Levy speech calls for pay, pension changes

County Executive Steve Levy in his annual State of the County message Tuesday night said officials can no longer afford the "status quo" in coping with fiscal woes and urged state legislation to cap police arbitration awards at 2 percent and eliminate overtime and vacation pay from pension calculations.

Levy took a hard line, saying the county has so far succeeded in meeting fiscal challenges because it's made "tough decisions" to reform government and rein in property taxes he deemed "public enemy number one." However, Levy also warned the county faces its largest state aid cut ever - $50 million - as part of a potential $138-million shortfall for the rest of this year and 2012.

"The status quo doesn't require making a difficult decision, casting a controversial vote or upsetting a special interest," said Levy. "Unfortunately, the status quo in this day and age is unsustainable. It is the unsustainable quo."

Levy's 45-minute televised speech at the West Sayville firehouse was the first time a county executive delivered his annual message without the full Legislature present. More than 300 attended, mainly local officials, volunteers and Levy department heads.

Frank Casiglia, executive vice president of the Association of Municipal Employees, said Levy "is a powerful speaker," but described the speech as a rehash of familiar positions.

"His speech is very similar to ones he's made for years and when he ran for governor," Casiglia said. "If the ideas were worthwhile they would have been adopted already."

Levy called escalating police arbitration pay awards in Nassau and Suffolk "a runaway train" taxpayers can no longer afford and called for the state to adopt a 2 percent limit on annual increases, as New Jersey did recently.

Levy not only called for axing overtime, holiday, longevity and vacation time from pension calculations for public employees, but also backed calls for new employees' state pensions to be funded in a new "Tier 6" through a 401(k) type plan.

Locally, Levy said he will seek a voter referendum to impose a 2 percent cap on discretionary local spending. He reiterated a call for ending step increases for management employees and a requirement that newly hired managers pay a share of their health insurance. County employees currently do not share in health insurance costs.

Responding to Levy's address, Legis. Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor), the majority leader, called the proposed 2 percent cap on discretionary spending, "nothing more than a election-year ploy to trick you." In fact, the county executive had repeatedly increased borrowing, a mandated cost for expenses that could have been be paid with cash, he said.

Cooper said the county should focus efforts on changing the system for funding the state pensions rather than attacking benefits.
He also accused Levy of "literally playing a shell game with your family's safety" by moving limited police resources around rather than providing an ongoing police presence.

In his speech, however, Levy said a heroin task force has increased drug arrests 46 percent in the past two years, a consolidated gang unit has boosted arrests 56 percent in the past year, and that violent crime is down 10 percent in Brentwood, 22 percent in Central Islip and 31 percent in Huntington Station.