Grappling with municipal and other increases, Bellport raises taxes

The March 23 board of trustees public hearing presenting the tentative Bellport Village budget for 2026-27, pitched a $6,729,125 budget over last year’s  $6,139,256, with a $4,145,366, or 11.91 percent, proposed property tax levy, covering the fiscal year beginning June 1, 2026.

The tax levy represents an average $29 increase per month. The board will vote on the final budget on April 27.

Mayor Maureen Veitch pointed to insurance increases, unfunded mandates, and necessary repairs and occurrences beyond the village’s control.

“The reason is the skyrocketing cost of medical for employees,” she explained. “Family coverage is at just a hair over $41,000 a year,” she said of just one issue.

“In talking to Darcia [treasurer Darcia Palmer], we have to set aside pensions for employees and for those who worked for us for the New York State Local Retirement System. Two years ago, it was $151,000; now, it’s $189,000. These are all things that add up. People’s salaries go up. It’s money that has to be spent before you do any project.”

Veitch said insuring the village has gone up 12 to 15 percent a year. “We’ve had a lot of damage at Ho-Hum Beach with bulkheading that we have to fix that will cost at least a half million of taxpayer money.”

Cost of inflation in materials has risen mercurially in general, for even such items like paper and asphalt, she said.

(In the listed tentative budget, for example, street maintenance, sidewalks and curbs increased $159,910, including materials and supplies and repairs to property. Among the insurance and benefit increases, group health insurance jumped to $95,000 over the previous year; state retirement jumped $25,000.)

“Another is your classic unfunded mandates,” Veitch pointed out. “The DEC [Department of Environmental Conservation] has new requirements on how we report and deal with our drainage system, so we now have to pay someone to deal with the drains. This is without doing anything new.” The village’s healthy fund reserve also needs to be maintained to ensure a healthy credit rating, she said.

As the marina serves not only the village, but fire, police and EMS boats docked there who serve a 14-mile swath, dredging will be required, as will bulkhead repairs. And with approved grants, municipalities must pitch in a healthy percentage of approved funding.

“It’s about 90 percent of what’s driving the budget,” Veitch said of the increases. “It would be irresponsible to not take care of the village and not maintain a healthy fund reserve. The rating agencies want to see a healthy fund balance.”

Patchogue Village mayor Paul Pontieri commented that all municipalities and villages are struggling with the same issues, including two blizzards that hit the area on Sundays.

“Between the increases in the retirement system, medical, and overall operating costs, and also we have to carry bonds, whereas schools don’t,” Pontieri explained. “Their tax cap is different than ours. When you take into account this winter, the cost of the snowstorms that started on Sundays in January and February—which is double time—with us, we’re going to break $200,000. In the past, it was about $100,000. It was the first time we closed village hall, and for the ones who work at DPW, it was time and a half.

“In most cases, we look at the last three years and base our budget on that; there was no significant snow during that time. Bellport goes through the same thing.”

Veitch said about three people showed up for the tentative budget.

“I think it shows a level of trust for the board to determine what the community needs, whether it’s an increase of retirement and medical funding and this year’s winter,” Pontieri said, pointing to residents’ attendance that swells when there is an issue.

And, Pontieri said, “People have to understand it’s for their own protection.”

Patchogue’s budget hasn’t been nailed down yet, Pontieri said. “We’re working at 2.5 percent as a tax increase, but during my first two years in office over 20 years ago, we raised taxes 13, 14 and 15 percent to fill a reserve. The proposed increase will preserve our reserves.”

Pontieri also mentioned the lawsuit Brookhaven Town threatened the village with over access to Ho-Hum Beach, that was pulled back.

“That money was taken out of the budget,” he said of the lawyers Bellport had to hire as an example of extra expenses.

Bellport’s tentative budget is available online. “We’re still looking at it,” Veitch said. “If we make changes, they will be available at our board meeting in April.”