OBSERVER Photo by Gib Snyder Third Ward Councilman Shaun Heenan was the lone “no” vote when it came time for the Dunkirk Common Council to vote on Mayor Wilfred Rosas’ 2020 budget proposal.

The City of Dunkirk has its 2020 budget plan in place after the Common Council approved the proposal from Mayor Wilfred Rosas by a 4-1 vote at its meeting Tuesday.

The plan, which included no raises in the property tax or water and wastewater fees, is the biggest spending plan the lawmakers have ever approved, coming in at $24,671,628, up from 2019’s $23,686,106 budget. Resolution 100-2019 called for the adoption of the fiscal year 2020 budget and set the General Fund revenues at $16,176,390 with expenditures listed at $16,365,328. Water Fund revenues and expenditures match at $3,876,550 while the Waste Water Treatment revenues and expenditures match at $4,429,750.

Outgoing Third Ward Councilman Shaun Heenan was the lone dissenter and after the meeting provided a release explaining his “no” vote on Resolution 100-2019.

“I cannot vote in favor of this spending plan as it does not address the long term, structural, impending challenges this city is facing. The city is again just kicking the can down the road,” Heenan wrote. “I campaigned on this issue not because it was politically a good thing, but because it is the right thing and I believe it to vote for this budget would be disingenuous on my part.

“I have not had the support of my peers to make any meaningful changes to the budget so my ‘no’ vote will speak to my feelings on it. Hopefully the next council will be able to make the tough decisions necessary in the future.”

The rest of the resolutions passed unanimously.

Resolution 101-2019 approved the spending of the money in the budget while 102-2019 authorized a tax levy of $4,847,004 at the tax rate of $17.251411 per $1,000 of assessed valuation based on the city’s total assessed valuation of $280,985,719. That total assessed valuation figure was amended to $280,962,754 prior to the vote, with Councilman-at-Large Andrew Woloszyn notifying council at its workshop session prior to the regular meeting. Woloszyn added the change will not affect the property tax rate.

Resolution 103-2019 authorized multiple budget-line modifications in the 2019 budget for all three funds.

Resolution 104-2019 authorized an agreement extension with the firm of Dresher and Malecki, LLP of Cheektowaga for professional auditing services for 2019, 2020 and 2021. The firm will be paid $27,571 for the three years’ financial statement audit, $3,000 per three compilation of annual update document and up to $5,749 for two other possible audits that may be required.

Fiscal Affairs Officer Marsha Beach stated in both the workshop and at the regular meeting that the firm has done a good job and will work at the same rate as the last three years. She also noted after this contract the city should go out to bid for the work again.

The city wastewater treatment plant will be getting a safety upgrade with the passing of Resolution 105-2019. As part of the change order to Phase 2 work at the plant, new overhead doors, repairs to the sludge thickener floor and concrete work are included in the authorized change.

Resolution 105-2019 authorized a change order in Phase 2 of work at the city’s wastewater treatment plant totaling $130,195.67. The order calls for the installation of overhead doors, repairs to the sludge thickener floor and concrete work to “increase the safety of the plant.”

Walk-in Resolution 106-2019 authorized the city to apply to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for 2019-2020 Environmental Restoration Program funding. The site that will be restored is on Route 60 and is where the former Niagara Motors factory was located. The work will facilitate the expansion of Wells-Fieldbrook Foods plant.

Two notices of claim, one concerning damage to a car when Dunkirk Police were trying to open it and get a woman’s keys from it and the other concerning damage allegedly caused by a city plow, were referred to the city attorney to be addressed.

A late-filed communication from Adams Access to the Arts requesting permission to hold a street hockey tournament on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sixth Street from Central Avenue to the library parking lot entrance was approved. It was noted by Police Chief David Ortolano in council’s workshop session that in the future the organization needs to file in a more timely fashion.

Rosas was absent from the meeting as Woloszyn explained the mayor was in Buffalo meeting with Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Director of Public Works Randy Woodbury was excused from the meeting which lasted about 17 minutes.