Rockville Centre Letters to the Editor - Jan. 28, 2010

Posted

We’re already dysfunctional

To the Editor:

I could not agree more with your editorial “A sad state of affairs” (Jan. 14-20) concerning the unwillingness or inability of the school district to work with the Village of Rockville Centre, not against it, and not against the interest of village taxpayers.

The editorial stated that the school district and village “can’t seem to find common ground on any of the issues before them, including parking and garbage.” I submit that there are far more fundamental problems between them than parking issues and garbage pickup, related largely to the school district’s myopic view that it is an island unto itself with accountability to no one.

Recall that last year, the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency held a hearing on the application of AvalonBay developers for tax abatements relating to the Signature Place Project, including real estate property taxes payable to the village and the school district. AvalonBay sought to shift $15 million of its tax liabilities to village homeowners over the next decade.

Recall, too, that village officials and residents packed the IDA meeting to vehemently oppose AvalonBay’s application because it would get all the revenue, while village residents would pick up the tab for the increased costs of schools, police, fire, water, sanitation and road maintenance for hundreds of new families and schoolchildren.

Recall, too, that school Superintendent Dr. William Johnson spoke in favor of AvalonBay’s application, declaring that the school district has “nothing to do with the village” and should be considered separately. Indeed, Dr. Johnson was not shy about grabbing any and every additional dollar for the schools, the village and its taxpayers (largely the exact same constituency paying school taxes) be damned.

AvalonBay’s naked money grab to extract the maximum amount of public taxpayer dollars in an effort to fatten its corporate profits was to be expected. But the school district’s plainly stated view that it is “separate” from the village was nothing short of astonishing.

Your editorial is spot-on that village residents should be outraged, and overburdened taxpayers should demand that the village and school district work together to save money and avoid duplication of services.

I do disagree, however, with your claim that “the deepening rift between two taxing authorities threatens to make Rockville Centre a poster child for dysfunctional government.” Unfortunately, we’re already there.

Siobhan E. Moran

Rockville Centre