[0:55] good afternoon everyone welcome to the city of Binghamton City Council special

[0:58] business meeting for September 15 2022 this meeting is scheduled to start our

[1:03] budget process with mayor cram's budget address please join me and stand for the

[1:07] pledge of the flag

[1:12] pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic

[1:17] for which it stands our nation under God indivisible liberty and justice abroad

[1:29] thank you everyone I'd ask our city clerk to please do a

[1:33] roll call for us for the city council members

[1:44] present

[1:54] okay thank you Mr clerk to my city council colleagues city hall employees

[1:58] and fellow residents joining us here and from home good afternoon

[2:03] my name is Phil Strawn city council president

[2:05] representative binghamton's sixth district it's my pleasure to welcome you

[2:09] today for mayor Jared Graham's 2023 budget address

[2:14] this is the first budget mayor cram will present to the city and the public

[2:19] when I endorsed mayor cram I said he'd be ready on day one and while he's been

[2:22] in office for just eight and a half months mayor Krim has given us some idea

[2:26] what we can expect today his actions have followed what he said

[2:29] in his inaugural speech and what he talked about since taking office have

[2:33] made clear his priorities I think to Residents have seen

[2:37] unprecedented investments in public safety and critical upgrades in

[2:40] neighborhood streets and parks we've seen a proactive approach in

[2:43] Economic Development code and housing and a commitment to deliver delivering

[2:47] results for binghamton's families I'm excited to hear what's in store with

[2:52] today's address on behalf of my colleagues on city

[2:54] council I want to thank the mayor and his team at City Hall

[2:57] especially Chuck shager Lori Clift and their teams specifically for their hard

[3:01] work preparing this budget my colleagues and I look forward to the

[3:05] days and weeks ahead we'll be spending ensuring the 2023 budget is when

[3:09] binghamton's residents can be proud of it's my pleasure now to introduce the

[3:13] 51st mayor of the city of Binghamton Jared mcream

[3:34] good afternoon everyone members of city council City staff

[3:39] special guests members of the public those watching at home as I said good

[3:44] afternoon the budget process is the most

[3:47] time-consuming annual project any mayor will undertake there's no more important

[3:52] role for City Council Members than the oversight and stewardship of how we

[3:56] spend taxpayer dollars thousands of budget lines hundreds of touch decisions

[4:02] the 2023 budget is at its core a plan a road map for how we will fund vital

[4:07] services our residents need build the projects that our community deserves

[4:13] but budgets also make a statement the one I will present this afternoon is

[4:18] reflective of binghamton's priorities and values not just mine but of the

[4:23] thousands of residents who call this place home

[4:26] today's budget message will speak frankly about the challenges we face

[4:30] where we're headed financially in the coming year the difficult decisions that

[4:35] must be made to secure a sound financial future for the city

[4:40] the last eight months have left a lot for Binghamton residents to talk about

[4:43] and every corner of the city our constituents are seeing results

[4:50] neighborhood streets paved on the south side lighted buildings torn down making

[4:54] way for new housing opportunities on the North side and downtown

[4:58] on the east side the city partnered with a startup to change the future of how

[5:02] municipalities Port concrete making it cheaper and more sustainable

[5:07] we've taken bold steps on student housing on the west side

[5:10] turning grassroot discussions into legislative action to protect our

[5:14] neighborhoods and we're chasing 10 million dollars for

[5:18] Clinton Street and the First Ward to revitalize what could be the next great

[5:22] downtown in Upstate New York we've broken down Economic Development

[5:27] silos raising binghamton's profile and making headlines Statewide

[5:31] with our plans for affordable housing taking on the owners of the Binghamton

[5:36] Plaza and as a municipal Trailblazer and the multi-billion dollar New York

[5:40] cannabis industry on the horizon we've made unprecedented investments in

[5:45] public safety doubling down on the single most important service any local

[5:51] government can provide its citizens we've updated our approach to code

[5:55] enforcement and neighborhood revitalization and are energizing our

[5:59] downtown Arts District with transformative streetscape improvements

[6:03] we've delivered these results all in just eight months and we've done it with

[6:08] bipartisan votes from city council and Broad support from the community

[6:13] the 2023 budget keeps that momentum going so let's talk about some of the

[6:18] specifics the city's total budget for 2023 is 97

[6:23] million dollars includes a 67.5 million dollar general fund budget which covers

[6:29] day-to-day City operations and several Enterprise funds that guide Services

[6:33] vital to the city such as water and sewer Community Development refuse

[6:37] collection Golf and parking the general fund budget is what directly

[6:42] impacts everyone's property tax rate and where most city services reside and the

[6:47] general fund as of today has a healthy 15.6 million dollar fund balance

[6:52] the city's largest source of Revenue to support those expenditures is local

[6:56] property taxes at 33.9 million dollars in 2023

[7:01] and at 14.5 million dollars sales tax is the city's second highest source of

[7:07] Revenue state aid for next year will remain flat

[7:10] at 10.2 million dollars and although we anticipate binghamton's first adult use

[7:15] Cannabis stores will open in 2023 I have budgeted zero dollars in revenue from

[7:21] sales for next year we have no way of estimating expected revenues from the

[7:26] local excise tax that will be on the sale of cannabis in which municipalities

[7:30] get three cents for every dollar sold of cannabis

[7:34] in the broad categories of how we spend taxpayer dollars salaries and employee

[7:39] benefits represent the largest budget expenditure at 56.9 million dollars the

[7:45] police and fire departments represent 64 percent of all salary costs in the 2023

[7:51] general fund other significant areas in our budget our debt payments at 17.7

[7:57] million dollars 3.4 million dollars for transfers to other funds and 2.4 million

[8:03] dollars for parks and next year's budget includes 9.4

[8:08] million dollars in health insurance costs which is a reduction of four

[8:12] percent from this year and we will pay 7.1 million dollars to the New York

[8:16] State retirement system which is a four percent decrease for this year

[8:21] let's talk about some specific departments right now Binghamton is at a

[8:26] decision Point as it relates to crime and Public Safety

[8:30] Mayors Across America are facing Rising crime rates in their cities and

[8:35] shrinking resources to address things like Mental Health

[8:38] the same time law enforcement agencies everywhere are struggling to retain and

[8:43] recruit members maintaining police Staffing levels is one of our City's

[8:47] most pressing challenges today the Binghamton police department

[8:51] has 19 vacancies due to retirements and career changes

[8:55] specialized details like the community response team and special investigations

[9:00] unit they do essential work but they pull officers off the beat leaving a

[9:05] smaller pool of officers available for the Patrol Division compared to say 30

[9:09] years ago it's not just urban areas that are

[9:13] affected our community what happens in Binghamton has consequences that extend

[9:17] beyond city limits as it relates to crime

[9:19] the landscape here and how we choose to respond to it directly impacts

[9:23] communities throughout Broome County and the Southern Tier

[9:27] I view this responsibility seriously and it's not one I will shy away from

[9:32] our future will come down to one of two choices

[9:35] either we accept this as the new status quo or we respond in kind and meet our

[9:40] challenges with action and let me be clear Binghamton chooses

[9:45] action we won't be indifferent to a changing

[9:48] landscape of crime or wash our hands of an issue because local lawmakers didn't

[9:53] cause it instead we will respond by investing in

[9:56] the measures we know make communities safer

[9:59] that starts with filling every vacant position in the Binghamton police

[10:02] department and being aggressive in recruiting a broad and diverse candidate

[10:07] pool in a good scenario the next Police test

[10:10] will yield 19 strong candidates who will bring the Binghamton Police Department

[10:15] back to full Staffing in a best case scenario the tests will yield even more

[10:20] quality candidates worthy of higher and if we can hire them we should

[10:24] I'm pleased to announce that binghamton's 2023 budget adds three new

[10:28] police positions partly funded by grants these positions would bring the size of

[10:33] the police department to 145 sworn members which is the largest in more

[10:39] than a decade we know the Continuum of Public Safety

[10:43] is not limited to police on the street it's not as simple as more cops equal

[10:47] less crime but Staffing levels are the foundation of a strong Police Department

[10:52] a fully staffed Department means more resources for community policing fewer

[10:57] Patrol shifts that are stressed to then responding from call to call improved

[11:02] morale for officers and better retention especially for our most experienced

[11:06] officers Beyond Personnel in the 2023 budget will

[11:10] continue to make investments in other public safety areas including our

[11:15] support for data-driven 21st century policing

[11:18] that sets Binghamton apart in Upstate New York

[11:21] earlier this year I announced the city would allocate a million dollars to

[11:25] reduce gun violence in Binghamton the money is supporting community policing

[11:29] efforts and other evidence-based strategies prevention

[11:33] and other enforcement efforts through the Southern Tier crime analysis Center

[11:38] I've heard from residents thrilled to see bike Patrols in their neighborhood

[11:41] for the first time ever and we're hopeful on another a number of

[11:46] different state and federal grants that would help fund new training new

[11:49] vehicles equipment and other resources we're aggressive in pursuing these

[11:53] grants to support not just the police department

[11:57] but to keep the community safe without overburdening the taxpayer

[12:02] for the fire department just a few weeks ago I welcomed 12 new Academy recruits

[12:06] to the Binghamton Fire Department the graduating class included four women

[12:10] more than any other class in the history of the fire department that's a historic

[12:15] accomplishment that signals real progress

[12:19] the 12 new graduates mean the department will be fully staffed in 2023 keeping

[12:24] overtime costs at a minimum and bolstering emergency response efforts to

[12:28] the more than ten thousand calls the fire department responds to every year

[12:33] the new graduates are part of the next generation of firefighters continuing a

[12:37] legacy of Public Service while ushering the department into a new era

[12:42] earlier this year I announced a one million dollar fund to upgrade and

[12:46] rehabilitate the city's historic neighborhood fire stations the oldest of

[12:51] which was built more than 120 years ago as you can imagine these buildings are

[12:56] in need of significant rehabilitation using American Rescue plan act funds

[13:01] we're making an unprecedented investment to upgrade these stations with new roofs

[13:05] HVAC improvements renovated bathrooms and bunk spaces bring the station up to

[13:11] Modern standards these buildings are neighborhood anchors and by working with

[13:15] fire Administration and the firefighter Union we're securing their long-term

[13:20] future in those neighborhoods and in a few months binghamton's brand

[13:25] new fire headquarters will open on Court Street the 9 million dollar

[13:28] state-of-the-art facility will support emergency response throughout the city

[13:32] Revitalize a key downtown Corridor and provide our firefighters with the modern

[13:37] work environment they deserve in 2023 the city will invest 14.8

[13:43] million dollars rebuilding our streets sidewalks and other critical

[13:47] infrastructure infrastructure is the foundation of local jobs and commerce so

[13:53] it keeps residents and businesses moving new sidewalks and pedestrian

[13:57] improvements let kids safely walk to school

[14:00] an underground utility upgrades making sure make sure that our families have

[14:04] clean and safe drinking water and I'm pleased to announce that my 2023

[14:09] budget includes no increases in water rates or sewer rates

[14:14] funding infrastructure projects also mean creating good paying construction

[14:18] jobs and more money flowing through the local economy to small businesses

[14:22] early next year I will co-host a regional infrastructure Summit with a

[14:27] chamber of commerce to bring together the public and private sector working

[14:31] side by side to find Solutions about cutting red tape expanding our labor

[14:35] force and securing vital state and federal dollars for projects right in

[14:39] our backyard local municipalities can look to Binghamton as a regional leader

[14:44] in smart infrastructure policy and practice

[14:47] one of those Innovative areas is our new pavement rating system a technology

[14:52] called robotics utilizes artificial intelligence to map and analyze all 151

[14:59] miles of city streets so we can track the ones in the worst condition

[15:02] prioritize funding and get them paid next year we'll pave dozens of

[15:08] neighborhood streets and thoroughfares including Floral Ave vestalab Holland

[15:13] Street Seminary Ave and Mill Street just to name a few

[15:17] we're funding the second phase of a transformative streetscape improvements

[15:21] in our downtown with 2.5 million dollars allocated for upgrades on Washington

[15:25] Street Henry Street and Water Street to grow our walkable Arts District

[15:31] and we'll also begin designs to reimagine Memorial Bridge which connects

[15:36] downtown and Riverside Drive upgrades will enhance that bridge which

[15:40] is at the true Rivers Greenway make it safer and more attractive to pedestrians

[15:45] and cyclists this is a historic piece of infrastructure with some of the best

[15:50] views of our two rivers it's about time we invest in it

[15:54] moving out of parks the city of Binghamton owns and maintains 36 parks

[15:58] and green spaces these public spaces provide residents of every age healthy

[16:03] recreational opportunities and make our neighborhoods more attractive to

[16:06] families looking to buy a home our parks are some of our most most

[16:11] treasured assets we need to care for them not just so they'll be around the

[16:15] next Generation but to unlock the potential they have for the city

[16:19] on the South Side the city will advance a multi-million dollar project to

[16:24] upgrade conlon field replacing the flood-prone playing surface with

[16:28] artificial turf the Bluff baseball field at MacArthur

[16:31] Park has hosted special moments for generations of kids

[16:35] who look forward to playing there every year under the lights but flooding

[16:39] issues have caused countless headaches for Parks maintenance staff and led to

[16:43] unfavorable playing conditions new flood resilient Turf will make conlon field

[16:48] our Region's Premier amateur baseball field it can also be used for soccer

[16:52] football lacrosse and other sports in the off season

[16:56] I've spoken to councilman Joe Burns uh who is in full support of this

[17:00] investment in his district and I I will say you know a year ago myself and

[17:04] councilman Burns happened to be on opposite sides of a political campaign

[17:08] but in the months since my taking office you would never know it councilman Burns

[17:12] has demonstrated a sincere approach to working together and getting things done

[17:16] on behalf of the city it's a true Mark of a public servant and I'm likewise

[17:21] committed to helping the South Side succeed so Joe thank you for putting the

[17:25] residents above politics

[17:28] early last year the city changed the management structure at the Ely Park

[17:33] Golf Course hiring a national golf management firm to handle operations the

[17:38] results have been overwhelmingly positive our municipal course is on Pace

[17:43] to host more than 25 000 rounds in 2022. that's a significant

[17:48] number of folks coming to the city of Binghamton and Ely Park is safe to say

[17:53] one of our Region's most popular public outdoor destinations

[17:57] First Ward Park is a very special and historic Place provides affordable

[18:02] accessible recreational opportunities for our community especially for

[18:06] Binghamton seniors the course has even more unlocked potential and contributing

[18:11] to golf tourism which is an Innovative marketing effort led by our Chamber of

[18:15] Commerce that attracts tour groups from across the Northeast to play at local

[18:20] golf courses these golfers Lodge multiple nights in downtown Binghamton

[18:24] spend their dollars at local restaurants and our small businesses by making

[18:28] upgrades at Ely Park and supporting this new management will continue to raise

[18:32] binghamton's profile as a Northeast golf destination provide residents an

[18:37] affordable public course for generations to come

[18:41] next year we'll also begin the process of reimagining the Parlor City Commons

[18:45] crumbling and utter underutilized public space in our Urban core between

[18:50] Washington and State Street new lighting landscaping and other

[18:54] upgrades will make the safe safer the space safer and more attractive as

[18:59] downtown Binghamton continues its revitalization our public spaces should

[19:03] build on that momentum not detract from it

[19:06] next year's budget also includes a new Public Works position dedicated to

[19:11] downtown beautification and keeping things tidy a busier downtown will mean

[19:16] a stronger local economy we should be doing more to make sure downtown is a

[19:20] place visitors want to come back to and residents are proud of

[19:24] the 2023 budget also adds resources to improve maintenance of code cited

[19:29] properties and city-owned vacant Lots two new full-time positions in the parks

[19:34] department and new equipment will help the city respond more quickly to High

[19:38] Grass violations and other code issues that are bringing down our neighborhoods

[19:44] residents deserve to feel safe in their neighborhoods and in their homes

[19:48] and right now too many of Binghamton families live in substandard housing

[19:53] a shortage of quality affordable housing in Broome County courses many residents

[19:58] to choose between housing they can afford and housing that's safe that's

[20:03] unacceptable supporting new housing development in

[20:06] Binghamton was a pledge I made during the campaign one we're already

[20:10] delivering on just a few weeks ago we announced a 24

[20:14] million dollar mixed-use housing project on Henry Street near mirabito Stadium

[20:19] lost project will build seven units of Workforce and affordable housing some

[20:24] earmarked for artists who will live right near the heart of downtown

[20:27] binghamton's Arts District and as I speak there are hundreds of affordable

[20:32] units in the city of binghamton's project pipeline totaling conservatively

[20:36] tens of millions of dollars in new investments in each of these projects

[20:41] will add to the city's affordable housing stock

[20:43] we're using our allocation of federal funds and local property tax incentives

[20:48] to leverage millions of dollars in private money and state support to make

[20:52] these housing projects a reality it's the most effective way we can use grants

[20:56] like arpa and other Federal entitlement funds to develop new housing

[21:01] in affordable housing like many of the issues I've outlined today Binghamton is

[21:06] responding to a crisis that exceeds our borders but it will not sideline City

[21:10] Hall instead we're taking a proactive role helping fund plan and break ground

[21:15] on these critical projects setting an example for other municipalities in the

[21:20] process Binghamton is leading on other housing

[21:24] issues too last month the city welcomist first ever

[21:27] housing prosecutor a new position we treated created to go after slumlords in

[21:33] serious repeat co-defenders it's hard to overstate the impact housing has on

[21:38] families especially on the outcomes of young people

[21:41] without a safe decent place to call home it's nearly impossible for students to

[21:46] focus on school or maintain a healthy lifestyle

[21:49] bad landlords don't just affect renters they hurt entire neighborhoods dragging

[21:54] down surrounding property values and draining City resources like code

[21:58] enforcement and police also make it harder for good landlords

[22:01] who play by the rules this new housing prosecutor is focused on holding these

[22:06] Bad actors accountable it's funded in the 2023 budget heading up enforcement

[22:10] of the city's reformed lockdown law Prosecuting illegal commercial activity

[22:14] and other quality of life matters each year the city stewards roughly

[22:20] three million dollars in federal funding through the U.S Department of Housing

[22:24] and Urban Development to support Community Development projects reduce

[22:28] poverty and homelessness and grow affordable housing opportunities in 2023

[22:33] we will advance more than 220 thousand dollars in youth programs through that

[22:38] fund 157 thousand dollars in park improvements and a quarter of a million

[22:43] dollars Paving roads in low-income neighborhoods more than 245 000 will be

[22:49] will support blighted property demolitions so we can continue to

[22:53] eradicate dangerous dilapidated eyesores block by block

[22:57] these federal dollars help deliver some of the most popular programs and

[23:01] projects to Residents and ease the burden on taxpayers

[23:05] we have to be strategic and thoughtful with these decisions my thanks to

[23:09] members of the citizen driven committee Our Community Development Advisory board

[23:13] for their time input and guidance on this process

[23:18] last year we got news that Binghamton would receive

[23:22] 46 million dollars in federal relief funds through the American Recovery plan

[23:27] act also known as arpa as far as I'm concerned this was just a down payment

[23:31] to American cities like Binghamton after Decades of disinvestment by the federal

[23:36] government with this funding we've allocated

[23:39] Millions for projects like upgrading the city's water Network to ensure safe

[23:43] quality drinking water we spent it on Hazard pay for essential

[23:47] workers child care for families living paycheck to paycheck and cyber security

[23:51] infrastructure here at City Hall as I mentioned earlier the city is also

[23:57] using millions of dollars in arpa to support affordable and senior housing

[24:01] projects across the city six million dollars was earmarked for these projects

[24:05] in previous years and we're committed to making more money available to meet the

[24:09] demand and support projects in the pipeline we'll also use 2.5 million

[24:14] dollars of arpa funding next year to replace more aging Water and Sewer

[24:19] infrastructure and today I'm announcing a new one

[24:23] million dollar youth fund to support programs and services for Binghamton

[24:27] children and teens an investment in our youth is a direct investment in our

[24:32] future a portion of the funds will support a

[24:35] new partnership with the Binghamton City School District to provide

[24:38] trauma-informed care and violence intervention we'll also fund youth

[24:42] Mental Health Services and upgrades at the Boys and Girls Club

[24:45] building in the First Ward that has served thousands of kids over the years

[24:50] the rest will be set aside for local non-profits as part of a competitive

[24:54] funding round to develop and expand Youth Services think after school and

[24:59] summer opportunities youth employment initiatives and stem programs for teens

[25:03] the Community Foundation will serve as our partner to effectively and

[25:07] efficiently get funds out the door and into the neighborhoods where youth need

[25:12] the most ask any teacher or social worker parent

[25:15] or principal the pandemic has affected our youth in a deep way from mental

[25:20] health to academic outcomes and behaviors anecdotally we've seen younger

[25:25] and younger kids as perpetrators of crime with this funding we're responding

[25:30] to this issue in a meaningful way and supporting our kids

[25:34] I want to take a moment in detail to speak about the city's refuse fund how

[25:38] we collectively pay for garbage and recycling collection

[25:42] the 2023 refuse fund is roughly 4 million dollars it's supported by 1.5

[25:47] million dollars in revenue from residents purchasing those blue bags but

[25:52] subsidized by 2.5 million dollars in million excuse me 2.5 million dollars

[25:57] from local taxpayers and contrary to popular belief blue bag revenue does not

[26:03] cover the cost of collecting garbage in the city in fact it covers less than 40

[26:08] percent of it that means binghamton's small businesses

[26:11] who use private haulers or homeowners who generate little in terms of garbage

[26:15] like our seniors are covering most of the collection costs through their

[26:19] property taxes that's 2.5 million dollars that should be buying snow plows

[26:24] or paying cops or cleaning up our Parks not bailing out a broken refuse

[26:29] collection system next year's budget calls for a slight

[26:32] increase per blue bag 25 cents to offset Rising costs of fuel and the cost to

[26:38] actually manufacture The Backs themselves it's a first increase in

[26:42] seven years however institutional change is needed in the way that the city pays

[26:47] for its garbage collection and I do not mean privatization

[26:51] if you split the 1.5 million dollar in revenue from the blue bags across some

[26:56] 20 000 households in the city Binghamton households on average spend

[27:01] about 75 dollars a year on the blue bags even when you include the taxpayer

[27:05] subsidy it's still only two hundred dollars per household per year

[27:10] and outside the city of Binghamton households are paying private haulers

[27:14] sometimes more than double that for refuse collection includes many services

[27:18] that don't come as frequently as the city's once a week pick up and some

[27:22] haulers have extra charges for yard waste collection in the city it's free

[27:27] the issue is not with our dedicated sanitation Crews who are working in 90

[27:32] degree heat and Sub-Zero temperatures but rather the issue is finding a fair

[27:37] way of paying for refuse collection that benefits everyone

[27:40] reduces our property tax burden and ensures cleaner neighborhoods in all

[27:45] parts of the city I do not have those answers today

[27:49] but I ran for mayor to be a problem solver over the next months and years it

[27:53] will be my focus to deliver Solutions on this issue

[27:57] finally let's talk about property taxes I'm pleased to announce that in 2023 the

[28:04] city of Binghamton will have no property tax increase in fact it's a very slight

[28:10] property tax decrease for both residential and Commercial Property

[28:14] Owners a 0.01 percent reduction for those residential and Commercial

[28:19] taxpayers next year's budget puts the city's

[28:22] constitutional tax limit at under 80 percent

[28:26] a decade ago this number was dangerously high in the low 90s

[28:30] our community has needs just like any other

[28:33] and as it's always the case in local government the wish list that we have

[28:38] exceeds what there's funding for and too often local leaders go to

[28:42] taxpayers again and again and again asking them to shoulder more of the cost

[28:49] I simply won't do it the responsibility of both funding essential services and

[28:54] driving progress Falls to our Municipal leaders not the taxpayers it's on us to

[28:59] make the tough decisions and protect families from unreasonable tax hikes

[29:04] Binghamton cannot expect to compete in job creation population growth and

[29:09] economic development if we do not have a competitive property tax rate

[29:13] when I took office at the beginning of this year I knew holding the line on

[29:17] taxes would be a challenge with inflation and economic uncertainty

[29:22] those circumstances also underscored the urgency behind our goal

[29:26] with families facing costs rising in every other aspect of their life we

[29:32] needed to step up and deliver for them some final thoughts this afternoon

[29:37] the 2023 budget took considerable time to compile my sincere thanks to the

[29:43] department heads the entire Finance team led by Chuck shager and Lori Clift and

[29:48] mayor's office staff for their efforts please join me in thanking them

[29:59] the 2023 budget solidifies binghamton's reputation as a city in action

[30:05] the decisions Investments and projects outlined today are what make Binghamton

[30:10] the best place to start a small business the best place for a young family to

[30:14] build their future cities are often pointed to for our

[30:17] problems but in Binghamton we're making sure we're known for our Solutions the

[30:22] meaningful steps we're taking to revitalize our community

[30:25] in cities like Binghamton that give residents the best shot to climb out of

[30:30] poverty where artists and entrepreneurs have the greatest chance to thrive it's

[30:35] cities like ours that can offer an affordable quality of life and the most

[30:39] for everyone who lives here nearly a hundred million dollars

[30:43] preparing this budget I asked myself a lot of questions about almost every

[30:47] dollar in there doesn't matter to a retiree on the east

[30:51] side or a single parent on the south side

[30:54] do our policies help make small businesses Thrive do they support

[30:58] hard-working homeowners in the neighborhoods they live in does this

[31:02] budget make Binghamton Street safer the budget should not be the wishes of

[31:07] one elected official which should act on the needs of an

[31:10] entire community I heard directly about those needs on

[31:14] front porches and at kitchen tables as I campaign last year

[31:18] I'm confident this budget reflects those needs

[31:21] so with that I present to city council and our citizens binghamton's 2023

[31:26] budget one that both protects the taxpayer and delivers results for the

[31:31] great City we all call home thank you very much

2022.09.15 Special Business Meeting - Mayor's 2023 Budget Address

Transcript