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Tonawanda council delays budget changes, defers $100,000 reassessment decision and youth-board pay reclassification
Summary
At a Nov. special meeting, Tonawanda councilmembers discussed removing $100,000 for a reassessment, moving $5,100 from youth-board salaries into equipment/supplies, and flagged deep cuts to fuel lines as risky; formal amendments were deferred until absent officials can participate.
Councilmember (Speaker 1) urged the Common Council of the City of Tonawanda on Nov. (special meeting) to move a $100,000 reassessment professional-services line out of the 2025–26 budget and reclassify $5,100 from youth-board "professional services salaries" into a youth equipment and supplies line, saying, “We don't need the 100,000 for the assessment this year. We we can move that to 2026.”
The proposal was discussed during a short special meeting called to order at 6:00 p.m. by the presiding member (Speaker 2). City Clerk (Speaker 3) read the special-notice resolution invoking authority under the city charter (article 2 division 3 section 2.048) to meet with the city treasurer and conduct other business. Several elected officials were excused; Council President Cook and Raumstraw were noted as absent, and members said they did not have a city attorney or a mayoral representative present.
Speakers debated procedure for making amendments. The presiding member (Speaker 2) and Councilmember (Speaker 1) discussed whether to bundle all line-item changes into one omnibus resolution or handle them individually. Speaker 2 recommended postponing substantive votes until absent officials and staff can attend: "I would be in favor of having this discussion next week when they are here." Councilmember (Speaker 1) noted that if the new budget is not adopted by the 18th, the current budget remains in effect.
Councilmembers also flagged the fuel budget for closer review. The presiding member said he had spoken with staff and recommended inviting Mr. Franzak to provide details, warning "I don't think that they can survive about 1 third cut," referring to proposed fuel-budget reductions and the risk to winter operations such as plowing.
On youth programming, Speaker 1 proposed creating a designated youth-equipment line so the youth-board expenditures would be paid as purchases and reimbursed on receipt submission rather than paid from a professional-salaries line. Staff (Speaker 5) noted the parks department already has supply lines but council requested an explicit youth-designated line to ensure funds are used for the youth board's activities.
Councilmember (Speaker 1) asked the clerk to prepare a placeholder resolution for the Nov. 18 meeting to include the proposed amendments; the presiding member agreed to a quick turnaround but reiterated the preference to allow absent members and the mayoral office to participate in final decisions.
The meeting included a request from Speaker 1 to invite the chair of the city cemetery committee to discuss cost-saving measures (shared services, mowing, fundraising). The presiding member said public comment was not allowed at this special meeting but accepted inviting the committee chair as a non-public participant and asked that committee members be invited to the next meeting.
Before any budget amendments were formally moved or voted on, the presiding member moved to adjourn; the motion was seconded by Mister Fisher. The City Clerk called the roll; Sheasley, Fisher, and Myelam recorded aye votes and the meeting was adjourned. No formal budget amendments or votes on the reassessment or youth-board reclassification were taken at this session.
Next steps: the council instructed the clerk to prepare a placeholder amendment resolution for the Nov. 18 meeting and to invite relevant departmental staff and committee chairs (DPW, parks, cemetery committee) to provide line-item detail before any formal votes.
