Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh has proposed a $341 million budget for the city’s upcoming fiscal year, a 10% increase in spending from the 2023-24 budget.
Walsh’s proposed budget would require the city to spend nearly $25 million from the city’s fund balance and calls for a 2% increase in the city’s property tax rate.
The city projects to collect an additional $7.3 million in property taxes, $7 million from an improved investment program and another $4.5 million from a growth in sales tax.
Walsh’s proposed budget is the last to include American Rescue Plan Act funds from the federal government. The city of Syracuse received $123 million from the federal government in 2020, after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. All money from the federal government must be obligated by the end of 2024.
Here are some noteworthy items from Walsh’s proposed budget.
Property tax rate jumps 2% for second straight year
The 2% rate hike could increase property taxes about $55 for every $100,000 of a property’s assessed value.
The proposed rate hike, along with increasing property values, would generate another $7.3 million in property tax revenue for the city.
In all, the city and school tax levy could increase by $7.8 million, from $115.5 million to $123.3 million. The school tax levy would increase by about $500,000.
City residents could also see increases in their water and sewer rates. Walsh’s proposed budget increases water rates 2%, or about $5 per year for residential households. Sewer rates will increase by about $15 per year for a single family home.
City to pull $25M from its general fund
Last year, Walsh implored the council to find new revenue for the city to chip away at its structural deficit.
To fully fund his 2024-25 budget, Walsh proposed increasing the amount of money the city pulls from the its fund balance to fund city initiatives by by about $4 million, from $21 million to $25 million.
The city’s general fund currently has more than $115 million and will exceed the recommended amount of money a general fund should contain, according to the mayor’s office.
City officials plan to keep $11 million of its ARPA funds in the city’s general fund.
New and continuing initiatives
The city expects the budget to fund a slew of new or continuing initiatives, including:
- The Syracuse Housing Trust Fund, which would receive $2 million
- An expansion of Syracuse police’s alternative response program
- A citywide rollout of covered recycling carts
- 23 miles of road reconstruction and 14 miles of sidewalk maintenance
- Staffing for Parks Department programs at Southwest Community Center
- Funding for a public arts coordinator
- Two more staff members in the Central Permit Office for project and plan reviews
Syracuse police overtime jumps $1.2M
Syracuse police overtime could get a bump after the city tried to slash the overtime allocation in last year’s budget.
At the time, Police Chief Joe Cecile said Walsh asked him to find places to cut in his budget. Cecile chose the overtime budget. He and city administration made the biggest slash to allocated overtime in about a decade.
But earlier this year, Central Current reported the department blew through its 2023-24 overtime budget in under eight months. Cecile defended the spending as “not feckless.” According to the city’s budget book, the department is projected to outspend the $5.4 million it was allocated by about $3.6 million.
In the mayor’s proposed 2024-25 budget, the department would be allocated $6.5 million, about $1.15 million more than last year.
From 2001 through 2023, the Syracuse Police Department has outspent its allotted overtime budget by a total of $28 million.
If you’d like to attend an individual apartment’s budget hearing, a schedule is listed below. All meetings are held in the Van B. Robinson Common Council Chambers in City Hall.
April 9
- Office of the City Clerk, 10 a.m.
- Common Council Office, 10:15 a.m.
- Office of the Mayor, 10:30 a.m.
- Bureau of Information Technology, 1 p.m.
- Office of Analytics, Performance and Innovation, 2 p.m.
April 10
- Syracuse Urban Renewal Agency, 11 a.m.
- Office of Management & Budget, 11:30 a.m.
April 11
- Neighborhood and Business Development, 10 a.m.
- Greater Syracuse Land Bank, 11 a.m.
- Citizen Review Board, noon
April 15
- Syracuse Police Department, 11 a.m.
- Bureau of Treasury, noon
- Bureau of Financial Operations, 12:45 p.m.
- Bureau of Accounts, 1:30 p.m.
- Department of Law, 2 p.m.
- Department of Public Works, 3 p.m.
April 16
- Department of Code Enforcement, 10 a.m.
- Assessment Department, 1:30 p.m.
- Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, 2 p.m.
- Parking Ticket Violations Bureau, 3 p.m.
April 17
- Downtown Committee, 10 a.m.
- CMBID, 10:30 a.m.
- Department of Water, 2 p.m.
- Department of Engineering, 3 p.m.
April 18
- Syracuse City School District, 1 p.m.
- Say Yes to Education, 2 p.m.
April 22
- Office of Personnel and Labor Relations, 2 p.m.
April 23
- Bureau of Research, noon
- Department of Audit, 12:30 p.m.
- Syracuse Fire Department, 1 p.m.
April 24
- Parking Garages, 2 p.m.
April 25
- Parks Department, 11 a.m.
April 29
- Neighborhood Preservation Committee, 11 a.m.
