Levy vetoes 57 Suffolk capital projects

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy Monday vetoed 57 capital projects, axing $127 million that county lawmakers had restored to the three-year program.

However, legislative leaders predicted an override at Tuesday's legislative meeting in Riverhead.

Levy rejected 52 of the 62 projects in the legislature's multipronged omnibus amendment. He also vetoed five of six stand-alone projects, approving only $150,000 that would authorize audible traffic signals to aid handicapped pedestrians.

The county executive had proposed a $107.3-million capital budget and a $298.5-million capital plan; legislative amendments increased the 2012 budget to $163.8 million and the three-year plan to $418 million.

Levy criticized lawmakers for a lack of follow-through, after they had criticized increases in county borrowing for capital projects. If they vote to sustain his veto, Levy said, Suffolk would have the lowest capital budget since 2001.

"In these troubling economic times, we cannot afford to say yes indiscriminately to all the programs we believe worthy," said Levy. "Instead we must have the courage to say no . . . to prudently allocate resources."

However, Majority Leader Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) predicted an easy override because the legislature's version, which passed unanimously, would spend less than the current capital plans. The legislative amendments would keep capital spending $29.6 million below the 2011 capital budget and $155.4 million less than the 2012-14 plan.

Cooper said the package was "carefully crafted" to spur construction jobs and maximize state aid. "It's sad that we have a lame-duck county executive . . . taking cheap shots and making draconian cuts because he does not have to live with the consequences," he said.

Levy also assailed the legislature for proposing a resolution to continue funding for the county nursing home through the remainder of the year while the county solicits new proposals for a sale or a public-private partnership.