Levy aide defends tuition shift to towns

County Executive Steve Levy's proposal to have towns pay the cost of students who attend community college outside Suffolk "is about fairness," said his spokesman.

"We should ensure that some portions of the county are no longer subsidizing other portions that have a larger percentage of out-of-county students," said Levy spokesman Mark Smith. "Paying on a town-by-town basis will accomplish this."

Levy's plan would shift to Suffolk's 10 towns an $11 million bill for local students who attend state community colleges outside the county.

At a news conference Monday, eight of the 10 town supervisors decried Levy's plan as a "secret tax."

The supervisors said the change could force towns to impose a property tax increase of as much as 13 percent.

Town officials threatened to create a separate line on tax bills so taxpayers will know that the towns did not impose the charge.

But Levy says that shifting the community college costs will more fairly spread them to the towns that send the most students outside the county.

Smith said that Babylon, for instance, has 14.6 percent of the county population, but 33 percent of students who attend community college outside Suffolk.

Brookhaven makes up 16.4 percent of the population but accounts for 32.1 percent of out-of-county students, while Huntington has 13 percent of the population but 24 percent of the out-of-county students, Smith said.

By law, counties in New York must reimburse out-of-county community colleges that their residents attend. The counties are responsible for the difference between the college's resident and nonresident tuition rates.