OMB Director Stankiewicz explains Nassau County millage, budget for FY2018-19

Justin – I am interested to know. In Nassau County we have one ALF that pays NO PROPERTY taxes, the company that owns it is from south florida and they have created a closely held not for profit and taken advantage of the loop hole that allows them to escape paying property taxes. My companies pay well in excess of $31,000 in property taxes because we are a family owned local business. The trips by your local EMS services are all compensable via Medicaid and Medicare so that should generate some added revenue to the county coffers, we create about 45 jobs on the Westside of the county near Hilliard where population was actually decreasing. Yet not only did our property values get increased but so did our taxes go up. Our residents cannot access the adult education classes any more because of the $31 fees in place so that is no longer available, the law enforcement is a definite benefit but we do not live on a dirt road, we have our own back up generators, we never send anyone to the county health department, although we do ask them to come do training at times. It is well established that health care dollars roll over in the economy by a factor of ten times and these assets are sources of jobs and economic stabilization, especially in slow growth parts of the county. I just think that everyone should be treated equally, we serve a large Medicaid population wherein there is a public interest and yes a public service is rendered in that regard. The county investment in the safety net system is minimal and despite the facts that you have an aging population. Improving the framework for how we will deliver health care moving forward will define us as a community. Lets hope we get it right.