Officials Announced Plan to Resolve Local Tax Refund Backlog

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, Suffolk County Treasurer Barry Paul, a representative of Comptroller John Kennedy and Legislator Bill Lindsay III recently announced a merger in order to resolve Suffolk County’s longstanding tax refund backlog.

Due to the backlog, more than 11,000 refunds, including 1,121 cases in the Town of Southampton, had been delayed for an average of one year, which left taxpayers waiting for refunds and cost a total of $1 million in interest payments.

In addition to the interest costs, eliminating the backlog has saved taxpayers approximately $230,000 so far in 2015.

The County also anticipates an estimated additional savings of $250,000 that could be recognized by the end of the year.

“Working together, Suffolk County has – for the first time – eliminated an elected office in the County government and successfully begun merging two offices, saving taxpayer dollars and improving efficiency,” Bellone said. “At a time when people sometimes look at government and say there is a lot of partisanship, this is an example of putting politics aside to work together on the issues that matter and that affect peoples’ lives.”

The merger will not officially take place until January 1, but both Kennedy and Lindsay have already improved processes and staff from the two offices have already begun working together.

This is the latest step in the effort to merge the offices of the Comptroller and Treasurer which was proposed by Bellone and Lindsay.

Last November, over 60 percent of Suffolk County voters approved a referendum to merge the offices in order to save taxpayer dollars, improve efficiency and eliminate unnecessary positions.