District 16 Home
Legislature Home
Nassau County Home
District 16 Home Legislature Home Nassau County Home |
|
|
November 10, 2000 Services, Safety Jeopardized As GOP Joins Gulotta's Vetoes Nassau County Presiding Officer Judith Jacobs (D-Woodbury) and Democratic lawmakers attempted last Thursday, to override County Executive Thomas Gulotta's vetoes of the Majority's 2001 budget and restore funds for services and initiatives that protect the health, safety and welfare of Nassau County residents, but were thwarted in their efforts by Republican Legislators who voted with Mr. Gulotta to eliminate vital county services and initiatives. Mr. Gulotta, in line item vetoing the 2001 budget, the cornerstone of the Democratic majority's four year financial plan, he also vetoed the bullet-proof budget for fiscal year 2002, and rejected any possibility for financial stability in years 2003 and 2004, which was required as part of the mandate from the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA). "It is extremely disappointing to see that our Republican counterparts are willing to again accept Mr. Gulotta's budget gimmickry and failed financial practices, as they have in the past, rather than step up when they needed to and do the right thing for Nassau County and its residents," said Presiding Officer Jacobs in a joint statement from the Democratic caucus. Mr. Gulotta and Republican lawmakers removed a $10 million contingency fund from the Democratic budget that would have protected the county from costly borrowing in the event of any contingency that might occur and eliminated more than $12 million in debt service appropriations to pay down the county's debt. Mr. Gulotta and Republican Legislators also reduced the Democratic Majority's $11 million subsidy to Long Island Bus by $4 million, thereby cutting bus service for the county's most needy residents and resulting in the reduction of ABLE Ride bus routes for the disabled. In spite of testimony from county commissioners and department heads that a decimated workforce would have a devastating impact on services in areas affecting the safety and welfare of Nassau County residents, such as the Parks and Public Works departments, Mr. Gulotta and the Republican minority refused to rehire 15% of the workers in each of those departments, leaving county residents vulnerable during snow storms and escalating concern that some of the county's parks might have to be closed. In a line by line vote, Presiding Officer Jacobs offered the Republican minority an opportunity to show their support for some of the most vital services by voting with the Democratic Majority to override Mr. Gulotta's vetoes. However, the GOP minority remained unwilling to raise taxes even by an estimated $1.50 per household, per year, to provide park protection and maintenance, and voted no on each initiative. "The cuts made to the Democratic Majority's 2001 budget and four year financial plan will severely hamper services that Nassau County residents have come to expect and will most certainly have a devastating impact on the future financial security of Nassau County," Democratic lawmakers said. "We can only hope that NIFA will provide the guidance necessary to ensure that Nassau County faces the future with a fiscally sound budget and four year financial plan." |