Nassau legislature gives go-ahead to Curran check program, bills, cutting fees

The Nassau Legislature gave preliminary approval to County Executive Laura Curran's plan to send $375 checks to many county homeowners, and Republican bills to eliminate steep fees that generate about $100 million annually.

The legislature's finance committee approved the county fee changes without opposition Monday night. The finance committee also approved Curran's cash payment plan in a vote of 6-1, with Legis. Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence) opposing. The legislature's rules committees also gave approvals.

The entire 19-member legislature can give final approval to the bills when it meets Sept. 27.

GOP lawmakers who control the legislature had expressed reluctance Monday morning to taking up Curran's direct payment plan later in the day.

But by about 5 p.m., they had placed the $375 cash assistance program on the legislative calendar.

Legislators also barred the use of any elected official's name, likeness or title on any checks distributed using federal COVID-19 relief money.

Curran would use $100 million in funds Nassau received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to make payments to up to 400,000 Nassau households.

Curran, a Democrat, faces Republican Bruce Blakeman, a Hempstead Town councilman, in the November election.

All 19 seats in the Nassau County Legislature also are up for election.

The political quarreling over the payment issue began Monday morning, when Curran and Democratic legislators held a news conference to urge Republicans to put the plan on Monday's agenda.

"Our finances are in good shape, our fiscal health is as good as it has been in decades, so now we want to push that money out," Curran said. "It's our moral responsibility to push that money out to our homeowners, to our renters, to our families," Curran said.

About an hour later, Republicans announced bills to eliminate two fees that have drawn complaints for years: The $355 tax map verification fee used to verify a property's section, block and lot, and a $55 public safety fee tacked onto most traffic violations.

GOP members also proposed a sharp reduction in a fee for recording mortgages, from $300 to $50.

In arguing for the fee reductions, Republicans said the county could afford them because Nassau was expected to beat sales tax estimates by $130 million this year.

The Nassau County Comptroller's midyear report, released in July, predicted sales tax revenues would beat projections by $295 million.

Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) called his caucus' proposal to cut fees, "lasting relief for all Nassau residents."

Nicolello said he also has urged Curran to institute a tax cut in her budget for 2022. Her budget proposal is due by Wednesday.

"Our sales tax are doing gangbusters," Nicolello said.

Democrats accused Republican legislators of hypocrisy, noting some of them were in office when the fee hikes were implemented during former County Executive Edward Mangano's administration.

Legis. Arnold Drucker (D-Plainview) said, "what comes to my mind is déjà vu all over again."

Mike Fricchione, a Curran spokesman, said in a statement: The fee for traffic violations, known as the "public safety" fee, "literally funds the police and anti-terrorism activities and County Executive Curran opposes any attempt by these Legislators to defund the police. These fees were proposed by [former County Executive] Ed Mangano and approved by the same Legislators who are calling for a repeal today."

In March 2020, a state Supreme Court justice ruled the county's $355 fee to verify a property's section, block and lot was "an unlawful and unconstitutional tax."

The county has appealed the decision.

Republican legislators Monday night expressed concern about the plan's rollout and how county officials had vetted their initiative.

County attorneys said the U.S. Treasury Department would not give explicit approval of the plan, under their long-standing practice. But the attorneys said they believed their plan followed the department guidelines published online.

Republicans said they expected bureaucratic failures when thousands of potential applicants attempt to send financial documents to the county online.

"This is going to be a massive undertaking," Nicolello said. "You're talking tens of thousands of people who are not going to be able to navigate this portal who are going to need manual assistance. I don't know that you're ready for this."

Under Curran's bill to make payments to individual households, checks of up to $375 would go to residents who earn $168,900 or less.

Residents earning up to $500,000 would be eligible for payments if they can show proof of financial losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Homeowners and renters are eligible for payments.

Approval of the bill could give Curran and county legislators a key victory to campaign on before the Election on Nov. 2.

But Blakeman, who will share the ballot with county Republican lawmakers, has expressed opposition to the initiative.

He has called the payments the equivalent of sending "peanuts" to residents of Nassau who saw tax hikes after Curran reassessed all properties for the first time in a decade.

"If you think that $375 are peanuts, and won't actually help people, then I say you are out of touch," Curran said Monday.

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.