Assemblyman Andrew Garbarino (R,C,I-Sayville), having started his second term in office, has recommitted himself to the work of helping make Long Island a better place to live and do business. While progress was made in his first term, there is still work left to be done. His top priorities for the New Year include reducing property taxes and restoring local education funding that was cut over five years ago.
“In the last two years, I’ve worked to make sure the state took meaningful steps to control property taxes and support our local schools. The two are tied together, as fair state funding for our schools means lower school taxes here on Long Island,” said Garbarino. “However, our schools still aren’t getting the funding they need, and our kids are paying the price. That’s why my number one priority is to completely restore all funding that was lost as part of the massive 2010 education cut known as the Gap Elimination Adjustment.”
New York State received a windfall of $3.8 billion in settlement money in 2014, and lawmakers must now decide how to best use these funds. Garbarino is looking to use some of this money to upgrade local infrastructure on Long Island by creating a new sewer district for areas in Sayville, West Sayville, Bayport, Great River, and Oakdale.
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“The settlement money would be best used to upgrade infrastructure and move forward on projects that are long overdue,” said Garbarino. “One important infrastructure project we can move forward on is the creation of a new sewer district for Sayville, West Sayville, Bayport, Great River, and Oakdale. This sewer district would help protect our environment, revitalize our businesses, and improve our property values. I am hopeful that we can use some of the settlement money in the budget for this purpose.”
