[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