Brookhaven budget plan features 1.43% tax hike, back under state cap

Brookhaven Town residents next year would see an average 1.43% tax hike — a few ticks below the state's 2% tax cap — under a 2026 budget released this week by Supervisor Dan Panico.

The $367.2 million spending plan, announced Monday during a town board meeting at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville, comes a year after Brookhaven pierced the tax cap for the first time.

The most dramatic shift in town spending, also announced Monday, is Panico's call to wind down the town zoo in Holtsville next year. Critics including former employees had called on town officials to close the facility, alleging animals were mistreated. Town officials denied the allegations.

Panico said closing the zoo will save the town about $2 million annually.

He told officials at Monday's meeting  the town also faces rising costs for employee pension and health contributions, adding the town must prepare for future spikes in costs to waste management as Long Island's four trash incinerators face a 2027 expiration date.

"This budget was not an easy budget," Panico said. 

Panico has said he expects Brookhaven to pay about 10% more next year for state-imposed health insurance premiums for town employees, Newsday has previously reported. State insurance rates are announced in December after towns adopt their budgets. 

Brookhaven Finance Commissioner Tamara Branson, in an email, said the average home assessed at $2,750 would see a 1.43%  tax hike, from $1,090.94 this year to $1,106.58 in 2026.

Actual tax bills will vary due to a variety of factors, such as whether a home is located within an incorporated village and whether it is served by a special district, such as an ambulance district.

Overall town spending would rise 1.3%, from $362,614,293 this year to $367,190,261 next year. 

The budget must be ratified by the town board. A date to vote on the budget has not been announced.

Panico's new spending plan is a marked change from his 2025 budget. That budget pierced the state tax cap for the first time since the cap was instituted in 2012, raising taxes an average of $216 per home, town officials said.

The 2025 budget forecast a 40.2% dip in landfill revenues from tipping fees, from $53.5 million to $32 million, because the landfill stopped taking debris from construction and demolition sites this year, Newsday reported at the time.

The 2026 proposed budget foresees a 3.1% drop in tipping fee revenues, to $31 million. The landfill is scheduled to close in 2028, when it is expected to run out of capacity.

The fee assessed to homeowners for trash and recycling collection is set to drop 1.3%  from $401.33 this year to $396.22 next year. Panico said he did that by moving personnel costs to other budget lines, leaving only the payments the town makes to private trash haulers.

“What we pay to the carting corporation is what people are going to see on their bill,” Panico said.

Panico's budget also includes 2.5% salary hikes for himself and other elected officials, including town council members, Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro, Town Clerk Kevin LaValle and Tax Receiver Louis J. Marcoccia.

Public hearings on the proposed budget are set for 5 p.m. Nov. 6. By state law, town budgets must be adopted by Nov. 20.

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.