PORT JERVIS, NY — Although the year’s last meeting was cut short due to the impending winter storm, Port Jervis’s council and mayor packed in their important items about the city business.

The 2016 Port Jervis budget was passed, with one member absent, and two voting “no;” they were councilmen Stan Siegel and Robert Ritchie, who both said residents could not carry the 8.45% increase.

Ritchie said public-sector employees had to start paying their share for their health care, especially because private-sector workers are doing that. Siegel explained that he, together with Frank Bell, who’s also the council’s financial committee chair, represented probably the least affluent wards, and they could not afford the increase. “I get many calls,” he said, “more than anyone here, except the mayor.”

Bell said, “This is a different budget from the hearing. We found some different areas that needed money. We added at least $26,000 to the budget that was given to us. We made up all that, plus a little bit more, to bring it down from what the mayor gave us. He cut it down to an 8.9% increase from 17% plus.”

He thanked the different department heads who came to the budget meeting, and praised them for coming through with cooperation for the budget.

Mayor Kelly Decker also thanked the public for coming out to the meetings and for their input. “I have concerns for our city upkeep,” he said. “There’s no balance in our fund balance.”

He described the infrastructure work that has to be done in the city. “The underpass is an undertaking we have to do very soon. We have no money, so it has to be a bond project, anywhere from half a million to a million. One of the things the city has to start considering is putting money away for projects. It’s been nothing for a long time; that’s why we’ve fallen into the disarray we are in.”

He continued, “Nobody likes to pay taxes.” He pointed out the strain for families, and stressed, “We have to look for alternative revenues, to create jobs, so we can take that burden out from the taxpayer. We cannot rely on grants from the state or federal government.”

Ritchie added, “We have to promote the City of Port Jervis, find people. In the past, we’ve always waited for businesses to come back to us. My priority for the next few years is to seek businesses. Another concern for me is health care; everybody should pay something. In the last few years, the city has seen increases. We really have to look at it, look into alternatives, and everyone has to chip in to move forward in order not to cut services.”

A possible source of new revenue got a boost when Local Law #9 was passed unanimously. It allows wholesale businesses that include retail to open in the central business district.

Four councilmen—Rob Waligroski, Carl Hendrick, Gerry Oney, and Kevin Cunningham—are leaving the council at the end of the year. Decker presented them with the city keys, suncatchers made by Gillinder Glass. The councilmen thanked everyone for the opportunity to serve. Cunningham added, “Remember to listen to each other, in the best interest of the city.”

The city’s parking laws were put back into effect starting late that night; they’d been suspended up until then due to the unseasonably warm weather. No parking will be allowed on the streets between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. until April 1.