Local residents have had it with high property taxes on Long Island and they're not going to take it anymore. Outside of the Nassau County building at One West Street, which houses the county executive and county legislature offices, local residents including those from Elmont and Franklin Square staged a protest. Their message is a simple one - property taxes are too high and they can't afford to pay any further increases.

Elmont East End Civic Club President Patrick Nicolosi pointed out that on Long Island, you have residents with sons and daughters in their 20s and 30s still living at home. "They can't afford to move out. What are they're options? Leave Long Island. Young families can't afford to buy a house unless they rent out the whole house. Seniors are choosing between leaving Long Island or staying. These are our options. We can either leave or turn our houses into apartment buildings. We can't afford these property tax hikes anymore."

Nicolosi expressed concern over the school taxes for the Elmont community. However, other residents seemed to be just as concerned over their school taxes as well as county and town taxes.

Vicky Goia of Franklin Square, who has two young children, believes her children won't be able to live on Long Island when they grow up. "They won't be able to live on Long Island. They won't, not if it keeps going like it is. We can barely live on Long Island. We're considering moving," she said. "It's getting to be too much."

Goia said her mortgage, which is tied into her property taxes, went up $200 each month. Goia said she and her husband bought their house six years ago with yearly taxes of $2,900 and now it is up to $6,000. Goia said moving her family is a real possibility. "Two hundred dollars hurts. Something has to give or else people are just going to keep leaving."

Karen Mollish of Franklin Square also said her family is considering leaving Long Island. "We can't afford to stay here. My husband works two jobs. I work. I have three children. How much do you have to work to stay here? It's ridiculous," she said, adding that in the 10 years she and her husband have owned their home, their taxes have doubled.

Bob Brody, president of the Progressive Weonas Civic Association in Elmont, believes the problem of high property taxes is directly tied to the problem of illegal housing, which put a drain on school and governmental resources. "[If] the kids that we'd be educating would be our kids, I don't think I would be moaning and groaning so much if I knew it was our children. But when I know it's children that don't belong here that are taking away from my children, then I have a problem with that," he said. "It's a domino effect. Schools go up. Sanitation goes up. Police go up. Everything goes up and it all comes back to illegal housing."

Elmont resident Mabel Johnston points out that illegal basement apartments also provide a safety hazard. "These people cannot get out of the basement. They cannot, which is why it is illegal," she said. "It's not that we want to throw people out on the street and certainly we don't want to be unfair to the kids and not educate them. [But] if your house is going to be converted into a three family house, then pay for a three family house."

"We just want everybody to pay their fair share," said Brody.