The Nassau Interim Finance Authority voted unanimously Thursday to enact $18.5 million in cuts to the county's 2018 budget.

"We wanted to have a balanced budget that we could approve, so we are for the first time imposing cuts," said NFIA Chairman Adam Barsky.

It is the first time that NIFA has exercised its power to impose its own changes.

The fiscal watchdog had said deep cuts were necessary since lawmakers have failed to close a multimillion-dollar budget hole.

The cuts amount to roughly 5.2 percent per county department, an official said, although the mandated cuts still allow elected officials and department heads to determine how exactly they will make do with less funding.

With County Executive Ed Mangano set to leave office at the end of the year, NIFA is also allowing the incoming county executive to have a say in the 2018 budget. The board said it would give incoming county executive Laura Curran until March 15 to offer any budgetary changes that she would like to enact.

"The cuts will present serious challenges, but I am confident we can manage them and continue the services our residents need and expect -- and spend their tax dollars responsibly," Curran said afterward in a statement.

The County Clerk's Office declared in a lengthy statement that the cuts would hinder its ability to generate millions of dollars in revenue for the county.