GREENLAWN, NY – September 11, 2026
Councilwoman Jennifer Hebert met with approximately 20 to 25 residents Tuesday evening September 8 at Harborfields Public Library for her monthly “Let’s Talk, Huntington” community conversation, where much of the nearly 90-minute conversation centered on the Town of Huntington’s developing 2027 budget, the possibility of exceeding the state tax cap, Town spending and transparency.
Hebert, who joined the Town Board in January and is serving her first term, is the director of St. John’s Nursery School in Huntington Village and previously served nine years on the Huntington Union Free School District Board. She told residents the library meetings are intended to make Town government more accessible and give people an opportunity to raise concerns directly. The Town lists Hebert as one of Huntington’s four council members, with her current term ending in 2028.
“I can’t promise to solve every problem,” Hebert told the group, explaining that as one council member she cannot make policy decisions alone. She said she could help residents identify resources, determine whether issues are already on the Town’s radar and bring their concerns back to Town Hall.
The 2027 Budget Dominates the Conversation
The Town’s budget quickly became the central topic of the evening, following recent Town Board budget workshops examining spending and the possibility of exceeding New York State’s property tax cap.
Hebert told residents she does not believe the Town can maintain its current staffing and programs while remaining under the cap.
“Just rolling over our labor contracts and staffing, and our Covanta, which is our public waste contract, we’re already over two percent tax cap,” Hebert said. “There’s no way we’re passing a budget that comes in under two percent because we would decimate Town Hall, and I am not willing to do that.”
At the same time, Hebert said she does not view the budget choices as simply staying under the cap or accepting the full rollover proposal. She argued that alternatives should be considered between those two options.
Among the ideas she raised was temporarily withholding the annual contribution to the Town’s Open Space Fund, which she said currently has millions in unallocated funds, and reviewing vacant Town positions before filling them. She said she would prioritize needed civil-service positions over appointed positions.
Hebert also suggested temporarily scaling back some Town-sponsored events. As one example, she questioned whether the Town needs its own Earth Day event when Suffolk County Legislator Rebecca Sanin holds one locally, saying savings could come from overtime and other event expenses.
She acknowledged that none of those reductions alone would solve the Town’s budget problem.
“There is no shining gold budget that we can offer up that gives us everything and doesn’t cost you anything,” Hebert said. “But we were elected to make those hard decisions.”
Residents Ask to “Show the Work”
Several residents questioned how the Town reached its current financial position and asked for more detailed information about individual departments, spending increases, reserves and the priorities behind the proposed budget.
Hebert said she would like future Town budget processes to provide council members and the public with more detailed comparisons and multiple budget scenarios rather than presenting the discussion as a choice between two extremes.
“We expect our kids when they take a test now, they can’t just put the answer 54. They have to show their work,” Hebert said. “We should be showing our work.”
One resident suggested that department heads present their goals and initiatives alongside their numbers so taxpayers can understand what the Town intends to accomplish with the money being requested. Hebert said department heads already discuss many of those priorities with her individually and indicated that bringing that information into the public budget process could be useful.
The discussion also turned to the Town’s financial reserves and its bond rating. Hebert acknowledged that reserves have been drawn down and said maintaining adequate reserves is important to the Town’s overall fiscal health, while cautioning that the Town should not collect taxpayer money simply to accumulate unnecessarily large reserves.
Health Benefits for Elected and Appointed Officials
Residents also questioned changes approved by the previous Town Board affecting post-employment health benefits for certain elected and appointed officials.
Hebert was not on the Town Board when those changes were approved. During the meeting, she recalled some of the eligibility provisions from memory, but also acknowledged there were details she did not know and said she did not want to provide misinformation.
Rather than defend the benefit, Hebert told residents she wants the Town Board to revisit it.
“I can’t, in good conscience, vote on a budget that is hurting people when I’m on the flip side taking such incredible benefits,” Hebert said. “And so we will be revisiting that.”
When another resident later asked why elected officials do not contribute toward their health insurance, Hebert responded, “You are asking the wrong elected official. I would have been a hard no vote on that.”
Town Employees and Senior Services
Town employees attending the forum raised concerns about proposed reductions that could affect staff and programs, including services for seniors.
One employee questioned proposed cuts to senior programs that receive outside funding or generate revenue. Hebert questioned the logic of eliminating programs or positions when doing so could also eliminate revenue, including the example of fire marshal staffing that she said may generate enough revenue to offset its cost.
Hebert repeatedly said she did not want balancing the budget to come at the expense of Town employees or programs serving residents.
“Town Hall without the staff, we’re no good to you,” she said. “Without the staff, we’re nothing.”
Could the Holiday Spectacular Move to Heckscher Park?
The discussion moved from finances to the annual Huntington Holiday Spectacular on Wall Street, where Hebert entertained the possibility of moving the event to Heckscher Park.
Hebert said the event has grown considerably and described feeling unsafe in the crowd during last year’s celebration. She also expressed concern about emergency vehicle access if first responders were needed.
“I was up front, and I almost tripped and fell over a cord that was going towards the stage, and there was a crush of people behind me,” Hebert said. She added that parents she knew had left because they did not feel safe with their children in the crowd.
She suggested Heckscher Park could accommodate the event while still incorporating Huntington Village businesses through promotions encouraging attendees to visit downtown establishments before or after the celebration.
Safety concerns surrounding the event are not new. In announcing the Holiday Spectacular’s return in 2022, the Town itself said safety was a “prime concern” and that officials had worked with first responders on changes to the event.
Route 25A and Neighborhood Safety
Residents also brought several specific neighborhood concerns to the table.
Bob Lopez raised ongoing traffic and pedestrian safety issues along Route 25A, including vehicles and delivery trucks stopping where parking is prohibited near Water’s Edge. He described previous efforts by residents and government officials that resulted in crosswalks, signs and traffic-signal improvements but said problems remain.
Hebert said she would follow up with Public Safety and appropriate state officials.
“I’m not a big fan of waiting to solve a problem when a tragedy occurs,” she said.
Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
Another lengthy discussion concerned Hebert’s proposed changes to Huntington’s rules governing gas-powered leaf blowers.
Hebert said she met separately with residents concerned about noise and air quality and with landscapers concerned about the effect restrictions could have on their businesses. Her proposal would allow greater use during the heavier spring and fall cleanup seasons while imposing additional restrictions during summer and winter and limiting operating hours.
“I came up with what I consider, and I hope my colleagues will consider, a really good compromise that I think took both parties into consideration,” she said.
Hebert told residents the proposal is scheduled for a public hearing at the September 15 Town Board meeting.
Questions About Taxpayer-Funded Election Litigation
A resident also raised recent reports concerning taxpayer money spent by Long Island municipalities, including Huntington, on litigation challenging New York State’s move of many local elections to even-numbered years.
Here, an important distinction emerged between what was discussed at the meeting and what has been publicly confirmed. Members of the Suffolk County Legislature’s Democratic Caucus have asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the expenditures; publicly available reports do not establish that the Attorney General has opened such an investigation. The caucus says Huntington spent approximately $416,000 across the state and federal litigation.
Hebert herself was cautious about the subject during the meeting, saying it was largely outside her area and that she did not want to misspeak.
“I hate any money we have to spend at a Town level on litigation,” she said. “It’s very, very hard to litigate and win.”
More Questions Than One Meeting Could Hold
Other issues raised during the evening included commuter parking being used by people with senior parking privileges, potential new sources of Town revenue, department staffing, the Bureau of Administrative Adjudication and a proposed McDonald’s near Park Avenue.
On several questions where she did not have the information available, Hebert told residents she would look into the issue rather than provide an answer she could not confirm.
As the meeting approached its scheduled 8 p.m. conclusion, Hebert asked whether anyone who had not yet spoken still wanted an opportunity to do so.
“I hope you found this helpful,” she told the group. “I hope that I was able to answer questions. I did my best. If I made any mistakes, I’m sorry, and if I spoke out of turn, I’m sorry. But I hope that I was candid with everybody, because I really was trying to be.”
The forum offered residents something difficult to capture in a formal Town Board meeting: more than an hour of direct back-and-forth with one of their elected representatives. It also underscored how much remains unresolved as Huntington moves toward its 2027 budget – and how closely residents are watching the decisions that will determine what they pay and which Town services they receive.
Photography by June Margolin.
