Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Monday submitted a $4.2 billion budget for 2026 that he said would not raise property taxes for a fourth consecutive year and would increase law enforcement staffing.
Blakeman’s proposal would add more than 50 new police officers and 15 other county employees and funds two new police academy classes of 100 recruits each, along with two 30-person correction officer classes. The plan also calls for continuing investments in county services while preserving the current tax rate.
In a letter accompanying the budget message to the county Legislature, Blakeman described the plan as "fiscally sound" and tied the staffing increases to public safety goals. Since taking office in 2022, Blakeman said he has hired more than 600 law enforcement officers and vetoed more than $150 million in tax hikes that had been approved by his predecessor, Democrat Laura Curran.
"As a result, major crimes have declined year after year and are now down by over 13% in 2025," Blakeman said in the budget message, a copy of which was released publicly. Blakeman called the measures crucial to maintaining what he described as Nassau’s status as one of the safest counties in the country.
The balance of the budget message centers on maintaining services without raising property taxes, a central theme of Blakeman’s administration. County officials said the $4.2 billion plan supports ongoing operations and targeted personnel increases while estimating it will be acceptable to the GOP-controlled county Legislature, which is expected to consider the measure in the fall.
Not all county officials embraced the proposal. Seth Koslow, a Nassau County legislator who is challenging Blakeman in the November election, criticized the budget and the executive’s record on taxes and public safety.
"Bruce Blakeman is peddling fiction — pretending he’s adding cops while we’re bleeding detectives, and bragging about ‘stopping’ a tax hike that never existed in the first place," Koslow said in a statement. He accused the county executive of presiding over rising taxes and higher costs of living for residents, charges that Blakeman’s office disputed.
Koslow’s comments highlight political tensions heading into the general election, when both the budget and broader assessments of county governance are likely to be scrutinized by voters and lawmakers. The Legislature must still review the spending plan and vote on final adoption; county leaders said they expect relatively swift approval given the GOP majority.
The budget blueprint includes operational details meant to address both short-term staffing needs and longer-term training pipelines. Supporters note the two 100-person academy classes and correction officer classes aim to bolster ranks and replace attrition, while critics point to ongoing investigative and detective vacancies in parts of the police force.
Blakeman’s proposal continues a pattern from his first three budgets of holding the line on property taxes, a posture he has used to distinguish his administration from the previous one. His office said the plan keeps the county on a path of fiscal restraint while targeting resources to public safety and essential services.
Legislative committees will hold hearings on the budget in the coming weeks, where county department heads are expected to testify and lawmakers will have an opportunity to propose amendments before a full legislative vote. If adopted, the budget would fund Nassau County operations through 2026 under the parameters set by the executive’s submission.
The budget fight and the November election are likely to keep issues of taxation, public safety and county staffing at the forefront of Nassau politics through the fall. Both proponents and critics of the proposal said they plan to press their cases publicly as the Legislature moves toward a final vote.