A dispute along party lines does not bode well for county residents who depend on bus service.
Last week the Nassau County Legislature Rules Committee approved a contract with Veolia Transportation to operate the county bus system that will replace the contract with the MTA, which is set to expire on Dec. 31.
This paves the way for a vote by the full Legislature following a public hearing. The rules committee was split down the middle with the four Republican committee members voting to send the contract to the Legislature for a vote and the three Democrats voting against it.
The Democrats say the Republican schedule doesn’t give them enough time to examine the 80-page contract and not enough time to get input from the public. A hearing at which the public would have the chance to give their feedback on the contract was scheduled for last Monday, Dec. 5.
Nassau County Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) said, “I don’t think we should rush this process through in the next week.”
Nassau County Majority Leader Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) countered that the rush was necessary because the last meeting of the county legislature is scheduled for Dec. 19.
That begs the question: why did it take this long to come up with a contract? In essence the Republicans are saying “Here is the contract. Take or leave it. There’s no time for serious debate and no time to consider public input.”
The Democrats say they are particularly concerned about language in the contact that would allow Veolia Transportation raise fares or make changes in a route if there was a “major event.” The decision would be out of the Legislature’s hands.
Tara Klein, policy director for Long Island Vision, argues that, “By ceding so much power the Legislature puts Nassau County bus riders at risk for higher fares and reduced services.”
And Ryan Lynch, senior planner for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, said, “In this contract, Veolia has full authority. To leave full authority in a private group’s hands is deemed irresponsible.”
The unions are also unhappy.
This contract is too important to rush. If necessary the Legislature should schedule an extra session near the end of the month that would the public at least a little more time for input and would give the legislators more time to examine and debate the details of the contract.
Beyond the merits of this contract, the bigger question is how the political system works in Nassau County. In essence the Republican majority dragged their feet and then presented the Democrats with a take-it-or-leave-it contract. If the Democrats vote against it the public will be without bus transportation come January.
This is not the way government should function.
A Blank Slate Media Editorial
