April 30, 2008

Weitzman & State Commission issue recommendations to
control property taxes by streamlining government

Top proposals include ending salaries and perks for special district
commissioners & consolidating sanitation districts

The State Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness, on which Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman serves, today released its much-anticipated 69 page report today to New York State Governor David Paterson. The report included 73 recommendations to control property taxes, including two proposals that chiefly target Nassau County and have been championed by Weitzman himself—ending salaries, benefits and pensions for all special district commissioners and placing commissioner-run sanitation districts under town management. Weitzman has projected that, if approved by the State Legislature, these reforms will save Nassau County taxpayers millions.

“This is tremendous news for our taxpayers,” said Weitzman, who attended a press event today in Albany, announcing the Commission’s 73 proposals. “As our studies over the last three years have shown, these special taxing district reforms will translate into lower government spending and tax relief for Nassau residents. I am very optimistic that these reforms will get the support they need from our legislators because we all want to save taxpayer money.”

Weitzman said that he plans to meet with the legislators, the Governor and civic groups in the next few weeks to discuss the special taxing district reforms.

“I have been seeing a groundswell of support for these reforms from the hard-pressed homeowners of Nassau County,” said Weitzman. “The climate for change is in the air.”

Other reforms that are targeted to streamline government and bring down property taxes include recommendations to:

• Make it easier for multiple counties to share municipal services.
• Simplify the process by which citizens can petition for municipal consolidations and dissolutions
• Schedule all special district elections to be on either May or November dates, to coincide with school budget or federal elections.

In April 2007, 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. Nassau County has more than 200 special taxing districts which last year levied $491M in property taxes in Nassau County, according to the Comptroller.

To view the report in its entirety, visit http://nyslocalgov.org/report_page.asp