BUFFALO (WBEN) - Earlier this week, City of Buffalo Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams released a year-to-date report indicating that the city is facing a $35 million deficit.
Smaller local municipalities are suffering as well.
On Thursday, several town supervisors - Joe Emminger of Tonawanda, Patrick Casilio of Clarence and Diane Benczkowski of Cheektowaga - and they all had the same message.
"From the Town of Tonawanda's standpoint, what we're going through now, just in the short term...we're looking at an over $5 million budget deficit," said Emminger.
"The Town of Clarence is expecting about a $2 million shortfall in sales tax and state aid," said Casilio. "We're planning on doing cuts to try to make up the $2 million that we're going to have as a shortfall - it's about now 10% of our budget."
"What the Town of Cheektowaga could be facing - a $6 million to a $7.5 million revenue loss this year," said Benczkowski.
They're all pleading with the federal government to be included in a stimulus package.
"Local municipalities really provide most of the services that residents are familiar with, whether it be the garbage pickup, the recreational facilities, programs that are for the seniors, those are all provided for by local municipalities," said Emminger. "Raising taxes, which is something that won't happen until next year, will not be able to make up what we're experiencing now, and we're going to go through a period where we're going to have to have layoffs and program cuts, and that's just the reality that we're facing, which is - if we don't get the federal stimulus money, which we're all fighting so hard for."
Benczkowski echoed much of Emminger's sentiments, saying they've already had to lay off some of their workers.