Southold Town’s tentative 2026 budget will boost spending 3% to fund infrastructure and technology upgrades without piercing the state tax cap, officials said.

Supervisor Al Krupski released the $64.2 million spending plan on Oct. 3. If approved, the average homeowner’s town tax bill would rise $64 next year.

“It’s always hard to limit spending, because there are always demands for more services, more staffing, more equipment,” Krupski said in an interview on Wednesday. “Everything costs so much money from technology to trucks, so it’s really a matter of trying to find a balance.”

Under the proposal, the tax levy would rise about 3% from $43.6 million to $44.9 million. While the state’s tax cap limits increases to 2%, the actual cap can vary due to inflation rates and a formula based

See Full Page