Commentary: Gordon Heights a test bed for Cuomo's concept

Long Island Business News, Jun 9, 2009 by Martin Cantor

The state Legislature's approval of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's legislation to make it easier to collapse and dissolve villages, towns and special districts is a dream come true for the beleaguered taxpayers in the Gordon Heights Fire District.

It's not that Gordon Heights residents are against volunteer firefighters or don't appreciate them. It's about the taxes paid to maintain the fire district, the smallest in Brookhaven Town, which residents say is 350 percent higher than what the average Brookhaven resident pays.

Before Cuomo's legislation, pleas for help by Gordon Heights residents fell on deaf ears at Brookhaven's Town Board. Politically nobody wanted to take on the fire districts even if Gordon Heights fire and EMS tax rates are the highest per $100 of assessed valuation in Brookhaven.

With Cuomo's legislation awaiting Governor Paterson's signature, tax relief may come in the form of restructuring the districts surrounding Gordon Heights to absorb the small Gordon Heights Fire District. The Gordon Heights Fire District is 1.7 square miles, while Middle Island is 11; Coram is 8, and Yaphank and Medford are 10 square miles each.

Gordon Heights residents make a compelling argument that consolidation can maintain fire protection while reducing their taxes. If Gordon Heights fire personnel and equipment are absorbed by the surrounding districts, an economy of scale can be achieved where a larger district, with growing expenses would impact the tax rate at a much slower and more gradual rate.

Gordon Heights consolidation proponents note that taxpayers will never see relief without consolidation because the fire district lacks the necessary commercial property to help absorb its growing budget.

Compounding the problem is that there is insufficient developable land remaining that could expand the tax base to offset fire district taxes. By comparison, Gordon Heights' 936 homes and 7 commercial properties have an assessed valuation of $2.3 million, while the average Brookhaven Town fire district has 4,300 homes and 130 commercial properties with an assessed valuation of $10.5 million.

The 2008 petition drive urging the Brookhaven Town Board to dissolve the Gordon Heights Fire District was approved by 57.5 percent of signers, while only 11.7 percent didn't want to dissolve. The major difference now is that by referendum, the community can take action. This is important for Long Island taxpayers, because if consolidation can't work in Gordon Heights where a compelling argument can be made, it can't work anywhere else.