$2.4 billion budget for 2006 unanimously approved by County Legislature

Mineola, N.Y. - Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi today signed into law his administration's third consecutive "no tax increase" budget for Nassau County.

Flanked by Nassau County Majority Leader Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) and other Democratic members of the county legislature, Suozzi signed into law a $2.4 billion budget that was passed unanimously Sunday night by the legislature and that holds the line on property tax increases for the third consecutive year.

For the first time since the county's fiscal crisis began, the 2006 county budget does not depend upon special assistance from the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA). At the height of the crisis in 2001, NIFA aid to the county had reached $115 million.

"We have turned an important corner in the county's fiscal recovery," said Suozzi. "We have righted the ship of county government and today, three and a half years after we took over a nearly-bankrupt county government, we stand proudly on our own two feet, well positioned for a healthier and more prosperous future."

The budget also includes funding for 100 new police officers, expanding the county Police Department to 2,750. The Suozzi administration had already authorized funding for the maximum numbers of police officers that the Police Academy could handle, including 130 new recruits scheduled to be sworn in during a ceremony tomorrow night and an additional 133 officers who graduated from the Police Academy last week.

The Suozzi administration has hired twice as many police officers in the past two years (337), than the previous administration had hired during the previous four years (166).

The new budget also includes $250,000 for a "top-to-bottom" analysis of police staffing issues, Suozzi said. In addition, $500,000 was added as part of a Suozzi administration initiative to fight Medicaid fraud.

"Nassau County remains the safest county of its size according to the FBI," Suozzi said. "Today's budget will help to make certain that it stays that way and that crime remains at historic, 30-year lows. My administration is committed to public safety."

The county was able to consider hiring additional police officers next year because of the dramatic fiscal recovery the county has made during the Suozzi administration.

"The fiscal 2006 budget demonstrates our success in restoring fiscal stability to Nassau County, while addressing the health, safety and welfare concerns of our residents," said Majority Leader Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury). "In addition, we have a budget that responds to the fiscal needs of 2006 and is also mindful of the next four years, as required by NIFA."

In addition to the hiring of new officers, several other changes were made to the budget, including $4.5 million added for programs involving the Youth Board, Senior Citizen Affairs, the Health Department, and drug and alcohol treatment.

"I am extremely proud that this administration has delivered to the citizens of Nassau County a balanced and fiscally responsible budget. With no tax increase for the third straight year and greatly decreased reliance on borrowed funds, I am confident that this budget will set this county on the right track for years to come," Suozzi said.

The 2006 budget makes important strides in weaning the county from borrowing millions of dollars each year to pay for successful appeals of property tax assessments, a practice that under prior administrations almost single-handedly sank the county's finances. Next year, the county will use a $50 million allocation from surplus funds to help pay for future property tax refunds. The county will no longer use a "credit card approach" to cover this expense and, instead, will adopt the more prudent "pay-as-you-go" method.

In addition, county taxpayers will benefit from a cap on Nassau's portion of increases in Medicaid spending, which have spiraled out of control in recent years. Suozzi spearheaded a statewide campaign to force Albany to cap the amount of money the county is required to pay to cover the Medicaid increases. The savings to the county for 2006 will be $26 million.

"My administration fought to 'FixAlbany' on behalf of local governments that were being unfairly leaned on, and the state listened," Suozzi said. "This is going to save us millions of dollars, and shifts the burden off of the local taxpayers, and back to the state."

Nassau County's bond rating has been upgraded 10 times since February of 2003 by all three rating agencies, more than any other municipality in the nation. For the first time ever, the county is rated in the 'A' ranks by Moody's, Fitch and Standard and Poor's. The county is rated A+ by Fitch with a positive outlook.

"The government that I inherited was the most broken and battered and beaten in the nation," Suozzi said. "Everywhere we looked there was dysfunction. Our buildings were crumbling, our parks were neglected, our employees disheartened, our coffers, empty. Now, our recovery has been hailed as 'one of the three most dramatic financial turnarounds in the nation.'"