Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano late Wednesday submitted a $2.6 billion budget for 2012 that eliminates a $310 million deficit and lays off more than 1,000 workers.
His proposal, about $62 million less than the $2.7 billion adopted in fiscal 2011, follows several months of disputes with a New York State-appointed oversight board, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, over how best to close the budget gap.
NIFA rejected the county’s multi-year budget update for fiscal 2012 to 2015 two weeks ago, saying Nassau’s projections are based on revenues that may not materialize.
Mangano, in a statement, said the budget cuts millions of dollars in spending and orders the structural overhaul necessary to fix the county, which encompasses Long Island suburbs east of New York City. The $310 million deficit would have equated to a 39% property tax increase.
“Nassau’s finances spun out of control over the past decade because of a broken assessment system and overly generous contractual obligations that are unaffordable in a sluggish economy,” said Mangano, executive since Jan. 1, 2010.
The budget, through layoffs and attrition, would further reduce the county to 7,400 workers from 8,410 and for the first time force all employees to contribute 25% toward their health insurance policies. Mangano said the spending plan also stops paying employees for education expenses they never incurred.
Along with police overtime changes, Mangano also proposes eliminating minimum staffing in police precincts, a clause he said forces the county to call in officers on overtime even when straight-time police are available. The plan also realigns precincts from eight to six.
The executive also repeated his call for a state law that would incorporate a margin for error when assessing properties.
Last week, Mangano proposed selling the county’s sewer system.
Nassau voters in August rejected a $400 million bond proposal to build a replacement for Veterans Memorial Coliseum, home of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders, and a minor league ballpark.
