First-term Plattsburgh Mayor Colin Read campaigned on the need for the city to move away from annual one-time budgeting to a long-term fiscal planning process to stabilize finances. He has already started the 2018 budget process, working with the city council to create a five-year fiscal plan. Late last week he announced that the city has a $2 million structural deficit that must be addressed. He says it’s a situation that’s been building for years.
"I don’t think the city has any new budget problems. I think for a long time the city really hasn’t adjusted a declining revenue with creating a lower expenses for us. So it’s about a day of reckoning where we have to start to start balancing for a changed revenue and expenses.
Mayor Read says a soft hiring freeze is in effect and hopes any personnel reductions occur through attrition. He also wants to explore the possibility of more shared services with the town of Plattsburgh.