Officials Announce Good News for Town of Huntington Taxpayers

A solution to Suffolk County’s longstanding tax refund backlog has saved approximately $230,000 this year and the County is expecting about $20,000 more in savings by the end of 2015, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and other officials announced Monday.

The backlog, which was delayed for an average of one year, reportedly delayed more than 11,000 refunds, including 2,251 cases in the Town of Huntington. The backlog hurt taxpayers waiting for refunds, costing approximately $1 million in interest payments, according to a press release.

In an effort to improve government efficiency, more than 60 percent of Suffolk County voters approved a referendum to merge the Comptroller and Treasurer offices last November.

The plan, through Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Comptroller John Kennedy’s efforts, would merge the offices in 2016 to save taxpayer money and to get rid of unnecessary positions.

“Working together, Suffolk County has – for the first time – eliminated an elected office in the County government and successfully begun merging two offices, saving taxpayer dollars and improving efficiency,” Bellone said in a press release.

The merger, which does not officially begin until Jan. 1, already has the Comptroller and Treasurer offices working as one unit. As a result, Suffolk County has improved systems and taxpayers are reaping the benefits, according to a press release.

“After January 2016, my staff will incorporate new processes that will improve internal controls and cross train current personnel to provide better efficiencies in all areas of property tax adjustments,” said Kennedy, who was elected to be Suffolk’s first fiscal watchdog. “My administration will ensure people are getting the most out of their government’s services.”

Bellone and Kennedy joined Suffolk County Treasurer Barry Paul and Legislator Bill Lindsay III to announce this news.