Hempstead Town to sell property to balance 2027 budget

The Town of Hempstead plans to sell property to balance its 2027 budget, town officials said Monday. 

The town's $591.7 million spending plan includes $50.2 million in “miscellaneous” revenue in its general and highway funds. 

The miscellaneous revenue in the general fund "is a combination of multiple revenue sources, including anticipated land sale," town Comptroller John Mastromarino said in a statement Monday. Town officials didn't make Mastromarino available to be interviewed and he didn't answer questions seeking a breakdown of the sources and amounts of money included in the "miscellaneous" revenue. 

Town spokesman Brian Devine didn't respond to questions about the property sale. That sale would be added to a  drawdown, previously reported by Newsday, of $30 million in town reserves to balance the budget without raising taxes.  

The prospect of a land sale was mentioned during a town board meeting Monday when Joseph Scianablo, the Democratic candidate for town supervisor, asked the board to explain some of the miscellaneous revenues.

"This budget has the general fund miscellaneous revenue listed at $26.75 million, up from $2.5 million," Scianablo told the board. "That's a 970% increase with no schedule saying what it is."

Scianablo said that before the board votes on the budget, it should itemize the miscellaneous revenue.

Town attorney John Maccarone responded, "Yes, there are some miscellaneous items, and that's the job of this board and the supervisor to do certain things like sell real property."

Republican town Supervisor John Ferretti didn't respond during the meeting to Scianablo's comments. Later, he said in a statement, “I’m proud to present a fiscally sound 2027 budget that freezes taxes while preserving Town services, strengthening infrastructure, and protecting the suburban quality of life residents count on."

Scianablo is running against Ferretti next month for a two-year term. The two also faced off last fall, with the incumbent Ferretti defeating Scianablo. The supervisor seat is open again this year as part of the state's changeover to even-year elections.

The other miscellaneous revenue in the budget proposal is $23.5 million in the town's highway fund. Most of that is coming from a $17 million transfer from another fund that's drawing down $13.2 million from reserves and using $9.9 million of undefined "other revenue."

Town officials didn't provide requested details of these funds, but Mastromarino, referring to the transfer, said in a statement it was "of an overfunded budget line to supplement the part-town highway fund."

Budget documents show that town spending on outside legal counsel has been rising and spiked last year when the town defended itself and officials against a lawsuit brought by Scianablo against Ferretti.

A judge ruled that the town had violated state Open Meetings Law when the town board, in August of last year, appointed Ferretti supervisor to replace Donald Clavin less than an hour after Clavin resigned. Budget records show that the town spent $2.4 million on legal fees last year, $1.1 million over the budgeted $1.3 million. 

Mastromarino declined to comment on how much of that $1.1 million overage was related to Scianablo's lawsuit.

The proposed budget also would cut spending on some parks, with operating costs in the town parks district shrinking to $50.2 million from $56.1 million , while the Franklin Square, Levittown and joint Hempstead/Oyster Bay park districts would see cuts totaling $2.1 million, or slightly more than 10%.  

Mastromarino said in a statement that the town is "doing more with less" and that the "headcount has been decreased while simultaneously making our parks look better than ever."

The town board has scheduled a hearing on the budget on Oct. 15.