Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced that Nassau County has delivered millions in local aid to residents and businesses while ending 2020 with an estimated $75 million budget surplus after the County realized a better than expected 8% decline in sales tax revenue. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran also attributed the surplus to conservative budget practices and strong fiscal controls put into place at the very beginning of the pandemic, along with federal relief funds that were used to protect public health and safety. In fact, the County was able to navigate delivering pandemic related services including providing free COVID-19 testing for tens of thousands of residents and putting food on the table for over 30,000 families in need, all during a revenue shortfall, without cutting jobs or raising taxes.
“Throughout the pandemic my administration has worked tirelessly to meet the needs of the community. From food and warm clothing distributions to testing and vaccination sites, Nassau put the necessary resources in place to meet the needs of the community during these unprecedented times. While I remain optimistic that the County is close to defeating this pandemic as more vaccine becomes available, I am extremely mindful of businesses and families that continue to struggle,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. “Nassau’s recovery is in its infancy and we will continue leveraging every opportunity at our disposal to spur economic development and hiring.”
The surplus was realized in February, 2021 and is in large part due to the County Executive’s fiscal integrity, the complete utilization of CARES Act funding and other State and Federal grants and, the restructuring of grant requirements once in place to continue to meet the needs of County residents, especially those most in need. The surplus was delivered without raising property taxes or resorting to service reductions or lay-offs.
Nassau County received an extra $5 million in FEMA funding when reimbursement guidelines were changed in January by the federal government, as well as $60 million in 2020 savings after the County Legislature agreed to refinance NIFA and County debt at historically low interest rates. The bi-partisan restructuring plan is expected to result in further savings of $285 million in 2021 and $150 million in 2022.
Nassau County is utilizing approximately $195 million in federal CARES and FEMA grants to respond to the COVID-10 pandemic. Highlights of Nassau County’s response include:
- $107.5 Million on Public Health and Safety Employees substantially dedicated to pandemic response
- $37.2 Million on Economic Support for Residents and Businesses
- $18.1 Million on Housing Support, including Rental Assistance
- $9.8 Million on Public Health Expenses
- $3.8 Million on COVID-19 Testing and Contact Tracing
- $3.5 Million on Personal Protective Equipment
- $3 Million on Vaccine Costs
- $2.2 Million on Municipalities (Including every Town and City in Nassau)
- $1.7 Million on Food Programs
“Nassau County will have a strong financial foundation for economic recovery as we emerge from the pandemic and will continue our robust public health and safety response,” said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. “This pandemic is not over, and our response must remain nimble for whatever new challenges get thrown are way.”
