Jamestown Mayor Kim Ecklund presents her proposed 2027 Executive Budget (October 8, 2026)
Jamestown City Council’s President and Finance Committee Chair are grateful there are no lay-offs proposed in the 2027 Executive Budget.
Mayor Kim Ecklund’s executive budget clocks in at $47.3 million with a 7.39% increase in the tax rate.
Council President Regina Brackman said the biggest thing for her in the proposed budget is that no firefighters will be laid off, “That was something even when the SAFER grant came around that there was always that potential that come 2026 we would have to lay off those firefighters. So, I’m glad that, although that puts now an additional cost out of the city to keep them, but I’m happy that we’re at least keeping the city staffed.”
Funding for the SAFER grant ends at the end of 2026 and affects eight firefighters. American Rescue Plan Act funding also has to be expended by the end of 2026, which affects four firefighters. Ecklund said attrition and contained costs will help keep those positions funded. The 12 positions have a $1.5 million impact on the 2027 budget.
Finance Committee Chair Doug Scotchmer said based on his research, many municipalities are dealing with the same issues as Jamestown when it comes to their budgets, including the stress that comes from State Municipal Aid being stagnant since 2011, “Almost everybody is having to increase tax rates. Some communities are tapping into their fund balance more than others. Certainly, no one expected gas prices to raise this past year. You know, salt has jumped the last two years, and retirement costs sometimes I think come as unexpected.”
Scotchmer said he’s heard people wonder why the City isn’t making more cuts but that there are a lot of factors beyond the City’s control in the budget.
Jamestown City Council members will begin hearing budget presentations from Departments starting at 6:00 p.m., Monday, October 19. The first departments to present are the Police and Fire Departments along with the Comptroller’s Office. The meetings are held in the Police Training Room on the fourth floor of City Hall. They are open to the public to attend and can also be viewed online at jamestownny.gov.
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