The failure of the Nassau County Legislature and County Executive Edward Mangano to come up with a balanced budget will result in the closing of as many as 40 youth programs.
Mangano said the county is canceling contracts for these programs and making other painful cuts in order to close a $45 million deficit in the $2.8 billion budget.
In addition, Mangano plans to cut 200 jobs and trim capital projects. The job cuts will save an estimated $10 million but they require approval of the county Legislature. Mangano’s spokesman said 60 employees have already taken a buyout.
On July 5, more than 50 social service agencies shut down their summer programs because the county Legislature couldn’t agree on a plan to provide $8 million in funding to save the programs.
Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos blamed the Democrat caucus and Nassau County Interim Finance Authority for failing to approve bonding legislation. However last week NIFA said it would reconsider its opposition to county borrowing to balance its books, and would permit Mangano to borrow $450 million over the next four years.
The decision was predicated on the county administration extracting $150 million in concessions from its Civil Service Employees Association.
In a statement Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) blamed the Republicans: Mangano, “went back on his word to the youth and seniors in the county by cutting their funding and he has consistently begged the Legislature over and over to bail him out by borrowing and creating more and more deficits for years to come.”
Like Mangano, Abrahams appears to be playing politics rather than looking for an acceptable plan to avoid the pending budget deficit.
Cutting the funding for youth services should not be an option. Without the county’s support most, if not all, of these programs will close. Mangano appears to be using this tactic to get the Democrats back to the table. Like Solomon, without the wisdom, he is threatening to cut the youth services baby in half.
If these programs had so little value, why was the county funding them in the first place?
One of the programs, the Manhasset/Great Neck EOC, said the loss of funding will be devastating: “Our youth board contract pays the salaries of all Manhasset/Great Neck EOC youth staff (youth director, program coordinator, recreation aide), the executive director’s salary, and expenses related to building maintenance and program operations – utilities, phone bills, office and classroom supplies, trips and activities for the children.”
The Republicans and Democrats need to stop playing games and get to work. This is the wealthiest county in the nation, not some place like Scranton Pa., which went bankrupt earlier this year. The Legislature should be able to come up with a plan that that would be fair to taxpayers and would put the county on sound financial footing for years to come.
Perhaps Mangano and Abrahams can learn a lesson from Gov. Cuomo who has shown that it is possible to get Republicans and Democrats to work together for the good of the state.
