For the last five years, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi has shouted in his budget proposals that he was not raising property taxes.

Today, he is expected to change that.

Suozzi administration officials said he will propose a budget increasing property taxes by 3.9 percent – $58 year for the average homeowner – while merging or cutting some services.

The tax hike will net Nassau $30.5 million. Coupled with $69.5 million in cuts and the merging of some services, the county will have the $100 million needed to balance Suozzi’s $2.6 billion spending plan for 2009. This weekend, Suozzi was still working on the plan that he said could change.

“Except for my first year here, this is the toughest budget I’ve faced,” said Suozzi. “I am keeping my options open. If the economic crisis worsens, I’ll have to look at things never contemplated.”

High property taxes have been a sore spot with Nassau residents for years, and Suozzi will try to deflect some of that anger by pointing out that the county’s share of the average homeowner’s tax bill has been shrinking, from 22.7 percent when he took office to 17.5 percent this year.

Suozzi has become a lightning rod for anti-tax forces by agreeing in January to head a state commission to find ways to slow the increase in property taxes across the state. New York City was not included because it is not as reliant as other municipalities on property taxes.

Suozzi has come under fire by some local Republican lawmakers because, despite being head of the panel on reducing property taxes, he is proposing a tax hike in his own county. The 3.9 percent increase is one-tenth of a percentage point below the 4 percent cap his commission recommended for the state’s school districts, which get the greatest portion of property taxes.

Suozzi has proposed joining four agencies into one organization and he insists it will not dilute services. Four offices that now handle advocacy – Veterans Affairs, Physically Handicapped, Minority Affairs and the Coordinating Agency for Hispanic Americans – would be merged into a single office.

Suozzi said he would expect a new Office of the County Advocate to continue to serve its clients the same but to cut costs by consolidating operations.

Some other consolidation of functions include merging the mounted unit and highway patrol in the Police Department and putting parks, building and fleet maintenance under the Department of Public Works.

The consolidation efforts should save $4.5 million annually, Suozzi said. Savings from other cuts would amount to $27.5 million and would include closing the Traffic and Parking Violations Agency office two nights a week, cutting back on vehicle and gasoline use by employees, and trimming air conditioning and heating use.

Trimming costs

The budget that Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi is scheduled to release today with his proposed $2.6 billion spending plan for 2009 would:

Increase property taxes by 3.9 percent, or $58 a year for the average homeowner.

Merge some county functions, such as the mounted unit and highway patrol in the Police Department.

Place parks, building and fleet maintenance under the Department of Public Works.

Close the Traffic and Parking Violations Agency office two nights a week.

Curtail vehicle and gasoline use by employees.

Source: Newsday