Schenectady's proposed city $122.7 million budget for 2027 depends on city officials successfully lobbying New York State for an additional $6.5 million in aid — and city officials are already working to secure support for that funding.
State Senator Pat Fahy, — one of the New York State legislators representing Schenectady, who will be crucial to securing that additional state aid — wouldn't say whether she thought $6.5 million was a realistic figure to request from the state. But she said she spoke to Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy about the issue on Monday.
"We are talking about the needs. All have got to tighten up. They've got to make sure that they are really reining in the costs," Fahy said in an interview Tuesday. "But in the meantime, we also need to make sure that they are finding the revenues that are so critical, we have a lot of work to do."
Fahy also pointed out that other municipalities like Albany and Rotterdam are also under fiscal stress.
The Schenectady City Council unanimously passed a resolution requesting the additional funding at their meeting Monday.
Later during that same meeting, when some members said they wouldn't support a property tax hike above 13%, members in support of increasing property taxes by 15% argued that the city needed to show it was doing everything possible
"This is a tough pill to swallow. It really is. We examined everything. We put the work in. I understand the hesitancy from the community," Councilmember Hayden Engert said. "However, if we are going to go to the state and ask for a substantial handout, I think they would expect to be able to look back and say, 'Look at what we did.'"
Engert immediately apologized for his use of the word "handout."
If Schenectady adopts its proposed budget and that extra state aid doesn't come through, the city would likely be facing "substantial layoffs ," per Mayor Gary McCarthy.
