By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello says the city will be able to close this year's budget gap. But he says the city's next budget will contain some "tough" decisions.
The Mayor made his comments shortly after the City Comptroller called for quick action to close a current budget gap. Anthony Nanula rang a bell Thursday saying he's "sounding the alarm" to all city leaders to close a $9 million budget gap.
Nanula says the City's credit rating remains in jeopardy.
"We have to go out and sell short term notes to fund our operations," Nanula said. "Without being able to do that, the city will run out of cash, probably sometime in July."
Nanula says he would like the unions to agree on "down sizing" departments to avoid "direct layoffs." Nanula says all city stakeholders need to solve the current gap.
But Mayor Masiello says his administration has already cut the deficit significantly.
"I don't know where he's (Nanula) been," Masiello said. "The fact of the matter is we have reduced that deficit from $31 million to $6 million. Then we had a snow storm and now we have a $9 million dollar gap."
The Mayor says he has received very little cooperation, especially from the police union, on proposed reforms.
"The lack of cooperation is going to mean an awful lot of pain in the 2002-03 budget," he said. "The state has said there is no more money."
But Masiello says he believes the city will end the current fiscal year in the black and plans to deliver a "balanced budget" proposed on May 1st.