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CommUNITY UPDATE Infections as of Jan. 18
3,980
Infections as of Jan. 14 3,672
FREEPORT
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Maidenbaum Propert y Tax Reduction Gro up, LLC 483 Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516
JANUARY 21 - 27, 2021
Vol. 86 No. 4
Electricity rate hike fight continues $1.4 million. The tax-equivalency payment had not changed for more than 14 Freeportâs electricity utility years. continues to be in the red after âWe had worked out all the the state Public Service Commis- nuts and bolts with PSC, like we sion denied a rehearing of the have for years,â Village Attorney utilityâs request for a Howard Colton said. rate increase in âBut we learned that November, Freeport one of the commisofficials said in a sioners had personal lawsuit filed against issues with the vilthe PSC in State lage, and then the Supreme Court in problems started.â Albany seeking to PSC officials reverse the ruling. denied any wrongdoIn the suit, filed ing, and said the on Nov. 3, the village decision to reject the alleges that a PSC rate hike came as a commissioner objectresult of the villageâs ed, for political pur- HoWARD inability to correct poses, to a 4.56 peran issue with its calcent rate hike that ColToN culations of the electhe village sought to Village attorney tricity utilityâs payhelp cover costs ments in 2014. related to SuperColton refuted the storm Sandy and the coronavirus PSCâs response, noting that he pandemic. worked on the villageâs justificaThe rate increase would have tions for its tax-equivalency paybrought in more than $1 million ments after the 2014 incident. for the electricity utility and cost When the village submitted its taxpayers $3 more a month. explanation and calculations in The PSC not only denied the 2020, Colton said, the PSC staff rate hike, but it also ordered the and village officials negotiated a villageâs power plant PILOT, or rate and tax-equivalency paytax-equivalency payment, to be ment that they all agreed on. reduced by more than half, cutAs village officials waited for ting the value from $3.6 million to Continued on page 7
By RoNNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com
Courtesy Freeport Public Schools
PINk TIE AND GivNGo owners joined local officials and community leaders who praised their donation of 45 Chromebooks to Freeport students on Jan. 14.
Coming together for a cause Students receive 45 new Chromebooks By RoNNY REYES rreyes@liherald.com
Whenever Lois Howes, former president of the Freeport Chamber of Commerce, hears that Pink Tie 1000 wants to help out in Freeport, she gets excited. Pink Tie 1000 is a Long Island-based nonprofit that connects local businesses to support education and research to fight breast cancer and other diseases. Along with its primary mission, Pink Tie 1000 takes part in dozens of philanthropic efforts on Long Island and beyond. In 2017, it partnered with the GivNGo gas station on West Merrick Road to
donate a penny per gallon of gas pumped to Freeport nonprofits. In 2020, Pink Tie 1000 was ready to give $10,000 in scholarships to local students, but when the pandemic hit, the group used the money to purchase laptops to help students adapt to remote learning. With Howes coordinating between Pink Tie 1000 and the Freeport School District, the Chamber of Commerce delivered 39 Chromebooks to students at Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School and J.W. Dodd Middle School and another six to students at the Woodward Childrenâs Center on Jan. 14. âKids need these laptops
now more than ever,â Howes said. âI always feel honored whenever I get a call from Pink Tie to help in their work for our community.â Mike Cave, co-founder of Pink Tie 1000, said that helping others was at the forefront of organization officialsâ minds when he stopped by Freeport on Oct. 27 to deliver the $10,000 check to the chamber. Throughout the pandemic, Pink Tie 1000 has donated hundreds of boxes of food to about 70 food pantries on Long Island, including one run by the Salvation Army in Freeport. When the pandemic began Continued on page 3
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e justified our rate, but they keep changing the rules.