Nassau Notebook: Traffic and Parking Violations Agency Audit, Drug Treatment Program

Winter Farmers Market Returns to Nassau

Farmers markets aren't just a summer thing anymore. Sisters Lona Graepel and Jaime Greci are bringing back the indoor G&G Long Island Winter Farmer's market for a fourth season with even more vendors and dates in Northport, Melville and Garden City (223 Stewart Avenue, 1-5 p.m. every Sunday.)

Info From Traffic and Parking Violations Agency Audit Released

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos released his Traffic and Parking Violations Agency (TPVA) audit conducted at the request of County Executive Ed Mangano and Executive Director Judge John Marks. Since taking over the agency on Jan. 26, 2010, Marks has implemented a number of initiatives to improve collections through improved management effectiveness. The audit found that the improvements already implemented are a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to collect the large backlog of unpaid parking and traffic tickets, especially the rising number of unpaid Red Light Camera fines. Also, while auditors found no instances of ticket fixing, more safeguards are needed to prevent future fraud.

As of Dec. 31, 2010, the agency had $44 million in uncollected traffic violation fines dating back 10 years and $26 million in uncollected parking violations in the last six years. The Red Light Camera past due tickets are estimated at more than $10 million as of Dec. 31, 2011. The rapid rising volume of unpaid Red Light Camera tickets has grown from 7,884 as of Dec. 31, 2009 to 46,862 as of Dec. 31, 2010 to 107,841 as of May 31, 2011.

The possibility of ticket fixing continued to be a threat despite previous audit findings that anyone with access to the current computer system could change violation codes in individual tickets, impacting fines and dispositions, including dismissals. To TPVA’s credit, the access control weaknesses were immediately resolved as recommended in the comptroller’s audit report and employees now have security profiles which limit their system access to only their assigned functions.

A new computer system scheduled to begin operating in June 2013 will enhance ticket collections, management oversight, ticket fixing security and automate the default judgment process.

Other improvements the TPVA have implemented to increase collection of violations include notifying the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles electronically on a weekly basis to suspend driver’s licenses of motorists who do not answer their traffic violations and to suspend registration renewals for parking scofflaws.

The audit identified the following additional initiatives that should be implemented to improve collections, safeguard assets and improve management oversight:

• Speed up the implementation of the new IT system replacing Compucourt sooner than June 2013;
• Demand that the Red Light Camera vendor improve reporting of receivables, dismissals and collections, including the automatic generation of an aged outstanding receivable report;
• Implement management review of Cash receipt reconciliation errors;
• Implement greater security for entrance into the TPVA employee areas;
• Provide greater segregation of duties among TPVA employees to ensure that errors or irregularities are swiftly found and corrected.

NICE Bus Employees Ratify Five-Year Contract with Veolia

Members of Transport Workers Union Local 252 who work on the Nassau Inter-County Express, or the NICE bus system, ratified a five-year contract with Veolia Transportation, which began operating the county’s buses on Jan. 1.

TWU Local 252 represents approximately 800 employees working at NICE, which is owned by Nassau County and serves about 100,000 daily riders. TWU members – mainly bus operators and mechanics who recently became employees of Veolia when it assumed operations of the former Long Island Bus – voted 450 to 68 to approve the contract on Jan. 9.

70 Spots Available in County's Opioid Treatment Program

Mangano announced Monday that Nassau County’s nationally recognized and accredited Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) has 70 spots available to accommodate individuals seeking help with drug addiction. Presently, the program treats 580 clients per month at the state-licensed outpatient clinic. The 70 available spots come at no extra expense to Nassau County’s budget.

Nassau County’s OTP offers two treatment tracks, a Methadone Maintenance track and a Suboxone treatment track. Clients are screened upon admission for appropriate placement. Program admission is based upon the client meeting the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) imposed admission criteria, which includes:

• Clients applying for admission do so voluntarily.
• Clients under the age of 18 may be considered only with parental/legal guardian consent.
• Clients under the age of 18 must have a minimum of two documented treatments service attempts at chemical dependence withdrawal or stabilization service or inpatient service to be eligible for treatment/admission.
• Opioid addiction has been present for a minimum of one year.

The last two criteria listed exist to assure that non-medication assisted treatment alternatives have already been utilized.

In addition to being licensed as an Opioid Treatment Program, the program is also certified by the NYS Department of Health as an Article 28 facility, which allows for the provision of primary medical care treatment for clients served.