What to Know
- Long Beach is facing a dire budget crisis, officials say, and it could lead to a 12 percent raise in property taxes for homeowners
- The current budget has a $2 million hole that could see the city running out of money before the fiscal year ends in June
- The financial situation is so dire that city employees could be furloughed at any moment
Residents in a Long Island community are outraged after learning that the proposed budget for the upcoming year would raise property taxes by more than 12 percent.
The result could be about a $400-a-year raise in tax for the average homeowner in Long Beach.
"It's really unfair to do this to us," said resident Marguerite Logerto. "We work so hard just to stay here."
Michael Tangney, the acting city manager, says the current budget has a $2 million hole that could see the city running out of money before the fiscal year ends in June. The financial situation is so dire that city employees could be furloughed at any moment -- and that includes police officers and firefighters.
"I heard for years, 'We are doing great,' and then I had to crunch the numbers. I looked at every budget line," said Tangney, who blames the prior administration for poor budget planning. "I looked at every budget line."
But former city manager and current Nassau comptroller Jack Schnirman said his administration made steady progress to reverse years-old financial woes.
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That's no comfort to Logerto, who along with other residents are facing higher taxes and service cuts.
"Now we have to take the brunt of it, and it's not fair to us," she said.
