After much deliberation and reworking, the Newburgh City Council approved a 2020 budget that amounted to a 0.25 percent increase in taxes for homestead property taxpayers last week, along with a five percent increase in the city’s water rates. That’s the good news.

Keeping down the tax rate, to the extent that it was, is coming at a huge price. The city will face the new year with 35 fewer first responders: 16 positions will be cut from the fire department, and 19 positions will be cut from the police department. Before cuts, there are 69 firefighters and 83 police officers. Two of the cuts within the fire department, and four of the cuts within the police departments are for vacant spots. Those spots were intended to be filled. The rest of the cuts are full time employees. The cuts will reportedly save $3 million but leave us wondering if it will also cost us lives, if our short-handed first responders come up short. At this writing, the city’s shotspotter program is also reportedly at risk.

Decisions and mismanagement of the past have come back to haunt us like the ghost of Christmas past. Opinions on how to fix the problem fill social media, but solutions seem fleeting. What does seem clear is that taxpayers will once again bear the brunt. The City of Newburgh has some of the highest property taxes in the area, homeowners are asked to take on more and more fiscal responsibility with little benefits.

Some municipalities have trimmed the budget by shortening the workweek for staff. It’s not pleasant to take a pay cut but some might prefer that over having their job eliminated entirely. Closing non-essential offices once a week or every other week could save costs, mandatory furloughs during slow times could also work: a week during Thanksgiving and then again a week during the Christmas holidays when likely not much is getting done anyway could save some money. Reduce garbage pickup to once a week is another suggestion.

Overtime seems to be a big issue that was left to run amok for years. It also needs to be carefully monitored so that overtime costs don’t overwhelm any future budgets. Can multiple city departments share staff or resources, like an IT department or administrative assistant? Can early retirement be offered in some departments in an effort to reduce the payroll?

Perhaps one department that should be expanded is code enforcement. Come down hard on landlord who either don’t pay taxes or have violations, fine them and take them to court to recoup the money.

The hard truth is that many people would leave if it weren’t for the fact that selling a home with high property taxes in a City already blighted by a reputation (often unfairly) for being dangerous and with water issues, makes it difficult at best. Until we can reduce the cost for people to own a home, raise a family and run a business here, people will still want to to leave. The City of Newburgh once called an All American City has fallen on hard times and no amount of grants, transplants or cuts will get it back until those who run the place can figure out some better solutions. What we do know is that it’s time to think outside the box and consider every idea, innovation is key.

The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer described three stages of response to a new idea: ridicule, outrage and the declaration that it’s obvious. Don’t listen to the naysayers that it can’t be done without raising taxes or laying off people, instead let’s find new ways to save money, line by line, idea by idea. It won’t happen overnight but it can be done.

Every organization has inefficiencies, let’s find them and fix them.