The GOP and Democratic caucuses of the Nassau County Legislature submitted separate resolutions Tuesday evening overriding County Executive Edward Mangano’s budget veto.
“We have every confidence that the county executive will successfully manage the 2016 budget as passed by this Legislature without a tax increase,” Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves’ (R-East Meadow) said to Newsday.
The county Legislature needs a two-thirds vote, or 13 of the 19 legislators, to pass an override of Mangano’s veto.
With 11 votes, Republicans would need the assistance of the Democratic county legislators to override Mangano’s veto.
Another meeting of the Legislature was scheduled for Friday — the deadline to override the veto.
Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) said Monday the Democratic caucus was submitting its resolution to override the veto.
“Today, we actually are submitting our resolution to override,” Abrahams said. “Unfortunately this doesn’t go anywhere without the 13 votes needed to pass the resolution.”
Mangano vetoed an amendment to the 2016 county budget on Friday that eliminates his proposed 1.2 percent property tax increase. The amended budget was approved in an 11-7 party line vote on Oct. 27.
The GOP majority-amended 2016 budget removed the property tax increase, which was expected to generate $12 million in revenue for the county.
Mangano said the tax increase and fees were necessary to balance the county’s budget.
“Due to rising health care costs and adjusted sales tax receipts, the revenue is necessary to meet county obligations,” Mangano said in a statement.
Mangano did not veto a GOP majority-voted amendment that cut two fee increases in half, which would have created $16 million in revenue for the county.
He had proposed increasing the mortgage recording fee from $150 to $300 and the tax map verification fee from $75 to $225.
Abrahams said Gonsalves’ decision against committing to override at the county budget vote hearing made him think the Republican majority would not join them.
“To be honest, it gave me the sense they would not join us in the event there was a veto,” he said on Monday. “It seems that they will not join us, but we will see where it goes.”
The budget vote also sets up a potential battle with the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, a state monitoring board in control of the county’s finances.
NIFA Chairman Jon Kaiman told Newsday that neither Mangano’s budget nor the amendments addressed $191 million in what he characterized as risky revenue assumptions.
“Our larger concern is that $12 million is insufficient to cover the county’s obligations,” said NIFA Chairman Jon Kaiman. “We need to look at the bigger picture and take whatever actions are appropriate to meet our responsibilities.”
According to Newsday, Kaiman has said the NIFA board could reject the budget if no major changes were made. If NIFA does not accept budget revisions, the board has the authority to make its own budget changes.
