Natalie Luczkowiak

Dunkirk Councilperson Natalie Luczkowiak took some shots at City Hall in a Sunday statement about Dunkirk’s 2025 budget.

the First Ward representative said.

The city council approved a budget with an 84% property tax increase Saturday. The original budget proposal from Mayor Kate Wdowiasz contained the 108% increase. Wdowiasz vetoed changes that the council made to her budget, but councilors voted unanimously to override her.

Luczkowiak said.

she added. (The pumper reference is about reported plans to sell back one of two fire trucks the city recently purchased.)

Luczkowiak stated that

For example, she said that the city had expended less than half of its 2024 allocation for water maintenance by the end of September.

Department of Public Works Director Randy Woodbury responded,

He added,

Woodbury noted that about half of the city’s water service pipes are at, or exceeding, their of 100 years.

Luczkowiak echoed an occasional nemesis, Councilperson Nancy Nichols, in stating that city department heads failed to do a council request for 10% cuts to their budgets. Nichols alleged it was due to pressure from Wdowiasz.

As for selling one of the purchased fire trucks, Luczkowiak said.

Luczkowiak ended her statement by referencing a proposal to change the city’s decreasing block rate structure for water sales, which lets large customers pay less upon reaching certain levels of usage.

she said.