‘It’s getting tough’: Residents gripe about proposed city tax hike
Residents gripe about proposed city tax hike
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Several Dunkirk residents complained and offered ideas about the proposed 2027 city budget, and its 11% tax increase, at Tuesday's Common Council meeting.
Brian Meyer started with some suggestions. He proposed a 10% discount for people who pay property taxes early. City officials have floated the idea of requesting, or demanding, earlier tax payments as a way to help the city's springtime bottom line.
"You gotta give somebody an incentive," he said. "If you give me 10%, I'll be there to pay my taxes on Jan. 3. If you aren't going to give me any incentive, I'm going to wait until the end."
Meyer, who runs Dunkirk's flea market, added that the city needs to do a better job of putting surplus machinery up for auction. He said leaf pickup should be canceled, as only the First and Second Wards really benefit from it. His final suggestion was that city employees who live outside of Dunkirk should pay a 10% tax on their salaries.
Robert Whittemore, a city Planning Board member who spoke for himself, said his interest in Dunkirk affairs began in late 2024 with a proposed 108% tax increase. That wound up at 84%.
"I decided to attend as many different meetings as possible to understand why and how this happened," Whittemore said. "While there are many reasons for this, it is not helpful to continue to blame. We definitely need to come together as a city to fix our problems. Public hearings are one place to do that, as well as contacting our officials. ...We need to make our voices heard. This doesn't mean we always get what we want, but if we don't say anything, it surely won't happen."
Candy Smathers said she "had a gripe about this tax issue. By the way, I see our mayor (Kate Wdowiasz) isn't here. I would like to invite Missy Mayor to come on down and do her job. Show up! She's supposed to be here. That upsets me quite a bit that she's not (here). I feel like she's bilking the community."
Wdowiasz famously declared earlier this year that she would no longer attend council meetings, claiming they had a "do-nothing" attitude and didn't really want to work with her. The mayor ended that hiatus a couple months later but has missed several council meetings since, including Tuesday's.
Smathers went on that the previous 84% tax increase "just about crippled us," but she and her husband managed. Nevertheless, "I'm telling you, it's getting tough. Then we get a (rate hike) on the water, and now the crazy mayor's decided that we need a 11% tax (increase) again.
"Here's my question: who all got raises in the last two years that are city employees? You need to give it back! You all need to live like your constituents are living, you need to feel the pain! Of having to choose between gas for your automobile, food on your table, and your medications."
Smathers predicted that continued tax increases will result in seniors being unable to cover them. "All of a sudden, renting someplace else doesn't look so expensive... It's going to tank us."
David Avila said the 84% tax increase forced him to quit his career as a barber for a more lucrative one in law enforcement.
"At what point do we recognize that continually increasing property taxes is not a sustainable financial strategy?" he wondered, later adding that "supporting essential services and demanding financial accountability should never be mutually exclusive."
He called for more information from the city on every possible source of financial help it has received or sought. "We need transparency, we need accountability, and most importantly, substantial financial strategy," he said.