Glen Cove seeking more funding from county

The Glen Cove City Council met on March 21 for a pre-council meeting to address resolutions that will be discussed at the next city council meeting on Tuesday, March 28.

The first topic on the relatively short agenda was the discussion of the yearly funds Glen Cove is requesting from Nassau County under the Housing and Community Development Act. The total amount of funding requested by the city for 2017 is $425,000, which is an increase of $30,000 from last year. About $50,000 of these funds will being allocated to seven public service agency programs, which is a $10,000 increase from last year. The public service agency programs that requested funding include the Boys and Girls Club and the Senior Center. Funding that is not for public service agency programs will be used for municipal purposes including: the commercial rehabilitation program and sign program, disposition and acquisition activities, demolition and clearance activities and residential rehab programs.

Regarding the funds for the public service agencies, Mayor Spinello said, “No one received less than they did last year, and some of them a little bit more.”

The requested amount of funding is not guaranteed and is subject to change after review by the county.

The council then discussed the bonds it plans on requesting from the free market that will fund various city improvements and equipment needs. The total amount that is being requested is just over $4 million, which is significantly less than the $6 million and change borrowed last year. Some of these needs include a new fire truck, which will likely be the most expensive piece of equipment, harbor patrol equipment, fire hydrant replacements, road work, parking lot upgrades, and park improvements. Because the amount being requested is so much lower, the city does not expect to have to borrow funds to help pay for the retirement for its city employees.

The next order of business focused on filing an application for state assistance from the Household Hazards Waste State Assistance Program. Filing for this assistance will allow for a reimbursement of up to 50 percent of the city’s bi-annual S.T.O.P (Stop Throwing Out Pollutants) program costs.

The last few items on the agenda included authorizing the closing of roads for the annual “Baseball Parade” on Saturday, April 20, approving a new cleaner for the public works department, and approving a new seasonal laborer for the golf course.

Finally, the council discussed a collaboration with CGI Communications to create four video vignettes about Glen Cove that will be posted on the city’s website. It will take about three months to create it if it is approved at the next council meeting.

In addition, the two upcoming town hall meetings in April will now include a translator for non-English speaking attendees, and allow leaders from all the city’s divisions such as parks, the police department and the Glen Cove Hospital to give program updates. The town hall meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, at Landing School and Monday, April 24, at Connelly School.