Nassau lawmakers OK $65M in new borrowing

Nassau lawmakers gave unanimous approval Monday to $65 million in new borrowing to pay for police severance costs and property tax refunds.

Without comment, the county legislature agreed to borrow $30 million that county Executive Edward Mangano requested to pay termination costs for retiring police officers.

Also without comment or public reading of the legislation, legislators approved an emergency borrowing of $35 million to pay tax refunds as part of an earlier deal with Mangano that called for a total of $75 million in borrowing this year.

In the same emergency bulk vote, lawmakers unanimously approved 21 "intermunicipal agreements" that will use $1.072 million in borrowed money to fund community projects, including school playground equipment, electronic signs and bleachers in Democratic legislative districts.

The legislature separately approved two intermunicipal agreements for improvements in Republican districts that are funded with $143,000 in borrowed money.