North Hempstead approves 2025 budget with 10.8% tax levy cut
North Hempstead Town Hall in Manhasset. The Town Board approved its 2025 budget on Nov. 20 following weeks of partisan bickering. Credit: Danielle Silverman
The Town of North Hempstead approved its $136 million budget for 2025 that cuts the property tax levy by $5.1 million — a 10.8% reduction — following weeks of partisan debate.
After a two-hour meeting of name-calling and personal attacks, board members voted Wednesday 6-0 to approve next year's budget. Some residents shouted their frustration at board members from their seats, while others took to the dais.
Supervisor Jennifer DeSena in September had proposed a $143 million budget for 2025 that kept the tax levy frozen. The levy refers to the total amount raised from property tax collections. Taxes for homeowners in unincorporated areas of the town would average $767.17 in 2025 and $246.71 for those living in villages, officials said.
Wednesday before the board meeting, DeSena and Republican lawmakers announced the tax cut proposal during a news conference at Town Hall in Manhasset. DeSena, a registered Democrat, caucuses with Republicans.
“Our finance team went through it, and they believe this to be a reasonable and conservative plan to protect our taxpayers,” DeSena said during the board meeting later that night.
DeSena’s cut came after Democratic Councilman Robert J. Troiano in late October proposed a $5 million tax levy cut for people living in the town’s villages.
“The supervisor has offered a copycat tax cut built on smoke and mirrors,” Troiano said at the board meeting. “It is irresponsible; it is reckless.”
To cover the tax levy reduction, the supervisor boosted revenue projections in other areas of the budget.
Town officials said they expect to save money through an agreement for a new operator to run the Harbor Links Golf Course, a one-time retirement incentive and additional building department revenues — among other initiatives.
Troiano’s proposal would have pulled from prior years’ surpluses. But DeSena said that proposal would have triggered a tax increase in 2026 and jeopardize the town’s Aaa bond rating.
The board did not vote on Troiano's proposal.
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
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