Balancing budget must be priority

What we want is one thing.
What we can afford is another.
And those two concepts don’t always intersect.
We all know this to be true in our personal lives.
We might want to eat out at a nice restaurant every night, but the bank account tells us to make dinner at home.
We might want the brand new car, but our budget leads us to buy used.
Sure we’d love to live in the expensive house, but that pesky need for a down payment keeps us in something more modest.
What is true in our personal lives is also true for local government agencies. Whether it’s a new pool, a street project or sewer work, there has to be a way to pay for it.
Dunkirk City Council last week again brought up the possibility of hiring an additional police officer.
On its face, that idea seems like a good thing. An additional officer would be a positive for public safety. It would likely allow the implementation of more law enforcement outreach programs. It would lessen the burden of overtime being put in by current officers.
And yet, there are financial realities.
In its original 2017 budget, Dunkirk City Council had included funding for the addition of two police officers. But, when its financial consultant projected that the plans for spending exceeded expected income by about $90,000, one of those new officers was removed from the plan in an effort to close the gap.
The budget still projected deficit spending of $70,000, but it was an improvement.
Now council wants to talk about adding an officer again.
To his credit, when council member Bryan Jessup mentioned the additional officer, he also acknowledged the financial realities.
“In my opinion the city’s going to have to decide priorities,” said Jessup. “I’m trying to look for ways that we can have what we want and looking for ways to pay for it.”
He’s right, Dunkirk does need to prioritize.
Before even considering the possibility of hiring another new officer, council and the mayor must first make balancing the city’s budget a priority. Finding a way to eliminate its estimated $70,000 shortfall will be no easy task.
Hiring another new police office is clearly something Dunkirk’s leaders want. But, at least right now, they simply can’t afford it. — R.C.