‘PRUDENT BUDGET’
Mayor Bill Keeler releases 2022 spending proposal
COHOES, N.Y. » Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler recently released his proposed 2022 budget, as the city emerges from the financial fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on innovation and fiscal discipline. The $24.850-million budget proposal includes:
• no increase in property tax rates,
• no increase in sewer and water rates.
• re-staffing of depleted city departments, and
• a1% cut in spending from the general fund adjusted 2021 city budget.
“Spending is down, revenue is up, and we have more city workers serving the public. This is a recovery budget we can be proud of,” Keeler said.
“We have been through a historically difficult fiscal time, but with fiscal discipline, we have produced a sound budget for a strong future,” Keeler noted.
“Because of the tough choices we made over the last year, we are able to produce a budget with no property tax increases and no sewer and water rate increases, while still cutting spending one percent. At the same time we will be able to better serve the public because we are beefing up key city departments including police, fire, DPW, and the code office,” Keeler explained.
Due to the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, some city staff vacancies were not filled and staff had to be furloughed, leaving some Departments depleted. Under the Mayor’s proposed FY2022 budget, the Department of Public Works will once again be fully
“Because of the tough choices we made over the last year, we are able to produce a budget with no property tax increases and no sewer and water rate increases, while still cutting spending one percent.” — Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler
staffed, and the police department, fire department, Code Office, and planning department will not only be fully staffed but be expanded.
This budget takes into account anticipated savings from innovative governing including, conversion of city street lights to energysaving LEDs. Savings also will come from the renegotiation of the city’s contract for recycling, and other energy-saving retrofits.
“Although Cohoes did not get the same level of federal COVID relief dollars that some of our neighbors did, we have been aggressively pursuing a wide range of grant funding, and we have been successful doing so, and we are not letting up,” Keeler said.
“This grant funding adds to the strength of our budget,” Keeler noted.
“This is a very prudent budget. For example, sales tax revenue is expected to go up based on Census data showing an increase in our population. We are also seeing a much healthier economy in 2021 which we expect to carry over into 2022, and that has a positive impact not only on personal budgets but on the city budget,” City Comptroller Mike Durocher added.
Per the Cohoes City Charter, Keeler presents his budget proposal to the Board of Managers, who have until Sept. 30, 2021, to review and make changes.
The Board of Managers must submit a budget proposal to the Cohoes Common Council by Oct. 1, and the Council has until Nov, 15 (45 days) to enact a final budget.
A public hearing on the Cohoes 2022 Fiscal Year budget is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, beginning at 7 p.m., in the Cohoes Common Council Chambers, second floor, Cohoes City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.