Nick Weiser is a SUNY Fredonia professor but now has an assignment for fellow Dunkirk Common Council members: Propose your 2025 budget amendments by Nov. 8.

“I asked each council member to review the budget again and prepare individual lists of specific proposals for amendments by line items,” Weiser told the OBSERVER late this week.

The freshman councilor-at-large and chair of the Finance Committee wants fellow councilors’ lists by Nov. 8. He plans a council meeting, time and date as yet undetermined, to hash out a formal budget proposal.

The council has held three meetings — the final one was Wednesday — to look at possible changes to the initial 2025 budget proposal of Mayor Kate Wdowiasz. The budget contains an approximately 108% tax increase.

“There’s still a number of things that need clarifications from our discussions,” Weiser said Thursday. “We are in direct contact with various departments. We’re following up to get questions answered and get the numbers better aligned so we can get that tax number down.”

Weiser also pointed out that the council will meet several more times before it is required to pass the budget in mid-December, and the public will be able to offer its feedback at those meetings.

The state Comptroller’s Office also has a say on this year’s budget. Weiser said it is likely to make further recommendations after the council proposes its own changes to the budget. The Comptroller’s Office is involved as part of its watch of city finances, required from the Fiscal Recovery Act that loaned money to Dunkirk.

Wednesday’s final budget review meeting covered the city’s largest department, the Department of Public Works. They plow and clean the streets, supply the water, filter wastewater, gather trash and brush, and maintain the parks and beaches.

As he did for previous departments, Weiser insisted on a line-by-line look at DPW’s budget. DPW Director Randy Woodbury was reportedly under the weather so his deputy, Michael Przybycien, filled in.

He said the streets division is supposed to have 15 employees but is short three people right now. If DPW gets up to full staff, it might be able to cut many of the part-time employees it needs in the summer, he added.

Przybycien also noted some DPW employees have had to incur overtime to work on city festivals. For example, much of the city electrician’s overtime comes from work on events such as Music on the Pier, where vendors and performers need plug-in help.

Weiser noted that the line for sales of water shows a 21% decrease. “Those are more realistic numbers (than in previous budgets) as to actual usage and revenue generated,” Treasurer Mark Woods replied.