Mayor vetoes items in budget

In Rensselaer, adding 3 more fire department jobs is viewed as risky

Republican Mayor Michael Stammel line item vetoed $334,308 in spending increases Friday that the Democratic Common Council approved in the city’s 2020-21 budget.

The largest spending item rejected by Stammel was $256,208 for positions in the city fire department.

“The Common Council has adopted a risky budget that uses one-time revenue from the recent sale of city owned properties, to create three new positions in the fire department. There will be no money to pay for those positions next year, especially as revenues continue to shrink,” Stammel said in a statement Friday.

“Just as we are beginning to get a clearer picture of the city’s long ignored financial mess, the Common Council wants to repeat the mistakes of the past and adopt an unrealistic budget that sets the stage for more financial hardships next year. This is why I will veto their budget amendments,” Stammel said.

Common Council President John Defrancesco could not immediately be reached for comment about the council’s plans regarding the veto.

Stammel had indicated after the council adopted its budget that he would veto it.

Defrancesco said the veto is under review and that the items removed from the fire department budget are set by contract.

The relationship between the mayor and the Common Council has seen them confront each other at various times.

They are involved in a court battle over which of two private companies should be the designated first responder for ambulance service to the city’s 9,392 residents. That case is still pending.

The Common Council adopted a $14.41 million budget on July 15 that cut expenditures by 7.82 percent from the 2019-20 budget.

The budget drop reflects a $1,223,541 fall in revenues. The Common Council rejected Stammel’s proposed budget which would have spent about $175,000 less, and called for more funds to be held in reserves.

The council’s budget increased the city property tax levy by 1.62 percent, which was under the state property tax levy cap.

The city’s property tax rate will rise by 0.26 percent, or about 14 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, to climb to $53.46.