Suffolk to pass $11M tuition tab to towns

Failing to find an alternative, Suffolk County will pass its $11 million tab for residents attending out-of-county community colleges down to the towns.

The move -- unpopular with town supervisors -- came after the legislature failed Tuesday to override County Executive Steve Levy's veto of a rollback in the gasoline tax cap.

Legislative budget analysts had said repealing the cap March 1 could bring $10.6 million, enough to cover costs incurred for Suffolk residents attending Nassau Community College or Manhattan's Fashion Institute of Technology.

But when that revenue estimate was lowered, based on current gas prices, to less than $7 million, lawmakers said they couldn't knowingly create a 2012 budget deficit.

"We don't need any more holes," said Legis. Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk).

As a result, Levy's plan to distribute the tuition charges to the towns is sustained. Western towns such as Babylon and Huntington will be billed more than $2.5 million next year.

"This new process ends an unfair system where taxpayers in some towns were subsidizing the students from other towns that most used out-of-county colleges," Levy said.

Suffolk pays the difference between tuition at Suffolk County Community College and out-of-county community colleges. It pays far more than it receives because more of its residents attend Nassau and FIT than students from those areas attend Suffolk Community College. FIT costs as much as $10,980 a year, more than double local tuition.

he and other town leaders will fight the bills, possibly in court.

"Nothing more than an unfunded mandate; a pure, unbridled tax increase," said Lesko. "It was unfair when they proposed it and it's unfair now."

Legis. Edward P. Romaine (R-Center Moriches) introduced a bill Tuesday barring the county from ever again passing the tuition costs to towns. A public hearing may take place next month.For now, however, Majority Leader Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) said he and his colleagues had little choice, once repealing the gas tax cap failed.

"If anyone had another answer to mitigate this, they certainly didn't discuss it," he said. "There's not an extra penny, let alone an extra $10 million."