HUNTINGTON, NY – August 28, 2026
Huntington has stayed under the tax cap for 10 years, but the Town is now beginning work on a 2027 budget with a projected $16 million gap and choices that could affect services residents use every day. We discussed what changed, what operating under the tax cap could look like, and why the answer is not as simple as cutting expenses or raising taxes. The episode looked ahead to the start of Recovery Month, back-to-school activities and the final concert of the Summer Arts Festival.
Huntington Matters continues its weekly YouTube Live podcast series to keep residents informed about what’s happening across the Town of Huntington, from local government and public safety updates to conversations taking place in Huntington Matters Community Forum.
Hosted by June Margolin, Dana Richter, and Diane Schaber, the Weekly Update connects residents from Cold Spring Harbor to Commack, Asharoken to Melville, and everywhere in between.
This week’s episode also featured upcoming events around Huntington, a Melville arrest connected to an 11-year-old sexual battery investigation in Florida, an important date change for the next Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct Community Meeting, and a “What Do You Think?” challenge asking viewers what’s something new they tried this month.
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What’s Happening Around Huntington
The Huntington Matters Community Calendar is packed as summer winds down and the new school year begins.
This weekend’s events include Queens in Training at Coastal Creative Studios, the Stronger Together fundraiser at Twisted Cow and a back-to-school giveaway shop hosted by Community Connected.
Recovery Month begins with several opportunities to remember those we’ve lost, support people in recovery and connect with resources. The Town of Huntington Recovery Month Flag-Raising and Press Conference and the Northport Recovery Month Flag Raising are both scheduled for Monday, along with an Overdose Awareness Day candlelight vigil in Northport. Recovery is Real follows Wednesday at the H. Lee Dennison Building.
The Greenlawn Fireman’s Fair kicks off Thursday with its annual parade and continues through Labor Day weekend.
We looked a little farther ahead this episode for one concert worth putting on the calendar now. The Lords of 52nd Street, featuring musicians from Billy Joel’s original band, will close out the Summer Arts Festival on September 5.
Residents can find details for these events and many more on the Huntington Matters Community Calendar at HuntingtonMatters.com.
Hot Topics: Huntington Faces a $16 Million Budget Gap
We attended the Town’s budget workshop to get a clearer picture of what Huntington could look like if the 2027 budget stays within the tax cap, and what choices the Town Board now faces as it works toward a final budget.
We published a detailed breakdown of what we learned in our article, Huntington Faces $16 Million Budget Gap as Town Begins 2027 Budget Talks.
This week’s discussion focused less on repeating those numbers and more on what the choices could actually mean.
Town departments were asked to prepare budgets reflecting a 16% reduction so the Town Board could see what operating within the tax cap would look like. The potential effects reach into staffing and services residents may take for granted, including beaches, parks, summer programs and senior services.
We talked through some of those choices and the consequences that can follow them. Cutting lifeguards could mean fewer beaches open. Eliminating programs can affect families who rely on them. Reducing park maintenance creates another set of problems. Cutting enough staff to close a gap this large could fundamentally change the services the Town provides.
One major factor behind the increase is the cost of waste disposal. The new contract adds approximately $3.8 million in expenses for the coming year, consuming the budget flexibility the Town previously had under the tax cap before other rising costs are considered.
Town officials made clear at the workshop that the proposed reductions are not a finished budget. The process now moves toward determining what should be restored, what can be cut and what level of tax increase may ultimately be necessary.
We used a $10,000 annual property tax bill as an example to put the discussion into perspective. Approximately 8% of the total property tax bill goes to the Town of Huntington. So, on a $10,000 annual property tax bill, approximately $800 is the Town portion. It is that approximately $800 portion, not the full $10,000 property tax bill, that would be affected by any increase resulting from piercing the tax cap.
The budget process is far from finished. The next Special Town Board Workshop Meeting is September 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM, as the Town Board continues working through the proposed 2027 budget. Read our full budget article for the numbers and background, then watch this week’s discussion for a closer look at the difficult tradeoffs now on the table.
What Do You Think?
Last week we kicked off our #HMChallenge, and we’re keeping it going through the month.
What’s something NEW you tried this month?
It can be something big or small. Try a new food, visit a new place, attend an event or do something you’ve always meant to try.
Take a picture or video, post it and tag it #HMChallenge so we can see what you tried. If photos and video aren’t your thing, tell us about it in a post instead.
And with students heading back to school, we’ll be looking for those first-day-of-school photos too!
Neighborhood Watch
A 64-year-old Melville man was arrested in connection with an 11-year-old sexual battery investigation in Florida after investigators reopened the case and new testing detected Ambien in the victim’s original blood sample.
According to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, investigators determined Kaivan Rahbar had relocated to New York and was preparing to leave the country. Suffolk County Police arrested him in Melville on August 4, and he has since been returned to Florida, where he is being held without bond.
If you believe you may have been a victim or have information that could assist investigators, contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS or the Suffolk County Police Special Victims Section at 631-852-6531. Anonymous tips can be submitted at P3TIPS.com.
ECLI-VIBES provides free, confidential support for people who have experienced sexual assault or abuse. Its 24-hour Hopeline is 631-360-3606.
The next Suffolk County Police Department 2nd Precinct Community Meeting has a new date: Tuesday, September 8 at 10 AM at Harborfields Public Library. If you can’t attend, send your questions or concerns to info@huntingtonmatters.com and we’ll ask for you.
Connect with and Support Huntington Matters
Since 2014, Huntington Matters has been connecting neighbors, supporting local businesses, sharing information, advocating for our community, and serving residents across the Town of Huntington.
What began as an “ambitious volunteer project” has grown into a full-time hyperlocal media platform that includes HuntingtonMatters.com, our Community Calendar, Business Directory, The Common Thread magazine, Huntington Matters Community Forum, Instagram, TikTok, and regular YouTube Live updates.
Support Huntington Matters by purchasing official “Best. Neighbors. Ever.” merchandise, making a donation, subscribing to our YouTube channel, sharing our content, or partnering with us to reach the Huntington community.
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If you live, work, or grew up in the Town of Huntington, join more than 59,000 of your neighbors in Huntington Matters Community Forum.
Please note: Events are removed from the Community Calendar approximately three months after the event date, so some older links may no longer be active.
