In the Feb. 3 issue of Newsday, the front-page story headlined the Long Islanders who topped New York state’s six-figure pension list. more

Nassau County residents in dire need of gasoline may be seeing some relief over the coming days. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that he has signed an Executive Order to allow distributors to transport gasoline, diesel and kerosene into the New York without having to meet the usual registration requirements. more

Long Beach residents will be paying more to ride the bus this month — and will see increases in their water and sewer bills in the fall — as the city contends with its financial woes. The … more

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli is launching an audit of Long Beach’s finances next month, as the city grapples with a $10.25 million deficit and a credit-rating downgrade by Moody’s … more

The Long Beach City Council is working to create a local economic development corporation that could bolster revenue as the city contends with a fiscal crisis, attract new businesses to the area … more

The Nassau County Village Officials Association (NCVOA) hosted a seminar in Williston Park on Jan. 10 — and the state’s new tax levy cap law that went into effect in January was a hot … more

My last column, “Stop playing games with the budget deficit” (Feb. 3) was written one week before New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued his analysis of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget draft. The irrationality I outlined fell short of anticipating the following mea-culpa expressed in the comptroller’s analysis. “The SFY 2010-2011 enacted budget relied on $16.7 billion in non-recurring or temporary budget resources; and overly optimistic tax revenue projections, causing a dramatically worsened state structural deficit.” How dramatic? These tenuous entries constituted 30 percent of all the monies in the state’s operating fund. more

Just work it out. That’s the advice Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos has offered County Executive Ed Mangano and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which are at a standstill … more

Following reports that the Long Island Power Authority spent an estimated $30 million on Hurricane Earl, leaving customers to potentially face a rate increase, New York State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr. and other area lawmakers requested this past week that State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli conduct an audit of LIPA’s handling of the situation. more

While Nassau County residents are paying some of the highest taxes in the nation, Comptroller Howard Weitzman has done his part to ease the burden somewhat. During the past eight years Weitzman has shown that he is a competent financial watchdog, and has looked for savings in places no one before him ever tried. more