Politics & Government

Foley Sale Imminent After Legislature Fails To Override Levy Veto

Legislature had proposed funding the Yaphank nursing home through 2011.

The Suffolk County Legislature failed on Tuesday to override County Executive Steve Levy's vetoes of bills that would have provided funding for Yaphank's John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility into 2011.

The 10-6 vote, two short of the supermajority needed, means the closure of Foley is imminent in the beginning of the new year.

The Legislature's decision was cast after a 10-hour marathon session that included a public hearing on the facility's sale. Foley's staff and residents' family members made emotional pleas for the facility to be kept open, while conservative party members argued for the fiscal savings the sale would bring.

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Presiding Officer William Lindsay, D-Holbrook, has vowed in earlier sessions to hold a vote on the sale of Foley nursing home by the year's end. However, Lindsay has openly questioned whether the action would have the votes needed to pass.

The legislature did override Levy's vetoes to its omnibus bill by 12-4 vote. The two votes necessary came from Legis. Edward Romaine, R- Center Moriches, who recused himself from Foley's vote as his wife works there, and Legis. Steve Stern, R-Dix Hills.

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This action restores $1.32 million in funding to health care facilities, increases park fees to 2009 levels in hopes of generating $80 million in revenue, and funds Shot Spotter technology for the police departments.

"While I didn't get 100 percent of what I wanted, I maintained my tax freeze and won the two-decades-old battle to get the county out of the nursing home business, thereby saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars over the next several years," Levy said. "On a side note, we remain perplexed and disappointed by the delay in police hiring which the legislature has called for so many times over the last year."

The omnibus bill also pushes the Suffolk County police class originally scheduled for next March to September 2011 in order to save $1 million by keeping officers on the street during the summer instead of in the classrooms, reducing county paid overtime.

"The legislature's $2.7 million omnibus bill will not increase county property taxes, freezing taxes for the seventh straight year. "The budget group worked together in a bipartisan fashion to craft not only a no-tax increase budget but a budget that serves the needs of Suffolk County," said Legis. Lynne Nowick, R-St. James.

However, Minority Leader Legis. Daniel Losquadro and Legis. Louis D'Amaro, D-Huntington, decried the omnibus budget.  "I do not think we should have rescheduled the police class, and we're out of line to replace the law enforcement vehicles," Losquadro said.


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