Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens says she will sign a $350 million budget passed by Common Councilors on Friday. But, while this budget season was described as collaborative, budget discussions could change going forward.
The way it has traditionally worked, the mayor proposes a spending plan in early April, lawmakers spend the next month quizzing department heads about numbers, then approve a budget with any tweaks they like in early May. The mayor either agrees or disagrees with those changes, and the budget year begins July 1.
Owens, in her first term in office, said considering the city has a structural deficit, that discussion should start much earlier.
"Our budget process cannot be the first three months of every year trying to cobble together a budget," said Owens. "Our budget director is completely focused on bringing us back to this table, back to a table to talk about our expenses collectively, our revenue, what are the options for us for generating revenue. And I think what is equally most important is we're going to add the school district to those discussions."
Common Council Finance Committee Chair Corey Williams said lawmakers are on board with a new approach.
"I've been in touch with the budget director and we're planning to, like I said, engage early and rethink the way that we approach our budget and the way that we explore approach expenditures," said Williams. "We're talking about revisions to the capital plan, and so there really is a hyper-conscious focus on our budget and on our finances and we want to make sure that we're in a strong position moving forward."
One of the biggest revenue issues going forward is the service agreement with Syracuse University. The previous five-year deal, which provided the city with an $11 million cash payment, ends in June. Negotiations for the next deal are underway. Owens said she’d like to explore agreements struck in other communities with large universities.
"Communities like Ithaca and looking at what their agreements are, their components of what they came to an agreement with," Owens said. "Because some of it was other service kind of related stuff. I'm not sure. I just know I want to not limit ourselves to the cash, but also look at the cash, but also look at what we need as a city, what services they need. And where can we find common ground?"
As for this year, lawmakers made changes to Owens budget that essentially offers more money for housing and recreation, while reducing the draw from the city’s fund balance through cuts in estimates for social security and health insurance. Owens says she’s comfortable with the changes lawmakers made to her spending plan.
