Gordon Heights Fire District
2009 News Articles

GOVERNOR PATERSON SIGNS LEGISLATION TO STREAMLINE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND   REDUCE PROPERTY TAXES

For Immediate Release: June 25, 2009 Contact: Marissa Shorenstein | marissa.shorenstein@chamber.state.ny.us | 212.681.4640 | 518.474.8418

Law Will Affect More Than 10,500 Local Government Entities and Reduce the  Nation?s Highest Local Property Tax Rates.
Governor David A. Paterson today announced that he signed the New York Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act, which will streamline New York?s local governments, reduce waste, lower the cost of doing business and reduce property taxes for the people of New York.
This bill is a major step forward in our efforts to cut waste, lower the cost of doing business, and reduce our property taxes,?said Governor Paterson. ?Our system of local government is outdated and overly complicated, and today we are making it easier to consolidate or dissolve local government entities. This legislation represents real reform, and will result in bottom-line savings for taxpayers. I want to thank Attorney General Cuomo for his leadership and partnership on this issue and Speaker Silver and my colleagues in the Legislature for their bipartisan support to pass this critical legislation.
Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said: ?With this new law, taxpayers are now empowered to cut the nation?s highest local tax burden by reigning in the bloated and antiquated system that has left the State with layer upon layer of government entities. After 75 years of commissions and studies calling for reform, today is the day we are delivering real results by working together in bipartisan cooperation. I applaud the Governor for his quick action on this important legislation.
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said: ?New York?s system of local government, which includes more than 10,000 local entities, can be expensive, at times confusing, inefficient and susceptible to waste, fraud and abuse. The Assembly, working with the Attorney General and joined by Governor Paterson, is proud to have made this important step toward reducing the many unnecessary and outdated layers of bureaucracy through consolidation and dissolution.
Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb said: ?Governor Paterson?s signing this bill into law means New York is another step closer to reducing the considerable cost of government on local taxpayers. Now, we need to focus on capping state spending, enacting a real property tax cap and the other recommendations called for by the Suozzi Commission, including a property tax circuit breaker and unfunded mandate relief. This type of holistic approach is necessary to make New York State a more affordable place to live, work and do business.
Assemblyman Sam Hoyt said: ?New York taxpayers are demanding relief because we have too many costly layers of government. Consolidating out redundancies will provide that relief. Giving citizens the option to start these efforts on their own will provide local residents with a greater voice. I was proud to lead the floor debate on this bill and its signature into law is a great step forward for a more efficient and competitive New York.
This bill will establish a single, comprehensive procedure to consolidate or dissolve several kinds of local government entities, which until now have been governed by disparate provisions of law, in order to make it easier for such governments to consolidate or dissolve. 

Consolidation bill raises questions for lawmaker  Alessi to request legal opinion on county's role  BY PEGGY SPELLMAN HOEY |STAFF WRITER 

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's so-called consolidation bill, which aims to make it easier for residents to dissolve or consolidate special taxing districts, has some East End officials concerned.

The "New N.Y. Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act" was passed by both the state assembly and senate last week and is expected to be signed into law shortly.

Current state law makes it difficult to dissolve or consolidate governments, requiring a petition process and involving the final approval of the local governing board, be it county, town or village. It's a lengthy process that rarely happens.

The attorney general's plan would make it much easier for residents to file a petition by allowing either 10 percent of those in the district or 5,000 people, whichever is less, to start the dissolution or consolidation process. Smaller entities with 500 or fewer voters would need 20 percent of voters' signatures. Another provision of the law would be that petitioners would not need the approval of a town board to place the dissolution issue on the ballot. The matter would also be subject to a time constraint in order for lawmakers to act on a petition and, if a government did not act on referendum results, residents could use a mediator or hearing officer to complete the process.

But a section in the legislation allowing the county to place a referendum to dissolve or consolidate a special district has North Fork Assemblyman Marc Alessi (D-Shoreham) concerned. Mr. Alessi, who voted against the measure, is seeking a legal opinion from Mr. Cuomo specifically requesting what role the county has and how much power it could exert over the smaller municipalities on the East End, such as the police departments and water districts.

Mr. Alessi said he believed school districts, which represent about 55 percent of property tax bills, should have been considered in the measure. He was also concerned over how voter fraud would be handled in relation to the legislation. Legislators were not given ample time to have their questions answered in regards to the landmark legislation, he said.

"We should have been given more time," he said.

Senator Kenneth LaValle (R-Port Jefferson) also had some concerns. While the objective of the measure is laudable, Mr. LaValle said, its provisions would negatively impact many of the communities he represents. Mr. LaValle commended the bill's inspiration, which was to reduce multiple layers of government with the goal to lower property taxes, but he pointed out that the devil is in the details.

"In reviewing the proposed legislation and speaking with residents throughout my district, I decided I could not support this measure," he said in a press release.

Riverhead Supervisor Phil Cardinale said he believed the legislation would be good tool to aid in setting government up, and a nice "bottom-up" approach.

There is one caveat, he said. Bigger [government], he said, "is not necessarily or automatically better."

"When it gets too far away from the people, its efficiency suffers," he said.

Mr. Cardinale said he would not support a provision, for example, that would allow residents from the west end of Riverhead the power to decide the fate of all town residents in regards to the police district.

Dave Allison, a commissioner of the Cutchogue Park District, said he and the other board members have not discussed the issue, however, he feels they are doing a good job and should have no reason to fear dissolution.

"If [special districts] are doing good, then they are not going to be affected," he said, adding that it might cause other districts to be more accountable.

Middle Island's Board of Fire Commissioners decided to support the Fire Association of New York's opposition of the bill, according to board chairman Walter Olszewski. He said the bill raised questions about future consequences.

"I don't know if the whole thing's been thought formally out," he said.

Meanwhile, a group of residents who filed a petition to dissolve the Gordon Heights Fire District with the Town of Brookhaven last December, are lauding the legislation. Attorney Paul Sabatino, who was retained to represent a group of residents after a petition they filed with the Town of Brookhaven was rejected for legal insufficiency in 2007, said the sensitivity to deadlines in the new legislation will enable residents to move forward more quickly in the process. As it stands Gordon Heights residents are anxious to learn of the outcome of their petition, he said.

"If it gets to July 1, at that point it gets to be bad faith," said Brookhaven Supervisor Mark Lesko. He reserved opinion on the matter by saying only that town officials are looking at the petition carefully and they want to get it right.

"It's very complicated," he said.

peggy@northshoresun.com 

NY Senate passes government reform bill
newsday.com/news/local/state/ny-stcons0605,0,1026738.story
BY JAMES T. MADORE james.madore@newsday.com 9:23 AM EDT, June 4, 2009
ALBANY

Attempting to reduce property taxes, the State Senate Wednesday night adopted a bill streamlining the process for consolidating local governments, and the governor is expected to sign it into law.

The 46-16 vote came after the Assembly approved the bill, 118 to 26. The debates were similar, with supporters of the legislation saying it would allow citizens to strip away layers of government that increase taxes. But critics warned that counties would compel the mergers of villages and special districts, with diminished services.

Inspired by Newsday stories, the legislation was written by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. He lobbied hard for it recently to combat intense opposition from volunteer firefighters, mayors and others.

"Taxpayers may soon be truly empowered to create long overdue efficiencies in local governments and special districts," Cuomo said.

Before the Senate vote, Gov. David A. Paterson told Newsday the bill was "quite admirable," but also said, "I would be willing to take a look at some of the concerns of the local governments."

Sources close to the governor said last night he would sign the measure.

The bill seeks to shrink New York's 10,521 local governments by establishing three avenues for consolidation: a county could create a master plan, a local governing board could start the process, or residents could mount a petition drive.

Inside the gilded Senate chamber Wednesday, tempers flared during the two-hour debate as Republicans sought to change the legislation. Democrats defeated amendments that would exempt fire and library districts.

Only two of Long Island's nine senators backed the bill.

Sen. Brian X. Foley (D-Blue Point) said Cuomo assured him that the pair would work together on a future amendment to address firefighters' concerns. "This is a major initiative of the attorney general and deserves our support," Foley said.

A Cuomo spokesman declined to comment.

Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) said the bill "empowers the voting public" to change governmental structures. He also stressed that the provisions were voluntary.

Detractors raised the specter of overbearing counties forcing the dissolution of smaller entities that are allegedly more in tune with residents' needs. "We should be talking about consolidating state government, that's where the savings lies," said Sen. Carl Marcellino (R-Syosset).

Officials at the 130,000-member Firemen's Association said they hope lawmakers keep their promise of future amendments. President Thomas J. Cuff Jr. of Levittown said, "We're disappointed the fire service wasn't excluded and the school districts were. They have so much more impact on property taxes than special districts have."

Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.

Newsday.com EDITORIAL:

The people won in Albany with passage of consolidation bill 10:13 PM EDT, June 3, 2009

Taxpayers, rise. You had a big victory last night in Albany. 

The State Senate approved legislation, already passed by the Assembly, that streamlines the process for eliminating those layers of local governments, barnacled with patronage, that may no longer be worth the cost. This effort to reduce the size of government started in 1935 but was finally driven home by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. 

The New N.Y. Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act survived a blistering fight to weaken or kill it with Republican-sponsored amendments. In the end, special interests desperate to keep unwanted special districts were trumped by Cuomo's persistence and popularity.

Too bad Long Island's delegation, which represents 340 of these districts, couldn't unite in support of the measure. Only Sens. John Flanagan (R-East Northport) and Brian Foley (D- Blue Point) had the courage to vote for it. Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington), in a pitiful effort to justify his support for continuing patronage, essentially argued that his constituents couldn't be trusted to decide what was in their best interest. And, by their no vote, so did six of the Island's GOP senators.

This potentially powerful reform movement can't begin, however, until Gov. David A. Paterson signs the reorganization act. Paterson was an initial crusader for consolidation and an unequivocal supporter of Cuomo's bill until it ran into headwinds. We trust Paterson will trust the wisdom of the people. hN

Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.

Newsday.com

EDITORIAL:

Consolidation bill presents a choice - public or patronage? 9:13 PM EDT, June 2, 2009

Today's scheduled vote in the State Senate is a moment of truth for Long Islanders. Lawmakers in favor of the special districts consolidation bill will be demonstrating the courage to lead our region into a financially healthier future. Those who vote against it are giving in to political pressure - to mount opposition campaigns or otherwise threaten their political careers. They are perpetuating our high-tax misery.
Opponents say the consolidations won't save enough money. But every saved property-tax dollar is a step in the right direction. We must begin somewhere.
Long Island's willingness to tax itself to the brink of extinction is obvious in the inanity of 900 overlapping governmental units - including a fire hydrant rental district and an escalator district. Competing Great Neck sewer districts could halve a $63-million cost for plants if they worked together.
Any proposed amendment to the Senate bill that would remove fire districts from consolidation - backed by firefighters' groups that can't stand public scrutiny - is unacceptable. Failing to help the residents of the now-symbolic Gordon Heights Fire District would be wrong. And in any case, this attempted carve-out could be a maneuver to kill the bill - since it would make it incompatible with the version already passed by the Assembly.
Watch this one to see which elected officials stand for the future, and which for the excesses of the past. hN
Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc

Newsday.com

Volunteer firefighters blast Cuomo consolidation bill

BY JAMES T. MADORE  james.madore@newsday.com  10:43 PM EDT, May 28, 2009

ALBANY - Volunteer firefighters are barraging lawmakers with complaints about a bill from state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to streamline consolidation of fire districts and other local governments.

Firefighters want fire districts excluded from the measure, which eases the process for petitioning for referendums to abolish governments. Cuomo has said the bill would lower property taxes.

Firefighters Thursday questioned how much would be saved from districts run by volunteers. They also said consolidation could undermine service because volunteers may not want to protect communities outside their own.

Lawmakers traditionally have been loath to anger firefighters. The criticism comes as the State Senate and Assembly prepare to take up Cuomo's bill next week.

"There's no groundswell of taxpayers complaining about the fire service," said Thomas J. Cuff Jr., president of the 130,000-member Firemen's Association and a Levittown volunteer. "Fire districts represent about 1 percent of the typical homeowner's real-estate taxes while about 70 percent is school districts . . . We aren't the problem."

Staff for the association and for Cuomo met Thursday, but no breakthrough was reported.

Absent a compromise, Assemb. Phil Boyle (R-East Islip) said he would introduce an amendment exempting fire districts from the bill, which he supports. He is a volunteer firefighter in Great River.

However, other backers of the legislation, which was inspired by Newsday articles, wondered why the alarm was being raised.

"The fire districts should not be in fear . . . because consolidation would be voluntary, not mandatory," said Rosalie Hanson, a Gordon Heights resident who is trying to dissolve the district there because of the very high tax rate. "If you are happy with your district, you're not going to sign a petition."

Bill supporters pointed to Gordon Heights as exemplifying the difficulty in collapsing governments, which total 10,521 statewide. Gordon Heights residents are now making a second attempt to abolish the fire district.

Cuomo has said school districts were excluded from the bill because there already is a consolidation mechanism for them and since the 1930s thousands have been dissolved.

Firefighters have created a Facebook page with more than 1,500 members and are telephoning and e-mailing lawmakers.

Craig Craft, immediate past president of the Association of Fire Districts of Nassau County, said, "We will take every step to combat this bill. We see it as an attack."

Cuomo aide John Milgrim shot back that "numerous productive meetings" had been held since late 2008 with affected groups who helped "shape" the bill, "and the office continues to meet with interested groups as the legislation heads to a vote."

Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.

Newsday.com

Bill to merge local governments clears a hurdle

BY JAMES T. MADORE james.madore@newsday.com   10:03 PM EDT, May 26, 2009

ALBANY - A bill being pushed by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to consolidate local governments cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday but not before some lawmakers raised objections.

Five members of the 20-member Assembly Local Governments Committee urged caution, saying the proposed petition process to abolish governments could be perverted by nonresidents.

They also called for a larger number of signatures to make petitions valid, for referendums to coincide with general elections and for the financial consequences of consolidation to be known before balloting.

The bill, unveiled last week in Melville, seeks to streamline the process whereby voters can collapse towns, villages and special districts. Supporters said it's a way to reduce property taxes.

Last night, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told Newsday some of the objections had been addressed, and others he pledged to discuss with Cuomo.

The committee adopted the measure in a 16-4 vote and sent it to the Ways & Means Committee. The bill also was introduced Tuesday in the State Senate, where the main sponsors are Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Westchester) and Betty Little (R-Queensbury).

In the Assembly committee, the five members from Long Island were split. Robert Barra (R-Lynbrook), Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) and Phil Ramos (D-Central Islip) backed the bill, and Marc Alessi (D-Shoreham) and Michelle Schimel (D-Great Neck) opposed it. 

Alessi questioned why the bill didn't cover school districts and said committee members were given insufficient time for review.

Newsday.com

AG Cuomo: Bill would address 'too many governments'

BY SANDRA PEDDIE

sandra.peddie@newsday.com

12:53 PM EDT, May 21, 2009

Flanked by seven state legislators, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on Thursday rolled out his plan for easing the state's property tax burden by simplifying the process of consolidating local governments.

Speaking before a group of civic activists and business leaders at the Long Island Association in Melville, Cuomo predicted the Legislature would pass a bill that creates a uniform process abolishing or consolidating towns, villages and special districts. Currently, a complicated patchwork of laws governs the process.

"Everyone has been lamenting this system for years, Democrats and Republicans, and nothing changes," Cuomo said, adding later, "Government must rethink its overhead."

Cuomo said his office has counted at least 10,521 local governments in the state - something both state and local officials have blamed for New York's heavy local property tax burden. However, he added that no one knows for sure exactly how many governments there are statewide.

"When you don't know how many governments you have, you have too many governments," he said.

Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), the only state senator among the legislators at the meeting, noted that the actual number of local governments was not important to most people.

"It's all the same taxpayer," he said. "It's all coming out of the same pocket. It doesn't matter what level of government it is."

Cuomo's bill targets towns, villages and special districts, tiny units of government that handle services such as fire protection for specific areas. Long a source of patronage jobs for political leaders, special districts have come under fire for spending abuses. In fact, Cuomo proposed the reform after Newsday stories on pension abuses and wasteful spending in special districts.

On Tuesday, state legislative leaders in Albany announced their support for Cuomo's bill. That announcement was significant because some legislators, fearing the loss of patronage jobs, initially resisted the reform. But as the legislative session wore on, support grew, partly because the reform would not mandate consolidation.

The bill offers three avenues for consolidating local governments. It would enable county executives to do a master plan to be submitted to a referendum; allow local boards to vote to consolidate; and enable citizens to put the issue on the ballot themselves.

Citizens seeking to put the issue on the ballot would be required to get signatures from 10 percent of the district's voters, or 5,000 people, whichever is less. Once such a referendum passes, the local government would have up to a year to complete the process.

If the local government fails to act on a referendum, a court-appointed monitor would step in and ensure that the referendum results would be followed, Cuomo said.

Such legislation would have a profound impact on public policy, said former Deputy County Executive Paul Sabatino, an attorney who is representing residents of Gordon Heights seeking to dissolve their fire district.

"I think this could do for consolidation of special districts and other local governments what the Freedom of Information Law did for openness in government," he said.

Gordon Heights residents, who pay the highest fire taxes in the state, have tried twice to dissolve the district. They submitted a new set of petitions to the Town of Brookhaven Dec. 31 and are still waiting for the town assessor to review the petitions.

"It took us six months to get the signatures, and it's taken them five and a half months to not do anything," said Rosalie Hanson, a civic activist who has spearheaded the effort.

Both Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D- Manhattan) and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) said they had been working closely with Cuomo on the legislation.

Silver announced Tuesday that the bill had a Republican co-sponsor in the Assembly, assuring its passage there. Although Democrats have only a two-vote edge in the Senate, a number of Republicans have expressed support for the bill. That is critical because Smith cannot guarantee that all Democrats will vote for it.

If the bill passes, insiders said, it would be one of the more significant accomplishments of the legislative session, along with the repeal of the Rockefeller drug laws.

Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Saint James), who appeared at the Melville meeting, said if the bill does not pass New York should look to the budget crisis in California as its future.

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, who has long advocated reducing the many layers of government on Long Island, said he supports the legislation.

"This legislation puts the decision in the hands of the people as to what form of government best represents them," said Arda Nazerian, one of Suozzi's senior policy advisers.

Bill would simplify process of consolidating districts

Newsday.com BY SANDRA PEDDIE  sandra.peddie@newsday.com   10:13 PM EDT, May 19, 2009

The effort to consolidate local governments picked up momentum Tuesday as state legislative leaders announced they were introducing a bill to simplify the process for dissolving the tiny units of government known as special districts.

At a leaders conference in Albany focusing on reducing property taxes, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) announced that a bipartisan bill would be introduced shortly - assuring its passage in that house.

Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), announcing his support for the first time, said a bill also would be proposed in the Senate. Democrats hold only a two-vote edge there, but several upstate Senate Republicans have spoken in favor of it.

Gov. David A. Paterson also expressed his support, and Silver said the measure could reduce property taxes by 5 percent to 22 percent statewide.

Scott Reif, spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), declined to say whether Skelos supported the legislation, but said: "The attorney general's plan is one way to achieve long-term savings, but Long Islanders need immediate relief."

But opponents of consolidation have argued that special districts provide greater local control. Thomas Shanahan, lobbyist for water suppliers on Long Island, said, "We're not opposed to a reasonable system, but we need to see the details."

Both Silver and Smith said they had been hammering out the details with state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who proposed the reform in December after Newsday stories on abuses in special districts.

Special districts handle specific services, such as water hookups and garbage pickups, in specific areas. No one knows exactly how many there are statewide. But on Long Island alone, they collect nearly $500 million a year in tax revenue.

Currently, a byzantine patchwork of laws makes it virtually impossible to eliminate districts. Cuomo has proposed giving citizens the power to put consolidation proposals on the ballot if they get signatures from 10 percent of the district's voters, or 5,000 people, whichever is less. If the referendum passed, the local government would have up to a year to complete the process.

Rosalie Hanson, a Gordon Heights activist who has pushed to dissolve the fire district there, welcomed the bill.

"I'm relieved and happy to hear it because the current petition process is antiquated," she said. "And what I went through personally I feel that no other human being should endure."

Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.