It’s looking more like Syracuse’s next budget will include significant cuts to services. The Syracuse Common Council appears poised to reject Mayor Walsh’s attempt to restore most of those cuts.
Earlier this month, the council voted to slash $16 million from the mayor’s original proposal, which also included a two percent property tax increase. This week, Mayor Walsh vetoed all but $3 million of the spending cuts, left out a tax increase, and urged compromise. Acting council president Pat Hogan said that’s not likely.
“We thought this was the best case scenario for the city to protect our fiscal independence,” Hogan said.
The council appears to have more than the six votes needed to override the mayor’s vetoes. When asked for an interview, other councilors deferred to Hogan...who’s a candidate for mayor in next month’s primary.
He said the council’s goal is to protect the fiscal integrity of the city amid uncertainty about federal support. For example, Hogan said the council wants to reduce the mayor’s proposed $27 million draw on reserves by about half.
“Twenty-seven million two or three years down the road, all of a sudden we don't have much of a balance left in order to address the basic needs of the city," Hogan said. "That fund balance has to remain healthy.”
Twenty-seven million dollars is about 22 percent of the city’s fund balance.
Hogan has repeatedly said city departments can come to the council and ask for more money, to which the mayor says is no way to manage a city budget. Hogan said councilors would set limits, unlike the mayor.
“I think we have to at some point establish a line and how much the departments could spend," Hogan said. "Certainly the culture of this administration has been well, it's a lot easier to raise taxes than it is to manage departments.”
Syracuse residents have seen their property taxes increase by six percent under the Walsh administration. Walsh says he doesn’t take that lightly, but adds residents have seen a return on investment in the form of improved services. The council could override the mayor’s vetoes at Tuesday’s meeting.
