For the first time in four years, Riverhead Town’s tentative budget, unveiled by Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin on Thursday, does not pierce the New York State tax cap limit.
The budget proposes $120.96 million in spending for the town’s operating funds, and a tax rate increase of 2.27 percent to $73.224 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Notably, it proposes a tax levy increase of 2.79 percent, which will not pierce the 2.79 percent New York State tax cap.
Pictured Above: Riverhead Town Supervisor Jerry Halpin (left) and Councilman Ken Rothwell (right), who is running against Mr. Halpin for Town Supervisor this fall, at a recent Town Board meeting.
“We did it!” announced Mr. Halpin as he announced the budget at a special meeting Sept. 24, then thanked town “department heads, fellow elected officials and every single Town of Riverhead employee that shows up every day and works to make Riverhead awesome.”
He said the budget will deliver 76 merit raises and nine promotions, and add six new full-time and two new part-time positions.
“The goal of this Tentative Budget is clear – provide financial relief for tax payers while bolstering opportunities for increased employee retention at the lower end of the pay scale,” said Mr. Halpin. “I believe this budget addresses both goals.”
Earlier this year, Mr. Halpin unrolled a voluntary early retirement program, suggested by town employees, that he said will save the town $819,000 in 2027. Three Civil Service Employee Association members and seven Police Benevolent Association members took part in the program.
Mr. Halpin addressed his comments Thursday morning to the town’s 510 active employees, saying he was “thankful and lucky” to work alongside employees who take a “team approach to providing essential and quality of life infrastructure and resources that our friends neighbors and taxpayers need. I hope all of us can agree and work together and this tentative budget will be a collective win for the Town of Riverhead and residents.”
Mr. Halpin said the tentative budget adds $2.9 million in expenditures, which would equal approximately $0.28 per day for a hypothetical property valued at $800,000, and that residential waste cost will increase less than $0.01 per day while maintaining current service.
In his statement accompanying the budget, Mr. Halpin said he has reduced the amount taken from the town’s fund balance by $300,000, compared with the 2026 budget. Under the tentative budget, the general fund will appropriate $950,000 from its $28.4 million fund balance.
“In 2023, the sitting supervisor added $2 million from fund balance to balance the budget,” he wrote. “That is a hole we must continue to dig out of for a stronger future and this budget addresses it.”
“Salaries, benefits, retirement, training and payroll taxes continue to lead our appropriations in 2027, but I believe those associated costs are a strong investment for you, the taxpayer, because of the work and services provided by our employees,” wrote Mr. Halpin. “Since taking office, the message I have heard loud and clear is the Town of Riverhead struggles to attract and retain employees due to low entry-level pay.”
The 2027 Tentative Budget would move 64 of those employees up two steps in the salary scale, “to increase retention in our Seniors, Highway, and Buildings & Grounds Departments,” he said.
The 2027 budget does not include pay raises for elected officials. Mr. Halpin’s salary will be set at $118,919 (he had voluntarily reduced his salary to $110,000 in 2026), while Town Council members’ salaries will remain $50,558 per year.
The Tentative Budget can be viewed online here.
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So good to see Supervisor Halpin deliver on his 2025 campaign promise! Unlike his two most recent predecessors and his current challenger, he clearly has a great budgeting skill that prioritizes the residents. What a breath of fresh air.