Sanitation Districts

 

Nassau County currently has twenty-four refuse and garbage districts⁸. Nassau County is also home to sixteen commissioner-lead districts. In essence, these districts elect their own commissioners, and then have the independence to tax and spend at levels of their choosing. In total, Nassau County is home to 15% of New York State’s total number of Sanitation Districts, but, the taxes collected from these districts amount to 14% of all Special District taxes collected in the entirety of New York State.⁹

Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman and New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli have issued reports that have detailed the excessive wasteful spending, corrupt practices, and general misappropriation of taxpayer dollars. Both Comptrollers have conducted audits of Hempstead’s Special Sanitary Districts¹⁰ - and both studies have yielded the same results: that these districts are completely inefficient and should be consolidated into the Town of Hempstead government - if not streamlined or reformed. In 2005 former New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi conducted an audit of several of Hempstead’s sanitary districts¹¹, and took specific issue with their commissioner’s exorbitant salaries.

 

Commissioner Salaries Table¹²

	District 1	District 2	District 6	District 7
Number of Employees	110	120	220	66
2005 Budget	$15 million	$9 million	$22 million	$6 million
Superintendent Salary	$139,221	$99,858	$104,536	$128,773
Assistant Supt. Salary	$100,939	$91,670	$77,811	*

* District 7 does not have an Assistant Superintendent.

 

Hevesi’s audit went on to chastise District 1’s Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent for receiving pay raises at a 12% annual rate - far higher than their counterparts.¹³

To put some of these commissioner salaries in perspective, District 1’s Commissioner made $59,721 more annually than the base salary of a member of the New York State Legislature¹⁴, while District 7’s Commissioner came in second place, out earning their statewide representatives by $49,273¹⁵.

Comptroller Weitzman even provided a breakdown of potential savings that could occur if consolidation measures were to be implemented.

 

Projected Savings Table¹⁶

	Total Collection Costs	Collection Cost per Class 1 Parcel	Potential Savings if Collection was Performed at the Town's Collection Cost Levels	Potential Tax Savings per Parcel
				Class 1	Class 2	Class 3	Class 4
District 1	$11,197,000	$769	$4,385,269	$175	$1,031	$4,161	$745
District 2	$9,689,200	$640	$2,599,000	$124	$845	$6,227	$357
District 6	$23,486,000	$784	$9,472,100	$223	$2,745	$11,067	$1,019
District 7	$6,282,008	$636	$1,660,344	$86	$1,288	$16,831	$353
District 14**	$325,000	$361	($96,300)	($78)	($111)	($1,269)	($653)
Town Run Sanitation*	$37,129,750	$468	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Total Savings Opportunity			$18,020,413

* Town of Hempstead Sanitation, Lido Beach/Point Lookout, Merrick-North Merrick
** Although included in the chart, District 14 is non-representative because it serves only 900 parcels.

 

Many Special Sanitation districts in the Town of Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay charge tax rates that far exceed the municipal rates charged by the towns - as is evidenced here.

 

SANITARY, GARBAGE & REFUSE DISPOSAL DISTRICTS¹⁷

2006 TAXES PAID BY A BUSINESS WITH A $1,000,000 VALUATION

SANITARY, GARBAGE & REFUSE DISPOSAL DISTRICTS	2006 Class 4 Tax Rate	2006 Taxes Paid
TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD
Sanitary #6 (Elmont, Franklin Sq, West Hemp., etc) & Hempstead Refuse Disposal*	80.046	$8,005
Sanitary #2 (Baldwin, Roosevelt, So. Hemp.) & Hempstead Refuse Disposal*	77.444	$7,744
Sanitary #7 (Oceanside) &Hempstead Refuse Disposal*	54.374	$5,437
Merrick, North Merrick &Hempstead Refuse Disposal	51.819	$5,182
Lido Beachpoint Lookout &Hempstead Refuse Disposal	46.809	$4,681
Hempstead Town (E. of Meadowbrook Pkwy) Garbage & Refuse Disposal	44.732	$4,473
Sanitary #14 (East Atlantic Beach) &Hempstead Refuse Disposal*	41.605	$4,161
Sanitary District #1 (Five Towns Hempstead) * (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	39.016	$3,902
TOWN OF OYSTER BAY
Garbage District #2 & Oyster Bay Solid Waste Disposal	60.557	$6,056
Syosset Sanitary District & Oyster Bay Solid Waste Disposal	41.921	$4,192
Garbage District #1 & Oyster Bay Solid Waste Disposal	39.788	$3,979
Glenwoodglen Head Garbage Disposal District* (OB) (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	19.762	$1,976
TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD
New Cassel Garbage District (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	31.160	$3,116
Albertson, Searington, & Herricks Refuse/Garbage (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	20.799	$2,080
New Hyde Park, Garden City Park, & Floral Park Centre Refuse & Garbage (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	20.782	$2,078
Great Neck Refuse & Garbage (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	19.480	$1,948
Port Washington Garbage District* (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	13.830	$1,383
Roslyn Garbage District* (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	12.082	$1,208
Carle Place Garbage District* (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	11.152	$1,115
Manhasset Garbage District (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	10.821	$1,082
Glenwood Garbage District* (No Hempstead) (No Refuse Disposal Tax)	0.562	$56

* Tax rates fo disposal districts: Town of Hempstead 20.639 Town of Oyster Bay 12.329

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