Plattsburgh residents were invited to comment on the city’s proposed 2025 budget Wednesday evening. But turnout was light for the public hearing, which comes just before political change in the city.
Mayor Chris Rosenquest issued his proposed 2025 budget on October 8th and set the public hearing to receive input from residents. But only one person showed up to comment on the $64 million plan.
Grace Avenue resident John Bilow told councilors the city should not be paying $36 thousand rent annually for an unused substation.
“We don’t need it. I’ve been by there a hundred times in the last year and there’s nobody in there,” reported Bilow. “This is part of the budget. I don’t think it should be in the budget. There’s no one in there. We keep paying for that. I think this is something that should be eliminated from the budget.”
Bilow was also concerned about taxes city residents face.
“We’re one of the heaviest taxed cities in New York state. The tax right now for a medium home of about $250-260,000 is almost running $10,000 for the tax alone. I understand that they want to bring down the rate of tax per thousand. It was brought down about a percentage point and mine still went up, total taxes for school and land taxes, increase was $1,500,” noted Bilow. “Now, they can drop it as much as they want but as long as we keep jacking up the assessments it doesn’t make any difference. We’re still paying more taxes.”
While it’s not in the 2025 proposed budget, Bilow cautioned that city residents can’t afford a city manager.
Rosenquest has suggested Plattsburgh study changing its form of government.
“I checked with Burlington and by the time you get done paying a city manager, it costs with benefits and everything, between $160,000 and $200,000 a year. I don’t know where that money’s going to come out of the budget if they decide to do it,” Bilow said. “Now I know that it’s on the table right now. The last time 60 percent of the people voted against it and I hope that they don’t put that back on as again part of the budget.”
Rosenquest noted that the budget process began in August as he requested input from department heads. The proposed departmental budgets were then reviewed by the Common Council.
“It’s a structurally balanced budget. Overall decrease in general fund expenditures. Reasonable increase to general fund revenues. This proposed budget along with the infrastructure improvement plans laid out over 2024 will continue the much-needed momentum for improving our quality of life in the city of Plattsburgh as well as addressing some of these deferred maintenance that we’ve been faced with over the better part of a decade,” Rosenquest explained. “This is my last budget as the mayor and I could not be more proud of the work that we’ve been able to do as a community, the department heads and it’s with great pride, honor and humility that I deliver this final budget.”
According to the City Charter the common council may adopt the budget with or without revisions anytime after the public hearing, but no later than January 14th. Rosenquest is leaving office after one term.
