With the Village of Brightwaters Board of Trustees voting to approve their 2025-2026 budget, residents can expect a slight increase in taxes, increased overnight security patrols, and repairs to the roads around the train tracks.

The village’s budget hearing for the June 1, 2025-May 31, 2026 budget was held the evening of April 7.

The approved budget amounts to a total of $3,699,715, which marks an increase of about 5.8 percent from last year’s budget. The approved 4.5 percent tax levy increase will pierce the tax cap, which is mandated by New York State to be only 2.5 percent.

“Most of the houses in the village will go up between $40 and $70 for the year,” explained mayor John Valdini, putting the increase into context.

The most debated topic throughout the public hearing was the village hiring Pro Protection Security to patrol overnight, seven days a week. The village will pay the company $105,000 for  a year, but by changing the current nighttime village code enforcement officers to daytime shifts, the overall increase for public safety will be $57,941.

Pro Protection’s services are budgeted for a whole year, but the contract with the village will be on a monthly basis, so if either party wants to terminate services, a 30-day notice is all that will be required.

Trustee Mary Del Vecchio expressed that she opposes the added security “wholeheartedly.”

“I recognize that safety is a main concern, but I just do not think that we have exhausted everything that we need to to commit to such a big addition to services that the village is going to provide,” said Del Vecchio. “Also, I just think it is risky for us to hire what are armed guards for our village without really considering what we are getting ourselves into.”

Village attorney Charles J. Casolaro clarified that while those employed by Pro Protection security all have licenses to carry, the village can choose whether to have them armed or not. All those employed by the company are either retired or current police officers.

The addition of Pro Protection Security was welcomed by Mayor Valdini and trustees Zepf, Pitta, and Fawcett, who believe the company’s guards will be more proactive during overnight patrols than the current code enforcement officers.

Trustee Fawcett noted that criminals casing the village not only rifle through unlocked cars, but have become more brazen, stealing from people’s backyards and homes. His concerns for safety are shared by his wife, who no longer parks at the train station alone.

“When I pick her up at 7, 8 o’clock at night, it is horrific. I don’t feel safe with her getting off the train,” said Fawcett. “What is happening is Bay Shore is pushing them out of there. They took one of the bus stations down… they are going to keep coming our way. With what is going on in Bay Shore, it is just going to get worse here, and if we do not nip it in the bud right away, it will be a bad summer.”

“Safety has been a big issue in this village, and when you look at Pro Protection Security, it is literally the cost of a pizza, a Caesar salad, a couple of drinks for your family—a one-time dinner,” said trustee Zepf.

Also among the greatest increases in this year’s budget is funding for the Bay Shore Fire District. The contracted amount for fire protection services increased by 13.85 percent, or $43,920. According to mayor Valdini, that is the largest increase the village has paid for their services to date.

The approved budget will account for road paving, sidewalk extensions and road repairs. The village will use $32,270 received from the Suffolk County Downtown Revitalization grant, plus an additional $33,587 to expand the sidewalk, repair curbs and repair lighting on Orinoco Drive between Pine Acres and Richland. About $250,000 in state-funded CHIPS money intended for road repairs from the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program will be used for road repairs near the railroad.

With a vote of 4 to 1—with trustee Del Vecchio voting against the budget and trustees Zepf, Pitta, Fawcett and mayor Valdini voting in support—the 2025-2026 budget was approved.