Head of the Harbor residents face $225 tax increase

Head of the Harbor residents will see an average $225 tax increase as the village contends with higher expenses, including to fund its lawsuit over the reconstruction of Harbor Road, officials said.

The village voted Wednesday to adopt a nearly $2.46 million budget, which takes effect on March 1 and boosts spending 6.23% over the current plan.

The average village tax per home will rise from $2,746.44 in the 2025-26 budget to $2,971.32 in 2026-27, about $225 more per home, Mayor Michael Utevsky said.

The state's 2% tax cap “is totally unrealistic to stay within if we’re going to be able to continue to provide a high level of service to our residents,” trustee Jeff Fischer said at Wednesday's board meeting.

Utevsky said in an interview on Thursday the village is struggling to cover higher expenses for employees' health care premiums and pensions.

“These are costs that are out of our control. Meanwhile, our tax base only increased 1% … that doesn’t get us the required increase to keep up with the cost of running the village,” Utevsky said.

Officials also cited the village's lawsuit against the nonprofit Ward Melville Heritage Organization, which was filed last August. The village has sought to compel the court to declare the nonprofit the sole owner of a dam as well as a section of Harbor Road, which collapsed in August 2024 after a torrential rainstorm. The lawsuit had sought to make the nonprofit responsible for repairs.

But more recently, the nonprofit has been working with the Town of Brookhaven and the village to seek federal disaster aid.

State officials in December cast doubt on whether the federal government would provide reimbursement.

Utevsky said the village's new budget “had to make a bigger allowance for legal fees.”

The village is seeking reimbursement for the fees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Utevsky said the village is “hopeful” the agency will approve those requests.

Last year, real property taxes in the village increased 9.16% due to several factors, including flood damage caused by the 2024 storm.

Newsday's Carl MacGowan contributed to this story.