Both Suffolk and Nassau counties pay a higher percentage in property taxes than almost any other counties in the United States of America. And yet our infrastructure is crumbling. Our roads are riddled with potholes and our modes of transportation on and off this island are outdated and dangerous. As a region, we pay more to the state than we receive in return. And New York State pays more to the federal government than the state receives in return. And yet, we find it increasingly difficult to live here. Our children are taking our grandchildren and fleeing to greener pastures where their dollar goes much further.
We are proud Long Islanders and proud New Yorkers. And we are good, charitable people. But we are not THAT charitable. We are not in the business of financing outside entities at our own expense. While we enjoy great schools that account for a large chunk of our tax bill, we fear for the school buses that must travel our roadways. And while we do not sit here and ask for our partners in government to bestow welfare on our poor region, we do believe it is reasonable to ask that a decent and fair amount of our own dollars are spent right where we live quite simply so we can continue to live here.
The current economic model for Nassau and Suffolk counties is simply not sustainable. It is commonly known that one will live as they have always lived, feeling safe and comfortable with what they have known until they reach a breaking point upon which a change must occur. Here on Long Island, that breaking point was reached decades ago. We repeatedly ask that if we pay such exorbitant taxes, why can’t we have decent roads? And that’s a fair question.
In the current proposed budget, Governor Hochul has begun the long process to try to right some of these historic wrongs. In the New York State Senate’s proposed budget, there is a proposed dedicated fund of $30 million specific to Long Island roads. We see the first blade of grass in our own greener pasture. We continue to ask as the budget negotiations reach fever pitch in the days to come that New York to give us the mechanism with which we can begin to water our own grass, sew our own seeds and create a livable and sustainable Long Island.
Learn more about Long Island Contractors’ Association
