Mayor defends budget plan, council schedules public hearing in March

Mayor Robert Gleamy defended his proposed fiscal-year budget at a public committee meeting and said the increases are driven largely by mandated costs beyond the administration’s control.

Gleamy told council members that health insurance, New York State retirement contributions and rising debt service explain much of the budget growth and that the administration has cut discretionary spending. “Every single penny of the tax rates since I took office came from mandated expenses and did not come from discretionary spending,” Gleamy said during his presentation.

The mayor walked the council through year-over-year changes and argued the city’s fiscal position has deteriorated since 2022, leaving limited fund-balance reserves. He said the administration worked with state and federal partners to secure a second-year extension of a temporary AIM funding boost and is pursuing other revenue options including a possible bed tax and state grant reallocations to reduce the local burden.

Gleamy also described steps the administration has taken to reduce costs: re-establishing a purchasing function, reviewing change orders, buying used equipment where appropriate (he cited a used Zamboni purchase) and negotiating legal and contract expenses. He told the council he had sought to limit new hires and to fill only budgeted vacancies; he said total salary increases across multiple departments are smaller than critics have claimed.

Council members and the mayor discussed timing for the formal annual estimate and a public hearing. The council agreed to call a public hearing on the proposed 2025–26 annual estimate; members specified a sign-up deadline and committee scheduling. The council recorded plans to schedule the public hearing on the council’s March meeting schedule (call for public hearing to be published in connection with the March 5 meeting and the formal hearing to occur around March 19), and members were told to submit final amendment proposals by March 18 so the comptroller could finalize numbers for the March 19 meeting.

Why it matters: The mayor framed the increases as driven by non-discretionary cost pressures and by previously authorized borrowing for capital projects (notably paving), which produce ongoing debt-service requirements. Council members signaled they will continue to seek reductions to the proposed rate before final adoption.

Looking ahead: The council will hear the formal public hearing on the annual estimate in March; the mayor said staff are working on additional revenue proposals and on restructuring debt to reduce future year pressure.