March 13, 2006

 

Abrahams, Scannell and Denenberg approve mortgage tax revenues for Freeport & Hempstead villages 

 

Mineola, NY – Nassau County Legislators Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead), Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin), and Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) last week approved a resolution to disperse more than $21 M from Nassau County mortgage tax revenue to the County’s 64 incorporated villages. The Village of Freeport will receive $233,927, the Village of Rockville Centre will receive $259, 679, and the Village of Hempstead, $199,915.   

       

In addition, Legislator Abrahams was also once again named chair of the Public Works Committee. Legislator Abrahams was also named vice chair of the Finance Committee and Minority Affairs Committee and a member of the Public Safety and Economic Development & Labor committees.

Legislator Scannell was once again named chair of the Public safety Committee and also a member of the Government Service; committee. Legislator Scannell was also named vice chair of the Judiciary Committee and Towns & Villages Committee. Scannell was newly appointed as a member of the Finance committee.

Legislator Denenberg was once again named chair of the Planning, Development & the Environment Committee and was also named vice chair of Government Services, Economic Development & Labor, Health & Social Services, and Public Works committees. Legislator Denenberg is also a member of the Judiciary and Rules committees.

The Legislators also approved the following supplemental appropriations for grant funds: $68,569.46 for the Correctional Center from the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency to be used for law enforcement equipment and training; $593,900 for the Probation Department from the NYS Department of Correctional Alternatives to provide intensive probation services to prison bound defendants as alternative sentencing; $348,752 for the Probation Department  from the New York State Department of Criminal Justices Services to provide life skills training, cognitive behavior therapy, anger management training and pre-employment skills to juvenile delinquents who have been adjudicated for violence, assault, menacing, sex offenses and gang crimes and who are held accountable by making amends to the victim and Community through community service.  Five Probation Officers and one supervisor will be funded and it will be implemented by Freeport Pride; $250,000 for the Probation Department (Stop DWI Program) Monies to be received from the NC Traffic Safety Bureau DWI Grant Fund to fund three Probation Officers and one Probation assistant for salary, fringe benefits and overtime & equipment for the DWI unit.

The Legislators also authorized the transfer of funds for the following Health Department programs: $11,057 Health Department’s Public Health Campaign-TB Grant; $6,779 Environmental Protect Agency Grant; $8,761 Immunization Action Plan Program Grant; $1,000 Bathing and Beach Water Quality Monitoring Grant.

The Legislators also approved: $ 16,000 for Nassau Community College (Chancellor’s Award for Internationalization) Funds to be received from SUNY to be used to supplement expenditures in connection with travel to Ethiopia for a Physical Anthropology course and to Poland for an Economics course.  The College won these two awards as a result of f a competition and they are $8,000 each; $147,310 Nassau Community College (Nursing & Allied Health Services) Funds to be received from the Department of Health & Human Services Administration to provide funding for the purchase of equipment for the Nursing and Allied Health Services Department; and $319,810 Nassau Community College (Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant) Funds to be received from the Department of Health & Human Services Administration to provide services which will increase retention of minority and underserved students in the nursing Program.

The Legislature’s majority members approved the following appointment:

Martin Melkonian to the Nassau County Rent Guidelines Board, for a three year term expiring on December 31, 2009 and John E. Imhof as the Commissioner of Social Services.

In other business, the Legislators approved the renaming of the Hempstead Transit Center to “Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center.”

The legislature also approved the acceptance of a donation consisting of 200 pieces of assorted office furniture valued at $30,000 from T&O Associates in Westbury and the following agencies were added to the list of agencies with which the County may execute contracts on behalf of the Youth Board: BiasHELP, Inc.; COPAY, Inc of Great Neck; Help End Violence Now, Inc; S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc and the Westbury Community Improvement Corporation, Inc. All the agencies will address youth-related issues, including gang related violence prevention, recreational and educational services and assistance for at risk youth and families.

The next legislative session is scheduled for March 20, 2006 at 10 a.m.