City of Schenectady

Proposed
2019 Budget

MAYOR GARY R. McCARTHY

 City Departments
Director of Operations Corporation Counsel
Alex Sutherland Carl Falotico

City Clerk Signal Superintendent

Chuck Thorne John Coluccio

Commissioner of Public Safety Commissioner of Finance and Administration

Michael Eidens Anthony Ferrari

Fire Chief Affirmative Action Officer

Ray Senecal Ron Gardner

Police Chief City Assessor

Eric Clifford Molly McElroy

Chief Building Inspector Receipts Supervisor

Chris Lunn Lindsay Kline

Commissioner of General Services Director of Development

Paul Lafond Kristin Diotte

City Engineer Human Resources Administrator

Chris Wallin Tiffany White

Director of Solid Waste & Property Management Purchasing Supervisor

Floyd Slater Richard McIlravy-Ackert
Submitted to the Schenectady City Council

Ed Kosiur, President
John Polimeni, Majority Leader
Vincent Riggi, Minority Leader
John Mootooveren
Leesa Perazzo
Marion Porterfield
Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas
 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GENERAL FUND SUMMARY

Tax Rate Since 2015

v The 2019 Proposed Budget Tax Rate is 14.0

$13.08 / $1000 Assessed Value

13.8

v The 2019 Proposed Budget Tax Rate is

Tax Rate Per $1,000

13.6
5.8% less than the 2015 Tax Rate
13.4

v The 2019 Proposed Budget Tax Rate is

13.2
0.53% less than the 2018 Tax Rate
13.0

v The 2019 Proposed Budget Tax Levy is

12.8
$1,234,681 (3.9%) less than the 2011 Tax 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Levy Fiscal Year

v This would be the fourth consecutive year City Tax Rates Per $1,000
with a decrease in the Tax Rate Fiscal Year 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Tax Rate 13.88 13.81 13.21 13.15 13.08
Growth Rate N/A -0.50% -4.34% -0.45% -0.53%
Economic Development
State Street – Erie Blvd – Mohawk Harbor
Improving Our Neighborhoods
Combating Blight
Vacant Building Data
 Vacant Building Data
PERCENT OF VACANT BLDGS
VACANT OWNED BLDGS Bank Owned City/SURA Owned
Properties Owned by Others LLC Owned BLDGS
Owner Total Percentage

Bank 62 7.95%
6%
8%
City/SURA 194 24.87%

Individuals 473 60.64% 61% 25%

LLC 51 6.54%

Total Vacant BLDGS 780 100%

Smart City Project
Sustainability & Innovation
Schenectady Smart City
Public Wi-Fi
 Poverty Rates
Overall Poverty Rates Childhood Poverty Rate
National Rank City National Rank City
(US Avg = 13.4%) (US Avg = 18.4%)
9 Syracuse 32.4% 3 Rochester 56.4%
12 Rochester 32.3% 10 Syracuse 47.4%
24 Buffalo 29.6% 17 Buffalo 43.6%
99 Albany 21.9% 71 Schenectady 32.9%
114 Schenectady 20.8% 171 New York 25.2%
186 New York 18.0% 185 Yonkers 24.6%
260 Yonkers 15.4% 230 Cheektowaga 22.3%
387 Cheektowaga 11.5% 236 Albany 22.0%
393 Brentwood 11.2% 348 Brentwood 16.3%
448 New Rochelle 9.3% 406 New Rochelle 13.5%
491 Mount Vernon 8.0% 419 Mount Vernon 13.0%
Craig – Main ‘Complete Streets’ Linkage Study
Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area
(NRSA)
v Targeted allocation of Community
Development Block Grant funding
for Public Services, such as health
care, child care, job training,
education, addiction treatment, senior
services, fair housing.

v Creates flexibility in the 15% cap on

Public Services within a designated
area.

v Allows for additional opportunity in

distressed neighborhoods,
investments in reducing vacancy
rates, strengthening educational and
employment programs.
 Stockade Flood Mitigation
FEMA Stockade Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
v $8.6 million project that will evaluate the causes of flooding in the Stockade neighborhood,
evaluate flood reduction options, and implement the best practicable mitigation alternative.
v Phase One: Extensive analysis of the Stockade Historic District and the Mohawk River to best
understand the nature and extent of flood events. Extensive community outreach and engagement
throughout entire process to elicit input from residents.
v Phase Two: Engineering design, construction and implementation of most practicable mitigation
solution.
 Opportunity Zones
v Created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts of 2017. The federal program
encourages private investment in low-income communities.
v As of March 2018, Governor Cuomo has recommended 514 census
tracts to the US Department of the Treasury for designation as
Opportunity Zones.
v Opportunity Zones provide investors with incentives to fund projects
aimed at rebuilding the low income communities.

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) discuss opportunity zones
Neighborhood Development
$150 million in development is
underway in our neighborhoods
v Joseph Allen Apartments $18 million

v Summit Towers Renovation $7 million

v Hillside View $20 million

v Hillside View II $40 million

v Renaissance Square $19 million

v Yates Village $24 million

v Live-In Schenectady Barrett Street $3.5 million

v Former DSS on Nott Street $3 million

v Central Park $1.5 million

 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GENERAL FUND HIGHLIGHTS
POLICE DEPARTMENT
Police 2018 PROPOSED 2019
Overall Budget $19,735,381 $19,732,146

Positions 177 175.3

v Mission: 21st Century Policing - Building Trust and Legitimacy

v Technological Upgrades

v Transformed Community Policing Effort

v Data Driven Approach to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS)

 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GENERAL FUND HIGHLIGHTS
FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire 2018 PROPOSED 2019
Overall Budget $11,481,914 $11,165,332

Positions 125.75 123.3

v This also reflects deferring hiring two positions

for the Academy
v Fire Department using technology to improve
efficiencies – conducting video training that
avoids sending apparatus to other stations taking
them out of service for longer periods of time and
out of their running districts.
v Medical calls continue to make up the
overwhelming majority of the total calls that are
driving the Fire Department’ costs.
v Fire Investigation Bureau continues to lead in
cases closed of nearly 100%
v American Red Cross – Sound the Alarm: 366 in
Schenectady, 306 in Troy and 206 in Albany
 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GENERAL FUND HIGHLIGHTS
CODE ENFORCEMENT

Code Enforcement 2018 PROPOSED 2019

Overall Budget $986,047 $1,197,367

Positions 18 20.8

v The 2019 Proposed Budget includes an increase of

$211,320
v Increase reflects two new full-time Code
Enforcement Officers
v New Code Enforcement Software: Municity 5
 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GENERAL FUND HIGHLIGHTS
DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES

General Services 2018 PROPOSED 2019

Overall Budget $10,529,416 $10,470,335

Positions 117.3 118.3

v The proposed General Services budget is a reduction of 0.56%

v Trash fees remain unchanged

v This proposal includes:

v 2 new Street Maintenance Crew Leader positions

o Utilizing new walk-behind rollers for improved pothole repair

v 2 additional SNAP personnel

 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GENERAL FUND HIGHLIGHTS
FINANCE/DEVELOPMENT/UTILITIES

Finance 2018 PROPOSED 2019

Overall Budget $5,082,077 $5,034,333

Positions 47.3 47.5

v The Proposed Budget represents an decrease of $47,744, or

0.94% when compared to 2018

v Completed transition to paperless requisitions

v MVP Telemedicine

v Reduction in energy costs due to favorable rate

 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
SEWER AND WATER FUND SUMMARY

Sewer Fund 2018 PROPOSED 2019 Change

Overall Budget $12,112,470 $12,370,548 2%

Water 2018 PROPOSED 2019 Change

Overall Budget $8,310,373 $8,508,846 2%

v Water and Sewer rates remain unchanged

v 2 new Water Plant Operator positions
v Lead Service Line Replacement Program
v Upgrading Infrastructure
v New North Ferry Street Pump Station
v Upgrades at the Waste Water Treatment Plant
 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GOLF FUND SUMMARY

Golf 2018 PROPOSED 2019 Change

Overall Budget $1,145,525 $1,171,556 2%

v 2% increase YTD in 2018 Golf revenues compared to 2017 YTD

v 17% increase YTD in 2018 merchandise revenue compared to 2017 YTD
 State Aid to Municipalities (AIM)
City Population Pop Rank AIM AIM Rank AIM Per Capita
Buffalo 261,310 1 $161,285,233 1 $617
Syracuse 145,170 4 $71,758,584 4 $494
Rochester 210,565 2 $88,234,464 3 $419
Niagara Falls 50,193 11 $17,794,424 5 $355
Utica 62,235 9 $16,110,473 6 $259
Troy 50,129 12 $12,279,463 8 $245
Binghamton 47,376 13 $9,249,457 10 $195
Schenectady 66,135 8 $11,205,994 9 $169
Albany 97,856 5 $12,607,823 7 $129
Total: 990,969 $400,525,915 Average: $404
WHERE DO YOUR TAX DOLLARS GO?

School Tax County Tax City Tax

52.34% 15.50% 32.16%
 City of Schenectady
Mayor’s Proposed 2019 Budget
GENERAL FUND SUMMARY

GENERAL FUND
2016 2017 2018 2019 CHANGE
BUDGET
TOTAL $84,141,430 $84,595,191 $85,480,963 $86,842,346 1.59%

TAX LEVY $31,385,500 $29,877,000 $30,782,656 $30,752,680 -0.097%

TAX RATE / $1,000 $13.81 $13.21 $13.15 $13.08 -0.53%
ASSESSED VALUE $2,272,181,142 $2,261,538,657 $2,340,415,615 $2,351,625,153 0.47%

TOTAL POSITIONS 523.00 519.55 522.85 523.20 0.35

v The 2019 Proposed Budget Tax Rate is 0.53% less than the 2018 Tax
Rate
v The 2019 Proposed Budget Tax Rate is 5.8% less than the 2015 Tax Rate

v The 2019 Proposed Budget Tax Levy is $1,234,681 (3.9%) less than the
2011 Tax Levy

v This would be the fourth consecutive year with a decrease in the Tax
Rate