Thursday, October 1, 2026
Just under six weeks before Election Day, the Town of Hempstead unveiled an 18 percent tax cut in its general fund as part of its 2026 budget.
The tax cut is anticipated to reduce the overall tax levy by $5 million, according to town officials, by “directly putting that money back into the pockets of every single taxpayer,” said John Ferretti, who was appointed town supervisor on Aug. 5 after Don Clavin resigned.
The announcement was made at Hempstead Town Hall on Sept. 25, 50 days after Ferretti was appointed.
“This budget is the result of fiscal responsibility, bipartisan collaboration and a deep commitment to preserving the suburban quality of life that makes the Town of Hempstead so special,” he added.
The budget was crafted to provide relief to families struggling with inflation and rising costs, Ferretti said, without compromising essential town services.
He described unfunded state mandates totaling $15 million as a significant challenge to town finances. Those services and programs, which the state requires but doesn’t pay for, directly impact the town’s budget.
“I’m intently focused on preserving our community’s suburban dream of an affordable quality of life,” Ferretti said. “The town’s $576 million budget still manages to cut taxes while preserving vital services, investing in infrastructure and supporting residents of all ages.”
Joe Scianablo, the Democratic candidate for supervisor, agrees that Hempstead residents deserve lower taxes, but he contends that they also deserve more transparency from the town.
“If Ferretti and his Republican allies truly wanted to save taxpayers’ money, the first thing they’d do is return the hefty raises they quietly gave themselves,” Scianablo wrote in a news release. “If you are going to set the fire and then claim credit for putting the fire out, then go the entire distance.”
Ferretti noted that 4 cents of every property tax dollar goes to the town, and the rate is less than 1 cent per dollar for those living in incorporated villages.
Town services include maintaining 1,200 miles of roadway; managing over 200 parks and recreational facilities; and providing sanitation services for 85,000 homes, clean water for over 121,000 customers and programs for more than 200,000 senior residents, as well as birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, building permits, code enforcement, and much more.
Oceanside resident Danielle Asher said she was perplexed about how the town could cut taxes 18 percent now, after a substantial tax increase was implemented earlier this year.
“I need an explanation of how the problems were resolved that made them raise our taxes 12 percent in the first place,” Asher wrote on Facebook. “If the budget is remaining flat, then who is splitting the bill?”
Richard Schurin, of Island Park, shared those sentiments. “Their budgeting practice makes absolutely no financial sense and appears to be politically motivated,” Schurin posted on Facebook.
The 2026 town budget will be presented to the Town Board for possible adoption on Oct. 16. Public hearings are scheduled for that day, at 2:30 and 7 p.m., in the Nathan L.H. Bennett Pavilion at Hempstead Town Hall, 1 Washington St., Hempstead.
