Nassau lawmakers pass $4.2B budget for 2025 after making adjustments

Nassau legislators on Monday passed a $4.2 billion budget for 2025 after making a string of changes mandated by the county’s financial watchdog group, which will consider the new plan later this week.

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) declined to approve the county’s first attempt at a budget on Nov. 26 — for the first time in six years — unless lawmakers fixed accounting issues. NIFA will vote to approve, reject or unilaterally modify the amended budget on Thursday.

County Executive Bruce Blakeman made some required changes to the budget last week by eliminating the use of $30 million in prior year surpluses initially counted as revenue and raising sales tax growth projections from 0% to 1.8%. Sales tax accounts for about 40% of total revenue for the county, Newsday previously reported.

"The changes that were made, especially incorporating [Generally Accepted Accounting Principles] is very positive." NIFA Chairman Richard Kessel told Newsday on Monday "But we’re continuing to analyze the budget and we will consider what they passed,"

Among other changes, officials also changed the originally planned $46.4 million in revenue from red-light ticket camera fees after a state court ruled last month they were illegal. The county had been slamming drivers with up to $100 in administrative fees on top of each $50 red-light camera fine.

The Republican-majority legislature also passed a resolution along party lines designating the New York Post as the "official" newspaper of Nassau County — stripping Newsday of its long-held role. 

Nassau officials are required to publish public notices in a newspaper, according to the county charter. Beginning Jan. 1 the county will publish such notices in the New York Post, which says it plans to expand its Long Island coverage. The county spent $221,000 to publish notices, which are not behind a paywall, in Newsday in 2023, according to officials. 

Legis. Scott Davis (D-Rockville Centre) called the move "blatantly political." Newsday submitted Nielsen data to the county that showed it has nearly twice as many readers in Nassau County as the Post does.

“Why are we going to a newspaper that’s in New York City and not in Long Island?" Davis said. “This is what makes all of us look bad."

Blakeman appeared Monday morning at a separate event alongside the Post’s editor-in-chief and its CEO. "We couldn't be more delighted," he said, "to have this partnership with the New York Post."