Hofstra files lawsuit against commission Claims casino meeting violated laws

BY ROBERT PELAEZ

portant matter.” in benefts, a $620,000 increase in compensation and a $681,000 increase in all other budget items.

The tentative budget also includes $5.2 million in state aid, an increase of $150,000 from last year. The district, according to Superintendent Gaurav Passi, will allocate $724,000 in anticipated revenue received this year and allocated for the 2023-24 tax levy.

Passi said the 2023-24 tentative budget is “under stress” due to the rising cost of health insurance and other items, so the district is unable to transfer $125,000 to its repair reserve like it did last year. The repair reserve, Passi said, has more than $400,000 allocated to handle any “unanticipated repair issues that fall outside of the typical repair maintenance projects.”

Other budget items that mainly contribute to the increase include a $310,000 investment in the district’s special education program, a $270,000 increase in the district’s information technology department, a $93,000 increase toward facility enhancements and $63,000 for curriculum and instruction.

Hofstra University has fled a lawsuit claiming the Nassau County Planning Commission violated state open meeting laws when it held a meeting to discuss the fate of the proposed Las Vegas Sands event center and casino at the site of the Nassau Coliseum last month.

Hofstra’s lawsuit, fled in State Supreme Court in Mineola Tuesday, contends the commission did not properly notify the public and provide materials about the lease transfer of the Nassau Coliseum, violated executive session rules by improperly meeting, prematurely voted to close public comment and held a meeting before the lease negotiations were completed.

“We are asking that the Planning Commission commit to a fair and transparent process,” Hofstra spokeswoman Terry Coniglio said in a statement. “To this point, the Planning Commission’s hearing did not comply with the law, and we have been forced to ask the court to ensure that the public receives the information it deserves and a fair opportunity to be heard on this im-

Eforts to reach planning commission ofcials for comment on the matter were unavailing. Sands ofcials were also unavailable for comment.

In the lawsuit, Hofstra asks the court to mandate Nassau County to void the meeting and make materials related to the lease negotiations “available to the public at least one week in advance.” The commission is scheduled to meet Thursday at 10 a.m. and the agenda includes discussing the Coliseum’s lease.

No vote on the lease negotiations has been conducted by the planning commission yet and, if approved, it would need to be passed by the Nassau County Legislature.

Hofstra has opposed the entertainment center proposed by Las Vegas Sands at the site of the Coliseum. A letter from Hofstra trustees published online in March said potential “trafc congestion, crime, economic harm to local business” would have a negative impact on the school community, which is directly adjacent to the area.

“The Nassau Hub is an entirely inappropriate location for a casi-

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