BY PETE DEMOLA, The Daily Gazette

SCHENECTADY — Mayor Gary McCarthy presented his $89.4 million proposed 2020 budget to City Council members on Monday.

The proposed spending plan contains a slight 0.46 percent property tax cut for taxpayers.

McCarthy also included a pay bump for himself, from his current $96,700 annual salary to $112,485 — a 16 percent increase.

If adopted by the City Council, it would mark the fifth consecutive tax reduction, or 6.9 percent overall, since 2015.

“Our city has undergone an enormous transformation over the past decade,” McCarthy said.

The mayor’s proposed 2020 tax rate is $12.92 per $1,000 in assessed value, down 6 cents from the current fiscal year.

Despite the cut, McCarthy is proposing a 3 percent spending increase.

Big ticket items include funds for a new parks director and Schenectady Neighborhood Assistance Program foreman, both of which are designed to address disintegrating city-owned infrastructure and map out strategies for future usage and community engagement.

McCarthy requested a total of $1.1 million for property management — up roughly $241,000 over this year’s adopted budget.

And as the city continues its war against blight and fends off complaints from residents about poorly-maintained vacant city-owned property, the mayor is asking for a $183,000 boost.

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