Suffolk County executive Ed Romaine recently announced the county’s $4.3 billion Recommended Operating Budget for 2026, which would not pierce the state property tax cap.

The proposed budget would allocate funds for public safety improvements, information technology upgrades, government efficiency enhancements, and pensions and health care services.

If passed as is, the increase in property taxes would be $86.62 per homeowner, and the budget would be around $300 million higher than the current year’s operating budget.

“This budget honors our commitment to delivering essential county services and advances a vision for a safer, stronger, and more affordable county for every resident,” Romaine said. “Careful management of reserves, disciplined spending, and conservative revenue projections ensure this plan is fiscally responsible while increasing the county’s financial resiliency in the face of future uncertainty.”

Drivers of the increased budget include relatively slow sales tax collection, as consumer spending has shown decreases, according to the county, along with an 8.2 percent pension cost, and increased costs to health plans.

Due to the higher cost of drugs, including GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and weight loss, the county anticipates health care costs to increase by around 12 percent next year.

If passed, the county budget would currently allocate funding that prioritizes public safety for divisions, including the Suffolk County Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, and District Attorney’s Office.

Funds would continue to go toward the police department’s Street Takeover Task Force, an expanded highway patrol that targets “illegal street racing and car gatherings known as ‘street takeovers,’ that involve dangerous maneuvers, road blockages, and significant risks to public safety.”

Other police department services highlighted in the budget include the new Crime Analysis Center, which partners with local and federal agencies to combat crime. The county also highlighted community outreach programs, including school resource officers and community liaison officers, that foster youth engagement.

The recommended budget also allocates funding for a new countywide records management system in the sheriff’s department for “arrest processing and incident management reporting that provides increased accuracy and real-time information.”

An initiative called the Correction Intelligence Center would also provide data sharing on gang activity and drug and human trafficking to partnering law enforcement agencies.

In the District Attorney’s Office, funding is also dedicated to drug and fentanyl task forces on the East End by partnering with local police departments to disrupt the chain of supply for fentanyl distribution.

Funding will also continue for the Cold Case Unit, aimed at investigating unsolved cases where “DNA from a suspect has been identified.” According to the county, there are 293 unsolved homicides in Suffolk County dating back to 1965.

The recommended budget also provides funding for information technology (IT) upgrades, with a focus on cybersecurity.

The budget would build a cybersecurity division in the county IT department that would establish cybersecurity standards, along with creating new management and monitoring tools to “create a universal, proactive environment.”

These efforts are a continuation of efforts made since the 2022 cyberattack on the county’s IT resources. The new initiatives, which include cybersecurity awareness campaigns, aim to shield the county from future attacks and better inform employees on threats and vulnerabilities, according to the recommended budget.

Numerous operational efficiencies are also identified in the recommended budget, including the transfer of the transportation division to the Department of Economic Development and Planning, which would bring all aspects of county transportation under one entity for consistency.

This centralized transportation division will collaborate with the Long Island Rail Road to enhance the modernization of the train lines. It will also work with Amtrak as the agency plans to add the Ronkonkoma station to its national service coverage.

Other efficiencies include the transfer of seasonal EMTs from the Parks Department to the Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services.