The Dunkirk Common Council evidently passed 2026 budget amendments Tuesday, but hedged its bets.

Passage of the budget, appropriations for it, and the tax warrant to fund it were among the slew of “walk-on” resolutions slapped on to the end of Tuesday’s meeting. Walk-ons are supposed to be for last-minute items and do not appear on the meeting agenda.

The budget contains the same 2% tax increase as Mayor Kate Wdowiasz’s initial proposal, Councilman-at-large Nick Weiser said.

The budget vote was 3-2, with Weiser, Councilwoman Natalie Luczkowiak and Councilman James Stoyle voting “yes.” Councilwomen Nancy Nichols and Abigail Zatorski voted “no.”

A few minutes later, the council moved its next meeting from Tuesday, Dec. 16 to Monday, Dec. 15. Nichols asked Weiser to clarify why the meeting was moving.

Weiser said, “The final date for the council to adopt its final form of the budget is Dec. 15. Our second scheduled meeting of December would fall on Tuesday the 16th. If any adjustments are made to the budget between now and the 15th, we would need time to pass a final form of the budget, if anything were to come up. So this gives us the opportunity to do that without holding council meetings on back to back days.”

Weiser earlier offered some fairly lengthy, at times defensive remarks about the city’s budget process, and the criticism it received in a Nov. 22 letter from the state Comptroller’s Office.

“I do want to offer several points of context, because many of the challenges highlighted in that report reflect broader, long-standing issues, not inaction over the past year,” Weiser opened.

He said the Comptroller’s Office “provided additional financial information including revised figures for several major budget lines, that was not originally available when the mayor submitted her proposal. Most notably, the comptroller has identified that police and fire appropriations require significant additional funding for 2026.

“Second, while the report underscores the city’s incomplete and unreliable accounting records, those deficiencies affect every part of the city’s financial operations. Council is working through those same limitations.”

Weiser touted the city’s approval of computer upgrades for financial management and payroll. “Both upgrades were long overdue and essential to improving future accuracy and accountability.”

Weiser continued that “Dunkirk has also begun restructuring its fiscal operations to align with best practices across New York state.” He said the abolition of the treasurer position “represents a major step toward professionalizing our financial management. Council is committed to ensuring this transition is well-planned, efficient, and results in a stronger fiscal framework moving forward.”

Weiser also attempted to clarify a reference in the Comptroller’s Office letter to a projected upcoming deficit for the city.

“Much of that is attributable to the long planned purpose of two fire pumpers that were ordered before my time on council, and included in the debt figures adopted under the Fiscal Recovery Act. Those costs were intended to be addressed through the issuance of deficit bonds that required comptroller certification of the city’s debt. We received that certification later than anticipated. Once those bonds are issued, the city will repay the state’s loan and a substantial portion of other outstanding obligations.”

Weiser also defended against the letter’s allegation that the city budget meeting schedule was unclear. He went on to discuss the council’s changes to Wdowiasz’s budget proposal.

“This year’s adjustments are less granular (than in the 2025 budget revision process) and more focused on the broader structural issues highlighted in the comptroller’s report. Our amended budget maintains the property tax levy at the same level proposed by the mayor, and does not exceed the statutory cap. Through careful revisions and the identification of more than $335,000 in additional revenue, we have also rebuilt a contingency fund of approximately $550,000, an essential component of any responsible municipal budget.

“Even so, Dunkirk’s long-term recovery will require both continued discipline and the development of new, sustainable revenue sources. Shared services discussions must continue in earnest — and as I’ve said, we must move away from the declining block rate structure in water and wastewater if those funds are to remain solvent and appropriately support their true costs.”

Weiser concluded, “I remain confident that we are moving the city in the right direction and laying the groundwork for long term recovery and responsible growth.”