Suffolk Legislature passes $3.9M budget for 2024, general property, police taxes stay flat

The GOP-controlled Suffolk Legislature on Wednesday approved outgoing County Executive Steve Bellone's $3.9 billion budget for 2024, which raises spending by more than 5% while bolstering its reserves and keeping general fund property taxes flat.

One day after Suffolk voters went to the polls to select Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine as Bellone's successor, county lawmakers voted 14-2 — with two absences or vacancies — in favor of an amended budget plan. That plan provided another $4 million, offset by other revenue adjustments, to fund a host of new positions, including Legal Aid attorneys, fire marshals and election clerks. 

"It's truly a true balanced budget," said Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) following the vote. "We're going to be handing it off to the next county executive. But we are in good fiscal shape."

The budget, which was released nearly a month after the original Sept. 15 deadline because of delays related to last year’s ransomware attack on county government, was approved two days before the Nov. 10 deadline outlined in the county charter.

“Over the last 12 years we transformed the county’s finances and now this budget sets the foundation for long-term fiscal stability while protecting taxpayers and prioritizing vital services," Bellone, a term-limited Democrat who will leave office at the end of the year, said in a statement. "I appreciate the partnership and the bipartisan collaboration with my colleagues in the legislature in working to secure the county’s financial future."

The budget calls for 4% raises for all elected officials, including increasing the county legislators’ salaries from $107,051 to $111,333 and the county executive’s pay from $232,124 to $241,409.

In 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Bellone proposed eliminating 500 full-time county jobs, curtailing bus and disability transit services and reduced funding for community clinics, public health agencies and nonprofits. The proposed cuts were restored after an infusion of federal pandemic aid and higher than expected sales tax revenue.

In the years since the pandemic, the county's finances have stabilized, due in large part to hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic funding and sales tax revenue that has grown steadily since 2020, according to the County Comptroller's office.

By year's end, Suffolk is projected to have nearly $631 million in reserves, and the spending plan recommends growing that amount to $722.4 million through the end 2024, officials said.

The county's 2024 fiscal budget raises spending by about 5.3%, from $3.7 billion in 2023 to $3.9 billion next year, while freezing taxes for the general fund and the police district, which covers the five western towns. Taxpayers in sewer and other districts may see some increases, officials said.

The plan includes funding for two police academy classes, establishes a fund to be used for emergency repairs and boosts information-technology supply spending by $1.7 million — including cybersecurity protection to prevent another ransomware attack.

On Wednesday, lawmakers also approved a pair of amendments to the budget that increased spending by about $4 million to fund the training of 65 new police officers beginning next November, boosting salaries and increasing hiring at the Legal Aid Society and adding two new fire marshals, one assistant chief deputy sheriff, six election clerks, two positions in the Office of Minority Affairs and 10 in the Parks Department. 

Additional funding was allocated for an animal welfare program in the district attorney's office, for two Family Service League facilities, the Vocational Education and Extension Board, Fire Rescue and Emergency Services and for a compensation study to address employee recruitment and retention issues, said Lance Reinheimer, director of the Budget Review office.

The additional spending, Reinheimer said, was offset by revenue adjustments throughout the budget.

"We came up with a sound budget," said Legis. Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters). "And we found also some revenue inside of that."

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.