out the potential to save millions of dollars.
  
  
• Comptroller Weitzman, worked together with the New York State’s DOT, and obtained $2.8 million in state funds for the Atlantic Beach Bridge Authority to help reduce the local debt burden.
  
  
• Instituted a Living Wage Advisory Board to work in tangent with the Comptroller’s Living Wage Audit team to ensure that Nassau County’s Living Wage Law is enforced.
  
  
• Announced a two-year extension of the NassauRx prescription card discount program, which has saved Nassau residents more than $8 million since it began three years ago.
  
  
• Worked with Senator Chuck Schumer to recover $437,794 owed by the IRS for a decade to Nassau County employees and retirees.