Babylon proposed budget includes tax hike, raises for some elected officials

The Town of Babylon is proposing a nearly 6% tax increase as part of a tentative budget that would also bump up the salaries of some elected officials by as much as $36,000.

The tax levy for the $193.9 million budget proposed by the town raises taxes across four of the town’s five main funds. For the average homeowner, the increase would amount to a more than $114 jump in their tax bill, from $1,920 to $2,034. The tentative budget does not include nearly $24 million for the fire districts.

The next step is a public hearing on the preliminary budget, which will take place Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. at Town Hall in Lindenhurst.

Cathy Wuertz, deputy comptroller for the town, said obstacles compiling the budget this year were the typical things that have been issues for several years now.

"It’s the usual health insurance challenges, retirement challenges — those kinds of nondiscretionary increases that happen in the world," Wuertz said.

The town estimates pension costs will increase by 10%, or $664,509, while insurance costs are also expected to go up around 10%, or by $1.7 million, she added.

Between those costs and union contract obligations, Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer said, before they even started the budget process, the town was “$3 million down because of things beyond our control."

Schaffer said department heads know an approved budget "doesn’t mean that’s their license to spend every penny and nickel," and they need to cut back without impacting services, including recreational outlets.

"All the things that people expect and deserve, and the things that they rave about with us, are those types of services that provide them with a little entertainment, recreation," Schaffer said.

Overtime for the parks department is one area of increases for the town, since the summer season will be a week longer next year, Wuertz said. Parks administrative overtime costs are expected to rise 24.3%, from $82,000 to $102,000, and other department overtime is estimated to increase from $246,840 to $341,936, or 38.5%.

The town is also seeing a sharp increase in other health-related costs, including part-time labor jumping from $9,000 to $190,000, a 2,011.1% surge. The other line items for that category, which altogether represent a 226.2% increase in spending from $225,624 to $736,000, are related to the town’s wellness programs for employees and a youth wrestling program that had previously been paid for through federal American Rescue Plan Act funding that runs out this year, Schaffer said.

Schaffer’s salary is poised to spike by more than $36,000, or 29.3%, under the tentative budget, from $123,680 to $160,000. It increased in this year’s spending plan from $119,497 in 2025.

Tax Receiver Jennifer Montiglio’s salary would also rise, from $123,505 to $140,000, a 13.3% increase. Town Clerk Janina Martinez, who took over the position in August, will see her salary rise to $140,000, a 9.7% bump from the $127,505 that was budgeted for the position in 2026.

Under the tentative spending plan, the four council members’ salaries would rise collectively from $300,328 to $315,000, a 4.8% increase. The salaries increased 3.4% from $290,409 this year.

Schaffer told Newsday the salary bumps for him and other elected officials are "placeholders" and that the town board has to ultimately vote in January on any salary hikes. But he pointed to his and other elected officials’ pay being among the lowest compared with other Nassau County and western Suffolk towns, and said  Babylon Town officials felt  their pay should be commensurate.

"I believe there will be some increase," Schaffer said. "If we don’t approve what’s in the budget, that money would go back into the contingency account used during the course of the year."

The budget marks the last one spearheaded by Victoria Marotta, the town’s longtime comptroller who retired this month. The town has hired Joseph Ludwig, who served nearly 20 years as Islip Town’s comptroller, to take her place.

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.