Southampton Town Announces 2016 Tentative Budget

Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst recently filed her 2016 Tentative Budget which proposes a 0% increase in the tax rate for the sixth year in a row while maintaining services, controlling costs, and staying within the NY State imposed tax cap.

“For nearly six years we have implemented truly conservative fiscal practices that have enabled us to cure multimillion dollar deficits, pay down outstanding debt and limit additional borrowing – a course that has been a heavy lift, but which has led us to this very healthy position where we can now properly invest in Town infrastructure and resource protection in response to growing community needs,” Throne-Holst said.

The budget proposes an overall property tax levy of $59.3 million, an increase from the $57.5 million levy in 2015.

The increase in the levy reflects an increase in assessed value Town-wide of approximately $2 billion or 3.5%, for a total assessed valuation of $57.7 billion, generating an addition $1.8 million in tax revenue without changing the tax rate.

Under the proposed budget, the cost of core Town services is $1.42 per thousand dollars of assessed value, or $710 for an average house valued at $500,000 - one of the lowest town property tax rates on Long Island.

The budget emphasizes the need to invest in key infrastructure and the fact that the Town’s strong financial position makes it well positioned to make these timely investments.

Under the proposed budget, important capital projects include:

• Increased road repair and equipment funding for the Highway Department
• Upgrading town-wide police emergency communication
• Continuing to upgrade computerized operations
• Funding for Good Ground Park in Hampton Bays
• Funding for repair of the pier at the old Ponquogue Bridge
• Funding for Trustee-owned bulkhead repair
• Funding for Park and Town facility improvements
• Funding for a new well in the Hampton Bays Water District

Also included in the Operational Budget are four new positions:

• Two police officers
• One environmental analyst in the Environmental Division of Land Management
• One mechanic in the Hampton Bays Water District

The addition of the four positions would bring Town staff levels to 496, still 58 less than the high of 554 in 2008.

In addition, the Operational Budget provides:

• Funding to support planning work associated with the Riverside Revitalization Action Plan.
• Continued funding for a special prosecutor assigned specifically to code enforcement issues.
• Continued funding for a contract with Stony Brook University to develop water quality protection strategies.

“I have continually promised our residents a balanced, sustainable, fair, and realistic budget that protects them from increased taxes, as well as provides the services they expect,” she said. “In presenting this Tentative Budget, I am again honoring that promise.”

The Supervisor made a formal budget presentation to the Town Board during the Town Board Meeting on Tuesday, September 22.

The budget is posted online at http://www.southamptontownny.gov.