City Council OKs Tax Increase in Special Meeting

Long Beach’s City Council used a special meeting on May 29 to take one of the biggest votes in its annual budget process: authorizing a tax-cap override and adopting the city’s 2026-27 operating budget. The agenda listed two items — a public hearing and local law to override the tax levy limit, and a resolution adopting the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2026. (longbeachny.gov) The vote allowed the city to exceed New York’s tax-cap limit for the coming fiscal year. (longisland.news12.com) Local coverage reported the increase as 3.75%, or about $229 a year for the median household. (longbeachny.gov) The decision came after weeks of budget presentations and a public hearing earlier in May. City officials said rising personnel-related costs, including health insurance, labor contracts and pensions, were driving the increase. ### Why did the council need a special meeting on May 29? The May 29 agenda was narrowly focused. The city’s posted calendar for the special meeting listed only two substantive items: a local law to override the tax levy limit under New York General Municipal Law Section 3-c, and a resolution adopting the operating budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027. (longbeachny.gov) (longisland.news12.com) The city’s regular council meetings are generally held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m., according to the city’s meeting page. Special meetings do not include the broader “Good and Welfare” public-comment session that follows regular meetings. (liherald.com) ### What exactly did the council approve? The local law approved on May 29 authorized Long Beach to adopt a fiscal 2026-27 budget with a real property tax levy above the state limit. The agenda language says the measure was adopted under subdivision 5 of General Municipal Law Section 3-c, which allows a municipality to override the cap by local law. (longbeachny.gov) The second item on the agenda adopted the operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027, and fixed the real estate tax levy tied to that budget. The city’s budget page now lists both a proposed and an adopted FY2027 budget book. (longbeachny.gov) ### How large is the tax increase for residents? News 12 reported that the Republican-led council approved a 3.75% tax increase that works out to about $229 for the median household. The Long Island Herald separately reported the same average annual household increase figure. (longbeachny.gov) City Comptroller Inna Reznik told the Herald that city taxes are billed either once or twice a year depending on the amount due, with most residents paying in July and January. That means the effect of the increase will show up in the next tax bills tied to the new fiscal year. (longbeachny.gov) ### What costs did officials say were behind the increase? The Herald reported that anticipated expenses in the planned 2027 budget were rising by nearly $5.5 million, or about 5%. Council President Brendan Finn said, “This year, we had some insurmountable increases and one of them was health insurance,” according to the report. (longisland.news12.com) Councilman Michael Reinhart said three cost categories were driving the increase: about $1.6 million more for health benefits, another $1.6 million for contractual raises and about $900,000 for pensions. Reznik said the higher tax rate was primarily tied to fringe-benefit costs that are not directly controlled by the city. (liherald.com) ### How did residents respond to the timing and the vote? The June 2 regular council meeting drew criticism from residents who objected both to the increase and to the timing of the special meeting. Former CSEA union leader Ron Paganini said the administration should have skipped raises for officials while asking taxpayers to pay more, according to the Herald. (liherald.com) James Hodge, described by the Herald as a Long Beach resident and activist, was the only public speaker at the May 29 special meeting. Hodge said holding the vote at 9 a.m. on a weekday was “a disservice to this community” and gave “the appearance of avoiding public scrutiny.” (liherald.com) The city’s public calendar shows the next regular City Council meeting on June 16, 2026, at 7 p.m. on the sixth floor of City Hall. The budget approved on May 29 takes effect with the new fiscal year on July 1, 2026. (longbeachny.gov) (liherald.com)