City of Batavia leaders have been working diligently to erase a projected $700,000 shortfall in the 2020-21 budget, reducing expenses by nearly $350,000 while proposing a 7.48 percent property tax increase to generate the remaining $350,000.
City Manager Martin Moore on Tuesday sent an email to The Batavian outlining the departments and/or programs that have been targeted for cuts.
The actual amount of expense cuts (totaling $348,329) from the municipality’s general fund are as follows:
-- General operations -- $60,165;
-- Youth bureau -- $18,230;
-- Information systems -- $20,000;
-- Department of Public Works -- $117,114;
-- Police -- $77,870;
-- Fire -- $54,950.
As previously reported, the cuts include eliminating (for now) the hiring of an additional school resource officer as part of the police department.
Moore’s revised budget – his first budget called for a 0.97 tax hike – was prompted by what is shaping up to be the loss of $440,000 in revenue from video lottery terminal usage at Batavia Downs Gaming. The VLT money currently has been added to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state budget.
Still, there is a $260,000 difference between the VLT money loss and the $700,000 shortfall.
The Batavian has sent an email to Moore seeking an explanation, specifically the line items and/or factors that resulted in that situation, and will update this story upon his response.
