The tax rate hike is the highest the village has...

The tax rate hike is the highest the village has had in at least 15 years, Mayor Mike Lavorata said. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin

Lindenhurst Village residents will see their largest tax hike in nearly two decades after officials approved a more than 12% tax rate increase.

The $19.1 million budget for 2025 to 2026 is $1.5 million, or 8.5%, higher than last year’s budget. The village’s tax rate is jumping from the current $22 per $100 of assessed valuation to $24.75 per $100 of assessed valuation, a 12.5% hike.

The average home with a market value of about $421,0000 will see their annual village taxes rise from $880 to $990. The village’s sanitation fee for a single-family home remains $236.

The village board approved the budget, which pierces the state tax cap and runs from March 1 through Feb. 28, at its Jan. 21 meeting.

The tax rate hike is the highest the village has had in at least 15 years, said Mayor Mike Lavorata, who called the spending plan the “toughest” he’s ever had.

“I spent more time on this budget than any other budget,” said Lavorata, who has been in the seat since 2017. “We had meetings upon meetings looking to cut places. We were cutting $10,000 here, $15,000 there and we realized it just was not enough.”

Village Treasurer Louise Schrader said revenue has been down since the COVID pandemic while expenses have continued to rise. She said the impact of more than a decade of having a tax cap also is being felt.

“All these years of trying to stay at that 2% tax cap, it's finally catching up to everybody,” she said.

Pension, insurance costs rising

Village officials also pointed to increased state pension costs of $133,800 and rising insurance costs of more than $172,000. The village this year reduced its contribution to the firefighter and EMT pension fund by $200,000 for a total of $650,000.

In addition to the $737,045 in debt the village will pay this year, there is another $234,500 in bonding for a new department of public works building and drainage improvements.

To avoid an even higher tax increase, the village applied $380,000 of its surplus. Lindenhurst last year used $730,000 of its surplus to offset taxes, resulting in a 1.2% tax rate increase.

“I probably should have used less than I did,” Lavorata said of last year's surplus. “That’s the problem with surpluses. You don’t want to misuse them by holding onto taxpayer money, but if you don’t have it there and something happens, forget about a rainy day, if you get a hurricane, then what do you do then?” 

The village, which is the fourth-largest on Long Island, has been advised to keep the surplus at 20% of its budget, resulting in about $4 million currently in the fund, Shrader said.

The village predicts a revenue bump of $100,000 from increased two-family home permit fees and a total of $800,000 from a new state law that requires insurance companies to directly pay ambulance providers for services. The village has received $320,000 since that law took effect in October, Shrader said, although the money can only be used for medical services. 

More full-time EMTs hired

Fire and rescue is the largest departmental increase in the budget at $385,280. Shrader said part of that is for building improvements to house larger equipment such as a high-water rescue vehicle. The village has also had to hire more full-time EMTs, which Shrader said doubled from three to six this year.

Salaries across all departments increased by more than $609,000.

Lindenhurst resident Terence Whelan, 76, said officials “have done a lot” to improve the village in recent years, but he is concerned about fiscal management.

“They’re getting additional monies that they didn’t have before and they seem to be going through them as fast as they’re coming in,” he said.

Whelan also pointed to the $2.9 million — or more than 15% — of the budget that is dedicated to the fire department, which is more than $1 million higher than that of the next-highest departmental total.

“I’m pro fire department, but that’s a huge chunk of money,” he said. 

Lavorata said he hopes residents see that “for the most part, for the tax increases they have seen, they’ve gotten better services” such as sanitation pickup and the downtown revitalization.

“We weathered a storm and I think better days are coming, and I feel confident that we’ll be in a much better financial position next year,” he said.

Inside the tax hike

  • Lindenhurst Village residents are about to see their largest tax hike in nearly two decades.
  • The village treasurer cited decreases in revenue since the pandemic as expenses have risen. She said the impact of more than a decade of having a tax cap also is being felt.
  • Village officials also pointed to increased state pension costs and rising insurance costs.
From Love Lane in Mattituck, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday deputy lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your look at ways to celebrate Valentine's Day this year. Credit: Randee Daddona, Gary Licker; Newsday / A.J. Singh

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