MINEOLA, NY (July 14, 2025) — Nassau County Legislators Seth I. Koslow and Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton today blasted a vote by the Republican majority to spend an additional $3 million of taxpayer money on outside legal counsel to defend county fee practices that courts have already ruled illegal or unconstitutional.
The vote authorizes a fresh round of spending to continue fighting losing battles in court, including legal challenges to the $270 tax map verification fee, the $300 mortgage recording surcharge, and the now-defunct $45 “Driver Responsibility Fee” tacked onto red-light camera violations.
“How many millions do Nassau families have to lose before Bruce Blakeman admits defeat?” said Legislator Koslow. “Courts have ruled these fees are illegal. But instead of issuing refunds, they’re doubling down with another $3 million in legal contracts. Stop wasting our money defending the indefensible.”
The legislators said the move proves the administration’s priorities are upside down, protecting political power instead of taxpayers. The money approved today will go to outside law firms to defend fee structures that judges have already declared excessive, improper, or unlawful.
“Blakeman would rather pay lawyers than pay back the people he overcharged,” said Minority Leader DeRiggi-Whitton. “This is the kind of arrogance that’s made Nassau one of the most expensive places to live in America. Our residents are being ripped off, then forced to foot the bill for the county to fight them in court.”
The legislators also reiterated their call to refund residents who were illegally charged over the years and to immediately pass legislation filed by the Democratic caucus that would:
- Reduce the tax map verification fee from $270 to $50;
- Cut the mortgage recording surcharge from $300 to $50;
- Repeal the Driver Responsibility Fee and lower other TPVA processing fees from $45 to $15 for all other tickets.
“This isn’t just bad policy, it’s legally indefensible and morally outrageous,” Koslow added. “If you were charged an illegal fee by this administration, you shouldn’t be dragged through the courts. You should be getting a refund.”
The Republican Majority voted to approve the outside legal contracts totaling $3.2 million to defend Nassau County’s unlawful and excessive fee structures. Each contract passed by a 4–3 vote, with all Republican legislators voting in favor and all Democratic legislators voting against. The vote comes despite multiple court rulings declaring these fees illegal and growing public outrage over Nassau’s high cost of living.