An Open Letter to the Community

At the request of myself and the other 63 village mayors in Nassau County, Nassau County Executive Tom Gulotta recommended in his 1999 budget to return $9 million in sales tax revenues to the 64 villages in the county. For Farmingdale Village, our share of this distribution would be almost $160,000. That's a significant amount of money that could be used to provide additional services for our residents or even reduces taxes.

What makes this proposal so significant is that it would mark the first time in history that Nassau County would share a portion of the sales tax with our villages. Incredibly, while upstate villages, along with counties, towns and cities, have been receiving returns on the sales taxes collected, Nassau County's villages have always been excluded because of old laws that needed to be changed.

Last year, the ongoing unified effort by the Nassau County Village Officials Association was rewarded when the laws were changed. And true to his word County Executive Gulotta delivered on his promise by putting $9 million for our villages in his 1999 budget. Now it is in the hands of the county legislature. This 19-member body, led by Presiding Officer Bruce Blakeman, must pass the final budget by Oct. 30.

Last week, Farmingdale, along with 13 other mayors appeared before the county legislature to lobby for keeping the $9 million in the budget that is targeted for our villages. Unfortunately, we were sent away with very little confidence that the money would be left in the final budget.

If the money is eliminated, our villages would once again be shortchanged from receiving a share of money that is collected from all of us. Not one thin dime.

Let's not let that happen.

Please call Presiding Officer Bruce Blakeman at 571-6207. Tell him you want your fair share of the sales tax revenue returned to Farmingdale Village.

Time is short so don't delay. The county legislature must decide by Oct. 30. Your actions could make a difference, a $160,000 difference.

Mayor Joseph M. Trudden