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Divided Rochester City Council narrowly approves $697M budget

Emily Hunt
/
for WXXI News

The Rochester City Council approved a $697 million budget for the upcoming year on Tuesday by a narrow vote of 5-to-4.

What Mayor Malik Evans dubbed a “prosperity budget” ended up being controversial among Councilmembers. The spending plan is for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The minority progressive caucus, made up of Councilmembers Stanley Martin, Kim Smith, Mary Lupien, and Willie Lightfoot, had complained of what they saw as lack of input from the community, a failure to go far enough to address pressing issues like Rochester’s child poverty rate, and a lack of investment in the Rochester Police Accountability Board.

READ MORE: Find out what's in the city's 2024-25 budget

“I’ve been out in this community every place you can think of, and I’ve listened and heard from our citizens regularly, and because of all of that feedback I’ve received, as I work alongside this administration and Council, is the same reason I’m voting ‘No’ this year,” Lightfoot said in a lengthy speech. “To this discrepancy between the mission and values presented.”

In voting yes on the budget, Council President Miguel Melendez noted the schism on Council and the need to build unity.

“There is no question that we are a Council that is divided at this point,” Melendez said. “And I want to work on finding ways where we have common ground, bring ourselves together, and move forward.”

The group of progressive Councilmembers had also worked to halt a residential reassessment process which saw a 68% increase in combined housing values across the city. The group also submitted a series of recommendations for changes to the assessment process that are yet to be considered.

In a separate vote, City Council adopted the new assessment values, also by a vote of 5-to-4.

A drop in tax rate of 38% will allow for any home assessment increased by less than 60% will see a decrease in its city property tax bill.

Gino Fanelli is an investigative reporter who also covers City Hall. He joined the staff in 2019 by way of the Rochester Business Journal, and formerly served as a watchdog reporter for Gannett in Maryland and a stringer for the Associated Press.