Rochester City Council on Tuesday night approved the 2017-18 proposed budgets for the city and for the school district.
The city budget was passed unanimously, and the RCSD budget passed by a vote of 8 – 1, with Council member Carolee Conklin voting against it.
Conklin, who is retiring and is on her last year on City Council, said that “Ensuring that we, as a city, are fiscally responsible is a duty that I take seriously, and I am proud to have had the awesome responsibility of ensuring that city residents’ tax dollars are spent in a responsible, effective and efficient manner.”
Mayor Lovely Warren says the budget allows for more police on the streets and lowers tax rates; she says it provides the second lowest business tax rate in almost 20 years.
Warren is facing a Democratic Primary in September, and earlier in the day, one of her opponents, James Sheppard, said that the proposed spending plan would delay some development projects because of the need to plug a budget gap.
Last month, another Democratic opponent, Rachel Barnhart, said the budget proposal would hurt businesses and renters by raising the commercial tax rate.
Warren issued a statement saying “…that despite our financial challenges, we are investing in our citizens while maintaining services, with a budget that balances our priorities and needs.”
