NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Much like local governments across the nation, the City of Niagara Falls is facing a major budget deficit for 2021.
City of Niagara Falls councilman Kenny Tompkins told 2 On Your Side that the budget deficit is expected to be between $4.2 and $4.5 million.
Niagara Falls City council members are still waiting to see Mayor Robert Restaino's proposed 2021 executive budget.
It was due on October 1, but Tompkins said council granted Mayor Restaino more time as he works to fill a multi-million dollar deficit due to a decrease in revenue from the pandemic.
Though tourism has picked up in Niagara Falls over the past couple months, Tompkins said it's not nearly what it was.
“We had no tourist season, Niagara Falls, our biggest industry now is tourism," he said. "We picked up the last couple months because people were doing staycations, but it’s not what it was. You aren’t filling the hotels, getting hockey tournaments, golf tournaments, baseball tournaments, you are not getting that stuff this year."
Tompkins said he expects to see Mayor Restaino's budget within the next two weeks and wants to see where he plans to make cuts.
"We are already light on our police protection, we are already light on our DPW, so I don't see where he could really get into personnel but the personnel makes up 86% of our budget" Tompkins said. "So it's going to be a very fine line. He ran on making radical change, we will see what he has to come up with."
Tompkins said the City of Niagara Falls Police Department is in need of new patrol vehicles and is in need of 12 to 20 new officers to be at full capacity. He said the council is looking into a federal grant that would help the department hire at least 8.
With the city facing a multi-million dollar deficit, Tompkins said he would not vote for a budget with a tax increase.
"We can't go to the taxpayers anymore, we've gone to the taxpayers enough, too many times," he said. "There is just no money out there. It is a poor city, so no, I wouldn't. I have never voted to go above the tax cap and will never vote to go above the tax cap in my time here."
Tompkins said he wants state, local, and federal leaders to work together to try and combine services.
2 On Your Side asked Mayor Robert Restaino to answer questions about the budget before Wednesday's city council meeting he said he was not available.