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Fixing Brookhaven's fiscal fix
Mazzei has multi-pronged plan, Lesko differs
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| | | Councilman Mazzei and a depiction of the mortgage tax revenue drop. Photo by L. Lutz (click for larger version) | |
February 12, 2009 | 10:33 AM
Councilman Tim Mazzei (R-Blue Point), Brookhaven Town Board's majority leader and candidate for supervisor, unveiled his plan to improve fiscal responsibility in view of the economic recession Tuesday. Mazzei's Democratic opponent in the March 31 special election, Mark Lesko of Setauket, responded by calling the councilman "the fox guarding the henhouse."
Mazzei is proposing a multilevel approach to dealing with Brookhaven's current revenue shortfalls and long-range outlook. First, he is proposing to implement a three-year fiscal plan and has asked the town's financial advisor and finance commissioner to prepare it. Mazzei said Tuesday a presentation will be made to the council at its work session on Feb. 24. Next, the councilman proposed to create a Budget Advisory Committee including representatives from the supervisor's office, the Town Board, Finance Commissioner Charlene Kagel and "outside financial advisors," unpaid experts who would provide advice and counsel.
Mazzei will also "ask Charlene to look into cuts in the capital budget," although he would not speculate on what projects might be eliminated or delayed. He said the goal would be to reduce the town's debt service, which has grown from about $22.5 million in 2006 to a projected $26.5 million in 2009. Finally Mazzei said he wants to "improve the level of the town's financial reporting" by directing Kagel to prepare the town's first comprehensive annual financial report.
"Less than 10 percent of governments in North America prepare a CAFR," Kagel said, describing the document as a "kicked up version of our financial statements."
"Councilman Mazzei was directly responsible for a $10 million increase last year" in spending, Lesko said. "I would have done everything possible to decrease spending." The former federal prosecutor said that instead of keeping his eye on the bottom line, Mazzei "obsessed on Brian Foley," reducing the former supervisor's staff and authority since the Republicans regained a majority on the Town Board in January 2008.
Lesko reacted to the creation of a budget advisory committee by saying he is "not a big believer in budget by committee." "The supervisor is the chief financial officer of the town. Budget decisions need to start there," he said.
Lesko seemed to agree with his opponent's suggestion that capital spending needed to be cut back. "We need to look at each [project] individually" and "not put off hard decisions."
Lesko said his focus would be on improving the town's tax base to increase revenue. "Growth industries" such as in alternative energy need to be attracted to the town, he said, and partnering with Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory to create "region strategies" would help achieve his goal. Lekso said he would also "focus on sewers," since attracting large companies would require that infrastructure.
Mazzei pointed to the recently approved ash deal with Islip Town that "guarantees revenue for the next six years" as an example of a "new revenue stream" that must be sought in view of ever-decreasing mortgage tax and landfill fee reciepts. Brookhaven's mortgage tax revenue fell from $27.6 million in 2007 to $14.8 last year, a plunge of 46 percent.
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