Fiscal crisis

Suffolk County's fiscal crisis long preceded the COVID pandemic, but the county seeks to blame COVID in its quest for a federal bailout. New column by Greg Blass.

Borrowing to fund police retirement payouts, over-reliance sales tax receipts and one-shot revenues sources: it's all a recipe for disaster, county comptroller says.

With EPCAL redevelopment still more vision than reality and cash reserves running out, Riverhead Town faces a budget gap it won't plug without major tax hikes, layoffs or both. For real. Tough decisions must be made during a heated local election season by a board that hasn't even adopted a budget for four of the past five fiscal years.

The assistance Supervisor Sean Walter has been hoping to get from a state financing authority to refinance Riverhead's staggering CPF bond debt is far from guaranteed.