Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: March 8, 2026
THANKS FOR RESPONDING
To the Editor:
I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the crew of the Shelter Island Highway Department for their outstanding work this winter season.
The Island has experienced an unprecedented winter.
Almost every winter storm we have experienced this season has occurred on either a holiday or a weekend, not providing much downtime for this crew.
Yet, when called, each crew member answered the call and worked long shifts — working in coordination with the police, fire and EMS to make our roads safe and open for not only the public, but each of our emergency services.
I am proud of the job we did keeping up with this relentless season, so I am taking this opportunity to thank them, my entire crew, for their hard work and professionalism.
Ken Lewis Jr., Highway Superintendent, Town of Shelter Isalnd
HOW TO REDUCE OUR COSTS
To the Editor:
There are three basic approaches to lessen the tax burden on Shelter Island residents. These ways sit in three buckets, and all three buckets can be utilized.
The first bucket is the revenue side — find other revenues and find new taxes. The second bucket is the expense side — cut costs: freeze hiring, reorganize
departments to provide less coverage, reduce overtime, and/or control purchasing. The third bucket is the transfer side — lowering the costs of operating our Shelter Island government by transferring costs.
We have done something similar to transferring costs before. In 1998 New York State passed legislation enabling the five towns in the East End to establish the Community Preservation Fund (CPF) financed by a 2% real estate transfer tax paid by property buyers. Buyers are required to pay 2% of the purchase price to the town where the transaction occurs. Since that time millions of dollars have flowed to the five towns to buy and preserve land. In 2006, voters approved a referendum to invest up to 20% of the funds toward water quality improvement projects. In 2022, voters approved an additional 0.5% to support affordable housing through the Community Housing Fund.
The CPF has succeeded because the East End towns recognized a shared challenge and acted together. We should apply that same regional mindset to today’s budget pressures. The East End towns share many service demands and cost drivers. By collaborating, we could identify mutual expenses that might reasonably be assumed by the state — whether related to emergency services, environmental mandates, or other shared responsibilities. Once identified, the towns could jointly advocate before the Governor and the State Legislature, just as residents once did to make CPF a reality.
Real progress requires us to dip into all three buckets to manage the costs of government and reduce pressure on taxpayers.
Lynne Weikart, Shelter Island
