Syracuse DPW committee reviews municipal sidewalk funding, budgeting errors and CHIPS reimbursements

At a Syracuse City Department of Public Works (DPW) committee meeting, staff outlined a series of budgeting errors and corrective steps tied to the municipal sidewalk program and described how state CHIPS reimbursements, existing program fees and bond proceeds will be used to pay contractors and fund upcoming sidewalk construction.

The DPW fiscal officer said staff identified overspending from prior work and clerical misallocations that placed capital expenditures in operating accounts. "We started back in November when we realized that we had overspent with Ballard and we needed more money to pay them off," Janet Vendetti, fiscal officer at DPW, said. Vendetti said staff changed their legislative requests several times to clarify that some work will be reimbursed by New York State’s CHIPS program and that two separate letters—one for CHIPS reimbursement and one for bond authorization—are now planned.

Why it matters: The program funds sidewalk construction across the city and relies on a $4,500,000 annual program fee, reimbursement from the state CHIPS program and periodic bond issuances. Missteps in how work was charged between operating and capital accounts led to a shortfall staff said they must address so contractors can be paid and work can start on schedule for the spring construction season.

Key details and numbers

- Program fee and seed funding: The municipal sidewalk program has an intended recurring program fee of…