In response to the City of Utica's proposed budget increase, Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi is asking Mayor Robert Palmieri to consider ways to bring money to the City without raising taxes over 2%.

In a letter to Palmieri, Brindisi asked the Mayor to consult the state's financial experts working to improve municipal fiscal health.

Brindisi says the State financial restructuring board has the expertise to help the city develop plans to improve its financial situation.

He added that the board has already agreed to help Rochester, Albany, Jamestown and several other smaller municipalities.

"This panel can provide long-term financial planning and also can suggest cost-saving measures that can help the city avoid future budget deficits, and it can provide grants and loans to help it become more efficient," Brindi said. "This is not a financial control board; it's a resource where city officials can get a second opinion on ways to efficiently deliver services and programs, with less impact on city taxpayers."

The ten member panel includes State Director of the Budget Robert Menga; State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli; and Assembly Ways and Means Committee Chairman Herman D. Farrell, Jr., among others.

 

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