Syracuse lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday to override all 45 of Mayor Ben Walsh's budget-related vetoes, ending the battle between the legislative and executive branches of city government.
Earlier this month, the Common Council took the unprecedented step of making 82 amendments to Walsh's original $348 million spending plan, cutting a planned 2% property tax increase, and eliminating a plan to use more than $27 million to cover a deficit.
Walsh vetoed 45 of the 82 amendments, and said last week that he hoped leaving the other 37 amendments in place would spur a last-minute negotiation, but that didn't happen.
"I think it's telling that almost three weeks since the council first made their amendments, there has been ample time for further public dialogue, debate, discussion, and there was virtually none," Walsh said during a press conference after the council's vote.
Councilors did not speak publicly about the budget during their meeting Tuesday. Afterward, Council President Pro-Tempore Pat Hogan said the vote showed the solidarity of the Common Council's goal of cutting spending.
"I think we made amendments that we needed to do in order to preserve our fiscal integrity."
City officials were quick to condemn the council's vote.
"Relying on outside consultants and secret reports, the Common Council's middle-of-the-night amendments lacked transparency and seem to have been hashed out in private meetings in violation of New York State law," City Auditor Alex Marion said in a statement. "And while today's Common Council overrides of the Mayor's budget vetoes brings to a conclusion this year's budget process, the City's fiscal predicaments loom larger next year. I hope this moment sets the stage for a robust conversation about our spending habits and revenue sources, and materializes in real changes to our budget process.”
Lawmakers say their budget was not crafted in secret, adding they followed the usual budget process by offering amendments after public hearings were held on Walsh's proposed budget.
Walsh said now that the budget is final, he'll be meeting with department heads to determine the impact on various city programs before the city's fiscal year begins.
"I have no choice but to ask my department heads to develop contingency spending plans to deal with the across-the-board reductions made by the Council so we are ready for the start of the new budget year on July 1," Walsh said in a statement. "We will be transparent with the Council and the public about what is coming. If Councilors don’t support the cuts we put forth, they will have to provide alternatives. This is their budget, and they will need to respond to unhappy taxpayers who don’t deserve to face the consequences of the Council’s actions.”
