March 2018

Post Office Box 231239, Great Neck, NY 11023

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 Rebecca Ruscito

NCVOA Counsel

NYCOM Counsel to Provide Guidance on Small Cell Networks

Rebecca Ruscito, counsel to the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM), will be the guest speaker at the March 13, 2018 General Membership meeting at The Westbury Manor.

Rebecca will explain the small cell networks’ aggressive entry into local villages and cities, anticipated federal regulations arising from these new technologies, and the current proposal contained in the 2018-2019 state budget to grant rights of access to wireless providers attempting to install wireless facilities in the municipal right of way. She also will focus on best practices and successful techniques for engaging with telecommunications providers and managing small cell siting applications in the current regulatory climate.

Prior to joining NYCOM in 2016, Rebecca served in state government. She is a graduate of Brown University and the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University.

This is important information for your village operations and we encourage you to attend. As always, the cocktail reception begins at 6:30 pm, followed by the dinner/program at 7:30 pm.

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NYCOM President James Miccio, mayor of the Village of Fishkill, will be joining NYCOM Counsel Rebecca Ruscito at the March 13, 2018 General Membership meeting.

Mayor Miccio will provide additional insight about NYCOM’s legislative priorities for 2018, including the quest to increase AIM funding.

We look forward to hearing from Mayor Miccio and welcoming him to Nassau County.

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Dear Colleagues:

 

At the February 13, 2018 General Membership meeting, NCVOA members filled the room to listen to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran’s perspective on the state of the county and her plans for addressing some of the challenges she has identified during her first two months in office. She discussed at length the outdated property tax assessment process, stating the county in 2017 paid $90 million in tax certiorari settlements while only $30 million is budgeted for 2018. Her first step towards dismantling this dysfunctional system is convening a task force to conduct a systematic review of the current operations.

 

County Executive Curran also spoke about additional fiscal challenges facing the county, particularly the projected $23 million budget deficit for 2018. To close this gap, she directed each department head to prepare a plan of action to trim budget expenditures by 2%, 4%, and 6%. She is awaiting these reports before preparing a final plan of action.

 

The county executive explained the looming budget deficit is requiring her to make “tough choices”. One of these choices is not to include sales tax revenue sharing for villages. This statement caught many of us by surprise as we understood the county executive supported the NCVOA’s effort to guarantee a portion of sales tax revenue for villages. The Executive Committee and I will be meeting with County Executive Curran for an in-depth discussion on sales tax sharing. At the same time, we will continue moving forward our effort to guarantee villages a portion of sales tax revenue. We will be meeting with Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello and Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams to solidify the county legislature’s support and secure a Home Rule Message to be sent to our state legislators in Albany. I will update you following our meetings.

 

Storm Surge Barrier Update

 

As you know, I have been leading the NCVOA’s campaign to have tidal surge barrier gates installed at two locations in Jones Inlet. The retractable gates, which are activated only during severe weather, have been operating for years in other states and countries and have a solid track record of preventing tidal surges similar to what we experienced with super storm Sandy.

 

I met with the Army Corps of Engineers to inspect the surge barrier gates in New Bedford, Massachusetts. These particular barrier gates were installed 45 years ago and have not yet failed. The meeting was very positive and the Army Corps of Engineers has initiated a feasibility study to determine if this project meets their funding standards.

 

Friends of the NCVOA Up and Running

 

You may notice new faces at our monthly meetings starting in April.  Some of these attendees represent entities that have been accepted as Friends of the NCVOA. This special affiliation provides an array of benefits for participating organizations. Participation is by invitation only and prospective Friends of the NCVOA are required to complete an application, which must be approved by the Executive Committee. To date, we have 12 Friends of the NCVOA.

 

I am excited about being able to bring this new resource to the members, which also will generate additional revenue for the NCVOA. If you know an organization or business interested in joining Friends of the NCVOA, please contact Ralph Kreitzman, NCVOA Executive Director, to obtain a brochure and application form. Ralph can be reached at exec@ncvoa.org or PO Box 231239, Great Neck, NY 11023. You also can call him at 516-437-1455.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Sincerely

Mayor Robert T. Kennedy

President

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