______________
_____________
Get S.M.A.R.T.
HERALD
(SAVE MORE AND REDUCE TAXES) DEADLINE APRIL 30TH
CoMMuNIty uPDAtE Infections as of April 4
7,809
Infections as of March 29 7,596
$1.00
VALLEY STREAM
Higher Education
Paw it Forward gets donated shed
Pull-out section
Page 2
Vol. 32 No. 15
THE LEADER IN PROP ERTY TAX REDUCT ION
Sign up today. It on ly takes seconds. Apply online at mptrg .com/heraldnote or call 516.479.9171
Hablamos Español
18/21 itc FG Demi Condensed Page xx
Maidenbaum Propert y Tax Reduction Gro up, LLC 483 Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst, NY 11516
APRIl 8 - 14, 2021
A rocky road to stability Comptroller places village in ‘significant’ fiscal stress category officials. Although the village’s operating deficit has improved in The office of State Comptrol- recent years from $2.6 million in ler Tom DiNapoli has designated 2019 and $3 million in 2018, Vilthe Village of Valley Stream as a lage Treasurer Michael Fox said municipality under “significant that the “severe” fiscal stress fiscal stress.” DiNapoli’s report, report was caused by bad timing. released last Friday, is a sign that For much of the past year, the the village still has village delayed issumuch to improve in ing bonds to cover its financial standthe cost of capital ing, which has deteimprovements riorated in recent because of a volatile years. market, he said. The state’s fiscal Additionally, with stress system, in use Village Hall closed since 2012, considers last spring, officials factors such as yearwere unable to hold end fund balance, the village’s annual cash flow, borrowing tax lien sale. With and operating defi- MICHAEl Fox both funding sourccits. T he recent es still unaccounted Village treasurer report covers financfor, nearly $3.5 miles from the 2020-21 lion in expected cash fiscal year, which ends May 31. flow was left out of the report. With a projected operating “It shows you a little bit of the deficit of $2.2 million weighing picture, but not the whole thing,” heavily against the village, funds Fox said. “. . . When we have our that Valley Stream is to receive lien sale and our bonding goes before the end of the fiscal year through this fiscal year, it will through the issuance of capital look a lot better.” bonds and the sale of tax liens With the re por t, Valley were not included in the report, Stream is among three villages tipping the municipality into the in the state under “significant” “significant stress” category, the fiscal stress this year, along with most severe in the system, according to village and state Continued on page 4
By PEtER BElFIoRE pbelfiore@liherald.com
I
Nicole Alcindor/Herald
tEENAGE FRIENDs AMA Bhatti, far left, Tolu Diyaolu and Djeynaba Sakho strolled through Hendrickson Park last Saturday and talked about their hopes for a pandemic-free future.
A walk in Hendrickson park
With pandemic’s end in sight, locals head outside By NIColE AlCINDoR nalcindor@liherald.com
It’s been a difficult year. For much of it, many people have been stuck inside awaiting the end of the coronavirus pandemic, which to date has killed more than a half-million people in the United States. With the advent of vaccines and warm weather, however, Valley Streamers took to Hendrickson Park and spoke about their hopes for the future.
With the sun shining brightly last Saturday, three teenage friends took a stroll along the park’s path. As they walked, they reflected on the past year and how much their lives have changed, expressing excitement that spring is finally here. “I’m a skater . . . so I’m so stoked for warmer weather so I can practice more skating tricks on my skateboard,” Valley Streamer Ama Bhatti, 14, said, noting that this was the first time she had been to
the park with her friends since the pandemic took hold last March. “I’m not old enough to get the vaccine, but I have many immediate family members who took a vaccine. I’m not sure if I’ll take one because I’m scared that I’ll have a bad reaction due to my other health issues.” As of Tuesday, people 16 and over in New York became eligible for the vaccine. Trials are still under way, however, Continued on page 22
t shows you a little bit of the picture, but not the whole thing.