Town of Islip employees pleaded with the town board Tuesday to forgo the 97 layoffs the supervisor says are necessary to close its budget gap.

Supervisor Phil Nolan says the town?s $10 million budget gap is due to a loss in tax revenue and interest earnings. He says without layoffs, residents could face a 25 percent tax increase. He says he's negotiating with unions about concessions like lag payrolls, reduced benefit funding and shorter work weeks.

The board voted Tuesday to give the union and town officials more time to negotiate. No layoffs can occur until Sept. 16.