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Council may decide on $24M budget tonight

The Dunkirk Common Council is expected to present its edited budget at a meeting its first meeting this month tonight.

Among these changes include a $25,000 decrease in the law department head line, which has been a contentious issue. “I want to make sure that this budget doesn’t include any raises for any of his (Mayor Wilfred Rosas) administration,” Councilman-at-large Paul VanDenVouver said during a workshop earlier in November. “Because I know that was brought up in several meetings, we don’t want anyone saying ‘Well you included it in the budget,’ I don’t want anything hidden.”

Other decrease include $5,000 in personnel services in the law department; the elimination of a part-time employee in the development department at $21,000; and the elimination of the DLDC allotment at $45,000.

Additions in the budget are a $3,000 retained counsel increase for the Dunkirk Common Council; a $3,000 increase for the city clerk department head; and $7,000 for the leasing of a new SUV for the police department just to name a few.

Following the budget presentation, if approved, Rosas is expected to veto it, at which time the council will most likely look to overturn that.

The final budget must be approved by Dec. 15 to be current with the state. If it’s not, the city would have to keep the 2020 plan in place.

The Dunkirk Common Council meeting is at 5:30 p.m. today. The $24 million spending plan was presented in October. There was no tax increase included, but Rosas had proposed increasing the tipping fee.

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