Nassau County passes $4.2B yearly budget; now heads to fiscal watchdog for a final vote

The Nassau County Legislature on Wednesday adopted County Executive Bruce Blakeman's $4.2 billion budget for 2025 that keeps property taxes flat while using surpluses, or "rainy-day funds," for some operations.

But it's unclear if the financial oversight board that has the final say on the budget will approve it. 

The vote was 12-6, along party lines, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed. Democrat Legis. Seth Koslow of Merrick missed the meeting and did not vote. 

In prepared remarks at the start of the meeting, Presiding Officer Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence) spoke on behalf of the Republican Majority endorsing Blakeman's track record of prudent fiscal management. He said Blakeman "has earned the opportunity to manage the county budget" citing credit rating increases and bolstered surpluses since he became county executive in 2022. 

"In a budget this size you're always going to have risks and opportunities — without a doubt — however the county has sufficient resources, more than enough resources available set aside to mitigate and deal with all of the risks," Kopel said. "Even if you have all of the risks materialize and none of the opportunities."

The county has ended with a budget surplus for five consecutive years and in May benefited from credit rating upgrades by Moody's and Fitch as well as a "positive" outlook from Standard & Poor's.

Republicans contend that the budget is conservative, even as it keeps the county portion of residents’ property taxes flat, mainly because it assumes no growth in the county’s sales tax revenue, which makes up 45% of all county revenue.

Both the Office of Legislative Budget Review and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the county's state-appointed fiscal watchdog, have noted the use of prior year surpluses to fund future expenses in an uncertain economic climate. 

The proposal sets aside two police cadet classes and two correctional officer classes for a total of 206 new hires to offset expected retirements, according to the 2025 budget’s executive summary.

Blakeman is also committing an additional $22 million — up to $185 million — for early intervention and preschool services for children who require speech, occupational and physical therapies before they begin kindergarten.

Legislators held three public hearings since the administration proposed the budget last month that included testimony from residents, various departments heads, the county Comptroller Elaine Phillips and the administration's budget director. 

A NIFA report provided the strongest criticism of Blakeman's budget with concerns about the accounting practices their analysts allege could be in violation of the county charter and the NIFA Act. 

A NIFA analysis called the practices in the county's 2025 budget "extremely troubling" and said the use of $30 million of surplus funds annually for the next three budget cycles "a sign that the County remains fiscally challenged."

NIFA Chairman Richard Kessel told Newsday he was not sure how the five-member panel would vote next month.

Minority Leader Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) said Blakeman relies too much on federal pandemic funding "to prop up" the 2025 budget and to "paint a rosy picture" of the county's finances. 

She said the report NIFA validated her concerns. NIFA could reject the budget when it votes next month; its approval is required. 

"The bottom line is we're using the one-shot, COVID recovery funding, to patch this budget," DeRiggi-Whitton said. "And as anyone knows, that type of plan is not fiscally sound. We will see what NIFA does but I have a feeling we are going to have a problem with it." 

Nassau received $385 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"I’m very pleased that the Republican Majority unanimously passed our no tax increase budget," Blakeman said in a statement, falsely adding that Democrats "wanted a tax increase" when in fact the minority did not. 

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.