Nassau lawmakers override Mangano veto of tax hike elimination

Nassau lawmakers voted Friday to override County Executive Edward Mangano's veto of legislation that strips a 1.2 percent property tax hike from the 2016 budget -- setting the stage for a showdown with a state monitoring board that controls the county's finances.

The veto override -- to eliminate a tax hike that would cost the average Nassau homeowner $23 per year -- is the first in the 19-year history of the legislature, and exposes rare discord between the administration and the GOP majority.

The vote was 14-4, with two Democrats and two Republicans voting against the override and one Democratic member not in attendance.

"The budget as passed by this legislature is reasonable and achievable," said Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow).

"The county executive will administer the budget as adopted by the legislature and will make every effort to preserve quality of life services," said Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin.

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority is poised to reject the budget when it meets Nov. 19 and return it to Mangano and legislative leaders for additional revisions, said NIFA Chairman Jon Kaiman.

Yesterday's vote restores the GOP's amended budget, which eliminated $12 million in revenue from the tax hike and $16 million in new fees. The GOP would replace the revenue, in part, from penalties collected from commercial property owners who fail to meet county deadlines to turn over income and expense reports to the county assessment department.

"Removing $12 million clearly puts this budget at a point where revenue will not cover expenses," said Kaiman.

Administration officials have compiled a list of $17.7 million in potential spending cuts, including $6.4 million for the county's Youth Board and $4.5 million in subsidies for the NICE Bus service.

If NIFA rejects the county's proposals, Kaiman said the board will impose immediate cuts to "nonessential" services, including department spending. NIFA also could freeze new hiring and limit contract approval.

Commercial property owners last year lost a State Supreme Court challenge to the penalties, but attorneys plan to appeal.

Kaiman said in a letter to lawmakers, "It is simply inappropriate to rely on revenue that isn't yet authorized; likely to be enthusiastically opposed by those who will be paying for it; and subject to further reduction or repeal once opposition manifests itself."

Gonsalves said Republicans would not let NIFA "impose their will over the mandate of the people" and will ask Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to intervene if the board makes unilateral changes to the budget.

Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) said cuts should begin with the county contracting system, but he concedes "some services will be impacted. We should be willing to cut everywhere."

GOP lawmakers, who won re-election last week on an anti-tax increase platform, have voted in lockstep with Mangano for years. But GOP sources said legislators are now creating some distance from the county executive.

"This is our declaration of independence from Mangano," said a legislative source. "The legislature has been carrying water for him for many years."

Another GOP source said some in the party believe a tax increase would not be needed if the administration had been more careful with its spending, particularly on county contracts. "The issues with Mangano and [Deputy County Executive Rob] Walker have created an . . . environment where legislators are not ready to . . . carry the water for a fellow who is acting in his own interests and not of those in the party," the source said.

Nevin called the allegations "nonsense."

With Celeste Hadrick

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.