Serving The Willistons, Albertson, Herricks, Mineola, Roslyn Heights, and Searingtown
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Friday, February 9, 2018
Vol. 67, No. 6
SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
STRAUSS SEEKS RE-ELECTION
CURRAN SLAMS NYC WATER PLAN
PAGES 35-46
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
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Residents of Mineola to get refund checks Among homeowners in 5 villages overcharged for county sewer taxes BY R E B ECC A K L A R Residents in Mineola are among those in five villages across the county who will receive refunds after being overcharged!for sewer taxes because of a mistake made in former County Executive Edward Mangano’s administration, County Executive Laura Curran said at a news conference on Monday. The residents in the villages of Mineola, Freeport, Hempstead, Garden City and Rockville Centre were overcharged as much as 75 percent while other residents were slightly undercharged, Curran said. Thirty-four thousand residents in the Town of Hempstead were affected by the flaw, Curran said. It is a $10 million problem, Curran said. The refunds will be drawn from the sewer fund, which currently has a surplus, Curran said. When asked by a reporter, Curran said she would have to look into the exact amount of the sur-
plus. A corrected tax bill will also be sent for the second half of the year for those who only paid in part, and the tax bills will be adjusted for those who were undercharged, Curran said. The mistake came from a transcription error when budget changes were made during Mangano’s term, Curran said. “We knew that we were inheriting a mess, but as we move forward to will address any problems as quickly as possible,” Curran said.! She added that this is a bipartisan problem and it will be solved in a bipartisan way. Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) said that the Republican majority will cooperate with the minority and Curran, a Democrat, to remedy the situation. “It’s an issue we can prevent and will correct,” Nicolello said. Continued on Page 67
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MINEOLA UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Polar preschool Hampton Street pre-K students participated in several activities including putting their hands in cold water and creating a life-sized bear. See story on page 61.
Major crime down more than 3% in county in ’17 B Y R E B E C C A K L A R ment.
A total of 5,559 major The number of major crimes were reported, comcrimes reported in Nassau pared with 5,753 in 2016. A total of 25,910 crimes County fell 3.47 percent last year, with the largest decline in were reported, a 0.85 percent sexual abuse at 53.57 percent, decrease. The decrease in crime is a according to the Police Depart-
combination of a well-trained police staff with an increase in innovative practices, Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (RNew Hyde Park) said. Continued on Page 68
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