On January 1, 1898, the New York State legislature created New York City as we know it now, including the western part of Queens County. Hempstead, North Hempstead, and Oyster Bay were excluded. One year later, in 1899, these towns, with their incorporated villages and hamlets, formed Nassau County. As is difficult in the beginning of any government, this new Nassau County failed over the next few decades to create a charter that consolidated certain entities.
 

 
In the early 1900s, special taxing districts were created to provide municipal services i.e. sanitation, water, etc. to isolated Nassau areas without these services. These districts had the authority to tax residents in exchange for the service. Special districts were created because Nassau was vastly different from how we know it: It was sparsely populated, the economy was largely agricultural, and few people commuted to New York City.

Special districts were useful to provide services in Nassau’s unincorporated areas, where residents didn’t have access to necessary services. This lack of access and a thinly-spread population made special districts sensible. But, Nassau became an increasingly popular place to relocate, and the population ballooned. The greater proximity of residents to each other posed this practical question: Does Nassau need special district service anymore?

In 1932, the New York State legislature mandated that new special taxing districts are to be directly managed by town boards. Already existing special districts however, could hold referendums so district residents could decide whether or not to maintain their commissioner-run status or switch to town board-run. Effectively, many special district voters chose to maintain commissioner-run districts.
 

 
Today, Nassau County is home to well-over a million residents. The Town of Hempstead itself is the United States’ largest township. The need for special taxing districts came and went; yet, Nassau still has roughly 300 of these entities. Why? Because special districts developed into cozy hubs for patronage, nepotism, and personal greed. They became fiefdoms for self-interested commissioners to reap the benefits of abusing taxpayers' trust in local government. The 21st-century chapter of special district history is chock full of fiscal abuse and waste, corruption, and unfairness, as documented by numerous media outlets and elected officials.

As the page turns on a new decade, the question for the immediate future of Nassau County local government is when the worst special district abusers are going to be removed from Nassau's communities of hard-working families! The answer is now. The tool for reform is the New NY Citizen Empowerment Act, passed in 2009 by the New York State legislature because special district abuse is simply unsustainable. Angered, fed-up taxpayers are empowered and starting to use New NY.

Click here to learn how you can become part of the campaign to end special taxing district abuse in your community.