President’s Message
From the December 2007.
Dear Mayors and Trustees,
I hope you and your families enjoyed spending Thanksgiving together. While the holidays are a particulalry joyful time for most of us, it also can be extremely difficult for those less fortunate. We especially remember the men and women serving in our armed forces who were not able to be with their families this Thanksgiving. We appreciate their sacrifices and hope they will be reunited with their loved ones soon.
NYCOM – On November 19, I was one of approximately 12 NCVOA Nassau County representatives at NYCOM’s Annual Legislative Agenda Meeting held in Albany. Once again, securing a long overdue increase in revenue sharing remains NYCOM’s top priority. A complete list of the 2008 legislative priorities is included in this newsletter.
Consolidation – By now, we all know that consolidation is the current politically popular mantra. Led by the governor’s charge to consolidate and reduce governments, each day we learn of another politician jumping on the consolidation bandwagon. But as a village mayor I find it quite amusing to watch other elected officials back away from any consolidation proposals targeted towards villages. That’s because they know village governments are the most efficient and effective form of government. And consolidation and sharing of services may be a new concept to the state but it is routine to villages that have been working together for decades. At a recent conference in Albany Westbury Mayor Ernie Strada, NCVOA Past President and current NYCOM President, became incensed at a remark by the chair of the Governor’s Commission on Local Government Efficiency that villages are being targeted for elimination. Mayor Strada wasted no time in communicating to the powers that be that taking on the villages would be a futile and lethal battle. Way to go, Ernie. We are right with you so keep up the fight. It should be quite interesting to see what the commission recommends when it releases its report this spring.On a related matter, the NCVOA Executive Committee met recently with representatives from the consulting firm hired by Nassau County to review duplication of services. The consultants claimed they were concentrating on analyzing the efficacy of special districts; however, the county has requested water usage records from villages. Our position is that the county can request – not direct – this assistance from villages.
Taxi Bill – We continue to challenge Nassau County’s efforts to become the taxi licensing authority, which would direct impact villages currently responsible for taxi licensing. As you know, this continues to be a contentious issue since the county’s interpretation of the law passed last session is markedly different than ours. We will be meeting December 13 with John Kiernan, the NCVOA’s Albany lobbyist, to evaluate the legislation and discuss any proposed amendments necessary to protect the villages’ licensing authority. We will keep you posted on any new developments.
Econnergy Picking Up SteamEconnergy, a lower cost alternative gas supplier for villages and their residents, is moving forward with enrolling villages. To date, 13 villages have committed to participating with several others in the process of joining. I continue to urge all mayors and trustees to consider offering Econnergy’s service to their residents. Check out our website for more details www.ncvoa.org or contact Warren Tackenberg at 437-1455.
I hope you make plans to attend the December 11 holiday meeting at LaMarmite, which will feature a special holiday buffet and plenty of camaraderie. On behalf of the Executive Committee, I wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday season
Sincerely,
Jim Altadonna
President
Email James