One of the most controversial pieces to Mayor Kate Wdowiasz’s 2026 budget proposal released last October was a $20,500 pay increase for her position. That was not approved and her annual salary remains at $54,500.

That cut to the 2026 plan, in the larger picture, is very minimal. Dunkirk’s total expenditures are $29 million.

According to seethroughny.net, there are 186 employees on the city payroll that totals $10.5 million. None of those costs, however, are being controlled due to contracts and generous benefits.

As we have noted in the past, those are the big bucks that no one wants to touch. They just keep growing — as the city tax base is shrinking.

Cutting $20,500 for one position may seem like a big deal. But it is far from curing the city’s overspending ailments.