Politics & Government
Rochester Mayor Warren Testifies At Legislative Hearing On 2021 Executive Budget
The pandemic has forced to city to do more with less, including furloughing some City employee, deferring capital spending and more.
February 11 2021
Mayor Lovely A. Warren today provided testimony at the New York State Joint Legislative Hearings of the 2021-22 New York State Executive Budget Proposal. Mayor Warren stated that prior to the pandemic, Rochester’s economy was growing and crime was at a 30-year low. The pandemic has forced to city to do more with less, including furloughing some City employee, deferring capital spending and more.
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The Mayor cited the City’s actions to protect its taxpayers using its CARES Act funding; from distributing millions of meals to families, to providing rent and business assistance to mailing masks to city households. The City of Rochester is facing $31.4 million all-funds budget gap in the coming 2021-22 fiscal year and the Mayor implored the Legislature to invest more in Rochester. “We need you to invest more so that we can adequately address the needs of our most vulnerable residents who are suffering the most during this pandemic due to historic inequities,” she said.
“Our revenues have taken a brutal hit and we need your help,” the Mayor continued. “We’ve done what we can to mitigate the damage to our taxpayers, but our most vulnerable residents are suffering and we need to ensure that everyone participates in the economic recovery of our city.”
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The Mayor asked the Legislature to propose a tax structure for marijuana legalization that would mandate that a portion of the revenues generated by the State’s THC-based tax and retail surcharge be given directly to cities like Rochester. “It is imperative that you make your support of marijuana’s legalization contingent upon the neighborhoods and families most impacted by its criminalization receiving direct support through its cities,” she said.
The Mayor also brought attention to the disparity in the State’s AIM funding formula. “I must reiterate that Rochester continues to be short-changed on a per-resident basis when compared to Buffalo and Syracuse. We ask for parity in the AIM funding system to put us on par with our sister cities,” the Mayor said. The Mayor’s full testimony can be found at: www.cityofrochester.gov/NYSExecutiveBudgetTestimony.
This press release was produced by the City of Rochester. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
