Submitted Photo Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas is not pleased with council’s revisions.

Dunkirk Mayor Wilfred Rosas criticized the Common Council’s proposed changes to his 2023 budget Monday and stated that he will veto it.

Rosas said he received the changes Friday, a day after the council’s final budget workshop. “I don’t think they were well thought-out,” he said.

Rosas said one of the changes was a cut in the salary line for his secretary — but as she is a union employee, her salary is dictated by a collective bargaining agreement. “You can’t do that. I don’t think they understand that,” he said. “That is something I would have to veto.”

The mayor is upset that the council boosted the line for lawyers it wants to put on retainer by $5,000.

He said the city fiscal affairs officer, Marsha Beach, has a proposed $5,000 cut in her salary line. “She hasn’t had a raise in five years,” he said. “Some of her administrative staff makes more than she does.”

Council also cut the money for Rosas’ proposed Human Resources Director, he said. “The city is in desperate need of an HR director. I can’t beat that dead horse enough,” he said.

Another proposed salary cut the mayor mentioned was for the city attorney, going down to $45,000 from $60,000. Current City Attorney Richard Morrisroe is resigning at year’s end, and Rosas wants Fredonia lawyer Michael Bobseine to replace him. However, the council tabled a vote to hire Bobseine at last week’s meeting.

Finally, the mayor said, council members cut $30,000 from a planning and development line used to pay for the Independence Day fireworks celebration. “If they don’t put it back in, we will not have fireworks,” he said.

The council is set to hold a public budget hearing and vote on the spending plan tonight at 5:15 p.m.

Rosas said Monday he is already working on his veto message.