The closure of the Brookhaven landfill was pushed another two years down the line, after a previous goal of having it shut down for good at the end of this year. However, the decline in revenue from the landfill now threatens the Town with a $21 million shortfall in the budget.
Town officials are now weighing whether to pierce the tax cap, which would deliver an added $18 per month tax increase to residents – $216 for the whole year.
The budget would hike spending by 7%, increasing from $337.4 million to $361.2 million.
Brookhaven is just one of eight towns in Suffolk County who plan to pierce their tax caps next year, according to Babylon Supervisor and president of the Suffolk County Town Supervisors Association Rich Schaffer (D-North Babylon). Only Smithtown and Huntington do not plan on making a similar move.
The landfill is projected to stop taking construction and demolition debris (C-and-D) at the end of December. C-and-D represents more than 60% of the 1.1 million tons of refuse stored annually at the site. Revenue is expected to slide 40% next year.
The losses coincide with declines from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), the federal COVID-19 relief plan that granted Brookhaven $55 million.
Revenue losses from the landfill are expected to be somewhat offset from green energy projects, such as the offshore Sunrise Wind project. However, Supervisor Dan Panico (R-Center Moriches) has contended that slightly raising taxes is a more viable alternative to cutting services.
Councilman Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook) agrees with the plan.
Five votes on the seven-member board are required to pierce the cap.
A public hearing on the budget will be held at 5:00p.m. on November 7 at Town Hall, located at 1 Independence Hill in Farmingville.
This is a developing story.
Landfill Claims $21M Hole in Budget Tax Cap Pierce Expected
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