Office of the
County Executive
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Steve Levy
County Executive |
Kevin
Law
Chief Deputy
Paul Sabatino, II
Chief Deputy |
Press
Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug 23, 2005 |
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County Executive’s
Line-Item Veto on Community College Budget Provides 0%
Tax Impact; Cuts Proposed Tuition Hike in Half
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County
Executive's Line-Item Veto on Community College Budget
Provides 0% Tax Impact; Cuts Proposed Tuition Hike in
Half
Levy Nixes Legislature's 4-Percent Tax Increase;
Provides Additional Cost-Cutting to Ward Off Proposed
$150 Tuition Increase
Hauppauge, NY— Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy took
his veto pen to portions of the Legislature's amendments
to the Suffolk County Community College budget –
eliminating the Legislature's proposed 4-percent
increase in property taxes and cutting in half the
college's proposed $150 tuition increase.
"Using line-item veto power and implementing smart
management policies, we will be able to wipe out any
property tax hike, cut spending and reduce the tuition
hike from $150 to $75," said Levy. "Since I introduced
my proposed college budget, which gave the school almost
everything it asked for, we have realized additional
savings in the County's self-insured fund. By applying
this savings, there will be no need to increase property
taxes for the County's contribution to the college
budget," he added.
Levy is calling on the Suffolk County Legislature not to
override the line-item vetoes when it meets Tuesday
evening, and is asking the College Board of Trustees to
lower its proposed tuition hike from $3,040 to $2,965.
Last year Levy introduced a 0% tax increase budget which
gave the college all that it asked for. When the
Legislature increased spending by 4% ($1.2 million),
Levy warned that this was unnecessary – as evidenced by
the fact that the college ended up with a $2.5 million
surplus.
This year Levy again provided the college with the
overwhelming majority of its requests without increasing
the burden to County taxpayers. The Legislature again
added 4% and a $50 reduction in the proposed tuition;
Levy's vetoes eliminate the 4% tax hike and cut the
tuition hike by $75.
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