Residents seek to end sanitation district

Those circulating a petition to dissolve the sanitation district based in Baldwin hope to trim property taxes, but district representatives say the change would cost jobs and save little money.

Spearheading the effort with taxpayers in the district are two grassroots groups: Residents for Efficient Special Districts (RESD), based in Baldwin, and Long Island Progressive Coalition (LIPC), of Massapequa.

Members hope to collect 5,000 signatures from residents to call for a referendum to do away with the nearly 84-year-old Sanitary District No. 2 that serves Baldwin, Roosevelt, South Hempstead and sections of Freeport, Rockville Centre and Uniondale.

"These districts are not economically sustainable," said Laura Mallay, RESD's executive director and a 20-year Baldwin resident who lost a bid for district commissioner in 2005. "Services will go down if we don't do anything now."

The New York Government Reorganization and Citizen Empowerment Act of 2009 gives residents a mechanism to consolidate and dissolve local governments. If advocates can secure the signatures of 10 percent of registered voters in the district, or 5,000 residents, the issue can go on the ballot.

Advocates wanting to get rid of the sanitation district have collected more than 3,000 signatures since March, Mallay said.

"Many of the residents of the area have been saying taxes are high," said Serena Liguori, coordinator of LIPC's Government Efficiency Project. "We certainly want to help support residents and help them save money if they can."

State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) introduced a bill last January to amend the consolidation law to require a detailed alternate plan when there's a vote on consolidation. Now, if residents vote to consolidate a local government, it must formulate a plan on how the services will be picked up. "Residents should know how those services are going to be provided and the cost of providing those services after the special district is eliminated," Martins said.

Residents in the district would pay half of what they pay now if the district is dissolved and the Town of Hempstead picks up the sanitation services, Mallay said. A home assessed at $400,000 serviced by the Town of Hempstead paid $267 in sanitation taxes in 2010, while an identically assessed home in District 2 paid $509, advocates said.

"We feel that in one town there should be one tax rate," Mallay said.

Hempstead Town spokesman Michael Deery said it's "premature" for the town to consider taking over the district because no detailed plan has been made.

Former district board secretary Bob Noble, who spoke for the district, said the advocates' claims are misleading. He said it appeared that their taxes are higher because insurance costs are calculated in the district budget. "Their cost analysis is faulty," he said. About 70 people could lose their jobs if the district were abolished, he said.

"Is bigger always better?" Noble said. "We are small enough and responsible enough to get to people right away. Most people are not willing to give that up."