On February 8, 2008, the all but forgotten former Governor Eliot Spitzer, announced special district reforms proposed by the Commission on Local Government Efficiency and Competitiveness. The recommendations included ending pay for special district commissioners and encouraging town control of sanitation districts, as part of a larger package of initiatives to promote greater efficiency by local governments in delivering public services.
These reforms would save millions of dollars for the tax payers on Long Island. The press release stated that
“Long Island is unique in that it has a greater number of special districts than other areas of the state. Many of these districts overlap and dramatically increase the tax burden of residents. Nassau and Suffolk counties have a combined 340 special districts, which annually levy $271.3 million and $169.5 million, respectively, in property taxes. The average special district tax levy for other counties in the state is $7.7 million.”
Even though Spitzer is gone, we cannot let these recommendations fall to the wayside. We need to get back on track to making sure that these reforms are implemented. Do you really care who runs your sanitation or water district? As long as you could get the same service for less money, why should it matter? We do not need all of these fiefdoms costing 20+ times as much as it costs to provide these services in other counties. Period.
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