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Nassau Villages Come Together With Hope Of Saving Tax Dollars For Homeowners

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Touted as the "holy grail" of regional cooperation, some villages on Long Island are coming together to save themselves and their homeowners some tax dollars.

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, for the first time in history, mayors on Long Island's elite Gold Coast seem willing to sacrifice exclusivity to work cooperatively and develop joint programs to clinch tax credits.

East Hills Mayor Michael Koblenz sponsored a meeting of the minds in which mayors from Roslyn, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Flower Hill and Old Westbury joined him to discuss sharing services.

Those services include road salt, road repaving, fuel purchases, street sweeping, basin clearing, and landscaping.

"Only makes sense. It is human nature to want to save money. So why wouldn't we come together," said Jonathon Centeno.

"The drawbacks could be waiting a long time to get services, mostly snowplowing. That is the only thing I am really concerned with," said homeowner Peggy Gluck.

But if villages stay within the tax cap and their cost cutting results in 1 percent annual savings, homeowners will receive rebate checks under the governor's property tax reform plan, McLogan reported.

"The more villages who are involved in purchasing, the cheaper the price. It is just basic economics 101," said state Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-13th District).

Initially, homeowners could see a rebate of about $30.

"Thirty dollars doesn't do anything for anybody or any household. They should use that money to retire debt," said Old Westbury homeowner Marc Glick.

But the rebate will grow with regional cooperation. Nassau County is a unique set up of two cities, three towns, 64 villages and more than 60 hamlets, McLogan reported.

"If we combine resources, I think we might be able to consolidate and save some money because it is a problem that affects all of us," said Old Westbury homeowner Cheryl Gimbel.

The cost-cutting plans are being submitted to the state. The property tax rebates would be phased in over the next two years.

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