Levy: No tax increase for 2011 budget

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said Monday that the $2.6-billion county budget for 2011 he's due to release next week will not call for an increase of the general fund property tax.

"There is no doubt that these remain challenging economic times throughout the country, but the single most important step we can take for our taxpayers is to ensure them that their county taxes will remain frozen," Levy said in a news release.

The county portion of the average property tax bill is relatively small, about 10 percent, which is down from 13 percent when he took office, Levy said. School taxes typically account for about two-thirds of a tax bill.

"I think it's important to lead by example," Levy said in an interview elaborating on the news release.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano said in an e-mail Monday he is aiming to achieve the same relief with his $2.6-billion budget due to be released later this month.

"Despite inheriting a $248-million deficit, I am making every effort to hold the line on property taxes while preparing a budget for 2011," Mangano said.

Levy said this will be the seventh consecutive budget that freezes general fund property taxes in Suffolk and the third consecutive year that he has introduced a budget with a tax freeze in police district funds.

The presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature, William Lindsay (D-Holbrook), could not be reached for comment Monday. The legislature, which must approve the budget, is expected to hold public hearings later in the year.

Levy said an early retirement program would remove about 330 workers from the county payroll, and that his goal was to limit the hiring of replacements so that the county would save the dollar equivalent of replacing only 20 percent of them.

The leader of the Democratic minority of the Nassau Legislature, Diane Yatauro of Glen Cove, could not be immediately reached last night.

With Jennifer Maloney