Pictured is Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak who wants all department costs reduced by 10%.
Dunkirk Common Council members made clear at Tuesday’s meeting they want changes to Mayor Kate Wdowiasz’s proposed 2025 budget that would more than double the property tax rate.
“I have received much shocked feedback (from residents), and I hear you,” said Natalie Luczkowiak.
“That’s one thing we need to make perfectly clear, that it is not set in stone,” said Nancy Nichols.
“I recognize how much time and effort goes into preparing a budget, especially in these challenging circumstances. …That said, in a community where more than a quarter of our residents live in poverty, a 108% tax increase is simply not viable,” said Nick Weiser.
After the meeting, Luczkowiak emailed the OBSERVER with some ideas on getting the tax rate lowered.
She wrote, “Make sure the administration costs reflect only the employees we have now and not a full staff. Anything in the budget for hopeful future employees or employees needing to hire to fill the usual spots should be deleted. We need to work with what we have.”
Luczkowiak also suggested cutting all department costs by 10% and selling back one of two recently purchased fire trucks, which have not yet been delivered.
“Please know that I am indeed confident we can lower the tax rate that will bring a workable budget to the Mayor and City Hall,” Luczkowiak concluded her email.
At the meeting, Weiser went on to say the city cannot place the entire burden of its financial problems on the taxpayers.
He urged Wdowiasz to press Gov. Kathy Hochul for a reinstatement of the city’s mitigation funding for the closure of the NRG plant. Weiser also said the state ought to extend its timeline for Dunkirk closing its budget gap from one year, to three to five years.
Also, “We need to take a much closer look at bringing in the revenues already owed to the city… we’ve left substantial amounts uncollected which is worse than our financial position.”
Weiser also suggested a look at job cuts, speaking of “better aligning our workforce with the size and needs of our community.”
He called for “a spirit of collaboration knowing that difficult decisions lie ahead. Only through mutual respect and cooperation will we be able to find the best path forward here.”
Among the Republicans on council, Nichols said little about the budget while James Stoyle and Abigail Yerico said nothing at all. They are the council majority, so it’s ultimately their call what happens with the budget – and Dunkirk budget debates in recent years have tended to split on party lines.
As for Dunkirk’s citizens, none of them bothered to comment on the budget during the public portion of the meeting.