Rochester Reporter

Proposed FY 2023-24 Operating Budget Holds Tax Levy Flat, Funds Transformative Investments

Mayor Malik D. Evans today presented a proposed fiscal year 2023-2024 City of Rochester operating budget that supports his vision to create a safe, equitable, and prosperous Rochester by inspiring hope and delivering opportunity for everyone.

“The budget I am presenting to the Rochester City Council today is the road map, a detailed guide that will take our city from a poverty mindset to a prosperity mindset,” Mayor Evans said. “I am proud of this budget because it reflects the hopes and dreams of our citizens and strikes a realistic balance between the financial hardships of our citizens, while also making critical investments to confront historic challenges with historic opportunities.”

The proposed budget calls for total spending of about $675 million, a 4.7 percent increase over the current year’s budget, an increase that is well under the rate of inflation for that time period. The budget includes no increases to the tax levy or service fees for refuse, recycling and public works. Significant investment in the budget is funded through the City’s allocation of the American Rescue Plan Act.

The budget calls for an increase of less than $3 a month to the City water rate to fund much-needed investment in Rochester’s almost 150-year old water infrastructure.

“The massive water main break that prompted a boil water advisory coupled with a snow storm last year was a wakeup call,” Mayor Evans said. “Communities across the nation are suffering the consequences of deferred maintenance on crumbling water infrastructure that puts the health of their citizens at risk, and I am determined to make sure Rochester does not join them.”

Among the most significant additions to the budget are the creation of a Director of Emergency Management position to strengthen the coordination among different City departments during emergency responses; and the creation of a Manager of Emerging Initiatives title to align City services with developing needs, including cannabis preparation, homelessness and healthy food access.

The budget also includes added positions to improve the visual appeal of the Rochester cityscape. The addition of three Code Enforcement Inspectors will step up enforcement of litter, trash and debris that accumulates on private property. And the addition of four full-time and six seasonal positions to Parks Operations will enhance the City’s ability to maintain and keep the City’s parks and playgrounds clean.

The budget builds on the framework of the six Key Priorities of the Evans Administration and continues to emphasize Public Safety as the No. 1 priority under the three-part strategy of Prevention, Intervention and Suppression, including the expansion of the Summer of Opportunity Program and the Summer Youth Enrichment Program.

It continues the investments made toward prevention and intervention in the Department of Recreation and Human Services and Office of Violence Prevention. On top of those investments, it expands the summer operating hours at all City R-Centers and adds mental-health counselors to four R-Centers.

On the suppression front, the budget includes additional investments in the Rochester Police Department’s digital-evidence and crime-analysis technology to further narrow the focus on concentrated violence.

The budget also includes an emphasis on the Mayor’s commitment to Economic Empowerment, and Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice with the launch of the Guaranteed Basic Income Program and continued investments for Lead Water Service Line Replacement; Buy the Block; and the Home-Repair Grants programs in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

To view the budget, visit https://www.cityofrochester.gov/budget.

 Original source can be found here.