Nassau County Comptroller Howard S. Weitzman addressed the financial challenges facing Nassau County during a community forum held at the Massapequa Public Library in Massapequa Park Feb. 28. The county's chief fiscal watchdog spoke about meeting these challenges, as he discussed issues critical to Nassau County's economic recovery, and fielded questions from the handful of outspoken community members who attended the forum.

Among the issues Weitzman discussed was the need to assess real estate in Nassau County correctly, and reduce tax refund claims. "Reassessment is not a science," Weitzman said, "but it is critical to fiscal health." He called for county real estate tax refunds for school districts and towns, and a reduction in the huge backlog of claims in the neighborhood of $500 to 700 million. Additionally, Weitzman addressed residents' fears that illegal multiple family homes would slip through the cracks in the reassessment process.

Although he agreed that illegal multiple family dwellings pose a huge problem to the county, draining services from towns and schools, he stressed the county's powerlessness to take action regarding this issue. "Our hands are tied," he said. "The county cannot go into these homes to reassess them properly--the towns have to properly permit these houses."

Weitzman encouraged residents to raise the issue with their local legislators and town officials, rather than the county. "If you have illegal multiple family homes on the block," he said, "you know who the supervisor is. You have people who represent you here, including a legislator who happens to be the minority leader."

Another issue Weitzman saw as critical was getting Nassau University Medical Center off life support. Currently, the county's bond guarantee is $250 million. The medical center's projected operating deficits for 2001 are $42 million, with $17 million projected for 2002."Temporary Band-Aid solutions won't work," Weitzman said. "We must find creative, cost-effective ways to keep this vital medical facility open and financially solvent, while insulating county taxpayers from the ramifications of a potential bond default."

Weitzman also spoke frankly about enhancing labor relations while keeping salaries and benefits reasonable in the marketplace. "The truth is, we have 10,000 employees today. Given the magnitude of the problem we are facing, we are going to have to do better with less." Weitzman guaranteed "... we are going to have less employees in Nassau County over the next few years," but he also claimed that layoffs were "... the last thing we want to do." Instead, he called for retirement incentives.

Weitzman also stressed the importance of "... entering the 21st century via technology and e-government." Substantial funds must be found for computer and Internet technology if employee productivity is to be increased, he stated. "What was happening in the county was that the employees were being stifled by the administration, being told not to show any initiative to move forward," Weitzman explained. "We've encountered a lot of frustration from the people who work for the county, and we are getting a lot of great ideas about how we can do better."

When a resident asked if, in the future, he could expect higher taxes for fewer services in Nassau County, Weitzman answered in the affirmative. "In the past, this county was governed by the theory don't bite the bullet now, push it off to the future. We have a $400 million deficit, and we can't push it off to the future anymore."

"We have to bite the bullet now," he continued. "If we don't resolve this matter, NIFA is going to take over Nassau County, and the people will lose control of their own county."

In spite of everything, Weitzman said he remained optimistic about the situation in Nassau County. "We are one of the wealthiest counties in the country. You cannot believe the outpouring of support we are getting from businesses in Nassau County who are willing to help us solve the problem. We have people working for free, companies who are donating services for free, because people believe that the '90s were very good to them, and they want to give back."