As Nassau County’s comptroller, my job is to hold government agencies accountable and ensure that your tax dollars are being spent wisely. When it comes to the MTA and the Long Island Rail Road, what I’ve uncovered is nothing short of outrageous.
Every year, Nassau taxpayers are forced to hand over $36.5 million to the MTA just to maintain our LIRR stations. That’s $100,000 a day, yet many of our stations are in shocking disrepair.
My team has documented crumbling concrete, rusting steel, leaking ceilings, and peeling paint. Worse, 15 out of 58 LIRR stations don’t even have an enclosed waiting room or a bathroom. For the stations that do, most close by 7 p.m., leaving riders stranded in the cold and dark.
On weekends, many waiting rooms are not open, and those that are stay open for an average of just 4.6 hours a day.
How can the MTA justify these conditions when Nassau taxpayers are footing such an enormous bill?
The MTA sees Nassau as its piggybank. The $36.5 million Nassau pays for station maintenance is just the tip of the iceberg. The MTA has found multiple ways to reach into your pocket, even if you never step foot on a train:
- Nassau taxpayers pay an additional $11.6 million in a New York State-mandated Local Operating Assistance tax to fund the MTA.
- Nassau County government pays $4 million a year in MTA payroll taxes.
- The MTA takes a cut every time you register your car, renew your driver’s license, record a mortgage, or pay sales tax.
All told, Nassau County sends more than $137 million to the MTA each year, and that doesn’t even include riders’ fares.
And now, the MTA is charging you even more through congestion pricing. In just its first month, this new commuter tax pulled in $48.66 million, with the MTA pocketing $37.5 million after expenses. It’s on track to collect $500 million a year from drivers just trying to get to work.
Yet, despite all these taxes, LIRR fares keep going up. A round-trip peak ticket from Nassau to New York City now costs $29, and a monthly pass is up to $287.
Where is all this money going?
I am fighting to hold the MTA accountable for how they spend your hard-earned money. My office is demanding a full accounting of what Nassau’s $36.5 million in station maintenance fees are actually funding—and why our stations remain in unacceptable condition.
The MTA’s failure to manage fare evasion is a perfect example of its mismanagement and waste.
Last year, the LIRR billed $1.98 million in unpaid fares but managed to recover less than 5% of it. Even U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned the MTA that it could lose federal funding if it doesn’t crack down on waste, fraud, and crime in the transit system.
Nassau taxpayers contribute over $137 million a year to the MTA. We deserve better than broken stations, endless fare hikes, and a system that puts no accountability on how it spends our money.
Last week it was announced that Gov. Hochul and members of the state Legislature were discussing the possibility of hiking the MTA payroll tax in the city for the second time in three years. I say no way. The MTA should be looking for waste, fraud and abuse in its own system to improve efficiency and not continually looking for more money from our taxpayers.
I will not stop fighting until the MTA answers for its spending and delivers the well-maintained stations and service that Nassau residents pay for and deserve.
