BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg adopted a preliminary budget that dips into the fund balance, raises the tax levy by roughly 20 cents and the tax levy by $149,310.

The increase is lower than the proposal made by City Manager Fonda Chronis, which would have hiked the tax by about 35 cents and the levy by $209,310.

The gap was closed by dipping into the fund balance and reducing funding set aside for traffic lights following a recommendation from Mayor Michael Tooley.

His amendment reduced the tax levy increase by $60,000 from the City Manager's budget proposal, which he said would save the average homeowner about $16 a year.

The change would lower the city’s proposed property tax rate from $15.52 to $15.36 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The current tax rate is 15.1672 per $1,000 of assessed value.

To make up for the $60,000 reduction in property tax revenue, the city would use an additional $30,000 from its fund balance, or savings, and cut spending by a net $30,000.

The proposed spending changes include reducing the traffic light budget from $45,000 to $4,000, increasing spending on materials and supplies by $5,000, and adding $6,000 to the city’s contingency account.

Tooley said the tax savings for homeowners would be small but would help keep the cost of local government down. The proposal would also lower the city’s use of its available tax limit from 80.4% to 79.5%.

Fire department overtime 

Tooley also raised concerns about the Fire Department’s vacation overtime costs.

The current budget includes $290,000 for vacation overtime, but the city manager’s proposed 2027 budget includes no money for that expense.

Tooley said the city is seeking to reduce the number of firefighters allowed to be on vacation during each shift from two to one. The city says the change would help eliminate the overtime costs.

If the city continues to pay at least $200,000 in vacation overtime in 2027, Tooley said, it could face a large property tax increase, cuts to services in other departments, or both.

He also warned that the city could face additional costs in 2027 if a labor dispute is decided in favor of the firefighters. The city might have to make retroactive overtime payments and restore funding for vacation overtime in its 2028 budget.

Tooley said Chronis remains willing to resume talks with the firefighters’ union to address the issue.

Spending savings?

Tooley said he first suggested cutting the proposed tax levy by $60,000 at an Oct. 14 budget workshop. The city manager later worked with staff to identify ways to make the reduction, and council members discussed the plan again on Oct. 21.

During the council meeting, City Councilor Dan Skamperle said he supported the spending cuts but opposed using more of the city’s fund balance to lower taxes.

He said the city should be cautious about using its savings.

Deputy Mayor Jennfer Stevenson said she would normally oppose using fund balance but supported the proposal because the city had taken a conservative approach to some of its revenue estimates.

Stevenson also suggested reducing the City Manager’s stipend of $42,000 for filling the role of city planner, but amended failed to pass.

Mayor Michael Tooley noted that further changes are possible as the final budget isn’t expected to be officially passed until a Nov. 9 public hearing takes place. From then the city could continue fine tuning the spending plan until Nov. 23.

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