2016 statistics place City of Batavia in favorable light in area of taxes, spending

The City of Batavia ranked favorably when compared to other cities in New York State in taxes per capita and expenditures per capita, despite receiving less in state and federal aid, according to 2016 local government and revenue statistics compiled by the Empire Center, an independent, nonprofit think tank located in Albany.

“While I haven’t taken a real close look at the report, I can say that it does reflect positively on the city’s budget compared to other cities based on the rankings,” City Manager Jason Molino said this morning.

The Empire Center’s report lists the city’s per capita dollar amounts for taxes, debt, revenue and spending and breaks them down into 33 different categories. It has Batavia’s population in 2016 as 15,465.

The city’s assessed value per capita was $35,595 – less than the Upstate area’s medium city average of $40,516 – and its taxes per capita were $803 – less than the $921 Upstate area average. The $803 figure is on the low end of the state’s rankings at 39^th out of 61 cities, other than New York City, and 27th out of the Upstate area's 48 cities.

What that means is that residents of 38 other cities in New York and 26 other cities in the Upstate area paid higher taxes on a per-person basis.

Furthermore, Batavia’s debt per capita was $653, well below the $1,640 Upstate area medium city average, ranking 51^st across the state and 39th in the Upstate area.

On the revenue side, Batavia received $1,903 per capita in total revenues, less than the $2,301 city average, which ranked 44^th in the state. The city received $193 in state and federal aid per capita, again much less than the average of $356 and ranking in the mid-40s across the state.

The report showed Batavia’s total expenditures per capita to be $1,479, more than $500 less than the state city average of $2,051, which resulted in a ranking of 52^nd out of 61. Among expenditures, only Batavia’s spending for utilities per capita was higher ($229 compared to $154) than the average.

City Councilman Adam Tabelski said the report's "key indicators -- taxes, debt and spending -- are things that are directly under our control, and the objective data shows that we're managing things well."

According to its website, the Empire Center’s mission is to make New York a better place to live and work by promoting public policy reforms grounded in free-market principles, personal responsibility, and the ideals of effective and accountable government.