Ithaca budget breakdown: Where are your property taxes going?

ITHACA, N.Y. – The City of Ithaca's Common Council will hold the first of three public hearings on the 2019 proposed budget Thursday. Mayor Svante Myrick presented his budget proposal at last week’s Common Council meeting. Throughout the month, Common Council will debate budget items and hear from department heads who have requested increases above the mayor's proposal.

Before the council votes on the budget Nov. 7, members of the public will have three chances to weigh in: Oct. 11, Oct. 24 and Nov. 7, all at 6 p.m. in Common Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall, 108 E. Green Street, Ithaca.

At tomorrow's meeting, budgets for the Fire Department, Police Department and Department of Public Information and Technology will be up for discussion.

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To help you be part of the process, here's a look at where property tax funds are slated to go and how 2019 compares to 2018.

The first figure shows the breakdown of general fund appropriations across city departments. Public safety departments get the biggest chunk: about 40 percent of general fund appropriations go to the Police and Fire Departments.

Hover over any rectangle for details, and use the drop-down menu on the right to look more closely at each area.

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The second figure shows how proposed 2019 spending from the general fund compares to 2018. The biggest increases, in terms of dollar amounts, go to the Police and Fire Departments. For police, most of the proposed increase goes to overtime pay. For fire, most goes to salary increases. Funding for youth programs and road maintenance is also set to increase by over $200,000.

Hover over any bar for details.

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Keep in mind that many of these numbers will change as Common Council hears from city staff and members of the public. We'll update the graphics once amendments are adopted and the budget is voted on.

For a full schedule of budget meetings or to explore the full budget proposal, see the City of Ithaca's budget website.