Power & Politics

Saratoga Springs, NY — Following an update on the city's finances, displaying a potential $5.1 million budget deficit, the Saratoga City Council approved a hiring freeze on Tuesday night.

Finance Commissioner JoAnne Kiernan, who started her term in January 2026, showed the Council a powerpoint presentation detailing the City's financial situation.

Kiernan tied the deficit in part to increasing overtime costs, health insurance, retirement and liability insurance.

"Our employees and their benefits are 83% of our budget, so any employee-related thing is very expensive," Kiernan told CBS6 on Wednesday. "Everyone is seeing increased utility costs, increased material costs. It's just everything we're in an inflationary period, everything's more expensive."

She says the hiring freeze is an "interim solution", giving them time to look deeper into the budget itself. They will now form a recovery leadership team, review vacant positions, identify critical positions and review purchasing, all while developing a revised 2026 budget.

0:00 – Intro & Fiscal SnapshotSetup of the interview and basic outline of the deficit.

1:30 – Deficit Numbers & Unsound BudgetHow the gap grew and why 2025’s budget was a problem.

3:00 – Message to TaxpayersWhy residents need to understand the situation.

4:45 – Public Safety Costs & OvertimeFire/police staffing, overtime, and SAFER grant impact.

8:50 – Structural Budget IssuesOne-year budgeting and missing long-term projections.

10:45 – Hiring Freeze & Immediate ControlsFire hiring freeze and early cost-containment steps.

14:10 – Revenue & BelmontSales, occupancy, parking, cannabis, and Belmont’s net effect.

20:40 – Fund Balance RisksDrawdown of reserves and charter minimum concerns.

23:10 – Looking AheadVacancy review, contract talks, efficiencies, and audits.
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Albany Mayor Dr. Dorcey Applyrs joins Power & Politics to provide an update regarding the city's finances. She discusses the recent historic State Aid for the City, totaling $44.4 million, which is intended to help mitigate the city's budget deficit now, and in the future. She also discusses the measures they're taking to help provide long term stability for the City's finances, and how they're approaching potential hurdles like Tier 6, the Rapp Road landfill closure, and more.
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Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino and Assemblymember Robert Smullen, candidates in the Republican primary for New York's 21st Congressional District, took the CBS6 debate stage on Thursday evening.

They debated and discussed issues like the North Country, farmers, health care, immigration, President Trump, GOP endorsements and more.
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Bob Ward, former Deputy New York State Comptroller and an Albany resident, joined Power & Politics this week.

Ward served as Deputy New York State Comptroller from 2012-2021, and prior to that was with Rockefeller Institute of Government. He also wrote a comprehensive look at State government workings in his book: New York State Government.

More recently, Ward has been analyzing the City of Albany's budget deficit, writing articles on Substack breaking down everything from the impact of State Aid to the city's debt to sales tax receipts.

Intro and Albany’s Fiscal Crisis0:00:00 – 0:03:46Who Bob Ward is, and how Albany’s $19 million deficit and fiscal crisis came into focus.

How Albany Ended Up in the Red0:03:46 – 0:08:59Revenue shortfalls, rising debt, borrowing to cover gaps, labor costs, and a heavily tax‑exempt property base.

State Aid, Grants, and Development Slowdown0:08:59 – 0:16:35Uncertain state aid, grant management challenges, reduced development, and lost PILOT revenue.

Landfill, Long‑Term Costs, and Debt0:16:35 – 0:18:50Rapp Road landfill closure obligations, bonding for environmental costs, and pension deferrals.

Services, Taxes, and Public Accountability0:18:50 – 0:23:21Impact on services and taxes, how city leaders are responding, the push for transparency, and how residents can engage.
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Meghan Keegan is the Chair of the City of Albany Common Council Finance, Taxation & Assessment Committee, provides an update on the City of Albany's finances. She discusses the movement towards bringing in the State Comptroller to review the City's finances, the impact State aid could have on the present, and future of the city's fiscal health, along with long-term concerns, and remedies to bring the City's budget back into balance.

[00:00] Intro & Albany’s Budget Crisis

[01:25] Where the Budget Stands NowQ4 reports, 2025 closeout, early 2026 savings and unanswered questions.

[03:02] Comptroller, Trust, and Impact on ResidentsWhy Keegan wants the state comptroller, council split, tax and affordability concerns.

[07:10] State Aid, Essential Services, and Tax‑Exempt Land19‑a and capital city funds, what “essential” means, 62% tax‑exempt land, regional hub costs.

[17:30] Housing, 81 Questions, and Data ProblemsHousing crunch, Keegan’s budget questions, mis‑stated revenue lines, need for better data.

[24:04] Oversight Reforms and Debt LimitsCouncil’s limited power under the charter, Local Law I of 2026, why borrowing can’t fix a structural deficit.

[31:17] New Administration, Comptroller Review, and Next StepsFraming the comptroller as a trust‑builder, collaboration with the mayor, aligning spending with real revenue.
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