NCIG hears about city budget

The Niagara Community Information Group did it again Monday night. It brought together about 40 people to hear an expert talk about a public budget. 

Last time, it was the school district. This time it was retired educator and 3-time city council member Frank Soda.

Soda reduced the 6-inch thick, $100 million 2026 Niagara Falls municipal budget into a two-sided handout, even directing interested parties where to navigate to find the spending plan on the city Website.

Steelworkers Local Union President attended the meeting with a full, bound copy of the budget. He also offered his perspective on the budget process and the rights of his members under the Taylor law. Huether argues his members' rights are regularly disregarded by the current city administration in favor of more expensive outside contractors.

Soda's handout included general fund expenses, revenue and major departmental expenses. It’s interesting to note that the Department of Public Works has 35 separate budgets but no total bottom line.

The budget is a line item budget – in other words, it was $108 million for this year, how much for next year?

Soda explained the budget could be built by municipal service categories, for example, rather than by line, it could be general government support, public safety, home and community services, transportation, culture and recreation, economic assistance and opportunity, employee benefits and debt service.

It’s interesting as well to note the city gets audited by an outside auditor who replaces line item budget to reflect municipal services categories because that’s how the state comptroller requests it. The city council could insist on a more user friendly format but that would require a cohesive board with a sense of unity and leadership.

November’s NCIG meeting will feature a panel discussion on changes to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.