The Nov. 5 public hearing on the Town of Islip’s proposed 2027 budget lasted only about eight minutes. Supervisor Angie Carpenter moved to adopt the plan, but no Town Board member supported it.
The proposed budget totals $306.5 million, roughly 6% ($18 million) above this year’s spending. It would raise the property tax levy by 12% to nearly $178 million—which, according to Secretary of the Comptroller Robert Kordic, exceeds New York State’s 2% cap, marking the third straight year the Town of Islip has sought to override it.
That works out to an average annual tax increase of $135 for each household.
Kordic attributed the increase to health insurance and pension costs, mandatory union raises, a new garbage contract, and higher debt payments, which together total $15.2 million. He also said the plan “protects the town’s AAA bond rating and, notwithstanding any service cuts or decrease in the workforce.”
There was no debate at the meeting.
Councilman Michael McElwee articulated his objection in a social media statement the same day. He wrote that Carpenter prepared the budget “without meaningful input from her fellow Town Board members” and that the failure to advance it was “a clear indication that the budget process needs to change.”
He added that “supporting the ability to pierce the tax cap does not mean automatically supporting the proposed budget.”
Carpenter’s office said board members have had the proposed budget since mid-September, department heads are available to answer questions, and no changes were offered.
Councilman John Lorenzo, who also declined to support the plan, cited an affordability crisis among residents. “With the rising costs of groceries, utilities, home heating, and everyday necessities, the last thing our hardworking families and seniors need is another tax increase,” he said in a statement.
Last year, the town board rejected the 2026 budget but failed to pass an alternative before the state deadline, so the supervisor’s proposal took effect by default.
The board has until Nov. 20 to produce and adopt a revised 2027 budget; otherwise, the proposal will be adopted automatically.
Islip’s rate sheets since 2020 illustrate the pressure behind the discord:
- The budget amount raised through town property taxes climbed to more than $58 million, up from $44.6 million since 2020. School and library levies—nearly 70% of each tax dollar—have remained steady over the years.
- Residents of unincorporated hamlets saw the sharpest change. The levy has more than doubled since 2024, reaching $5.53 million, which has lifted the town’s property tax rate for households and businesses.
- Property tax refunds: Suffolk County pays first, then bills the town where an assessment was challenged. Most of the court-ordered chargebacks, which totaled as much as $43 million, were tied to the South Shore Mall in Bay Shore, where a State Supreme Court settlement ordered Suffolk County to refund at least $25 million, most of which it is charging back to Islip taxpayers.
- On the tax rolls, the mall parcel was reduced by 10%, roughly $26 million.
- Meanwhile, fewer residents are finding relief from townwide STAR savings, which have nearly halved to $44 million.
The next Islip Town Board meeting is scheduled to take place at 2p.m., on Nov. 17, at Islip Town Hall, located at 401 Main St., in Islip Hamlet. Streaming options are available.
