Amityville budget plan for 2026-27: 13% hike with a 3.2% tax increase

Taxes in the Village of Amityville will climb by 3.2% for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, a hike largely prompted by increases in insurance and pension costs, according to officials.

The village’s $24.2 million budget shows a rise of 13.5% over last year’s $21.3 million spending plan. The new tax rate will be $41.14 per $100 of assessed value, $1.26 more than last year’s rate of $39.88 per $100 of assessed value. The budget stays just under the village’s state tax cap of 3.26%.

For an owner with an average market value home of $565,789, the increase will mean an additional $121.91 this year, according to Amityville Clerk-Treasurer Catherine Murdock.

Costs for insurance, such as for liability and workers' compensation, are expected to climb between 7% and 10% this year, Murdock said, with health insurance also budgeted to increase by 10%. State pension costs for village police are estimated to rise by nearly 6%, from $1.76 million to $1.86 million, she said, while pension costs for other village workers are expected to spike by more than 25%, from $479,000 to $600,000.

“The things that we deal with — our union costs, health insurance, pension costs — those are the major concerns,” she said. “It’s the things that are most important to keep the lights on that we have no control over.”

Murdock noted that despite these increases, the village has stayed under the tax cap for more than a decade.

Mayor Mike O’Neill said doing so has been “no small feat” as Amityville, along with other municipalities in the state, continue to face rising operational costs, infrastructure demands and public safety expenses.

“Our ability to stay under the cap while continuing to invest in our community and maintain essential services is something the entire Village can be proud of,” he wrote in an email to Newsday.

The village’s capital-projects line is going up by nearly $1.6 million, but that list of tasks is being paid for by more than $2.2 million in grant funding, Murdock said. Included in those projects are many parts of the village’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, paid for by the state, including downtown road work and a new bike path under the Long Island Rail Road viaduct.

O’Neill said projects also include completion of utility services for the Department of Public Works maintenance building, facade repairs to Village Hall and enhancements to playgrounds, as well as the purchase of a replacement rescue boat for the fire department.

“This year’s capital improvements reflect a balanced approach to infrastructure, community investment, and public safety,” O’Neill wrote.

By department, the next largest line item hike is 8.5%, or more than $833,000 increase, for the police department. The increase for the department, which accounts for nearly half of the village’s total budget at almost $10.7 million, is due to healthcare and pension costs and also to allow for possible new contract raises, Murdock said. The village is currently in negotiations with the police union on a new contract.