As the Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, I have received a number of letters and telephone calls from taxpayers concerned about the fiscal disarray in Nassau County.

Unfortunately, many people confuse Nassau County with the Town of North Hempstead, so it is important that I take a moment to set the record straight.

My responsibility is to preserve and protect the finances of the Town of North Hempstead. I have done that, and the results clearly show it.

This year, the Town of North Hempstead recorded surpluses totaling $4 million in all four of its major funds. This is the first time in 15 years that all four major funds have been in the black.

This year, the Town of North Hempstead delivered a reduction in the general fund taxes paid by all North Hempstead residents.

And this year, the Town of North Hempstead received its first bond rating upgrade in 29 years from Moody's Investors Service, Wall Street's leading financial rating agency.

Bond rating increases signal the strong fiscal condition of a municipality. H. Carl McCall, the New York state comptroller, said this about North Hempstead's ratings upgrade: "The town is fiscally responsible and sound and is moving into the future. Bond rating increases don't just happen overnight. This is good news for North Hempstead."

The Town of North Hempstead is in excellent financial shape.

Therefore, it is important not to confuse the town with Nassau County. As the newspapers have reported, the county has a $300 million deficit and a bond rating that has dropped to near junk bond status. In addition, the county just asked the New York State Legislature to pass a real estate transfer tax to bail them out of their financial woes.

I hope this clears up any confusion. If you have any questions about the town's finances, please call me at 869-7700.

May W. Newburger

Supervisor

Town of North Hempstead.