Jamestown City Council approves amended, 2025 budget that includes 3.6% tax increase...
City lawmakers in Jamestown Monday night approved an amended $43.3-million budget that now includes a 3.61% tax levy increase. Lawmakers last week learned details of the nine changes made when City Council President Tony Dolce... and, Finance Committee Chairman Brent Sheldon met with City Comptroller Ericka Thomas to discuss ideas for reducing the original projection of a 7.7% tax hike. Dolce says it's difficult to strike a balance when revenues are down... and, expenses are going up. He says they were trying to do their best to present a budget plan that minimizes any tax increase. While the city remains behind on sales tax revenues for the year... council did learn a week ago that third-quarter sales tax revenues were up by nearly 2.5%... and, the next year's numbers were adjusted to show an $87,000 increase. Dolce says they're hoping that the fourth-quarter will follow suit. Mayor Kim Ecklund's proposed spending plan included a 7.64% tax increase. However...officials were able to add another $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding... and, $125,000 from the undesignated fund balance to cut that to the 3.61% increase.
Dunkirk Common Council approves local law to exceed the state's 2% property tax cap in 2025 budget...
With less than a month to go before the city of Dunkirk's 2025 budget deadline... city lawmakers have okayed a local law that allows them to adopt a spending plan that overrides the state's tax cap. Common Council members unanimously passed the measure during last Tuesday's meeting at City Hall. City Attorney Elliot Raimondo says it gives the council the green light to override the state's 2% property tax cap. He says the local law needed to be passed in accordance with the New York State Constitution. The law must be in place prior to the council voting on the new budget plan... which is due by Dec. 15. Four city residents voiced their concerns about the local law during a public hearing prior to Tuesday's meeting. Among them was Karen Ferry, who fears that people will lose their homes if they can't pay for the proposed tax rate increase in the budget. Ferry says "we're not responsible for the last administration that blew all the money." Mayor Kate Wdowiasz's budget proposal calls for a 108% tax rate hike.
City man arrested for violating orders of protection, and stealing phone...
A Jamestown man has been arrested for allegedly violating two orders of protection... and, stealing and damaging a cell phone belonging to one person who had a stay-away order against him. City police say they were called to a northside address about 7:30 p.m. Sunday for a domestic dispute... and, determined that 29 year-old Joseph Mitchell had violated the two orders... and, took the phone from one of the people involved. Mitchell had fled the scene before officers arrived... but, he was found a short distance away. Police say the phone was recovered... but, saw it had been damaged. Mitchell was arrested for first and second-degree criminal contempt... fourth-degree grand larceny... and, third-degree criminal mischief. He was jailed pending arraignment.
Man arrested for choking another person during incident in Sherman...
A Sherman man is accused of choking another person during an altercation early Sunday morning while a child under the age of 17 was present. Sheriff's deputies were called to a Sherman address about 12:30 a.m., and, found that 33 year-old Cameron Johnson had obstructed the other person's breathing during the incident. Johnson was arrested for obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and endangering the welfare of a child. He was taken to the county jail pending centralized arraignment... and, issued appearance tickets for Sherman Town Court at a later date.
United Ways of Chautauqua County reach half-way point of 2024 General Campaign, and is ahead of last year's pace...
The United Ways of Chautauqua County are just beyond the halfway point of their first-ever merged fundraising campaign... and, they're also ahead of last year's pace. Community Relations Coordinator Dan Siracuse says it's a pivotal point because their focus is shifting from employee campaigns... to individual donors... as well agencies making corporate donations. Siracuse says the campaign remains ahead of last year's pace... just under 40%... and, it seems like their hard work "is paying off." Specifically.. he says the campaign is at $647,000... which is about 36% of the $1.8 million goal. Siracuse says you can make a contribution to the United Way's campaign by texting "STRONGERCHQ" to 91999 or by sending in a check to its Jamestown office.
SUNY Fredonia officer to be given life saving award...
A four-year veteran of the SUNY Fredonia University Police Department is receiving the SUNY Police Chiefs Life Saving Award. The college recently announced that Amanda Drummond... who is also a Fredonia alumna... will be honored by the SUNY Police Chiefs Association at its annual conference in Saratoga Springs on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Officer Drummond responded to an "all-call" for assistance issued by the Fredonia Village Police Department for all nearby agencies for an early-morning shooting incident last spring. She found a person wounded when she arrived... and, he was laying in the street, and severely bleeding. University Police say Drummond immediately applied first aid, and continued to care for the victim until an EMS crew arrived to take him to the hospital. The man did survive.
