Syracuse Common Councilors are getting a first look at the Owens administration’s proposed budget. The process is off to a better start compared to last year’s protracted and contentious battle.
Mayor Sharon Owens promised more transparency with the council during the budget process. Even before taking office, she said she reached out to President Rita Paniagua. Now, 100 days since they both took office, Paniagua said the process has been far more collaborative.
“We have had pre-meetings with the director of budget," she said after Thursday's first budget hearings. "He went through the numbers with us so we're not being presented with the numbers for the first time when we come to the table. That really does help a lot because now we feel more informed and we feel like we can negotiate better.”
The proposed budget is $354 million, up from the $333 million approved by councilors last May. The other number councilors have their eyes on is nearly $24 million that would come from city reserves.
“Twenty-four million is a lot of money. we're going to be looking at that," Councilor Chol Majok said. "From all of that fight last year, when you look back, councilors were right. And we want to make sure that the community understands that that fight last year was not political. It was a survival fight.”
He said that same sentiment applies today to keep the city fiscally sound. Last year, councilors took exception to a proposed $27 million draw from reserves. Councilors ultimately cut that in half, and so far, the city has used $10 million.
Majok said it’s too early in the process to know if they’ll cut parts of Owens’ budget. He added that’s something they want to avoid.
“When you start to talk about cutting, you're talking about families, you're talking about lives, you are talking about services," Majok said. "That's a difficult space to be in. We don't want to get there as a city. And the way we don't get there is to manage what we have wisely.”
Owens' budget keeps property taxes flat but raises water rates by 4%, or about $7 a year for the average household.
Councilors have until May 8 to approve a final spending plan.
