Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has proposed a $539.6 million spending plan that will invest in neighborhood police stations, provide funding for infrastructure and continue supporting anti-poverty initiatives.
The Rochester City Council will vote on the plan June 19 after a series of public hearings.
The 2018-19 budget was balanced using a fund balance of $16.8 million. The plan represents a 2.4 percent increase over last year and a 1.85 percent tax increase, according to information provided by the mayor’s office. Under the plan, the total “typical homeowner burden” (taxes and fees combined) would increase $43.37.
Under the proposal, the city will be investing in new section offices to continue its community-focused police reorganization along with a $59 million investment in public infrastructure and new police and fire recruit classes.
The budget provides funding to continue such anti-poverty initiatives as Kiva, a program that awards micro loans for entrepreneurs; emerging worker-owned cooperatives; the Rochester Environmental Job Training (ReJob) Program; and the Young Adult Manufacturing and Training Employment Program.
The budget also allows for the final implementation of a new personnel/payroll system; the evaluation of recommendations from an organizational efficiency study; and the ongoing replacement of streetlights with energy-efficient LEDs. It also provides for the new Traffic Violations Agency, which brought traffic violations under the city’s purview in May, and expands Sunday hours for 311.
For more information, visit www.cityofrochester.gov.
