Employees at the Holtsville branch of the Internal Revenue Service said staff reductions were ongoing yesterday, as the Trump administration moves to downsize the federal government and terminate 6,000 IRS employees nationwide.
Department of Homeland Security officers were dispatched to the only IRS office in Suffolk and patrolled the hallways while IRS employees awaited their official termination via email at their desks, according to an account from one employee to Newsday.
Another employee described a scene of chaos, confusion and heartbreak Thursday as scores of employees were laid off and escorted out of the building.
Employees, many of them in tears, spent the day walking around and saying goodbye to each other as they absorbed the news.
Jennafer Martens, 25, of Centereach said IRS managers confiscated their government badges, computers and other equipment, estimating about 160 employees in her section alone were laid off at the Holtsville IRS branch.
Officials with the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, the agency that handles tax revenue collection for the state, said its operations were not impacted by the layoffs.
The agency, which has one main office in Hauppauge, said the processing of state tax returns won't be affected by the federal job cuts.
Aaron Fallon, spokesperson for the NYS Labor Department, told NEWSDAY yesterday their Rapid Response Team was "working to identify impacted employees to offer job search assistance."
"Federal agencies are not required to file WARN notices with the NYSDOL," Fallon said, referring to the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires employers with 50 full-time employees or more to file a notice 90 days in advance with the state in the event of a mass layoff or closing.
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Riverhead Town is appealing a state Supreme Court ruling that found the town overcharged Suffolk County for sewage treatment at county facilities in Riverside from 2018 to 2021. Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Suffolk County sued Riverhead in 2021, alleging the town sought to “penalize” the county by charging more for sewer services at the county complex that includes the jail, county center and courts. In a ruling last month, state Supreme Court Justice Maureen Liccione sided with the county, writing Riverhead’s sewer rates were “arbitrary and capricious” and had “no rational basis” according to the law.
The ruling, which prohibits the town from collecting the fees for the four-year period for now, could put nearly $2 million at stake for Riverhead. In court documents, Riverhead claims the county owes $2.8 million in sewer fees while the county has argued the actual cost of providing the services was $1.1 million.
Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said in an email the town was “disappointed” in the decision.
“The trial court’s decision did not focus on the unreasonable, unfair and substantial impact imposed upon our sewer district and ratepayers ... to reserve a certain amount of flow for the comparatively massive County Center and Jail property,” Howard wrote.
Agreements between Riverhead Town and Suffolk County for wastewater treatment at the county center complex date back to 1969, and the last long term contract expired at the end of 2017. The county had been paying Riverhead an average of $345,966 per year for the services from 2006 to 2017, according to court documents.
But when officials failed to iron out a new agreement, and that contract lapsed, Riverhead began setting the annual fees by town board resolution, according to court papers. The town effectively doubled the annual fee, which ranged from $684,171 to $756,343 between 2018 and 2021.
“Surely such a dramatic increase would need to be justified,” Justice Liccione wrote in her decision.
Riverhead has continued setting sewer rates for the “out of district” county center in 2022, 2023 and 2024, though the court ruling did not address those years.
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Since the news broke last month that all the ducks at Crescent Duck Farm in Aquebogue would be euthanized due to an outbreak of bird flu, Long Island chefs have been scrambling to find a replacement for this most iconic local ingredient — or scrapping their duck dishes altogether. Now, nine of them are coming together to raise awareness of the farm’s plight, and to raise money for the more than 40 workers who were laid off while the business regroups. Erica Marcus reports in NEWSDAY that on Feb. 28, Tellers Next Door in Islip will host "Flock Together: A Culinary Tribute to Crescent Duck Farm." The venue, owned by Bohlsen Restaurant Group, will be set up with multiple stations featuring an impressive lineup of chef specialties, local wines and spirits.
"For years, Crescent has supplied some of the best local ingredients to our restaurants," said Francis Derby of Shands General in Patchogue, one of the event’s organizers. "Now, it’s our turn to give back and help support their workers; eventually bring them back to life."
"This isn’t just about our farm; it’s about preserving the hardworking farmers behind what we’ve built here in Aquebogue," said Doug Corwin, owner of Crescent Duck Farm. "We are entirely overwhelmed by the support from our community and these incredible chefs."
Flock Together, Feb. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Tellers Next Door, 599 Main St., Islip. Tickets, $161.90, are very limited and are available at flocktogether25.eventbrite.com.
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The Town of East Hampton is assessing options with respect to East Hampton Town Airport in Wainscott, including a settlement to resolve ongoing litigation “in a manner that provides reasonable access for aviation users while also providing relief to East Hampton residents,” according to a statement issued from Town Hall this week. A status conference in pending litigation before Justice Thomas Whelan of Suffolk County Supreme Court is scheduled for next Thursday, February 27. Christopher Walsh reports on 27east.com that with the expiration of federal grant assurances in September 2021, the Town of East Hampton was free to retake control of the airport, which had become the source of numerous complaints about the detrimental impact on quality of life, particularly noise associated with the growth in helicopter and private jet traffic. With input from consultants and residents, the East Hampton Town Board planned to briefly close the airport in May 2022 and open a “new,” private airport on the site with a prior-permission-required framework on takeoffs and landings in place. While the airport’s designation was changed from public to private, implementation of restrictions was thwarted when a Supreme Court justice, shortly after hearing oral arguments in three parallel lawsuits challenging the plan, issued a temporary restraining order enjoining the town from closing the airport. The restrictions were never enacted.
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Greenport became the final hamlet in Southold Town to launch its own civic association this month, hosting a forum on “Shaping the Future of the North Fork” in the big theater at the North Fork Arts Center last Sunday. Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that leaders in New York State, Suffolk County, Southold Town and Greenport Village government hashed out their views on issues ranging from the deepening housing affordability crisis on the North Fork to coastal resilience, the use of land preservation funds and the role of civic groups in helping government work effectively.
The bulk of the two-hour discussion centered on the housing crisis, which Greenport Mayor Kevin Stuessi put in stark perspective. At the grand opening of a new affordable housing complex he recently visited in East Hampton, he met a family who would be paying $1,600 per month for an apartment big enough to meet their needs.
“You know what the rent is for a studio in Greenport now? $3,000,” he said, adding that paying that much for rent is out of the question for village employees making around $60,000 a year. He added that a big part of the problem is the rapidly appreciating real estate on the North Fork.
“If houses are selling for $1 million, what is the cost of a mortgage? $6,500 a month, plus $500, easy, in utilities,” he said. “Is anyone willing to rent it for less than their carrying costs?”
All the elected officials agreed that they want to hear from their constituents and urged attendees to join committees, show up for public hearings, join their local civic organizations and call their offices if they would like help addressing an issue in their community.
“I feel like this is something that needs to become an annual event, if not more often,” said Greenport Civic Association President Carol Lindley. “We all need to work together and communicate together, and all of you are here to do that. That’s exactly what’s behind our civic association.”
To find out more about the Greenport Civic Association, visit greenportcivic.org.
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The Hampton Bays Civic Association will host a debate/forum for candidates running in the special election for the open seat on the Southampton Town Board.
The debate/forum will be held this coming Monday, February 24, at Hampton Bays Middle School, 70 Ponquogue Avenue in Hampton Bays, from 7 to 8:45 p.m. Former Southampton Town Councilman Republican Rick Martel will face the Democratic Party candidate John Leonard in the March 18 special election for the open seat on the Southampton Town Board.
The winner will serve until the end of this year, completing the term vacated by Tommy John Schiavoni, who was elected to the New York State Assembly in November.
That debate is this coming Monday in Hampton Bays Middle School, from 7 to 8:45 p.m.
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Since the November election, Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York had preached patience in dealing with President Trump, favoring a more deliberative, compromise-building style that has guided her tenure. But this week, Ms. Hochul seemed intent on following a different course. Benjamin Oreskes in THE NY TIMES reports that after Mr. Trump announced his move to kill New York City’s congestion pricing program, the governor responded on Wednesday with uncharacteristic drama and anger. She invoked “Rambo,” the Sylvester Stallone film franchise, saying that Mr. Trump would answer for drawing “first blood.” She took a jab at Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s time as a reality television contestant, and displayed a Trump-like showmanship when she derided the president for likening himself to royalty. “At 1:58 p.m., President Donald Trump tweeted, ‘Long live the king,’” she said at a news conference. “I’m here to say, New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years and we sure as hell are not going to start now.” Congestion pricing challenges among others facing Governor Hochul may heavily shape her political prospects as she struggles in the polls ahead of a difficult re-election next year. She is hardly alone among the Democratic governors who are seeking an effective way to respond to the array of actions taken by president Trump since his return to office. Some have taken extraordinarily combative stances. Ms. Hochul had adopted a more diplomatic approach, saying her relationship with Mr. Trump “does not have to be adversarial.” She spent weeks working behind the scenes trying to find common ground with the president on congestion pricing, only to see him move to kill it without warning. The governor said the tolling program would continue unless a judge ordered otherwise, and her team made clear that they did not expect such instructions. “Until a judge rules, these cameras are staying on,” Ms. Hochul’s legal counsel, Brian K. Mahanna, said. “And we expect a judge to rule in our favor.”
