Cash-Strapped Nassau County Goes After 19 School Districts With ‘Toilet Tax’

Schools Attorney: Tax-Exempts Cannot Be Forced To Pay, So Sewer Fee Is Illegal

March 20, 2012 8:10 PM

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EAST WILLISTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Schools in Nassau County have joined together to try and flush away a new fee they say will literally drain their budgets.

Every flush in every school could soon cost taxpayers, thanks to a new sewer use fee. However, school districts are fighting back against what they’ve dubbed a “toilet tax,” reports CBS 2’s Carolyn Gusoff.

“It is absurd,” East Williston School Board President Mark Kamberg said Tuesday.

Especially, critics said, at Wheatley School, which doesn’t even have sewers.

“We have septic tanks and the water seeps into the ground,” Kamberg said.

WCBS 880′s Sophia Hall On The Story

Wheatley’s water goes into its own tanks, the ground or it gets consumed. Yet Wheatley, like all of Nassau’s schools, is expected to pay the new sewer fee imposed by County Executive Ed Mangano, who in effect said for too long not-for-profits have been getting a free flush.

“The free ride is over and homeowners will no longer subsidize this expense,” Mangano said.

However, schools have warned they’ll have to raise taxes to pay the fee.

“They have shifted the burden of sewer tax onto the back of school districts,” Kamberg said.

In all, 19 school districts have joined together to sue Nassau, saying the flushing fee is illegal.

“This is clearly a tax and the reality is that school districts are tax-exempt organizations,” said Greg Guercio, the attorney for the school districts.

The one penny-per gallon fee translates into hundreds of thousands of dollars for bigger school districts. For East Williston, it would amount to $87,000 this year alone.

“For us, it’s a large amount of money. It’s like a teacher salary,” East Williston Assistant Superintendent for Business Jackie Fitzpatrick said.

The fight will likely go to trial. While the case is pending districts don’t have to pay the fee, but have to budget for it, and that could mean raising taxes.

Other not-for-profits like houses of worship and fire houses will not be required to pay the new fee.

Please offer your thoughts in the comments section below …

Cash Strapped Nassau County Goes After 19 School Districts With Toilet Tax

rollo

–The fight will likely go to trial. While the case is pending districts don’t have to pay the fee, but have to budget for it, and that could mean raising taxes.–

Have to budget for it?????????? WTF? Yes more taxes to cover the budget. Then once this ridiculous notion is thrown out guess what? The new budget has your additional taxes figured and you will have to pay it. Even though they will spend it on a new gold urinal for the guv.

Plumber12

My local area had a tax that was differed by a judge pending conpletion of litigation like this. The group that did not have to pay county taxes held out as lonbg as the legal system could be bent to allow then had to pay for every penny. If this school loses their bid they will also have to pay so it is policy to budget as if the fee will be required and hope you get to use the money elsewhere if it is not. Better to have the money and not need it than to need it and not have it right?

TomS

Speaking of government: You CANNOT polish a turd!

rollo

I tried but it ended up crumbling. I then rolled it in small papers and sold it back on the streets in the DC area. Entrepreneurs still live.

rollo

And…………….No Tax!

MrHanky

Maybe not, but you can tax it!!!!!

Jayne

When it’s brown, flush it down.
If it’s yellow, leave it fellow!

Stinky…

rollo

I can’t flush. The teacher made me poop my pants. Too many potty breaks.

TexanPatriot

Why is someone who is not even connected…to a sewer…paying a sewer fee?

rollo

It’s your “dutie” good citizen. As a Texan Patriot you probably eat a meal that consists of steak, potato, vegetable, bread, milk and some nice homemade apple pie and flush a brownie once a day. Unlike others that eat at Mickys and need to flush throughout the day.
russfelix

Here in Florida we pay a ‘storm water’ run-off fee. Its just another way to tax without calling it a tax.

rollo

And in just a day it runs off, huh. For free.
PowerPC

We pay the same thing in Eastern North Carolina. It is a storm water runoff fee and it costs nearly as much as the water bill itself. If for example the water bill is $70.00 the runoff fee will be approximately $45 – $50. It is a complete rip off and just another way for the city/county to collect funds. I have lived here 18 years and our taxes have increased every year however our services have decreased. Twice a week trash pick-up was the first to go and now it is weekly. We are also limited on when we can place yard waste on the curb and large items like TV’s etc for pick up to two or three periods a year.

Don

Here in central Ohio there is a sewage fee attahced to the water bill that pays for city sewer. Obviously if you have septic you get a waiver.

JohninWV

Don’t most water bills also include the sewage fees? A lot of towns charge more to get rid of the sewage than they charge for the water and it’s based on water usage and not the actual amount going back. Lawn watering, car washing, and pools cause sewer fees that really don’t equate with usage.If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.

rollo

Harry Brown, Nancy Brown, Osama Brown, Rev, Jesse Brown, Rev. Al Brown, Joesph Brown, flush them down.
carol

If you have your own septic tank and are not connected to the sewer system, then you do not have a sewer bill because you do not use the sewer system.

JMWinPR

Not on LI, the water bill covers the sewer fee, just ask anyone in the Southwest Sewer District. Well not really, I think it just covers the interest on the bond.

Locke

Government is now going after government for scraps because citizens are drained.
Jenny-o

Except the guy proposing this tax is a Tea Partyer, fellas. The liberals were the ones running the county when it could still pay its bills.

rollo

Are you related to Hussein-O? Conservatives vote candidates into office to do what they promise to do. If not, we vote them back out. Unlike LIbtards that keep them in for life and live with their lies and taxes. Also, Jello, the libs had the House, Senate and the Mosque for 18 months and did, uh, NOTHING. The Senate (Demrats) have yet to pass a budget. Just thought you should know. Obviously you watch MTV and OWN. Look under your seat, it may be another block of cheese.

Jenny-o

Bwa-ha-ha. That was funny. Good job, rolly! You’ve convinced me – this idea is good. Just like every other tax Republicans put in place. C’mon, join in – everyone now: Tax kids’ poop! Tax kids’ poop!

rollo

LOL Jelly! I can see all of your neighbors in Chicago or Detroit and even Philly chanting this new Obammy campaign slogan. And will vote several times in the same election for the tax.

Jenny-o

Wait. How do you know I’m from Philly? And dear rolly, I don’t necessarily support Obama. I just don’t support people who run our governments into the ground. It so happens Mangano sank Nassau County, just like Bush sank the US, and then obstructionists in Congress refused to help us bail. Maybe just a coincidence they were all Republicans. Who can say? My money’s on you.

rollo

If you don’t like the fodder in DC, or elsewhere, vote them out. I try every chance I can. I sleep well at night knowing I tried. I’m not a big Bush fan and he definitely had his flaws. But Obummer is waaaaaaaaay out there. He spent our, which is yours and my, money to the tune of how many TRILLIONS? More than all presidents of this US of A put together. Bite that sammich. Oh, and bet on the 3rd camel in the 4th race in Mecca.

Plumber12

The problem with your solution “Vote them out” is pretty simple. You can only vote for the candidates on the ballot. If every candidate stinks any vote is going to be for the wrong guy. Unless you are in the party choosing the candidate or taking on the duty yourself you have little chance of picking a winner no matter how much research you do. “Vote the bums out” has never worked yet and it has been tried continuously for over a century. Maybe the battle cry should be “Join the process and put a good candidate in yourself”.

piquerish

Yepper jenny-o, it’s those tax-and-spend, tax-and-spend conservatives, buying patronage votes again and not dreaming of reducing spending or living within a budget. The view from the libtard fever swamp must be hazy today. Like it was yesterday, today and tomorrow. Projection helps, though.

rollo

Thank you. piq
Jenny-o

Libtard? Did you make this up all on your own? How clever! Portmanteaus are only used by winners. I have no choice but to concede.
rollo

I am submitting my application for a government grant of $5,000,000,000 to support a company I am thinking of creating someday. It will have 2000 employees and will cost about $0 to build. Of course all of my employees will work on commission only selling a product that doesn’t exist. $10,000,000 will go to your campaign fund Mr bin Lama. Please send the money electronically so it doesn’t get mixed with my other checks in the mail. See you at the rib cook off.
JayUVA

When one can’t argue their point with facts or reasonable opinions, just resort to childish name calling. Just like the racists who think they are not going to get called out for being racists when making wild claims about Obama’s birth place and religion etc.

Pronghorn

Turd tax…classic It really makes no difference, I would think. If the water company and sewers are govt-owned, just like the schools, isn’t it taking from the same treasury?

Bob

A vote for Obama is a vote for 100,000 more taxes just like this one, but they will say its not a tax but a “Fee” for half A@S services that you don’t want nor need.

Neenah

This is insane. Just when u think u have heard it all…this sounds like something you would hear on a prison show, one inmate standing guard at the toilet in the cell and charging the others money or cigarettes for the privilege of using it. I shouldn’t be surprised Mangano is imposing this considering some of the people that guy, professionally and socially, consorts with.
D. YOUNG

Hopes that this schools in Nassau county sues the “water” out of the county exec…

This tax is illegal….

rollo

All taxes are illegal. But no on touch’s “Mango”

rollo

MUST…………………SLOW……………………..DOWN.
OVER………….ACHIEVERS……………….NOT………………….WELCOME………………….IN………………AMERICAN……………….SOCIETY.

PLEASE…………LOWER…………..STANDARDS……………SO………WE……………WILL………….ALL…………….BE……………….THE………………SAME.

I suspect that the I.T. staff has problems with their 56K modems.
stoptouchingthatmabel

Sh!t for brains.
larry

Instead of flushing things down the sewer, they should box it up and mail it in.

rollo

A novel idea larry! You just resurrected the US Postal Service!

FullOfCrap

This story is probably made up too. Unelected officials took over Washington and the media after the coup and cover up. Even most of the comments online are financed with your tax dollars. Big brother is trying to create the perception of public opinion while burying the truth. They think you can’t handle the truth. Fact of the matter is we have no democracy, president, and freedom of press is an illusion.

Our next election is shaping up to be as big of a sham as the last. Do you know why Sarah Palin’s bus tour was really canceled? Do you know why she stayed 30 miles away from the second debate and chose the death of Steve Jobs to announce that she’s not running? Know what leaked out? Sarah Palin and Cain aren’t in the race for the same reason, the truth leaked out.

Search PalinsDirtyLittleSecret for the biggest cover up in world history before it disappears forever.

greg

They won’t charge a turd tax by the weight of the turd because if they did, politicians would suffer the lions share of the tax burden as they are the most full of “it”
Jason

The answer is simple either we boycott taxes until our legislators wake up or move away as many retirees are doing taking their county pensions with them.
They are replaced by families who double up and place their kids into the school system. Double jeopardy!!

rollo

It’s free child care from K-12. Also, I’ll take “why can’t I flush today mommy?” for $200, Alex.
old white guy

just go dump in the yard what the heck.

rollo

OK Nassau, you heard it. Go dump here, what the heck.

rollo

Oh, wait a minute. Not in my back yard.

the other guy

it would amount to $87,000 this year alone.

“For us, it’s a large amount of money. It’s a teacher salary,”
rollo

What if we gave Solyndra another 500M for solarwater panels, attach them to prisons and run all the schools flushing’s through them so the inmates could have hot water. Recycle that water and use it over and over. A renewable resource. It sure would save money and the ecoweirdos would be happy too.
greg

Holy smokes a turd tax. Dont give obama and pelosi any more ideas

NCT

They are doing quite nicely without any input from American citizens…

Robert Moses

Nassau County should simply bill its budget shortfall to New York City. By law, the only purpose of a city is to subsidize its suburbs, so NYC needs to pay up NOW.
Tyler

Before they implement a turd tax, they might want to figure out what percentage of there inhabitants pay any taxes. As it stands today, only 53% of Americans pay taxes.

rollo

I like the turd tax. Next is the pee penalty. Flush fee. Diarrhea donation. CAT (corn added tax). etc,…………………………………………………….

rollo

Are the sewers getting clogged from all the free condoms?
D2d

This is the inevitable result of a bureaucracy that has become far too powerful and arrogant!

Time for our elected officials to cut government in order to balance their budgets instead of soaking the people over and over, again!

Of course to protest this schools should send all their students to city hall to use their toilets!

rollo

I am sure that the city toilets require a fee to use.

rollo

HA HA!!!!!! So the taxpaying liberals that vote these guys into office over and over are now concerned about increased taxes. It should be $10 per flush. This smell is so sweet.

John

Mangano was voted in by republicans and tea Partiers. HA!

Chip

I knew Liberalville is an insane place, but this is beyond insane. First, they tax tiolets per flush? Really? And then, they want to tax a school that doesn’t even use the sewers?

Expect more of this at every level of government as run-away spending causes the politicians and bean counters to panic and flail about for every penny they can confiscate.
Danny

Leave it to some liberal money-grabber to come up with something so utterly ridiculous.

John

Mangano is a republican.

Rep-Con-11762

Yeah, and Liberals pushed the cost of doing business in Nassau County to the point where managers have to look in the toilet to solve the economic issue at hand. You libs have to pay for it now, no one can wipe your butt for you any more.
John

So is Bloomberg, I notice that in NY it doesn’t seem to make much difference.

jeff

Bloomberg is NOT a Republican. He left the party in 2007.

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Cash-Strapped Nassau County Goes After 19 School Districts With ‘Toilet Tax’

Schools Attorney: Tax-Exempts Cannot Be Forced To Pay, So Sewer Fee Is Illegal

March 20, 2012 8:10 PM

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