Reduce Printing Costs Through Emailed Paystubs

During the 2010-2011 session, the Legislature approved a policy which meant that all legislative staff would receive their paystubs digitally through email.  Previously, paystubs for those receiving direct deposit were delivered by hand or mailed.

This bill carries the same policy to the rest of the County.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga, Ed Romaine, Tom Muratore

Copy of bill here.

Requiring County Departments to post rules online

Legislation is sometimes passed which authorizes departments or department heads to promulgate rules and regulations in order to carry out or enforce policy or laws.  Currently, such rules and regulations are not necessarily visible.

This bill would require all County departments to publish on their webpages any and all rules or regulations enforceable by the department currently, and would require the information to be regularly updated going forward.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga, Tom Muratore

Copy of bill here.

Establishing a Uniform Telephone Answering Policy for the Suffolk County Police Department

This bill would require the Police Department to ensure that all phone calls made directly to the precincts are answered.  Calls would have to be routed to another line within the precinct or at headquarters after five rings.

Currently, phones may ring indefinitely.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga

Copy of bill here.

This bill was withdrawn after a commitment from the Acting Commissioner to implement this policy administratively.

A Charter Law to require legislative approval of Department Rules and Regulations.

This is a companion bill for IR-1007-2012, requiring the posting of rules and regulations on webpages.

This bill requires that all proposed departmental rules and regulations come to the Legislature for approval prior to being promulgated.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga, Tom Muratore

Copy of bill here.

A Charter Law to ensure accountability and honesty in the budget adoption process.

This bill would require that the vote to approve the County's Operating Budget and set the tax levy happen the day before Election Day.  Currently there is no specific day set, but the votes have been taking place the day after Election Day.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga

Copy of bill here.

A Local Law To Sunset Living Wage Subsidies

This bill would eliminate the subsidy currently available to County contractors, primarily in the child-care business, to subsidize costs associated with paying the "living wage" required by County Law.

Presently, contractors may apply to the County for this subsidy.  The expense is budgeted at $500,000 annually.  Out of approximately 30 child-care providers working with the County, only five or six receive the subsidy.  The others are providing the same service without the subsidy.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga

Copy of bill here.

A Charter Law to promote openness and participation in legislative business

This bill would require that meetings of special committees appointed for the purpose of constructing budget amendments, be held in public with a one hour public portion at which the public would have an opportunity to speak.

Currently, such committees may be held behind closed doors provided that the number of legislators present does not violate the County's open meetings law.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga, Ed Romaine, Tom Muratore

Copy of bill here.

Directing the Planning Department to conduct a feasibility study on incorporating LEAN Government Principles in Suffolk County.

LEAN is a management system, developed in the private sector, which looks at processes and eradicates inefficiencies reducing cost and improving products and/or services.

States like Iowa and Minnesota, as well as a small handful of other governments and government agencies have implemented LEAN with great success.

This bill would direct the Planning Department to conduct a feasibility study on incorporating LEAN Government Principles in Suffolk County.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga, Ed Romaine, Tom Muratore

Copy of bill here.

A Charter Law to require timely filing of budget amendments to increase public awareness.

This bill would require that all budget amendments be filed at least five days prior to legislative action, giving the Legislature, the public and all effected constituencies the opportunity to thoroughly review the amendment.

Presently, there is a "two day" requirement that may be waived by the Presiding Officer at the request of Legislative Budget Review.  This has been done repeatedly making it nearly impossible for those not directly involved in the construction of the amendment to fully understand its implications.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga, Ed Romaine, Tom Muratore

Copy of bill here.

A Local Law to require legislative approval of changes to the fee structure for review of septic, sewer and water systems.

Presently, as per the County's Sanitary Code, the Board of Health has the right to increase fees associated with the installation or modification of septic systems.

This bill would require Legislative approval of any changes to the fee structure.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Co-sponsored by Tom Barraga, Ed Romaine, Tom Muratore

Copy of bill here.

Establishing a New Policy for F.I.T. Reimbursement

This bill prohibits the Comptroller from making payments to F.I.T. for more than two years of a student's education.  New York State requires counties to reimburse community colleges in neighboring counties for their residents who attend community colleges outside their home county.  So, for example, Suffolk subsidizes students who go to Nassau Community College, and vice versa.  Due to an outdated State law, Fashion Institute of Technology is considered a community college even though it offers (and Suffolk taxpayers pay for) Bachelor's and Master's degrees. 

Suffolk taxpayers pay roughly $7 million annually to subsidize education at F.I.T., meanwhile, F.I.T. has a reserve fund in excess of $45 million!

Nassau County and North Hempstead went to court and the courts ruled that North Hempstead was only liable to Nassau County for two years of F.I.T. tuition.  This law, therefore, is based on that outcome.

F.I.T. will now have to take some action...either bill us for only two years, or sue us.  Either way, I believe Suffolk taxpayers win to the tune of nearly $4 million annually.

Copy of the bill here.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Amending Local Law to Register Non-Profit Veterans Organizations

This bill assigned criminal penalties to any unregistered non-profit veterans organization that seeks to fundraise.  The initial bill which I also sponsored, was enforceable by the County Attorney.  This bill allows for SCPD enforcement.

Copy of the bill here.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Charter Law to Ensure Transparency in Budget Process

This Charter amendment would require that all budget amendments, including the "omnibus amendment" be laid on the table (presented to the Legislature) five days prior to a vote.  Presently, these bills are required to be presented "two days" prior to a vote, a requirement which may be waived by the Presiding Officer.

The result of the current system is that, in the case of the vote and subsequent amendments to the County's Operating Budget, an "omnibus" budget amendment amending many various line items in the County Executive's budget proposal (last year there were more than a thousand line items), is that the bill gets presented on the Monday evening prior to Election Day.  Election Day is, of course, a holiday.  The Legislature votes on the bill on Wednesday morning at 10am, leaving virtually no time for anyone...not other legislators, not the public, not the various constituencies effected by the bill...to review and comment on the bill.

What's worse, is that the bill is discussed and written in private, behind closed doors in the Legislature with only nine of eighteen legislators allowed in the room.  This is to purposefully AVOID the Open Meetings Law.

The passage of this bill continues to be thwarted by the Presiding Officer, Bill Lindsay, as well as Republican, Lynn Nowick.  On the other hand, it is supported by all other Republicans, and Legislator Lou D'Amaro on the Democrat side, and Jay Schneiderman, an Independence party member.

The bill was again tabled at the October 11 meeting of the Legislator.  I, of course, voted no to table.  (Tabling means that decision on the bill is postponed to the next meeting.  This is often a tactic when legislators do not want to vote yes, but neither want to vote no.)

Copy of the bill here.

Sponsored by Tom Cilmi

Local Law Requiring Timely Submission of Budget Amendments

Sponsored by Legislator Tom Cilmi, this is a two part bill designed to provide more transparency to the County's budget process by requiring that all budget amendments be laid on the table at least five days prior to a vote.  So as not to take away deliberation time from the Legislature, the second part of this bill requires that the County Executive submit his or her Operating Budget five days sooner.

Bill was amended to allow for a waiver of the five day rule at the request of the Budget Review Office with signatures on a petition from a 2/3 majority of the Legislature.

Vote is scheduled for 8/16/11.

The bill failed 9 - 9.

I will keep trying.  See article here.

Local Law Requiring Legislative Approval of all major policy initiatives stemming from Water Resource Management Plan

This bill, sponsored by Legislator Tom Cilmi, would take the authority of promulgating major policy directives away from the Health Department, and put it in the hands of the Legislature.

The Revised Water Resources Management Plan is a three inch thick document which cost the County more than $800,000.  It details analyses of all of the County's water resources, including our acquifers as well as our surface water, which are threatened with a variety of pollutants.  The goal is to plan for the sustainability of these resources to maintain quality drinking water and safe, ecologically sound surface waters well into the future.

The Plan, however, could generate major policy shifts which could significantly impact the environment, health, and the economy.  It is my contention that any such policy decisions should be made by the people of Suffolk County, through their elected representatives.  That's what this bill seeks to do.

This bill was approved unanimously out of the Health Committee on 8/11/11 and will be eligible for a vote by the full Legislature on 8/16/11.

Local Law Regulating Sale of Pre-paid Cellphones

Sponsored by Legislator Kate Browning, this law would require customers wishing to purchase pre-paid cellphones to present two forms of ID to the store clerk.  The seller would have to either maintain copies of that ID for three years or transmit the information to the Suffolk County Police Department.

For detailed explanation of my position on this bill, click here to view the Facebook discussion.