Proposed $260.8 million budget for Islip includes no cuts to staff or services

Islip Town officials are proposing a $260.8 million budget for 2023 that includes no cuts to staff or services and falls within the state-mandated tax cap. 

The spending plan is a $7.5 million increase from last year’s $253.3 million  budget. The proposed budget includes $111.4 million for the general fund, nearly $35 million for the highway fund and $13.4 million for the town outside village fund. Islip Town officials are slated to vote on the budget on Nov. 10 after a public hearing. 

The tax levy in the three major funds will see a 6.7% increase under the proposed budget, which equates to approximately a $36 yearly increase to the average assessed home, Islip Town spokesperson Caroline Smith said. 

Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter told Newsday she was proud of the budget, especially as the town, like its residents, battled against inflation. Because of “a confluence of good things happening to us,” such as more mortgage tax money than expected, increased interest rates and a decrease in the garbage budget, Carpenter said the town was able to propose a fiscally responsible budget. 

“We are very sensitive to the fact that people choose to live in the Town of Islip for the wonderful quality of life it affords,” Carpenter said. “This budget retains all the programs and services that the town provides its residents year-round. Working closely with our commissioners, we always strive to tighten department budgets as necessary, making certain that each and every taxpayer dollar spent is done with the utmost scrutiny.” 

The general fund covers expenses for public safety, parks and recreation and youth services, which will see an increase this year. Additionally, Carpenter said the town saw an increase in senior citizens requesting hot meals, which the town provides daily, since the coronavirus pandemic.

Nearly $18 million is earmarked for the town’s parks department and $27.5 million for the public works department, Carpenter said. The budget sees an increase for the public safety department with a proposed $8.09 million budget, which will fund new park rangers and code enforcement officers, up from last year's $7.8 million. 

“People don’t want to see illegal rentals, unregistered vehicles, but that takes resources to go and ferret out,” Carpenter said. 

The budget for the town-owned Long Island MacArthur Airport, which doesn’t use any taxpayer dollars and is self-sustaining, will be $17.6 million for 2023.

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.