Schneiderman Expects Override to Fund Health Clinic - Again

Following a veto by County Executive Steve Levy attempting to block a fund transfer, South Fork Legis. Jay Schneiderman, I-Montauk, said on Friday that he's quite confident that the county will pick up the rent bill for the

Levy vetoed the resolution on Wednesday which called for the transfer of $16,250 into the county's rent funds. However the resolution was more of a "technicality," Schneiderman said, and comes after Levy attempted to block the decision to transfer the money in the first place - a veto which was overrode with a 17-0 vote.

"This is his second veto on this issue," Schneiderman said. "We can't default on our obligation at this point. I'm not sure why he vetoed it again - I'm not going to be county executive's spokesman - but I am going to override his veto."

Schneiderman's resolution to fund the transfer passed with a 17-0 vote earlier in October. Levy, however, rejected the premise that the county should pick up a tab which had previously been paid by East Hampton Town. In a press release, Levy denounced the legislature's spending as "surreal."

“It was always understood that this service would be provided so long as East Hampton provided space. Now, East Hampton has backed away from its original commitment and it is hard to understand why the County Legislature would agree to pay $30,000 in rent for this facility while health clinics around the county have been cut significantly due to a reduction in state aid,” said Levy, in the statement. “This is not the time to be adding costs that we did not shoulder last year.”

According to Schneiderman, the East Hampton facility was the only one at which the town paid rent, which now comes out to $32,500 per year.

Mark Smith, a spokesman for Levy, said on Friday, that the second veto was penned "to make the point, again, that this is something we shouldn't be funding when the Town of East Hampton made it clear they would provide funding for the space to the facility. [Legislators] say the budget is horrible, we have no money, and then they expect us to pay rent on a facility we never have."