Huntington prepares to exceed next year's tax cap

Huntington Town officials will consider piercing the state's tax cap next year during a hearing on Tuesday, months before the likely budget vote.

Next year's spending plan is due by Nov. 20 under state law, but Supervisor Ed Smyth said the town needs to pass a resolution in advance giving the board authority to pierce the tax cap.

"It’s going to be very difficult or almost impossible to stay under the tax cap without cutting town services, which is something we don’t want to do,” Smyth said in an interview.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that we will, but I can’t present a budget that would pierce the tax cap without getting authority from the board to do so,” Smyth, a Republican who was reelected last fall, said.

The town board voted 4-1 on June 9 to set the public hearing for the resolution that would allow the board to pierce the tax cap. Town board member Brooke Lupinacci voted against the measure. Last year, Lupinacci, then a registered Republican, unsuccessfully challenged Smyth in the Republican primary for town supervisor.

“Piercing the tax cap is extremely serious and will have financial ramifications on every homeowner,” Lupinacci said in an interview. “As we progress through the budget season, I will continue to evaluate and make an informed decision that puts taxpayers first.”

State law sets a cap on how much local governments can increase their tax collection each year. The exact number is calculated by the state comptroller based on each municipality's finances and changes each year. 

Smyth said he has not yet started working on the 2027 budget and does not have the final tax cap number that he will be working with.

Last year, Huntington approved a $245.3 million budget for 2026 without piercing the cap or cutting programs or services. The average homeowner saw a $12 increase in their tax bill for the four major funds: general, highway, part-town and refuse, officials have said.

At the time, Smyth warned he may not be able to avoid piercing the cap in 2027 because of inflation.

“The operational cost in the town have outpaced revenue and for several years we were able to manage that," Smyth said. "But like every other business and household, costs have gone up.”

Smyth said the town has avoided piercing the cap by eliminating unfilled positions and unnecessary operations, increasing Building Department fees, and dipping into reserve funds.

He said in the event the cap is not pierced, there would likely be reductions across the board. The most visible cuts would be to front-facing services such as refuse collection, road improvements and senior programs.

In June, Islip Town officials said they planned to pierce the state-imposed cap next year. It would be the third year in a row for the town to do that, officials said. Officials blamed the increase on substantially higher sanitation costs contained in a recently approved contract.

The hearing will be at 2 p.m. during the regular town board meeting at 100 Main St.

By Deborah S. Morris

deborah.morris@newsday.comdsvmorris

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