Waiver of fees on permits for superstorm Sandy reconstruction extended

Nassau property owners still rebuilding eight years after superstorm Sandy will see county fees waived for permits and inspections after legislators on Monday unanimously granted an indefinite extension to a law first enacted in 2013.

The law, which expired on Dec. 31, 2019, directs county departments to waive fees for permits, inspections and certifications for repairs and new construction performed by the applicant or a contractor. Nassau also would forgo fees for mortgage recordings, sewer hookups, road opening permits and health inspections as long as the damage is proven to be related to the storm.

"I am proud to continue to stand with the victims of Superstorm Sandy in waiving county fees relating to the rebuilding of homes damaged by the storm. As some residents continue to struggle to recover from the storm, I am proud to extend the current deadline to ease some of their financial burden. While Albany seems to have forgotten about Sandy Victims, this legislature has not," Legis. Steve Rhoads (R-Wantagh), who sponsored the amendment, said in a statement after the vote. 

County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, supports extending the law, which was proposed by her Republican predecessor Edward Mangano. Officials estimate about 500 Nassau properties are still in some form of reconstruction because of damage from Sandy, which occurred on Oct. 22, 2012. 

A spokesman for the Republican majority said he expects the cost to be minimal because "we are simply extending an existing exemption that has already been in place for almost eight years and will only be for those whose homes were damaged by Sandy." 

Also on Monday, the Nassau Legislature unanimously voted in favor of a new, 8.5-year labor agreement between the county and the Nassau Detectives’ Association. 

The county's Office of Legislative Budget Review, which presented an independent financial analysis of the contract to lawmakers, estimates the net cost of the detectives' contract to be $53.4 million. The union agreed to $21.9 million in concessions, according to the OLBR report. 

The new contract is aimed at recruiting more police officers to the ranks of detective and includes raises that, when compounded, come to nearly 16% over the length of the contract. Under the new contract, the base salary of most of the county detectives would be $167,903 by 2025. The most experienced, top performers who go into the new grade would earn a base salary of $180,659 by 2025.

It incentivizes police officers to become detectives by paying them $6,249 for switching over, up from $2,400 in the previous contract. It also creates new steps and widens the pay gap between police officers and detectives, officials said. Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said 24 police officers became detectives Monday bringing the current total to 327.

The goal is to have 360 detectives by the end of the year, police and union officials said.

The contract is pending the approval of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the county's fiscal control board known as NIFA.

"This contract with its raises and new grade structure provides a career path not only for police officers but just as important it will retain many of the current senior members of the detective division who will train and mentor these new detectives," said John Wighaus, president of the detectives union.

The detectives' deal is the first of the five major public employment union contracts to settle under the Curran administration and officials have said it will serve as a framework for future negotiations. The county's unionized labor have been working under the terms of contracts that expired at the end of 2017.

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.