Mayor Jared Kraham unveiled his 2026 budget proposal on Monday at the Binghamton City Council. The $111 million proposal will now be reviewed by the city’s seven councilmembers.

The budget seeks to address several issues facing the city, including an affordable housing crisis, aging infrastructure and crime. Robert Cavanaugh II, a councilman representing the third district, told Pipe Dream the council will now begin a 45-day-long process to review and amend the budget proposal. They will also hold public hearings with leaders from each city department and solicit feedback from residents about the budget.

“Real change — the hardest kind to deliver — is strategic and deliberate,” Kraham said in his address. “We want to be a City under construction. A city transforming. A city of promise and hope. We have to keep fighting for that change, and the 2026 Budget speaks to those goals.”

After explaining some of the city’s revenue sources and planned expenditures, Kraham addressed funding for public safety. His budget allocates $16.1 million to the Binghamton Police Department to address equipment needs and fund the police force.

He said violent crime has decreased by 30 percent during his tenure and that index crime, which includes offenses like murder and robbery, “is at its lowest levels on record.” Addressing issues with understaffing, Kraham said the police department will be fully staffed by the end of next year.

In line with these goals, Kraham wants to allocate $100,000 to a mobile crisis response program where licensed mental health professionals are dispatched to the scene on police calls. The funding will help provide vehicles, gear, training and upstart support. The budget would also create a new city attorney position to support the police and fire departments by “navigating the legal side of public safety issues.”

“I will be interested to see how their budget aligns with the police reform and reinvention collaborative report that they put out in 2021 to make sure that the budget is aligning with the goals set forward in that,” Councilwoman Hadassah Mativetsky ‘07, MS ‘12 said in an interview with Pipe Dream.

The budget will also allocate $12.3 million to the Binghamton Fire Department to replace an outdated fire truck and purchase new hazmat and utility trucks. Kraham said he is working with Rep. Josh Riley to secure federal grant funding to build a new fire station in the city’s North Side neighborhood.

Last month, the city council failed to approve Kraham’s proposed plan [HYPERLINK: https://www.bupipedream.com/news/binghamton-city-council-fails-to-approve-funding-transfer-to-the-citys-fire-department/169222/] to transfer $357,685 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding to the fire department for the purchase of new vehicles and firefighting equipment. On Sept. 10, the council unanimously voted to transfer $141,000 from the city’s general fund to the fire department, which Kraham said fell “short of meeting the department’s equipment needs” in a statement to 12 News.

Later in the speech, Kraham honored John R. Gaudet, the firefighter who was killed on Feb. 12 while battling a fire on Main Street by the Court Street Bridge, and commended the fire department for its support and courage.

“J.R.’s sacrifice serves as a tragic reminder of the dangers that our first responders face every day,” Kraham said. “In the wake of this tragedy, our Fire Department’s rallying support for J.R.’s family — and each other — will be remembered as one of the finest acts of compassion in the department’s nearly two-century history.”

Moving onto housing, Kraham reported a record-breaking $56.7 million total investment in residential construction last year. The city plans to break ground on new housing projects in the coming months, with more projects awaiting state funding.

To combat unfair landlord practices, the city will hire a second code prosecutor and a new paralegal to prosecute abusive landlords and repeat violators. The budget includes $300,000 to expand efforts to combat urban decay and demolish tax-foreclosed properties that have been in legal limbo since the pandemic.

He also announced a $10 million investment in infrastructure improvements like paving roads, fixing sidewalks and replacing aging water and sewer infrastructure. The city will also spend $3 million to install a whole-plant generator system at the City’s Water Filtration Plant, which would keep clean water flowing even if the plant loses power.

Kraham also highlighted the importance of community development with proposed investments into recreation and parks. After hearing from community members, a splash pad will be installed as a kid-friendly summer attraction in the city’s First Ward. Upgraded basketball courts at Webster Street Park and a new roof at the Recreation Park poolhouse will also be installed.

“Looking toward 2026, the City of Binghamton’s opportunities are endless,” Kraham concluded. “Let’s seize them. This budget provides the resources to do it. Let’s get to work.”