The Poughkeepsie Common Council approved the 2006 city budget by a 7 to 1 vote at its City Hall session earlier this week.
“We have, after sitting with leadership, reached a practical budget – one within which our city can work,” announced Mayor Nancy Cozean (D).
After cutting Cozean’s initial proposal by $240,000, the approved budget allots $58.5 million for city spending in the upcoming year.
According to the council, this budget allows for a continuation of services from past years. The mayor noted that she anticipates many projects throughout Poughkeepsie in 2006. Additional expenditures covered in the budget include increased healthcare, roadwork and fuel costs.
An original tax hike of 7.3 percent was tightened to 5.74 percent in the final draft of the budget.
After six weeks of work by Cozean and the Common Council to trim the number, a recalculation in revenue estimates determined that the increase wouldn’t be as high as initially projected.
“I’m not happy with any tax increase,” said Councilman Arnold Baratta (R-7th Ward), “but some increase is inevitable.”
“Anything else would have been fiscally impossible,” Councilman Frank Mora (R-1st Ward) concurred.
Cozean’s budget incorporates three new positions for 2006: a deputy building and plumbing inspector, a central garage mechanic for the public works department and a parking enforcement officer to aid the police in collecting fines.
These new positions were also a cause of the lone dissenting voter.
“I believe if we need new positions – we need them in the Police Department,” said Councilman Gary Bashor (R-8th Ward). “If I was going to vote for new positions, I’d rather go in that direction.”