Southampton Town to pierce tax cap with funding for more police officers, tactical vehicle

Southampton Town is proposing to exceed the state tax cap next year with a budget that increases spending to hire more police officers, purchase law enforcement equipment and cover rising employee benefit costs.

The $143.2 million proposal from Supervisor Maria Moore would raise spending by $9.2 million, or 6.9%, over the town’s current plan. The proposal would raise the town portion of the average property tax bill by about $118 for a home assessed at $1 million.

Under the proposal, the townwide tax levy would rise 9.7%, from $86.7 million to $95.1 million, requiring a town board supermajority to override the state cap. 

Staffing levels have been a long-running issue for the East End towns.

The preliminary budget adds 12 new positions, including three in the police department — a lieutenant, a detective and a school resource officer. Moore, a first-term Democrat, said the town added 14 positions this year. The 2025 budget also pierced the cap with an 11% tax levy increase

The increases will allow the town to “employ qualified individuals to keep the town’s many departments operational and to fund infrastructure, maintenance and upgrades, and other operating expenses," Moore said during a recent budget presentation.

“I think we’ve been a little bit short-staffed over the last few years,” Councilman Rick Martel, a Republican, said during a recent budget discussion.   “And I think it’s appropriate that we give the community the staffing levels that they deserve.”

Health insurance costs for the town are budgeted to increase 6%, while expenses for workers' compensation insurance and retirement contributions are projected to increase 10%, Moore said. The town is negotiating a new contract with the Civil Service Employees Association, the union representing the bulk of its nonpolice employees, which will likely impact the salary increases in the budget proposal.

The budget also allocates funds to replace several police vehicles and purchase two all-terrain vehicles for access to wooded areas and a tactical vehicle for “high risk encounter situations.”

Moore said the town is replacing a 45-year-old tactical vehicle in poor condition with a Lenco BearCat. The budget allocates $400,000 for the purchase.

“It's to protect the safety of our residents as well as the safety of our officers,” Moore said of the armored truck. “It's so that the police can safely reach people that are in need and render aid — and then return themselves safely home.”

The budget also includes $35,000 to buy Urban SDK, an artificial intelligence platform the police department and town traffic engineers will use to manage traffic and address citizen complaints, Moore said.

Two resolutions have been proposed to amend the preliminary budget. One would create and fund a new full-time recreation program coordinator, while the second would fund an increase in the police budget for supplies and contracts.

The budget provides a 2% raise for all elected officials other than the supervisor, whose salary remains at $149,773. 

The town will hold its second round of budget hearings on Nov. 12. The budget is required to be adopted on or before Nov. 20.