By Hank Russell
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine made a major announcement at his State of the County address on September 3 regarding next year’s budget.
“I will not be raising general fund taxes for the 2027 budget,” he announced. “There will be a zero increase.
“Affordability is at the top of every resident’s mind in Suffolk County and improving our County’s finances remains the highest priority of my administration,” Romaine continued, adding he will release the budget within three weeks. “With that, I am announcing that I will not be raising general fund taxes for 2027. There will be no increase for Suffolk County residents. We must do everything we can in government to help our residents and ensure Suffolk County remains the best place to work, live and raise a family.”
He said he has seen other local governments “struggling financially,” and while he empathizes with them, “we have legislators who work with me to keep taxes to a minimum.”
During his address, Romaine pointed out that Suffolk has received a “stable” financial outlook from Standard & Poor’s and a “positive” outlook from Fitch.and the county has received five bond upgrades since taking office. “These guys [bond rating agencies] are looking at us and saying, ‘Wow, these guys really have ot under control,” he said.
He announced to applause that the county has $800 million in reserves. He told the legislators to “hold onto” that money “because you never know when you are going to need it. I would like for you to hold onto those reserves as much as possible. I know there’s a temptation to use that money to start a program, but I want to be as fiscally responsible as possible.”
Suffolk County Republican Committee Chairman Jesse Garcia applauded Romaine’s decision. “At a time when Long Island families are being squeezed by the rising cost of virtually everything due to the failed Democrat Party policies from Albany, Ed Romaine and our Republican Legislative Majority understand that government should be working to make Suffolk County more affordable — not reaching deeper into taxpayers’ pockets,” he said.
“Republicans believe hardworking families should be able to keep more of what they earn. Republican office holders believe government must live within its means,” Garcia continued. “Republican leaders believe public safety must remain a top priority. And County Executive Romaine and his GOP caucus partners believe taxpayers deserve a government that delivers essential services and invests in our communities without automatically turning to higher taxes. This is not about slogans. It is about results.”
Continuing on the issue of taxes, Romaine said he is working with the Legislature on a gas tax holiday, which he said would save taxpayers $5 a month. However, he is “waiting to see the offset” for this tax break, but added that he is “happy to work with” the lawmakers on this, adding, “Affordability is important.”
In response to Romaine’s address, Suffolk Legislative Minority Leader Jason Richberg (D-Wyandanch) urged Romaine to cap the gas tax at $3 per gallon. “When the cost of gas rises, the price doesn’t stop at the pump,” Richberg said. “It increases the costs of transporting goods. It increases the cost of doing business. And ultimately, those higher costs find their way into grocery bills, service costs and household budgets. When the price goes above $3 a gallon, Suffolk shouldn’t have to receive a windfall simply because families are forced to pay more at the pump. Government should not benefit from someone else’s hardship.”
He said that, while it may not solve the affordability crisis, “it is something within our power that we can do right now. It is a meaningful relief that we can provide to [the people] throughout Sufolk County. When families are hurting, government has a responsibility to use every reasonable tool available to alleviate that burden.”
On the issue of crime, Romaine announced that Suffolk led the state in the drop in violent crime and “across-the-board reductions” in all other crimes, despite “upticks in all jurisdictions.” He noted that, in the past five years, Suffolk is the only county whose crime rate has gone down in the last five years and has declined by over 50% since 2000. He also touted the county’s low robbery rate of 15 per 100,000, compared to Nassau, Staten Island and Westchester County.
Romaine also spoke about infrastructure, most notably the need for sewers, pointing outthat 70% of wastewater are in cesspools and septic systems. “Not good,” he said. “Not good for water quality.” He said the county plans to complete sewering projects in Oakdale, Holbrook and Smithtown. He also wanted to make sure high-density hamlets such as North Bellport, Wheatley Heights and Westhampton are sewered, “so that their wastewater is not contaminating our aquifer. … I look to you [legislators] to protect our county and our aquifers.”
But he added these projects can be very expensive; he noted that half of Mastic received sewers, but with a price tag of $220 million. In addition, the county has received “zero” funding from the state’s $4.4 billion Environmental Bond Act, which the county supported.
Another issue that Romaine addressed was transportation. He decried the “clogged” highways, the lack of double-track trains and the fact that less than 1% of Suffolk County products are transported by rail. “We need better coordination between the Long Island Rail Road and those who provide freight. … What I would love to do … is build a freight center.”
“We need convenient transportation that’s available to link our trains and our buses, we need electrification, we need double rail, we need the investment that should have been made,” he said. “This [transportation strategy] should not be car-centric.
Other accomplishments Romaine touted were having all county employees take part in a cybersecurity training program, digitizing more than 10 million county records as opposed to keeping paper copies, new around-the-clock technology for its 311 system and new testing kits for Suffolk County highway patrols that can be used to test motorists for drugs.
“Suffolk County is moving forward on every front, and we have a strong foundation like never before,” he concluded. “We need a strong foundation to accomplish what we need to do in the future. We need to concentrate on commonsense policies that work.”
Future plans, Romaine said, include the construction of a new “state-of-the-art” medical examiner’s office and a crime and environmental lab. He said the environmental lab is needed to test the county’s drinking water.
He told the legislature, “Together with your help, we will keep building a county where families can live, work and thrive for generations to come.”
After the speech, Garcia said, “In his State of the County Address this evening, Suffolk Executive Ed Romaine laid out a clear vision for the County: protect taxpayers, keep our communities safe, strengthen our finances, invest in our future, continue improving the quality-of-life families by preserving more and more open space and protecting our drinking water. All of which makes Suffolk County such a special place to live, work and raise a family.”
“If we are going to talk about working together, then we must actually be willing to work together,” Richberg countered. “Collaboration must not be something we say at press conferences. It must be reflected in how decisions are made and who is invited in the room and whether different perspectives are heard before decisions are finalized.
Housing “must be a central part in the conversation” when it comes to affordability, Richberg said, adding “we can’t have” the younger generation being educated here and, upon graduating college, “conclud[ing] that the only way they can afford a home and raise a family is to leave [Suffolk]. … Attaining affordable housing does not mean abandoning the character of our neighborhoods. It means having a serious conversation about how we can create opportunities for our families, seniors, working people and the next generation, while respecting the communities that already exist.”
Richberg said that affordability “must remain the center of our work,” adding, “If Suffolk County is to remain strong, it must remain attainable. … If we say affordability is one of our priorities, then we have to be willing to act on it.”