Utica officials hold ad hoc budget Q&A as tax-cap deadline looms

Utica department heads sat before a reduced group of council members on March 20 to answer detailed questions about the city budget and the consequences of not waiving the state tax cap before the submission deadline.

The meeting was not a formal council session because a physical quorum of five members was not present, the mayor said, but department heads remained to respond to line‑item questions that council members said had not been posed before the vote deadline. "We have all the department heads here and we have some council members ... give the council members an opportunity to ask the department heads questions about the budget and the waiving of the tax cap, etcetera," the mayor said.

The exchange focused on several high‑cost lines and revenues. Councilman Beataier asked for clarification of the tax‑cap mechanics and their fiscal effect; the mayor and corporation counsel explained that any levy above the cap would be placed in a restricted reserve and not accessible for the fiscal year, calling the statutory rules "cut and dry." "Anything above the capped levy would go into a restricted account and it would not be accessible for budgetary reasons in fiscal year 26," the mayor said.

Council members pressed department heads about where cuts could be made if the council did not override the tax cap, pointing to overtime and repair lines in police, fire, parks…