POUGHKEEPSIE – Mayor Robert
Rolison presented his proposed 2018 Poughkeepsie city budget to the common
council on Monday and it is a spending plan that comes in under the tax
cap. He did not mention any specific budget numbers in his presentation
at the common council session in the evening.
A year ago, Rolison presented a budget that would hike taxes by close
to 17 percent.
“I am happy to report that the budget has been submitted to the
council for your review. We are under the tax cap, which we believe is
a significant to all of us,” said the mayor.
Rolison, a Republican, and Finance Commissioner, now City Administrator
Marc Nelson, included Council Chairwoman Natasha Cherry, a Democrat, in
the budget process and for that, she said she is 100 percent supportive”
of the spending package.
The mayor, who assumed the city’s top job with a $13 million deficit,
has been able to reduce it to $11.9 million and he declared last week
that the city’s financial condition has improved and will continue
to do so. Last year alone, Rolison said Poughkeepsie ended the year with
an $874,000 budget surplus.
