Mayor Barlow Shares Vision For Oswego at Roundtable

by Steve Yablonski | August 30, 2017 11:39 pm

OSWEGO – You can accomplish great thing when you work together. That was the message Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow shared Tuesday (August 29).

The Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce facilitated a “Meet the Mayor Roundtable” at the new Home2 Suites by Hilton in Oswego.

More than two dozen city officials, business owners, representatives from various community service organizations and others attended.

There’s a huge opportunity for inter-municipal cooperation between Oswego and Fulton as well as the county, the mayor said.

“Knowing what’s available and working together on projects that are a benefit to everyone is what we need to be doing,” he said. “We shouldn’t be competing against each other. There is a strategy to winning more grant money. We need more cooperation.”

It’s so much easier when municipalities work together; things fall into place, he said.

People will see more improvement downtown next year, he said. That will enable the city to focus more of an effort on the revitalization of the waterfront area, he added.

“I am fortunate to have a good Common Council to work with. We have a shared vision for the city,” Mayor Barlow said. “They have been very helpful.”

Mayor Barlow recapped the city’s 2018 spending plan, approved Monday night by the Common Council.

“I proposed a 3.6 percent tax increase. The common Council got it down to 3.48,” the mayor said. “Rather than dip into the city reserves, which repeat the mistake of some previous administrations, I decided to cut some positions at City Hall. Even then, we still had to propose a 3.6 percent increase.”

The city entered into an inter-municipal agreement with Onondaga County to handle purchasing.

The cost is $30,000.

“That really is a difference of about $130,000. In 2017, the Purchasing Department was budgeted for about $167,000,” the mayor explained.

Oswego won’t lose control over its purchasing, the mayor added.

The budget also maintains funding for city events, such as the Fourth of July parade and summer concert series, he said.

It’s really been a struggle trying to catch up on all the deferred maintenance for the city, the mayor pointed out.

“So, we invested last year in the budget to try to catch up on some city equipment – snowplows, dump truck, and so on. We’re doing the same in this budget,” Mayor Barlow said. “Nobody likes a 3.48 percent tax increase. But I think we’ll see a good return over the next few years. I really think we’re moving in the right direction. Unfortunately there is just so much to catch up on with those facilities and equipment. We’re trying to do it as responsibly as we can at a rate we can afford.”

The council was “very supportive” of the budget, the mayor said.

They got in a $40,000 playground for Kingsford Park Elementary School, “which I think is a smart move. That playground has needed work for quite some time,” he said. That was added without going over the 3.6 percent the mayor originally budgeted, he noted.

The DRI program is moving at a faster pace than he anticipated, the mayor said. Some improvements could be in place as soon as next summer, he added.

The Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce advances the business and community interests of the region through advocacy, member services and community enhancements. The chamber is a membership organization leading a regional collaboration that builds a vibrant retail/commercial/residential environment through the use of its many resources.

It’s a fully integrated affiliate of CenterState CEO, enabling it to be strong chamber, dedicated to the needs of the Oswego- Fulton community, while bringing the area prominently into the overall growth and success of the region.
www.oswegofultonchamber.com

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/mayor-barlow-shares-vision-for-oswego-at-roundtable/

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