David R. Roefaro, Mayor

City of Utica, New York

                        BUDGET MESSAGE       

To the Board of Estimate and Apportionment,

I would like to first thank each of you for your ongoing dedication to the City of Utica through your outstanding service on this Board.  That being said, with that service, comes great responsibility.  It is a responsibility to protect the fiduciary interests of this City, its citizens, and its future citizens, and it is a responsibility that I know each of you takes with the utmost sincerity.

Thanks in part to an additional $1.4 million in AIM funding that Governor Spitzer has committed to Utica, our 2008-2009 fiscal outlook is bright.  Yet, as Governor Spitzer so eloquently mentioned on his visit to Utica, we can not simply depend on an increase in State and Federal support to save us from fiscal crisis, we must become leaner, smarter, and more efficient.

As such, this year’s budget includes funding dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of government while bringing down the overall cost structure, including:

·                               FUNDS TO CREATE A HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT, WHICH WILL INCREASE EMPLOYEE EFFICIENCY THROUGH SMART MANAGEMENT, AND AVOID POTENTIAL LAWSUITS AGAINST THE CITY.

·                               FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT, A PAYROLL SYSTEM IN CITY HALL, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, WHICH WILL PROTECT AGAINST FRAUD AND DECREASE WASTE.

·                               A $1,000,000 “SNOWY DAY” CONTINGENCY FUND FOR UNSETTLED LABOR CONTRACTS AND OTHER UNEXPECTED COSTS.

·                               A $3.2 MILLION FUND BALANCE, WHICH SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE TO WALL STREET THAT WE ARE A CITY WORTH INVESTING IN.

But being fiscally responsible is not simply about efficiency and waste reduction, it is about providing an unmatched level of service to the people of this City.  That is why this year’s budget includes:

·                               A 5% INCREASE IN FUNDING TO THE UTICA LIBRARY, ONE OF OUR CITY’S GREAT ASSETS, WHICH IS IN ADDITION TO THE NEARLY $50,000 THAT WAS RAISED BY THE FIRST ANNUAL MAYOR’S CHARITY BALL.

·                               A $2,000,000 PAVING ALLOCATION TO IMPROVE OUR STREETS AND THOROUGHFARES.

·                               A $110,000 INVESTMENT IN THE CITY’S BEAUTIFUL PARKS SYSTEM.

·                               A $300,000 ECONOMIC REINVESTMENT PROGRAM.

·                               A $100,000 BUSINESS FAÇADE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

·                               A $100,000 STREETSCAPE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

Fiscal responsibility also includes a willingness to work with the Common Council, and other public and private entities, by funding the services that are important to them.  That is why I have and continue to  look forward to working with the Council on this budget, and why I have included funding for the expansion of the City’s IT Department, which was a direct recommendation of my transition team, which is comprised of both public and private representatives.

Sometimes though, the concern for fiscal responsibility must take a backseat to other, more important issues.  I am of course speaking about the safety and wellbeing of the public, and the brave men and women that provide that blanket of safety.  In furtherance of that effort, I am asking the Common Council to increase the police complement an additional 8 positions, and to continue to fund the replacement of police vehicles and equipment, in order to insure that our residents and officers are safe, and that they have access to the very best resources available to them.

In conclusion, I find myself in the unenviable position of asking the citizens of Utica for a 7.25% increase in their tax rate. Yet I promise to use that money not to perpetuate government waste, but as a $1.5 million investment in our collective future, and the future of our children.

Respectfully,

David R. Roefaro

Mayor

Questions: Angelo Roefaro 792.0100