Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz

With a $13.7 million loan from New York state likely on the way to the city of Dunkirk, Mayor Kate Wdowiasz is emphasizing that her administration is not taking a business as usual attitude.

Her remarks were part of a statement last week that praised the state Senate’s approval of the funding for the city while also criticizing Sen George Borrello. At the moment, Wdowiasz says, the city is “not simply filling vacancies, we are restructuring based on need and efficiency.”

Under her administration, she said, the city is on the path toward restoring fiscal discipline and integrity, taking on difficult issues that were ignored for far too long. She also was critical of past decisions that she said included:

— Mayors overspending their budgets without consequence.

— No meaningful revenue replacement or economic planning following the closure of the NRG plant.

— A Common Council that repeatedly passed budgets and authorized spending without access to accurate financial records or projections.

“We are correcting a long-standing culture of financial negligence,” Wdowiasz said in the statement. “Positions vacated due to retirements and budget cuts have been thoroughly evaluated for necessity.”

Dunkirk’s fiscal doomsday came to light publicly in March 2024 when it realized it was having a cash-flow issue. It ultimately used $12.7 million from New York state — since its bond rating was removed — to pay off debt. Dunkirk council members ultimately approved an 84% property tax increase in December due to the crisis.

New York’s loan, which still needs approval from the Assembly, is to pay off that Revenue Anticipation Note that comes due next month, Wdowiasz said last week. She also anticipates no tax increase for 2026.

“Finally, the audits for 2023 and 2024 will speak the truth plainly — they will expose the reckless mismanagement of the past and affirm the course correction underway,” she said. “We are fighting not only for the financial future of our city but for the public trust and stability that our residents rightfully expect from their local government.”