By Hank Russell
The Center for Cost Effective Government hosted two elected officials at Butera’s in Sayville on September 29 who spoke about the affordability crisis and the need for state government to give Long Island its fair share of funding.
New York State Assemblyman Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) said affordability is “on everyone’s palm card” and “a buzzword of an election cycle.” He also said that he has been “knocking on doors” and hearing from his constituents that everything “has become more unaffordable.”
“It’s a choice between keeping the lights on or buying their next bag of groceries,” he said.
His constituents said that property taxes are “the No. 1 issue” on their minds, but, Stern said, they have “an underlying agreement” in that, in exchange for paying high property taxes, “their children should receive a world-class education” and go on “a path to the middle class.” Stern pointed out that the tax cap has helped ease the burden, but added that, “at the end of the day, it’s just a break” that “delays the amount that [your property taxes go] up.”
Steve Levy, the executive director of the Center for Cost Effective Government and the event’s host, noted that, when the state implemented these tax caps on local governments and school districts, they exempted themselves from practicing the same sort of fiscal discipline, which has led to runaway spending and bloated budgets. According to Levy, the state budget has ballooned by over $150 billion over the last 10 years.
Some of the money from their constituents’ paychecks that goes to property taxes also goes to Albany, which does not always give Long Island its fair share, Stern said. The problem, he said, is that Long Island gets lumped in with New York City as part of the metropolitan region.
“I had to watch so many of our tax dollars go to priorities in New York City that we don’t share,” he said. “There was always an agreement that there would be a value back for our taxpayers. More and more, that value is being eroded. … That leads us to the situation that we are in.”
Brookhaven Town Councilman Neil Foley said Long Island only gets 18 cents on the dollar back from the state. “It’s ridiculous,” he said. “We get no respect.”
“If you watch the news, you think it’s a battle between the parties,” Stern said. “It’s not. It’s a regional battle — the suburbs versus the city.”
Foley said New York City “is controlling the whole entire state,” while Long Island “gets no freaking respect. So why should we respect Albany?”
He also addressed the issue of high property taxes and the need for school districts to consolidate. “Some of these school districts need to merge,” he said, adding that 82% of property taxes consist of school taxes. “Sixty-nine school districts should not be leading independently. They don’t negotiate their retirement [plans] together, they don’t negotiate their healthcare [plans] together. It’s crazy. It’s nuts. That’s why your taxes are so high.”
He also said that “it’s getting to the point where we can’t afford it,” and, as a result, many people are leaving New York for lower-tax states. “Our population is dwindling.”
Foley, who also serves as the Brookhaven deputy supervisor, said there is a need to hold these elected officials accountable. “They said everything is going to change,” he said. “Until they start telling the truth, it’s all just a bunch of BS. … Nothing is going to change.”
“Affordability is not just a pocketbook issue,” Stern said. “It’s a quality of life and a values issue.”
As a unique solution, Foley called for Long Island to secede from the rest of the state. “[Albany is] ignoring us,” he said. “In November, when you check the boxes, Albany will still do nothing for us. Nothing. … They’re ignoring us. This was a joke 10 years ago: should Long Island leave New York? I say yes because we deserve better.”