The city of Syracuse’s proposed budget, submitted by Mayor Stephanie Miner, could lead to less money for the city’s police department and fire department.

The proposed budget was presented April 8 and outlines reductions in expenditures for the city’s police department and fire department, along with an increase in the city’s pension and health care costs.

The mayor’s budget plan also calls for a $4.1 million decrease in departmental expenditures from the 2012-13 budget, which is predicted to come mostly out of the city’s police and fire departments, according to an April 8 news release from the Office of the Mayor.

The city is still planning to shut down Fire Station No. 7 on East Fayette Street, which is the closest station to Syracuse University. Though no positions will be eliminated, there aren’t plans to hire more firefighters, according to the release.  

If Fire Station No. 7 is closed, its firefighters will be relocated to other stations in the city, according to the release. The fire department will save $1.9 million for 38 vacancies, according to the budget proposal.  

A similar hiring freeze is proposed on the city’s police department, saving the city $2.3 million for 42 vacancies, according to the budget proposal.

“We would like to have more police officers on the streets, but we’re in a tough fiscal time and we have to adapt to our money constraints,” said Sgt. Tom Connellan of the Syracuse Police Department. “We are learning to do more with less.”

Connellan said it is still too early to predict whether these financial setbacks will affect the city’s crime rate.

While the city’s departmental cuts would save the city $4.1 million, the city’s pension bill is expected to increase by about $4 million from the previous year, according to the release. The city’s health care expenditures for both active and retired employees will also continue to rise, according the release.

The State Employee Retirement System and the Police and Fire Retirement System both saw double-digit contribution increases, which are passed along to the city, according to the budget proposal.

Syracuse Common Councilor Bob Dougherty said the city was unprepared for the large amount of retirees and sharp increase in health care costs, which is a part of the reason for this increase.

“People are living longer than they used to,” Dougherty said. “You have this bubble of people who all came in at the same time and are all going out at the same time. Those costs are coming home to roost now.”

Dougherty said a few members of the council would like to have more firefighters and police officers, but the city doesn’t have the proper funds for them.

The Syracuse Common Council will meet in the next two weeks to finalize and vote on the budget by May 8, said Councilor At-Large Kathleen Joy.

Joy, who is chairwoman of the council’s Finance, Taxation and Assessment Committee, said she agrees with the proposed budget’s departmental cuts, and hopes the city’s police department can put an end to spending on items for officers such as unmarked cars, which she described as a perk.

“I’m sure there’s ways to make our neighborhoods safer, but putting more money into the police department is not one of them,” Joy said. “Just because there’s more money in the police budget doesn’t mean it’ll deter more crime.”

Published on April 16, 2013 at 11:53 pm

Contact Alfred: alng@syr.edu

@alfredwkng