May 2018

Post Office Box 231239, Great Neck, NY 11023

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Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman was elected in November 2017. A native Long Islander, Jack Schnirman has a proven record of turning around broken and corrupt government finances to improve services and save taxpayers money. After earning a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, Jack returned home to clean up local government.

 

 

Jack lives in Long Beach with his wife, Joan, and children, Sage and Oz. He is a member of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), Energeia Partnership, New Deal Leaders, and Truman National Security Project’s Partnership Program. Jack has served as a career advisor to the NYU Wagner School of Public Service’s Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service and as co-chair of the Curriculum Committee for the New Leaders Council. He is a former member of the New York Conference of Mayors, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and Regional Economic Development Council’s infrastructure working group. Jack has also previously served on the board of the Long Island Chapter of the New York League of Conservation Voters.

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From the Desk of the President:

Dear Colleagues:

I hope you and your families enjoyed the Easter and Passover holidays. You wouldn’t know it by the weather, but spring already is six weeks old.  

Village Officials Invited to Freeport Summer Festival

The lingering cold weather is not hampering the Village of Freeport’s anticipation of a fantastic summer as we finalize plans for the Freeport Summer Festival. I would like to invite all NCVOA mayors, trustees and their families to join me at the Freeport Summer Festival on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at the Nautical Mile. The celebration begins at noon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a day filled with food, music, and fun for the entire family. Reserved parking is available to all NCVOA members. We look forward to having you join us as we kick off the summer season. Please contact my office at 516-377-2252 for reservations and additional information.

Pursuit of Sales Tax Sharing Continues

When I was elected NCVOA President nearly a year ago, I established three priorities: Secure equitable distribution of the sales tax revenue for villages, open an associate membership for the NCVOA, and installation of storm surge barriers at Jones Inlet and Reynolds Inlet. As I near the end of my term, I believe we have made progress on all three initiatives. ( and it’s not over yet.)

The NCVOA passed a resolution approving and accepting associate memberships. Since April 1, 2018 the NCVOA has accepted and received approximately $20,000.00  in “Friends” membership dues. These additional funds will benefit the organization and expand business knowledge/opportunities to many municipalities.  

In last month’s message, I reported to the Executive Committee and I met on March 22, 2018 with County Executive Curran and her senior staff for the initial Smart Government meeting. One issue discussed during this meeting was sales tax for the Nassau County Villages. As a result, it is clear, that the sales tax issue is complicated and Nassau County is opposed to sharing additional funds with our incorporated Villages. The unfair distribution of sales tax can be attributed to the tax code legislation ( Tax Law 1262-E ) adopted over twenty years ago.  New York State guaranteed a 1/3  of .75 % portion of the sales tax revenue to towns and cities while giving the county a 2/3 of the .75 % portion to Nassau County with the discretion to grant a limited amount to villages. Talks will continue with all the towns, Nassau County, and NCVOA to resolve this concern equitably.

I have met with James Dalton ( Director of the Army Corp of Engineer) and other Army Corp members regarding “Nassau County Back Bays Study” and the installation of  Surge Barrier Gates at Jones Inlet and Reynolds Inlet. We are expecting a preliminary release of their feasibility report in late August or September this year. I am cautiously optimistic that the completed analysis will recommend the installation of floodgates to protect all of the waterfront community on the South Shore of Nassau County.

I have enjoyed working with the NCVOA regarding these three issues and will continue working with future officers to secure a satisfactory resolution for each.

Robert  T.  Kennedy                                                                                                                                                                                         President NCVOA                

Mayor of Freeport

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Annual Election of Officers—Thursday, June 28, 2018:

At our Thursday, June 28 annual meeting, we will elect and install our officers for  2018-2019. 

In accordance with our By-laws: Our officers – President, First Vice President, Second Vice President and Treasurer – must be a mayor or trustee of a member village in good standing. The Nominating Committee, which has been appointed by President Kennedy, is charged with nominating officers for election. If you are interested in filling one of those positions, please send your resume and any other relevant information to our Executive Director, Ralph Kreitzman at exec@ncvoa.org by June 1, 2018. Nominations also may be made in writing signed by at least 25 elected officials representing at least five member villages and filed with our Executive Director no later than June 18, 2018.

Please note that the annual meeting is not on the usual second Tuesday of the month. Our new Town Supervisors, Joseph Saladino-Town of Oyster Bay and Laura Gillen-Town of Hempstead will attend and speak at our June 28 annual meeting. Judi Bosworth-Supervisor of North Hempstead, unfortunately, will not be able to attend due to a prior committment.

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April 2018  Meeting Attendees