POUGHKEEPSIE – Mayor Robert Rolison may have been able to stabilize spending in Poughkeepsie, but he is projecting a $3 million to $4 million budget gap next year, which he attributes to “unrealistic revenue projections of the past.”
As he begins to prepare the 2017 budget, he said Poughkeepsie is between a financial rock and a hard place. Services and personnel are at bare bones levels already and cannot take any more hits, Rolison said.
The mayor said they are exploring shared service options including the takeover of the city bus system by Dutchess County, something the previous common council rejected after widespread public opposition.
“We are having those discussions on the consolidation of transit services and how we can make our transit system better,” he said. “We are not in the position to fund anymore routes or hire anymore drivers and buy any more buses.”
Rolison said his administration is scrutinizing all spending, reviewing all hiring and will conduct a staff analysis on several key departments in an effort to improve efficiency and allocate manpower.
The city is focused on long-term solutions to its budgetary woes, the mayor said.
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