Suffolk Y gets deadline to repay county

Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki has given the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack a Dec. 22 deadline to repay the county $778,206 that an audit found the county overpaid the nonprofit organization.

Sawicki's office sent out the letter Wednesday, nearly a week after the health and human services committee rejected a county executive resolution that would have amended the group's contract and allowed it to keep the money.

The audit, covering the years 2005 and 2006, found that the Suffolk Y did not comply with its contract, which requires the return of revenue that came from fees from youth programs serving 2,300 youths. Y officials said the aid was intended to help all Y programs and they simply followed the county's directions. Officials on all sides say the Y is a well-run organization and there was no intent to shortchange the county.

The comptroller said he has waited since last July's audit because of the county executive's resolution, until it got tabled permanently in committee. The comptroller has already withheld $158,000 in new payments to the Suffolk Y because of the audit. "The ball's in Levy's court, but because of the inaction, we have no choice but seek repayment," Sawicki said.

Joel Block, the Y's executive director, said the county executive's office has told them it intends to file new resolution that is more generic, not just covering their organization but any group that has a similar problems. He said he hoped the comptroller could wait until the new legislation is acted on.

Edward Dumas, chief deputy county executive, said the new bill would set up a mechanism in which organizations that provide social services that go beyond their contract can seek approval of funding from the budget director and comptroller.He said the measure would not cover several homeless shelters that comptroller's audits have found to have misspent money.

Presiding Officer William Lindsay has pressed for similar relief for those agencies. "I don't want to put those people out of business because we need more shelters," he said.

Sawicki worried that such legislation would set "an extremely dangerous precedent" and said he would oppose any legislation that gives a "blanket amnesty or dispensation."