BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — The city’s 2025 financial audit is on track to be completed weeks earlier than in recent years,  which city officials say will provide council better financial information as Ogdensburg continues to grapple with significant long-term budget pressures.

City Comptroller Angela Gray told council that the audit is progressing on schedule and is expected to be presented during the final week of July, with the Audit Committee anticipated to meet during the week of July 22.

She credited Finance Director Jennifer Wilson for helping accelerate the process.

“Many thanks to our Finance Director Jennifer Wilson, who has done a tremendous amount to get us to this point,” Gray  said. “It’s an earlier delivery than usual, so we’re very pleased with the performance on that.”

The update comes as city officials continue emphasizing the need for timely financial reporting while addressing what they describe as an increasingly unsustainable fiscal trajectory.

Mayor Michael Tooley called the accelerated timeline “welcome news,” noting that prior-year audits had often been delayed.

The independent audit will provide council with a comprehensive review of the city’s 2025 financial statements as officials prepare for budget planning.

The member added that the delays were not necessarily the fault of city staff and said the improved schedule was encouraging ahead of the Audit Committee’s July meeting.

In a prior presentation to council, Gray outlined projections showing the city could face annual operating deficits approaching $5 million within five years unless significant structural changes are made. Gray said deficits are expected to begin at roughly $1.7 million in 2027 and grow to approximately $4.8 million by 2031 if current trends continue.

Gray attributed the projected shortfalls to a combination of factors, including declining population, stagnant revenues, rising personnel and health insurance costs, the loss of sales tax revenue following changes to county revenue sharing, and increasing infrastructure obligations.

She also warned the city’s constitutional tax limit could rise from about 82 percent today to as high as 131 percent by 2031 if deficits are addressed solely through property tax increases, significantly constraining the city’s financial flexibility.

City Manager Fonda Chronis has similarly cautioned that austerity measures alone are unlikely to resolve the city’s structural imbalance, arguing that long-term economic growth is the only sustainable solution.

Against that backdrop, council members welcomed the news that the audit will be delivered earlier than in recent years.