Joint Statement On Nassau County’s Fiscal Crisis From County Executive Edward P. Mangano, Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt & The Republican Legislative Caucus

“During the decade in which the Democrats controlled the County Legislature, Republicans put politics aside and provided the responsible votes necessary to run County government. Unfortunately for Nassau’s taxpayers, the Democrat Minority on the Legislature is now refusing to implement a plan that forever ends borrowing for tax refunds while cleaning up debt created over the past decade.

If the Democrats do not provide the votes needed to pay residents their rightfully owed property tax refunds, judgments will be executed against the County’s bank accounts - preventing the County from meeting payroll or funding government services.

On Monday, May 21th, Democrat Legislators will make the final choice to either implement bonding reform or slash millions in vital county services. There is no other choice as we will not raise property taxes! Countless Nassau residents will be impacted if the Democrats continue to play politics and refuse to authorize the bonding.

We - the County Executive and Republican Legislative Majority - have begun total reform of the broken and bleeding property tax assessment system, which includes a financial stability plan, developed in consultation with NIFA, to finally end all bonding for tax refunds by 2015. This reform plan ends the practice of borrowing against our children's future and will put the County on a pay-as-you-go plan by 2015.

Democrats’ refusal to permit the last of the bonding will result in massive cuts as funds will be needed to cover remaining judgments. Massive cuts may include:

• Furlough of all nonessential employees;
• Closure of all nonessential County offices on Mondays;
• Elimination of the Youth Board;
• Elimination of the Office of Mental Health, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities Services; and
• Elimination of the Red Light Camera Dedicated Fund.

The Democrats are willing to shut the County down solely for their own political benefit – and we will not and must not allow that to occur.”