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Suozzi balances county budget in hope of police givebacks For Nassau County's budget it could be, in the words of Yogi Berra, "deja vu all over again." That was the not-so-subtle but mixed message given the Nassau County Legislature late last week by Nassau Comptroller Harold Weitzman. The comptroller told the Legislature's finance committee that while the budget submitted by Democratic County Executive Thomas Suozzi was balanced, it contained some "aggressive assumptions" about projected savings that might not be realized. Weitzman, a Democrat, noted that this was a departure from Suozzi's "conservative" budgeting philosophy employed during the last four years since he took office, adding that the financial predictions "carries significant risks" for county finances if taxes and projected savings don't materialize. "Under this budget there will be very little margin for error," Weitzman said. The comptroller said, however, that the savings Suozzi projected "were not impossible to achieve," and that the budget, which would take effect Jan. 1, was currently balanced and the county's overall financial condition appeared good. N.C. Leg. Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) the Legislature's Republican minority leader, read Weitzman's comments differently. Schmitt interpreted them as vindication of his own budget analysis. Last week he charged that Suozzi was using the same financial legerdemain that had been employed by former Republican County Executive Thomas Gulotta, and that Suozzi now was doing it "in spades." He called the entire document "a phony budget." Gulotta's budget gimmicks sent tax increases through the roof and the county's bond ratings through the floor in the late 1990s, putting the county on the verge of bankruptcy and forcing the state to monitor Nassau's finances. Schmitt said that if the final 2007 budget required a tax increase, all nine Republicans in the 19-member Legislature were committed to voting against it. He said this puts next year's $2.4 billion county budget in jeopardy because, as Schmitt put it, the majority Democrats are "fractured" politically and they would not have the votes to pass it. N.C. Leg. Dave Mejias, a Democrat who is running against Congressman Pete King, he will oppose any move to raise taxes. Sidestepping commenting specifically on Weitzman's assessment of the budget last week, Mejias said only "I won't vote for any tax increase." Suozzi said in a statement that he remained confident "we will achieve labor savings we forecast in the budget." These savings, especially as they affect the Nassau police, were the main target of Schmitt's criticism. "He (Suozzi) clearly says that he expects $26 million in labor concessions. That's not going to happen. At least you cannot assume that," Schmitt said. The police union, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, has declared an impasse in its contract negotiations with the county, opening the door to state mediation if the two sides cannot come to terms. Commenting on this, Weitzman voiced a warning note by saying: "While we agree with the administration there are opportunities for savings as a result of negotiations with labor unions, the administration has never before budgeted for significant savings... that depends on labor agreements not yet negotiated."
The legislature will vote on the budget on Oct. 26, 6 p.m., in Mineola.
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