Laura Curran proposes $3.11 billion Nassau operating budget for 2020 & opening nassau otb so people may bet or work, see ny const art 1 sec 3
Nassau Executive Laura Curran holds the proposed 2020 county budget in her office in Mineola on Monday. Photo Credit: Howard Schnapp
laura curran never worked at or read the daily news?
By Scott Eidler and Candice Ferrettescott.eidler@newsday.com, candice.ferrette@newsday.com @ScottyEidz
Stop scratching on holidays
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
OPEN ON 1ST PALM SUNDAY, OTB RAKES IN $2M
New York City Off-Track Betting made history yesterday, taking bets on Palm Sunday. Since 1973, when Sunday racing was made legal in New York State, race tracks have been allowed to operate every Sunday except for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. While Aqueduct kept its doors shut, NYCOTB had its betting parlors open despite a letter from the New York State Racing and Wagering Board stating that it couldn't do so. "We're not a race track," NYCOTB president Ray Casey said. "OTB's business is a simulcasting business.
" Bettors responded by wagering an estimated $2 million yesterday on tracks from around the country, including Keeneland in Kentucky and Gulfstream Park in Florida. While in the past NYCOTB has respected the law and shut down on Palm Sunday, it took a chance this time because its business is down. "With the weather being the way it's been our handle has been off significantly," Casey said. "Our lawyers felt from their point of view that we could open (yesterday).
" The law says race tracks can't open. It doesn't mention OTBs. "I respect the Racing and Wagering Board and I have the utmost respect for chairman Michael Hoblock but I felt we're right on this one," Casey said. The NYSRWB didn't return phone calls yesterday but said on Saturday it would meet this week to discuss fines and penalties it can impose on NYCOTB. "This isn't personal," Casey said. "I just didn't agree with the board's interpretation.
" Casey also said NYCOTB may open on Easter Sunday.
By Scott Eidler and Candice Ferrettescott.eidler@newsday.com, candice.ferrette@newsday.com @ScottyEidz
Claude Solnik
Long Island Business News
2150 Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348
Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran filed a $3.11 billion operating budget Monday that eliminates 66 vacant positions and includes no increase in property taxes or fees, officials said.
However, funding for the jobs — about $7 million — will remain in agency budgets and will be available to use for raises for county union workers.
The unions have been without labor contracts since the end of 2017 and negotiations for new agreements are underway. Curran's budget funds a workforce of 7,492 employees.
The issue of money for union raises became a flashpoint in the budgeting process last year after county officials said no money had been set aside in the 2019 budget for raises.
Majority Republicans in the county Legislature proposed a $12.4 million "contingency fund" to fund union raises.
Curran's 2020 budget, which the Legislature must approve by Oct. 30, also includes money for 14 new jobs in the Nassau District Attorney’s Office and nine more probation officers in the Sheriff's department.
The budget also adds $2 million to the Small Claims Assessment Review budget, which handles property tax challenges.
“We are maintaining spending discipline, while keeping all of our services and our current head count,” Curran said in an interview Monday. “We are very focused on maintaining fiscal discipline, on maintaining spending discipline, and not burdening the taxpayers further.”
Curran continued, “We want to make sure all of our departments can continue to provide the service, while modernizing and updating our payment and collection. We’re always looking to be more efficient and more modern when we do business, and looking to improve a level of service.”
For instance, Curran said the county treasurer's office is centralizing payment collections, and investing in a system to receive payments electronically.
In the new budget, the Curran administration projects $1.277 billion in sales tax revenues next year — 1.9 percent more than this year.
Last year, the county had predicted 2.5 percent growth in 2019. The estimate is more conservative this year because of concerns about the volatile national economy, county officials said.
Curran projected $14 million in sales tax revenues from internet sales, amounting to 1 percent of sales tax collections. The online tax revenues will help fund new county initiatives.
Nassau County officials also projected $25 million in new tax revenues from a proposed $1.3 billion project to build a new arena for the New York Islanders at Belmont State Park.
However, Nassau isn't expected to collect that money until 2021, Deputy County Executive Raymond Orlando said.
Last year, Curran sued the county Legislature over changes they approved to her 2019 budget. The legislative amendments included the Republicans' contingency fund, and money to restore police precincts closed in a consolidation effort by former County Executive Edward Mangano, a Republican.
Curran ultimately vetoed the budget changes in a deal with Democratic lawmakers in which she promised to restore closed precincts and NICE bus routes.
Democratic legislators, who had approved the original amendments to Curran's $3.075 billion budget for this year, ultimately provided Curran with the votes necessary to uphold her veto.
All 19 county legislators are up for reelection in November.
Jerry Laricchiuta, president of the Civil Service Employees Association, Nassau's largest union, said he planned to lobby legislators to restore the positions Curran eliminated in her new budget.
“Every single department in Nassau County is in crisis mode because of the refusal to hire under this administration,” Laricchiuta said Monday. “They are spending millions on subcontractors, but they are not hiring.”
Laricchiuta said there have been four meetings between the administration and union leaders over a new labor agreement.
“We came to the table, and I walked away,” he said.
Curran said Monday all unions have come to the bargaining table except the Nassau Police Benevolent Association, which represents patrol officers.
Legislative Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) said in a statement that Republicans, "will closely review the County Executive's budget to ensure it is fiscally responsible and does not put additional burdens on Nassau taxpayers."
Minority Leader Kevan M. Abrahams (D-Freeport) said a "no-tax increase budget with improved services and fiscally competent projections is a good start … We look forward to the budget hearings and completing a rigorous review of the proposed 2020 budget.”
Proposed Nassau County budget for 2020
- $3.11 billion for the five major operating funds.
- 66 vacant positions eliminated.
- Workforce funded: 7,492 employees
- Projected sales tax revenues: $1.277 billion
Source: Nassau County Executive
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