Proposed Long Beach Budget Cuts Spending, Raises Taxes

LONG BEACH, NY — The City of Long Beach released its proposed 2020-21 budget, which includes steep cuts to nearly every department, and also a tax increase for residents.

Earlier this month, the city announced that it was facing a huge deficit due to poor budgetary practices over the last few years. In response, the city laid off 142 part-time workers. And under the proposed budget, it seems many of those layoffs may become permanent.

The budget cuts spending across the board by nearly $2.9 million, or 2.95 percent of the city's $94.7 million budget. However, that is not enough to make up the losses the city has already faced. The budget also raises taxes by 1.81 percent — $142.44 per year for the average household, the city said.

"Just as the city did not get into this condition overnight, we will not be able to get out of it overnight either," City Manager Donna Gayden wrote in her intro to the budget. "Achieving fiscal solvency and rebuilding a General Fund Balance surplus will be a multi-year process. Accordingly, while this budget includes difficult workforce reductions, it also relies on borrowing in order to balance what I firmly believe are realistic budget projections."

Part of the problem with past budgets was that the city over-estimated the revenues it would receive, and then over-budgeted based on those predictions. This budget, Gayden says, brings the projected revenues in line with with reality. As such, they are much lower .

Beach revenue is expected to drop by $800,000, which is the biggest single drop. The city is also expecting decreases of more than $100,000 in both court fees and parking violations. Overall, the budget projects a revenue decrease of more than $2.6 million.

Because of the lower revenue, the city had to make some drastic cuts. The city laid off enough workers to save $1.8 million in the budget. Many of those layoffs came from the Recreation Department, Youth and Family Services and the Police Department. The Recreation Department had $500,000 in cuts to part-timers' salaries, and Youth and Family Services was cut by $410,000 — eliminating all of its part-time employees.

The Police Department also had steep cuts. Salaries in the department were reduced by $435,000. The Fire Department saw a similar reduction of $321,000.

You can see the proposed budget by clicking here.