Islip taxes to go up 5.3 percent under proposed budget

Islip’s proposed 2019 budget will increase by nearly $6 million and raise taxes by 5.3 percent, towns officials said.

The $234.6 million proposal is $5.8 million more than the budget approved for 2018, with the bulk of the increase to be used to pay debt related to capital projects, the town comptroller said. The increase remains below the state-mandated tax cap.

Homeowners would see an average increase of $28 based on an average assessed home value of $400,000 with annual taxes of $559, Islip Comptroller Joseph Ludwig said.

“We did not cut any positions in order to get ourselves under the cap," Ludwig said. "We just had to really tighten the belt. Potentially new initiatives within departments, get put on hold. Every department can tell you they could use six to 10 more people.”

The spending increases are largely connected to debt related to two capital projects totaling $8.8 million that were funded last year, he said. The projects include an animal shelter in Central Islip and the last phase of renovations to the Bay Shore Marina.

Town board members could vote on the budget following a public meeting scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday Nov. 8 at town hall, officials said.

Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter said in a statement the town has received the highest bond rating AAA multiple times since 2016.

“We strive to tighten department budgets, making certain that each and every taxpayer dollar spent is done with the utmost scrutiny,” she said.

The cost of salaries and benefits of about 800 Islip employees increased under the 2019 budget to $88.8 million from $85.2 million, Ludwig said.

The increases in employee salary and benefits costs are largely attributed to union-negotiated salary bumps, which also raise costs of some benefits such as retirement, he said.

Under the budget, Carpenter is set to receive a 1.9 percent raise with a proposed salary of $106,337. Four council members, who are part-time employees, would receive 1.2 percent salary increases, with their pay rising to slightly more than $80,000, officials said.

Neither Carpenter nor the board work under union contracts.

The town board could also vote on Thursday on a proposed $34.4 million capital budget, which is smaller than 2018's $36 million capital plan.