Nassau County executive proposes cash relief for homeowners
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran makes an announcement, Mineola, N.Y., May 17, 2021. (Courtesy of Office of Nassau County Executive)
MINEOLA, N.Y. - Hundreds of thousands of Nassau County homeowners could get some much-needed cash under a plan that the county executive floated on Monday.
County Executive Laura Curran wants to dedicate $100 million to provide direct cash relief to about 300,000 homeowners in the wake of the unprecedented economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Nassau County has navigated the pandemic without layoffs or cuts to programs that keep our communities healthy and safe," Curran said in a statement. "Having achieved a hard-earned budget surplus and with federal money coming in, we must now provide direct relief to homeowners in Nassau County."
Curran, a Democrat who is running for reelection, said the program would put about $375 in the pocket of each household that qualifies. The county would use the state's STAR property tax program to identify middle- and lower-income homeowners to receive cash relief.
"This is to benefit the middle class," Curran said at an announcement on Monday. "And it is my hope that people who receive this check spend that money in Nassau."
She said the cash payouts could be made possible given the county's $75 million projected budget surplus and the county's expected funding coming from Washington under the American Rescue Plan.
Curran is calling on the GOP-controlled county Legislature to support the program.
FOX 5 NY emailed the campaign of Bruce Blakeman, a Republican running for county executive, seeking comment on Curran's proposal.
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