Nassau legislature panel OKs Edward Mangano's $2.98B budget

The GOP-controlled Rules Committee of the Nassau County Legislature Wednesday approved County Executive Edward Mangano's $2.98 billion budget for 2015, which includes a 3.1 percent property tax hike.

But Democrats complained that the spending plan failed to go through the Finance Committee for the first time in the chamber's 18-year history.

Democrats accused Republicans of trying to protect Legis. Michael Venditto, a Finance Committee member who is running for State Senate, from having to vote for a tax increase. Legislative committees have four Republicans and three Democrats, and the budget passed Rules on a party-line vote.

"It's truly a shame and a mockery that the Finance Committee . . . is not being held today," said Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport).

Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) said the county charter does not require the Finance Committee to approve the budget. "It's up to the discretion of the chair," said Gonsalves, noting that all 19 county legislators would have an opportunity to ask questions and vote on the spending plan when it comes before the full legislature later this month.

Venditto (R-Massapequa), who has pledged not to vote for any tax increase, declined to comment.

Venditto is running for Senate in the vacant 8th Senate District against county Legis. Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick), who withdrew from the race last week after his former law firm filed a lawsuit accusing him of defrauding a client of more than $2 million by billing for "fictitious" services.

Denenberg, a Finance Committee member, will stay on the ballot but will not campaign for the seat, party officials said.

Frank Moroney, a spokesman for GOP legislators, said Venditto was not the reason Gonsalves bypassed the Finance Committee.

"He had nothing to do with it," Moroney said. "He wasn't in on the decision. Frankly, it was done because we had no notion as to what would happen with Denenberg -- whether he would come or not."

Denenberg (D-Merrick) did not attend the budget hearing.

Denenberg issued a statement Wednesday that "after careful consideration" he was stepping down from the Finance Committee and as its ranking Democrat. Abrahams called the move "temporary," saying it would permit Denenberg "to focus on his family and the issues in his private life."

Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) will become the committee's new ranking member, and Legis. Laura Curran (D-Baldwin) will take Denenberg's spot on the committee.

Mangano's budget would increase spending by $194 million while property taxes would rise by 3.1 percent, or $41 annually for the average homeowner, officials said. A proposed increase in sewer district taxes would bring the total county property tax levy increase to 3.4 percent.

The administration says households with incomes below $500,000 will be eligible for a state tax rebate check that will reimburse them for the full cost of the property tax increase. Businesses are not be eligible. Without the tax hike, homeowners still would have received the rebate, officials said.

Mangano has said the hike is needed to offset a $51 million shortfall in sales tax revenue.

Deputy County Executive Tim Sullivan said officials have yet to determine the cause of the sales tax drop. "It's a real challenge to get a handle on this," he said.

The county hired Moody's Analytics, a Wall Street financial consulting firm, to review sales tax figures to find an explanation for the decrease. Nassau also has asked the state Department of Taxation and Finance to conduct an audit of the sales tax decline.

With Celeste Hadrick