Syracuse Common Councilors have approved a slightly revised version of the Miner administration’s $706 million budget for the coming fiscal year that starts July 1. Like the mayor’s plan, there will be no increase in taxes or water rates. Council Finance Committee Chair Nader Maroun says the option was there.
"There was the ability to increase taxes by up to $1.6 million, which we opted not to do," Maroun said. "We opted to go the route of moving the funds in concert with the administration to say perhaps we all agree on priorities of the budget and policy to affect the concerns we've heard from the people in the city of Syracuse."
For example, Maroun says they added funding to the department of public works for road and sewer work.
"We've had some flooding with these heavy storms over the past few years," Maroun said. "So we wanted to put some additional revenues into overtime to be able to get these catch basins cleaned out, and also to deal with the potholes and some paving. Over the past six years, we've reduced the amount of money for paving. We wanted to add some money back into that so our roads could be improved."
The only republican on the council Joe Carni says he’s glad to invest in the city’s crumbling water and road systems, and hopes the money can also used to improve the DPW's yard waste pick-up.
"It's been a big issue that's been brought up," Carni said. "I know in the northeast quadrant I represent, there's not a May pick-up, and that's caused a great deal of issue, and certain citations in my area. I'm confident that's the case across the rest of the city."
Mayor Stephanie Miner says she’ll sign the budget as amended and won’t issue any vetoes. Monday’s budget vote came on the same day State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli stopped at city hall to announce that the city has not been designated as fiscally stressed according to his monitoring system for municipalities. He says there are certainly some red flags, but nothing that rises to any stress level.
"Syracuse did receive some points in terms of fund balance, short term cash flow, debt issuance, and fixed cost indicators," DiNapoli said. "And the city did receive some points for operating deficits and liquidity in 2015. This is the value of having a monitoring system. It provides a roadmap to help mayors, help elected officials understand where they have issues they have to address."
DiNapoli says Syracuse has stayed out of trouble by properly managing those stressors, and for not overestimating revenue and state aid. Still, the city’s reliance on reserve funds, $12 million this year alone, raises some eyebrows. But Mayor Miner says it’s within reason.
"This is the least amount of fund balance we have used," Miner said. "When you look at trends, you will see we have never used as much fund balance as we've predicted because we've been very close to our revenue predictions with sales tax, with property tax, and with state aid."
Miner says the budget continues practices of solid fiscal management. DiNapoli agrees, saying despite some challenges, he’s confident in the city’s financial path.
