In May 2022, Sayville School District voters approved the projected 1.72% tax-rate increase for the Sayville School District’s 2022-2023 Proposed Budget.  It is called proposed because the District, which makes its Budget estimates on calculated cost projections, does not set the tax rate; the Town of Islip does.

The tax rate is based upon the Town of Islip’s Assessed Valuation (AV) and Base Allocations (BA) of both residential (Homestead) and commercial/non-residential (Non Homestead) properties within the Sayville and West Sayville communities.  The A/V and B/A change annually based upon factors that include the number of homes sold, new homes built, developed properties throughout the year, occupied and non-occupied properties, and Tax CERTs (adjustments to home owners’ tax rates).

When the Sayville Union Free School District received the final Assessed Valuation in August, and the Base Allocations in September from the Town of Islip this year, there were some surprises. “This is the first year out of the last seven,” Assistant Superintendent for Business Dr. Sam Gergis reported, “that we have seen a modest DECREASE in our total Assessed Valuation. Although Homestead A/V increased by $772,10, the Non-Homestead A/V decreased by $1,208,987.”

This surplus in real property values for homes has lowered the tax rate significantly.  What this all means for a house assessed at $40K, is that the homeowner will see a reduction of $10/year BEFORE any STAR exemptions. During the September 8, 2022 BOE meeting, the Board of Education voted to lower the tax rate from +1.72 % to -0.12%, making the reduction official.

Although the news is good for Sayville residents, on the flip side, it has negative consequences on our Sayville and West Sayville Business properties. The A/V decrease in their property values will cause a spike for commercial/non-residential taxpayers to a challenging 9.46%. 

The Sayville School District is mindful of our Sayville and West Sayville businesses that provide services and charm to our entire community. Our shops and restaurants, along with our excellent School District, attract people to live, work, and shop in our town.  In past years, when such disparities threatened our local merchants, Sayville School District would ease the tax burden for both the residents and businesses with assistance from the Allocated Fund Balance. Unfortunately, that is not possible this year, as this allocation would cause the District to pierce the Tax Cap—not something our taxpayers voted to do at the Proposed Budget Vote in May.

At the September 8, 2022 BOE meeting, the Sayville Board of Education decided to write a letter to Town of Islip officials to bring light to the situation, asking them to reconsider the detrimental impact this tax hike will cause on Downtown Sayville and West Sayville commercial properties and businesses.

At this time, the Sayville School District urges residents to look local. Shop in our stores, dine in our restaurants, help the Sayville Chamber of Commerce and support our local merchants. We are recovering from some challenges caused by the pandemic and economic downturns, but let’s keep our Sayville and West Sayville business communities viable. A lively downtown has a direct relationship to maintaining the excellent property values of our homes and tax rates.

For questions regarding this tax-rate decrease, please call the office of Dr. Sam Gergis, Sayville Assistant Superintendent for Business, at 631 244-6530.