Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine gave his State of the County address Thursday night, highlighting affordability, infrastructure projects and public safety.
During the speech before the Suffolk County Legislature, Romaine noted the substantial financial headway that’s been made since being elected three years prior. He also revealed that there will be no increase in general fund taxes in next year's proposed budget.
“So let's start with something that every resident of Suffolk County would like to hear about: affordability,” he said. “I will not be raising general fund taxes in the 2027 budget. There will be a zero increase.”
Romaine also said Suffolk County has seen increases in five bond ratings, or letter grades that measure the likelihood that a government office will repay its debts.
“I'm going to quote what the rating agency said,” he explained. “They cited improvements in liquidity, record reserves, strong management practices, conservative budgeting, and forward-looking fiscal planning in doing those upgrades.”
In his response to the address, Suffolk County Legislature Minority Leader Jason Richberg agreed affordability is a key issue.
“We believe fiscal responsibility matters, but we also believe a budget is more than a spreadsheet,” Richberg said in a statement. “A budget is a statement of priorities, and a responsible government requires investing in people, investing in education and opportunities for our young people. Investing in workforce development. And investing in the men and women who keep Suffolk County running every single day.”
Romaine will deliver the proposed budget to legislators for review in three weeks' time.
Later on in his address, Romaine proposed moving the Suffolk County Police Department’s headquarters from its current facility in Yaphank to the vacant John J. Foley nursing home building.
Romaine plans to have the department “gradually move over” and have other agencies relocated to the station following renovations. Alongside these renovations, he said he’d like to see the approximately 100 historic buildings owned by the county repurposed.
“With the building that's left, the one thing I want to do, and I would hope everyone here would agree, I want to pay less rent,” he said.
These changes also align with Romaine’s proposed commitment to public safety, especially regarding crime rates.
According to Romaine, new data shows Suffolk County is leading the state in combating violent crime. This comes after his office hired upwards of 200 police officers, invested $20 million in police equipment and spent $36 million on new public safety vehicles and other equipment.
“We are achieving across-the-board reductions in virtually every category of crime, and adhering to these trends despite upticks in other jurisdictions in the region,” he said.
