FARMINGVILLE, NY — Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico has offered the services of the town’s building inspectors gratis to inspect rental units paid for by Suffolk’s Department of Social Services, and he is hoping County Executive Ed Romaine will take him up on it and consider cutting payments to code violators.
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In a Jan. 25 letter to Romaine, Panico says the county does not inspect all rental units or see if they have a required rental permit, before sending out checks to the landlord.
“If the county is willing to agree to this arrangement and enforce the law already in place, the town will do the inspections for the county free of charge,” he wrote.
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The county’s practice has “impacted low to moderate income communities,” including Gordon Heights, North Bellport, Coram, Mastic, and Mastic Beach, Panico said, adding, “anyone receiving social service assistance should not have to accept sub-standard housing that does
not meet New York State building and fire safety codes.”
He concluded by urging Suffolk not to pay rent for units that fail to meet the codes or don’t have permits.
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In a statement to Patch, the county’s spokesman noted that Romaine started the practice while serving as supervisor.
“Every two years he corresponded with the county in this manner,” he said. “While he reviews the county’s department of social services, and plans, changes, and improvements, it is good to see that Supervisor Panico has continued this procedure.”
“Danny, Executive Romaine is looking forward to working with the Town of Brookhaven to address these concerns as quickly as possible,” he said.
Panico told Patch that he and his predecessor have offered the same deal to the county the past few years, but his hope is that now Romaine had taken up the post of county executive, he “will work with us on this initiative.”
He said that residents “should not live in potentially unsafe housing because they are poor — that’s number one — especially families with children.”
There’s also the consideration on how tax dollars are being spent, he said.
“It’s about doing the right thing,” he said. “And it’s about speaking up for those who need government assistance the most and protecting the community.”
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