(Photo via Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
The City of Cortland Common Council will hold a couple of public hearings on the city’s proposed 2024 budget at its meeting tonight.
The first hearing will be on the proposal to override the tax levy limit. The city’s proposed budget includes a 4% tax rate increase, which requires approval to override New York state’s 2% tax cap. The potentially lifted tax rate comes with an increase of $64.20 annually for the average home assessed at $90,000, according to city officials.
The second hearing will be in regard to the proposed budget itself. City officials are proposing a $34.4 million austerity-based budget for 2024. Mayor Scott Steve said in October that the goal for the 2024 budget is to “reduce as much as we can” and go to “bare minimums.” Steve also announced a hiring freeze in October that will go into 2024.
A breakdown of the proposed 2024 budget, along with potential policy and personnel changes, can be found here.
The Common Council meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend, or watch the meeting via Zoom. The agenda for tonight’s meeting can be viewed by clicking here.
