OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) – The Ogdensburg city council remains in a stalemate over the city’s 2024 budget.
Facing an estimated deficit of nearly $2 million, councillors were split 3-3 Tuesday night on accepting the interim city manager’s preliminary budget.
A preliminary budget is not final, and traditionally the city has accepted it, then held workshops to make changes before adopting a finalized budget.
Half of the council would keep with tradition.
The other half, councillors Steve Fisher, Bill Dillabough, and John Rishe, however, want to see changes made before accepting a preliminary budget.
“You know it’s really not a bad budget,” Rishe said. “I just think we should talk about it and cooperate and hold meetings. There’s no way to accept this without understanding it and that’s what the workshops are for.”
“The council has been presented with a budget,” interim city manager Andrea Smith said. “You accept and/or modify a budget. We then commence work sessions. That continues to be my recommendation.”
Councilors still need to decide whether to override the state tax limit, which will affect how much more money is collected from the city’s newly reassessed property values.
There are also hang-ups over the proposed water and sewer rate and adding two police officers.
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