Hi Again Neighbors and Friends,
THIS IS URGENT. YOU ARE NEEDED RIGHT NOW TWO WAYS. THE GROUP MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC ARE SENDING THE FOLLOWING LETTER TO THE NASSAU COUNTY BRIDGE AUTHORITY. YOU SHOULD, TOO.. EMAIL IS IDEAL IN THIS INSTANCE. THE MORE EMAILS THEY RECEIVE OF THE SAME LETTER, THE MORE PERSUASIVE OUR MESSAGE.
They left us no choice but to raise our collective voice in solidarity, to support our cause. The NCBA refused to allow our voices in be heard, literally, with our questions and comments at live board meeting and have no.legal obligation to respond to our written questions or comments on their cards that we leave with them. They have new toll hikes planned and current ones on top of those. We can not be silenced.
====>>> THE NASSAU COUNTY BRIDGE AUTHORITY CHANGED THE TIME OF THEIR BOARD MEETING TODAY TO 30am. YOU MUST SHOW UP.!!!!
They probably hoped by changing the time from 6:30pm to 10:30am, that nobody would be able to attend. But, we must show them that is not that easy to shake us. WE ALL MUST ATTEND THE BOARD MEETING. LET THEM KNOW WE ARE STILL PRESENT. THAT WE ARE OBSERVING TO LEARN HOW OUR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TOLL INCOME IS BEING SPENT OR PLANS FOR IT.
The toll hikes are like an onion, when you peel back the layers of what initially looks good, you will see there is more to it. All the toll rates add up, every day. THE TIME IS NOW. SPEAK UP. All you have to do is cut and paste the letter below into the Nassau County Bridge Authority contact form. Fill in your name with home or business address, then email address. THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT THE MESSAGE IS AUTHENTIC. THE MORE EMAILS THE BETTER.
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CUT AND PASTE THE LETTER BELOW INTO THEIR CONTACT FORM AT HTTPS://WWW.NCBAABB.COM
Say done in the comments box here, when you have included your name address and email and sent this letter.
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Thursday, December 14, 2023
To: Nassau County Bridge Authority
160 Beach 2nd Street
Lawrence, NY 11559
Attention; Executive Director, Raymond Webb
Dear Nassau County Bridge Authority,
We, The People, object to both toll hikes you imposed on the Atlantic Beach, NY bridge trips, that you announced on December 13th regarding years 2023 and planned for year 2024. We, instead, propose the changes marked up in red type on your announcement below.
We appreciate your effort to acknowledge Atlantic Beach and The Long Beach Barrier Island for special toll rates, such as the $30 discount for $162.50 on the Ez-Pass annual plan from Nassau County rates of $199, and single pass trips if your car is registered on the Barrier Island with Ez-Pass, as well as keeping the 20 trip pass card. However, we feel that your improvement process is incomplete.
The rates need some work. While they seem isolated toll costs per type of vehicle, and a good deal, they are not. They are still based upon substantial increases from the year 2022, that we disputed. Ultimately, the tolls are layered one toll hike cost upon another, from each category of vehicle. That adds up. Each bridge goer will feel this as more of an increase than they initially thought. We peel back the layers below. Consequently,
WE DEMAND THAT YOU RESCIND ALL TOLL HIKES FROM 2023 AND PLANNED FOR 2024. They are excessive and unfair. This has been opposed with rallies in front of your building and discussed with you one by one at your board meetings many times by many residents and business owners without answer previously but to say that you will be able to consider all matters once Ez-Pass is implemented. I'm also speaking of also the toll hikes that doubled for commercial vehicles such as a commercial delivery van from $8 to $16. Passengers can not ignore toll hikes to commercial vehicles. The cost to passengers, as passenger vehicle rates don't really stop there. Now that EZ-Pass is in effect, your answer in the form of another toll hike is not acceptable.
The Atlantic Beach bridge is operated by a public benefit company and the only bridge in Nassau County charging a toll. EZ-Pass, ultimately, reduces bridge expenses, replacing labor costs with automation. There should not be a need for a toll hike. The toll hikes were not and are not justified iif to service debt that was initially claimed. They were not absolutely necessary.
The toll hikes are unacceptable, moreso, during times of such widespread financial oppression and/or hardship, from inflation to the ongoing Covid Pandemic, recent and pending storms causing environmental damage to person and property, and more. Now, there are new increased security expenses in this country to keep everyone safe, due to the rise of anti-semitism besides some of our donations needed for aid to our ally under siege, Israel, in the interest of democracy, humanity, and survival. Then, there are the taxes we pay that are exorbitant.
Please heed the Petitions comprising approximately 3,000 signatures, including hundreds of comments. They increase daily to demand that your toll hikes be rescinded and for full transparency in order to better learn how our millions of dollars of toll income is spent.
The Petitions describe in detail, why Atlantic Beach and Long Beach Barrier Island residents and businesses
and other bridge-goers need the toll increases rescinded. They are signed by Civic Associations political, prominent humanitarian, and religious leaders amongst others.
We reserve the right to change our proposed terms in the event The Nassau County Bridge Authority and/or together with their other decision makers do not accept them in time for January 1, 2024. The Barrier Island doesn't want any toll but here we are offering a compromise.
https://www.change.org/atlanticbeachbridgetoll with a link to part 2
https://www.change.org/tollincometransparency
While Ez-Pass is the new payment option, that all rates are centered around, those residents and visitors who don't use it, are penalized by the second cash toll hike from $2 to $3 to $4. The toll has doubled.
Residents are even extremely burdened by commercial vehicle rates which is revealed when they go shopping or eat at restaurants or make repairs to their homes among other activities of daily living. Those rates doubled in 2023 and for 2024. Again, this is not acceptable and dangerous financially.
You recently reiterated numerous times in 2023 and 2022, that you would not impose a toll hike again for another five to ten years. However, it has been less than a year, and the toll has been increased again. Your most recent reason for increasing the tolls, is for anticipated repairs of the bridge, that if we don't pay for it now, the cost of repairs and degradation will accelerate itself and we would pay anyway later in these inflationary times. While we appreciate you retaining the pack of the 20 trip pass card, the rate has also doubled to $30.
We requested that you exhaust all options to source funds you seek, before burdening the public with a toll hike. However, the Covid Relief Fund in Nassau County that had an. aproximately 200 million budget initially, seemed like an alternate source that you could qualify for in that your company lost toll income during the.pandemic. it is unclear if you applied for that.
We still are waiting for the answer. No response was received to that question. Funds from that alternate source, could have avoided you seeking the toll hikes from the public and changed our lives for the better. We hope to hear about this as part of your agenda in your board meeting.
Our terms here are a compromise as best as feasible in the limited time from your announcement of new rates for 2024. If we received full transparency of all your financials existing or planned and and with ease, this may avoid invoking our right to Article 78, for better compliance to Open Meetings Law and to your charter as a public benefit company. We are entitled to fully reveal how our toll money is being spent, your plans, and if necessary seek other remedies to protect the public.
Further, part of better transparency includes, our right to observe your meetings unrestricted and understand what is said.
We demand in good faith that you allow us to have our comments and questions with our voice, with audio turned on, unmuted throughout the entirety of the board meetings and the time of day should be convenient to the public such as after work hours rather than 10:30am.
This would increase transparency that the public is entitled to and optimize attendance in order to observe your board meetings. It is an obligation you have to comply with Open Meetings Law. The opinion of the New York State Committee on Open Government finds meetings that are scheduled too early or too late in the day unreasonable
A meeting at 10:30 am is unreasonable as it is an hour too early when most people work to earn their necessary income in order to support themselves or their family. Please reschedule the December 20th meeting to 6:30pm and board meetings thereafter.
Open Meetings Law, states that you should treat the public fairly and equally if we are participating in the meeting by a public body. You include us as a guest in your zoom of the board meeting. However, in the last few months, you do not allow us to engage in conversation with you by audio, only visually and listen by your control. However, You can see our written messages on camera. That satisfies participation.
In that you receive and control tens of millions of dollars of our hard earned money in toll income annually with net profit and seeking more, even with the same toll rates from the disadvantaged or challenged residents, such as the retired, low income, disabled. large families, personal care aides, young people that work here, and other bridge-goers, we feel that you have an obligation to treat us fairly and equally, both ethically and by responsibility to the public. Currently, you are not treating us fairly. And, you did not make accommodations in tolls to those groups.
On the Meetings section of your website, you explained that the reason for not inviting the public to participate in person in your board meeting as previously done before, is for health reasons to avoid contagious illness. However, allowing us to participate in your zoom board meeting as a guest from your waiting room, solves this.
Recently, you added the additional reason of time constraints that cause you to choose to mute the audio of the public in your zoom in order to try to not accept comments from the public. However, there are no time constraints. You can choose to extend the time period of your board meeting. It is expected that less and less time would likely be needed by the public over time, as we get most answers early on, once we experience the new toll situation.
Open Meetings Law obligates treating the public fairly as a priority. Likewise, your third most recent reason for space constraints would not comply with Open Meetings Law. You are obligated to have a comfortable space for the public when they attend to observe your meetings. And, in that we attend your meetings as a guest in your zoom, there are no space constraints but to ensure that your waiting room is big enough and also accommodates disabled parties properly, with complete ADA compliance to your property and building. When you lock the gate at the entrance before or during the board meeting, that does not comply. We could otherwise attend remotely from our homes which is an option. You could share a link on your website to your zoom and invite the public
Writing our comments or questions down for later consideration by you after we leave the waiting room, is not sufficient in that you may not be obligated by Open Meetings Law to respond and often don't. However, the law of public opinion here and consumer laws have a say as well.
The loss or compromise to you is none by allowing us to engage in conversation in audio besides visual, but only would instill good will and a better relationship with your neighbors of over 40,000 residents and businesses of Atlantic Beach together with The Long Beach Barrier Island besides other bridge-goers. That comprises approximately six million trips using our Atlantic Beach bridge. We hope for your re-evaluation of our needs, and accept our improvements to the toll rates.
We look forward to your answer as a post on your website and/or the Nassau Herald. The press will be updated. Again, Your toll hikes are detrimental to all commerce and residents and those who work here. Repairs to the bridge are still affordable, and possible without the toll hikes.
The bottom line is that, we are not just paying the rates in one of your classifications. Each of us are paying all of them which are being built into costs of services we purchase. This causes local inflation compounding existing inflation. Then, the Barrier Island discount of $2.50 if registering a car with Ez-Pass, is not as helpful as it seems. It is actually, Not So Ez-Pass.
The rates add up to hundreds if not thousands of dollars for bridge-goers. The obvious rate for each of our classification is compounded by all other rates, worsened by hikes. All other classifications are built into our local daily lives.
If in one day one round trip is made using the bridge, and a plumber, then contractor came for a consult or were hired, groceries were delivered, then we went out to eat at a local restaurant, one person may have paid approximately $50 or more in toll hikes in just one day. Even if the public could afford the extra money, they don't want to. Why should they. That's excessive to say the least. The toll is no longer looking like $2.50 with the Barrier Island discount with EZ Pass registration.
It is just way too much. We shouldn't have to pay $25 to have groceries delivered ten minutes away from Far Rockaway because the small family business registered their small van as a commercial vehicle. They pay $16 roundtrip. The same applies to my electrician, plumber and contractor who use a commercially registered van. A good portion of their businesses comes from Atlantic Beach and The Long Beach Barrier Island. Ultimately, the toll hike is expected to be the cause of the decline and demise of his and other businesses.
Please, the toll hikes must go for the sake of the welfare of those who live and work in The Barrier Island, Nassau County and our valuable visitors.
We would greatly appreciate it if we could set up a conference with you, in order to discuss this further. If needed, to confirm the support of our community, including Civic Associations, religious, other local leaders, and political figures, they would be invited to be heard. Their varied perspectives and on how the public is harmed by the toll hikes would be productive, persuasive,and enlightening.
This could be done by zoom.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Atlantic Beach & Neighbors of our Beautiful Long Island community.
Advocate for crucial local causes to make where we live the best it can be. With one voice together, we will be heard. Bring your brain cells, Bring your cause. Bring your neighbor.