The total 2016-17 adopted budget for the City of Rochester is $517M, 2.3% higher than the 2015-16 amended budget of $505M. The property tax levy for City taxpayers is $154.2M (up $2.9M from last year) due to an 8% increase in total assessed value of property. The average homeowner will see his/her tax bill decrease by $15.85 per year, and business owners will see their tax bill decrease by an average of $215.22. The City expects sales tax revenue to increase by $1.63M. Refuse and Local Works rates are held steady; Water rates increase by 3%.

The City’s workforce grows by a net of 13 full-time positions, including 3 in the Department of Recreation and Youth Services (DRYS). A $6M allocation from New York State for anti-poverty efforts was used to cover the costs of maintaining existing programs such as the Office of Innovation and capital projects in the RMAPI target neighborhoods.