East Williston Mayor and Nassau County Village Officials Association President David E. Tanner, testified at a statewide public hearing entitled “Fiscally Distressed Municipalities: Preparing For and Preventing Municipal Bankruptcy in New York” on Aug. 27. The hearing was held before the New York State Senate Committee on Local Government, chaired by Sen. Jack M. Martins.
Tanner was part of a small group of municipal leaders and financial experts brought together to find solutions to the long-term debt crisis and budget shortfalls experienced by local governments in the state. With the recent bankruptcy of Detroit as a backdrop, one of the goals of the hearing was to determine what could be learned from the situation in Detroit to avoid a similar outcome in New York.
Tanner discussed issues of fiscal distress caused by pension fund increases, unfunded mandates, and villages’ inability to directly grant tax rebates through Industrial Development Agencies.
A series of these hearings were held at various locations throughout New York. Tanner spoke at the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola.
Pointing to tax collection shortfalls as a leading indicator of fiscal distress, Tanner highlighted a village and a city in Nassau County, as well as a city in Upstate New York as three generic stages of fiscal stress, exacerbated by inadequate tax collection. He also addressed the impact of faulty tax collection on property foreclosures.
“My longtime involvement in local government has always been extremely rewarding,” Tanner said. “I’m proud to have had the opportunity to contribute to new initiatives that will promote the financial well-being of municipalities and help them overcome financial challenges, particularly in Nassau County.”
