EDITORIAL: Selling nursing home won't solve budget problems

Getting out of the nursing home business makes sense for Suffolk County. Now, that might actually happen, years after it was first proposed. But remember: It's a one-shot revenue, not the best way to balance budgets.

The legislature has been reluctant to relinquish county control over the John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Yaphank, citing concerns for patients and workers. County Executive Steve Levy, however, wants to shed this expense - as did his predecessors. With a new manager at the facility, the cost to the county has declined, but Levy still faces a large budget hole.

He has chosen one of the three operators who responded to a request for proposals to privatize the home, and they've agreed on a contract. But Levy can't sign it without legislative approval. Presiding Officer William Lindsay (D-Holbrook) acknowledges the budget problem, but Lindsay wants another appraisal, to make sure the price is right. That seems like a sensible precaution.

A $36-million sale would net Suffolk $20 million, after paying off bonds. Then, Levy says, the county can avoid spending $8 million to $10 million a year on the facility. Still, a word of caution is in order: Selling off public assets is not the best long-term solution for shoring up the county's finances.

Levy's correct to step away from running a nursing home, but there's a danger that his use of one-shots in the past and present could add up to budget woes in the future. hN