The Village of Massapequa Park is forging into the new millennium full speed ahead, shown most recently by efforts to establish credit cards as a new payment method for local taxes.

The board of trustees, during its regular meeting on Monday, Feb. 28, unanimously approved the scheduling of a public hearing to consider a new local law to authorize payment of village taxes by credit card. The hearing will be held on Monday, March 27 at 8 p.m. in Village Hall.

Deputy Mayor Bob Wilcox, who led Monday's brief meeting, as Mayor Camillo Giannattasio could not be present, said that the new law would make tax payment time easier for residents.

Noting that it is difficult for some residents to come up with the full cash amount for payment of property taxes, he said, "This way, it will give them the opportunity, if they're short of cash, to put it on a credit card." Wilcox added, "We've had houses that have been foreclosed."

In fact, according to Trustee John O'Brien, the municipality is pursuing the law in direct response to the loss of three homes to a tax speculator within the past five years. In all three cases, he said, the homeowner was a senior citizen who was unable to pay his or her taxes, and the speculator bought the home after a tax lien was placed on it.

"This is the best thing since sliced bread," said O'Brien. "This will prevent people from losing their property from lack of paying taxes."

During the hearing, the village board will discuss the costs associated with the new method, due to fees that credit companies generally charge municipalities for such transactions. The fees usually range from 3 to 5 percent on each transaction, noted Wilcox.

According to O'Brien, one credit card company, Discover, has agreed not to charge a fee, and the village will negotiate with other companies to achieve the lowest fee possible. He expects that the other companies will charge the village a fee, a cost which will be passed on to the taxpayer. However, he added, "If they do, I think that it will be minimal." Also during the public hearing, the village board will listen to public comment on the issue and answer questions.

Trustee Joseph Pinto also hailed the proposed law as a measure that will bring added convenience to residents. "It's something new and exciting that this administration is providing for the residents," he said, adding, "There's more to come."

Both he and O'Brien attributed the initiative to the progressive nature of the Giannattasio administration. O'Brien said the use of credit cards for payment of taxes is relatively new among villages, although some neighboring municipalities are already doing it, and others are discussing it. He added that eventually, the same software the Village of Massapequa Park would use to allow residents to pay local taxes via credit card, would also let them pay village court fines by that method. Presently, only cash is accepted by the court.

Local resident Jim Altadonna, head of the Bar Harbor Civic Association, who attended Monday's meeting, also believes that the law would be beneficial to village taxpayers. "It will help the seniors," he commented. "It will help people who normally can't get down here, to just call up and pay it that way." He added that the law would also benefit homeowners who do not have enough cash with which to pay their taxes, because by using a credit card, one can spread out payments over several months.