While many look at Long Island and think it’s just a tranquil place for the wealthy to play on the weekends and on vacation during the summer, it’s still full of politics and policy that have to be handled. Leaders in the area are confronted with issues, such as higher property taxes and infrastructure projects that they are working on every single day. Here’s a look at some of the current projects leaders are facing right now which may relate to property tax rates and how revenues are spent.
Ethics Reform
Many political scandals have become a part of the reason the public doesn’t completely trust the government of Long Island. Right now, leaders are faced with an ethics reform issue to gain back the trust of the people.
Wind Energy
The largest offshore wind farm in the entire country was built in the area recently with help from Deepwater Wind. This was done in partnership with the Long Island Power Authority. The first part of this project is the south Fork wind farm, which includes 15 wind turbines and can create 90 megawatts of clean energy. It’s found about 30 miles off the coast of Montauk, which means it cannot be seen from the Long Island beaches. This could be one of many wind farms found offshore very soon.
Property Tax Cap
New measures coming with the 2017-2018 state budget will bolster the legislation to cap any property tax hikes. In addition, public hearings must be held by local governments on ways that costs can be cut. State Republicans still want to take it further by making a tax cap permanent, which it currently is not.
The current policy has proven to be beneficial for those living in Long Island, but has caused the government to eliminate certain services and programs. Schools have taken quite a hit since they use about 60% of the property tax dollars collected.
MS-13 Gang Violence
Public safety is always an important issue that must be handled. Republican Pete King has called for the best law enforcement officials to help with this issue in Long Island. The most pressing right now may be to find a way to shut down MS-13, which has been responsible for at least 11 murders in Suffolk County over the past year, many of which were teenagers.
Leaders are busy working on these projects and figuring out the best way to spend tax dollars collected in Long Island and all across the state. Though we’ll have to wait and see how they play out, and the real impact they have on local property tax bills.