Public hearing and budget vote for Westhampton Beach School District on May 11, 2026.

 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION OF THE WESTHAMPTON BEACH UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT TOWN OF SOUTHAMPTON, COUNTY OF SUFFOLK, NEW YORK

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a Public Hearing of the qualified voters of the Westhampton Beach Union Free School District, Town of Southampton, County of Suffolk, New York, will be held in the Westhampton Beach High School Large Group Instruction (LGI) Room, in said district on Monday, May 11, 2026, at 7:00 PM, prevailing time, for the transaction of business as authorized by the Education Law, including the following items:

 1. To present to the voters a detailed statement of the amount of money which will be required for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
 2. To discuss all the items hereinafter set forth to be voted upon by paper ballot at the Budget Vote and Election to be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
 3. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting pursuant to Education Law of the State of New York and acts amendatory thereto.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required to fund the School District’s budget for 2026-2027, exclusive of public moneys, may be obtained by any resident of the District beginning May 5, 2026, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, prevailing time, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays at the Office of the District Clerk, 340 Mill Road, Westhampton Beach, New York, and on the District’s internet website.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that said Budget Vote and Election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in the LGI Room (behind the District Auditorium) of the Westhampton Beach High School, Lilac Road, Westhampton Beach, New York, between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM, prevailing time, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by paper ballot upon the following items:

 1. To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 2026-2027 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District.
 2. To elect two (2) members of the Board of Education for a term of three (3) years commencing July 1, 2026, and expiring on June 30, 2029.
 3. To adopt the annual budget of the Westhampton Free Library for the 2026-2027 fiscal year in the amount of $2,807,705. Such funds to be raised by taxation on the taxable real property in the Westhampton Beach Union Free School District, and the Board of Education of said district is authorized and directed to collect said sum as provided by Section 259 of the Education Law.
 4. Shall the Board of Education of the Westhampton Beach Union Free School District, Suffolk County, New York, be authorized to raise the sum of $104,040.00 for payment of operational and maintenance expenses of The Greater Westhampton Historical Museum for the fiscal year 2026-2027 and to levy the necessary tax, therefore?

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to Section 495 of the Real Property Tax Law, the School District is required to attach to its proposed budget an exemption report. Said exemption report, which will also become part of the final budget, will show how the total assessed value of the final assessment roll used in the budgetary process is exempt from taxation, list every type of exemption granted by the statutory authority, and show the cumulative impact of each type of exemption, the cumulative amount expected to be received as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) and the cumulative impact of all exemptions granted. In addition, said exemption report shall be posted on any bulletin board maintained by the District for public notices and on any website maintained by the District.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that petitions nominating candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be filed with the Clerk of said School District at her office in the District Office, 340 Mill Road, Westhampton Beach, New York, not later than April 20, 2026, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., prevailing time. Each petition shall be directed to the Clerk of the District, and must be signed by at least 25 qualified voters of the District.

Vacancies on the Board of Education are not considered separate, specific offices; candidates run at large. Nominating petitions shall not describe any specific vacancy upon the Board for which the candidate is nominated. All other persons who wish to vote must present himself or herself at the meeting in order to establish that he or she is eligible to vote and after he or she has been placed on the poll list may cast a ballot.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the district may submit an application for a military ballot to the District Clerk or may be downloaded from the District’s website. Completed applications for a military ballot must be returned by mail or in person, and received by the District Clerk not later than April 23, 2026. Military voters may designate a preference to receive the military ballot application for military ballot by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail. All qualified military voters’ ballot application and military ballot must be returned by mail or in person. Ballots for military voters shall be distributed to qualified military voters no later than April 24, 2026. Military ballots must be received by the District Clerk (1) before the close of the polls, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, and must show a cancellation mark of the United States postal service or a foreign country’s postal service, or must show a dated endorsement of receipt by another agency of the United States Government; or (2) not later than 5:00 pm on the day of the election and be signed and dated by the military voter and one witness, with a date ascertained to be not later than the day before the election.

A list of persons to whom military ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the Office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 14, 2026, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, prevailing time, on each day prior to the day set for the annual election, except Sunday, and on May 19, 2026, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter then present in the polling place may object to the voting of the ballot upon appropriate grounds by making his or her challenge and the reasons therefore known to the Inspector of Election before the close of the polls.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for early mail ballots and absentee ballots will be obtainable during school business hours from the District Clerk beginning April 13, 2026; completed applications must be received by the District Clerk no earlier than April 20, 2026 and at least seven (7) days before the election, May 12, 2026, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, May 18, 2026, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Early mail ballots and absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, the District Clerk shall mail an early mail ballot to every qualified voter otherwise eligible for such ballot, who requests an early mail ballot from the District Clerk in a letter which is signed by the voter and received by the District Clerk not earlier than the thirtieth (30th) day before the election, April 20, 2026, nor later than the seventh (7th) day before the election, May 12, 2026 and which states the address where the voter resides and to which the ballot is to be mailed. The early mail ballot of a voter who requested a ballot by letter, rather than application, shall not be counted unless a valid application form, signed by such voter, is received by the District Clerk together with the early mail ballot.

A list of persons to whom early mail ballots and absentee ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the Office of the District Clerk on and after Thursday, May 14, 2026, between the hours of 8:00 AM through 4:00 PM prevailing time, on each day prior to the day set for the annual election, except Sunday, and on May 19, 2026, the day set for the election. Any qualified voter then present in the polling place may object to the voting of the ballot upon appropriate grounds by making his or her challenge and the reasons therefore known to the Inspector of Election before the close of the polls. A challenge to an absentee ballot may not be made on the basis that the voter should have applied for an early mail ballot.

AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with Section 2035 of the Education Law, any referenda or propositions to amend the budget, or otherwise to be submitted for voting at said election, must be filed with the Clerk of the