Nassau to detail $102M in tax refunds

The administration of County Executive Edward Mangano Tuesday backed down on a plan to release only minimal details about $102 million in commercial and residential tax refunds after Nassau lawmakers complained that they didn't know who was getting most of the money or why.

County Attorney John Ciampoli told legislators Monday that he had bundled the refunds to meet the demands of Nassau's financial control board. But he did not identify the property owner, property address, the law firm representing the owner or the assessment reduction for $82 million in commercial tax settlements.

The other $20 million is for residential settlements that don't require legislative approval.

Although past administrations had provided lawmakers with that basic information for commercial challenges, Ciampoli had simply listed 6,500 business properties by their parcel number and refund amount. For one property, the refund totals $6 million. Lawmakers must approve all settlements of more than $100,000.

"Nassau County has a control board with a control period and that has changed the field substantially and that is why you have what you have before you," Ciampoli told members of the county legislature's Finance Committee.

For more specific information, lawmakers could come to his office, Ciampoli said.

"Every legislator, to do their due diligence, is entitled to know why $102 million in taxpayer money should be paid out in settlements," said Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick).

The Republican-controlled Finance Committee approved the refunds on a 4-3 party line vote. But Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) told Mangano that the full legislature would not act without more information, a spokesman said.

Jeremy Wise, counsel for the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which took control of Nassau's finances last year, said in a statement Tuesday, "Any assertion or statement that NIFA has dictated the form or manner in which [tax challenge] claims should be presented for approval to the County Legislature is false."

Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said, "The county executive disagrees with the county attorney's decision and has directed the county attorney to provide to the legislature all the information that exists on each and every tax [challenge] case."

Ciampoli, who agreed to make the data available starting Wednesday, said lawmakers misunderstood his reference to NIFA. "I said it is easier to package it altogether and send one package to NIFA," he said. He noted that NIFA agreed to allow Nassau to borrow to pay refunds only after Mangano negotiated a deal to cut expenses and reform the assessment system. "I can't give you exactly the reason why [the information] wasn't included," Ciampoli said. "Once we had an agreement with NIFA we moved this with all possible speed."