Brookhaven Town residents next year would see an average 1.43% tax hike — a few ticks below the state's 2% tax cap — under a 2026 budget released this week by Supervisor Dan Panico.

The $367.2 million spending plan, announced Monday during a town board meeting at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville, comes a year after Brookhaven pierced the tax cap for the first time.

The most dramatic shift in town spending, also announced Monday, is Panico's call to wind down the town zoo in Holtsville next year. Critics including former employees had called on town officials to close the facility, alleging animals were mistreated. Town officials denied the allegations.

Panico said closing the zoo will save the town about $2 million annually.

He told officials at Monday's meeting the town also fa

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