EDITORIAL: Mangano's assessment fix is worth a try

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano has presented a plan that maybe might potentially possibly begin fixing the county's troubled property tax assessment system. The problem is that the plan's outcome is a big unknown. But at least it's a plan.

Mangano should be commended for fulfilling a campaign promise by coming up with a potential solution to the assessment woes that cost the county $250 million a year. We hope it works. But there are many tumblers that need to fall into place before Mangano unlocks this longtime predicament.

He wants to reassess residential properties every four years instead of annually. He issued an executive order to this effect, but it probably won't stand up unless he has the State Legislature's permission. That permission costs nothing, and Albany should grant it.

Mangano will also require commercial property owners to submit independent assessments by Oct. 1; currently, such assessments may not be required until years into the grievance process. He believes that, faced with the facts, half the commercial grievers will settle on a compromise. But this will require the cooperation of the courts, along with some lawyers who have built multimillion-dollar practices challenging assessments. They won't give up their livelihood easily.

Mangano wants to save $50 million next year using these tactics - an estimate he can use to plug a gaping budget hole. But the number isn't real yet. It's a very big maybe. hN