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VOL. 127 NO. 13 MAR. 28 - APR. 3, 2025 $1.00
L.V. holds final budget presentation million, an increase of roughly 2.7 over the current year. A significant portion, roughly threeThe Locust Valley Central quarters, of the budget is allocated to staff salaries and beneSchool District held fits. Tax revenue its fourth budget will cover just over meeting on 91 percent of Wednesday night, spending, with an at wh i ch K a re n additional $5.6 milHoroszewski, assislion coming from tant superinten the state. dent for business, The discussion detailed the disturned to the t r i c t ’s f i n a n c i a l state’s property tax plans for the 2025cap, implemented 2 6 s c h o o l y e a r. in 2011 to limit Addressing an a n nu a l t a x l ev y a r r ay o f t o p i c s g rowth for local from tax caps to gover nments and capital projects, school districts. Horoszewski Next year the diso f f e re d i n s i g h t s trict will once into the district’s KAREN again keep the tax f i n a n c i a l h e a l t h HOROSZEWSKI levy increase to 2 and future expendi- Assistant percent, which will tures. superintendent for accommodate nec“I just want to business, essary expendiapologize for those tures such as capiwho have seen my Locust Valley Central tal projects and o t h e r p r e s e n t a - School District debt service. tions,” she joked at “ Yo u c a n s e e the start of the presentation. “I’m repeating myself quite a that we are well within the bit, but I think it’s important to range for our district,” Horoszewski said. “We recognize the start at the beginning.” Horoszewski began by high- importance of (the tax levy’s) lighting next year’s projected impact on our community, our spending plan, totaling $96.4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
By WILL SHEELINE
wsheeline@liherald.com
W
Courtesy Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District
Learning about social studies at T.R. Elementary First graders at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School participated in the fourth annual Social Studies Night on March 19. Learning about history, civics, community and more. Story, more photos, Page 3.
DeRiggi-Whitton and Blakeman clash over capital improvement By ROKSANA AMID ramid@liherald.com
Tensions boiled over on Monday as the Nassau County Legislature failed to pass County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s $426 million capital improvement plan, leaving critical infrastructure funding in limbo amid a bitter partisan standoff over fire department funding. All 12 Republican legislators voted to approve the plan, which includes money for roadwork, park upgrades, police equipment and emergency vehicles. But all seven Democrats abstained, arguing that Blakeman failed to provide a written commitment to fund safety upgrades for fire
departments and EMS services in their districts. After a hour of debate in the legislative chamber, the plan was tabled. The reason for the stalemate, according to Democrats, is a lack of trust. John Jarvis, a Glen Cove resident who volunteers for the Oyster Bay Fire Department, was one of a dozen people who spoke to legislators before their vote. “A lot of these grants going back to 2023 and 2022 are from those years’ capital plans, and they just want assurance that those that they’re going to going to be able to get their grants,” Jarvis said of the legislators. “I find it extremely offensive that my fire department is able to secure a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
e recognize the importance of (the tax levy’s) impact on our community, our balance and the reserve.