Huntington's 2027 budget would raise taxes 18%, bust cap

The Town of Huntington on Friday unveiled a $269.7 million tentative budget for 2027 that would raise taxes by about 18%.    

The budget calls for no layoffs or cuts in programs, but it pierces the allowable tax cap of 2.68%. The town last pierced the tax cap in 2017, town spokeswoman Christine Geed said.

The tax levy to be collected would rise year over year from about $143.5 million to about $169.9 million, Geed said, an increase of about 18.3%. The average town homeowner would pay an additional $25 per month. The 2026 budget is $245.3 million.

After a five-minute special meeting Friday at Town Hall at which the budget was presented, Supervisor Ed Smyth told Newsday he’s satisfied that town officials “turned over every possible rock” to deliver a spending plan that provides the services that residents expect from their local government.

“Over the next five weeks, members of the board are welcome to present resolutions reducing the budget for whatever they think is a responsible way to cut services to the residents,” Smyth said.

The tentative budget will be discussed at a public hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Town Hall. A budget must be approved by Nov. 20, town officials said.

Town board members Brooke Lupinacci, a Conservative, and Jen Hebert, a Democrat, who both voted against a resolution last month that allowed the town to pierce the tax cap, said they needed to review the tentative budget before commenting.

Smyth told Newsday last month that piercing the cap was “necessary” to maintain services. The state comptroller's office sets a limit, or cap, on the amount that local governments can increase their tax collection each year, considering the municipality's finances. That number can change each year. Smyth said it was “mathematically impossible” to maintain current programs and services in 2027 if the tax cap were not pierced. 

He has blamed inflationary costs for the increase in operating expenses for the town. Staying within the 2% cap would have raised only $5 million for a $250 million budget, Smyth previously said.

He also said in August that it would equal “fiscal suicide” if a 2027 budget was presented without piercing the cap. He prepared a draft budget at the request of his colleagues that showed what a budget that didn't bust the tax cap would look like. Department heads were asked to identify 16% of their budgets that, if cut, would have the least negative impact.

The draft budget resulted in cuts to unfilled budgeted positions, a reduction in material expenses such as lumber, asphalt, fertilizer and fuel, and an increase in fees, according to Smyth. More drastic measures would have led to the elimination of certain programs because of layoffs of seasonal, part-time and full-time employees.   

The budget was presented to the board Friday by Town Clerk Andrew Raia as mandated by state law. It needed to be publicly presented to the board by Monday. The next town board meeting is Tuesday, so a special meeting was necessary. 

By Deborah S. Morris

deborah.morris@newsday.comdsvmorris

Deborah Morris is a native Long Islander and covers the town of Huntington.