Forgive us for beating a dead horse. It seems at times that we are the only ones concerned that Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano plans to pay for the $130 million in wage increases for union employees that was approved in May with “income” from 56 new speed cameras that the county plans to install in coming months.
In a four-year plan submitted last week to the Nassau Interim Finance Authority last week, Mangano said he expects the cameras to generate $14.2 million this year and $30 million next year.
And what happens if drivers start to slow down or if they only slowdown in zones protected by the cameras? Could safer driving become a budget buster?
Don’t take this wrong. We are happy that the three-year wage freeze for county workers has come to an end and that they will be getting new contracts. It’s just that we want to see a budget balanced based on sound accounting principles, not gimmicks like the speed cameras. We are not at all certain that is the case.
NIFA, which was put into effect by state law when the county was on the brink of falling off a fiscal cliff, was at first a hard-nosed, non-partisan monitor of the county budget. That hard edge has appeared to soften. There are now questions as to whether it can be counted on to tell the emperor he has no clothes.
The legislators won’t object to the use of budget gimmicks and neither will the unions – until a shortfall forces layoffs.
If 56 speed traps fall short of the goal, what’s next? More speed cameras? Larger fines? Jaywalking cameras?
NIFA should reject the Mangano’s four-year plan, but we’re not holding our breath.
