Binghamton’s $119M 2027 Budget Includes Tax Hike, Police Plans

Binghamton Mayor Jared M. Kraham has unveiled a proposed $119.2 million budget for 2027.

The plan includes a modest property tax increase, more funding for police and fire services, money for streets and parks, and the start of a new medical business district near UHS Binghamton General Hospital on the South Side. Kraham delivered his 2027 Budget Address at City Hall on September 15.

Binghamton Budget Includes Property Tax Increase

The proposed budget calls for a 2.9 percent increase in the homestead property tax rate and a 5.2 percent increase in the non-homestead rate. Kraham said rising state pension contributions and employee health care costs are behind much of that increase.

The proposal includes a tax levy of about $36.4 million. According to the City’s proposed 2027 budget, officials say the plan remains under both the state property tax cap and the City’s constitutional tax limit.

The City is also heading into next year with an $18.6 million fund balance.

Binghamton Budget Adds Police Officer and Vehicles

Public safety remains a major focus of the plan. The proposed budget continues neighborhood foot and bike patrols, adds a new patrol officer position, pays for three police vehicles, and restores a second Assistant Chief position within the Binghamton Police Department.

In his budget address, Kraham said overall crime in Binghamton has dropped 24 percent since his first year in office. The City also reported a 6 percent decline in violent crime and a 27 percent drop in property crime compared with 2022.

New Binghamton Fire Station Moves Closer to Construction

The City plans to finish designing a new North Side fire station in 2027. Construction is expected to begin in 2028 on vacant lots next to the current station.

The proposed budget also includes upgrades at the Fire Training Center. Grant funding would pay for a new ambulance to help paramedics respond to roughly 11,000 calls for service each year.

Binghamton Youth Recreation Center Will Expand Programs

The City-run youth recreation center downtown would get another full-time employee under the plan. That would allow the Parks Department to expand after-school programs, health and wellness classes, and other activities for young people.

The City bought the former St. Mary’s building in 2024 after Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced $1 million in federal support for Binghamton’s youth center plans.

South Side Medical District Planning Begins in 2027

One of the more forward-looking pieces of the budget is a plan to begin creating a medical business district around UHS Binghamton General Hospital.

The City would begin planning in 2027 for possible investments in housing, public safety, infrastructure, and small businesses near the hospital campus. Kraham’s budget address describes the effort as a new focus for the South Side.

Binghamton Streets, Floodwalls and Parks Receive Funding

The proposed budget includes $10.3 million for the City’s neighborhood street improvement plan. That includes paving and infrastructure work on streets such as Alice Street, Ivanhoe Road, and Seymour Street, along with curb, sidewalk, water, and sewer work.

The City also plans to spend $6 million to reconstruct Chenango Street between Court Street and the Binghamton Plaza over the next two construction seasons. Another $1.5 million would go toward floodwall repairs coordinated with the Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

City parks would see $675,000 in improvements, including $500,000 for Center City Park and $175,000 for Cheri A. Lindsey Memorial Park and First Ward Park. The full proposed budget also includes nearly $221,000 for neighborhood blight removal.

Binghamton Plans First Citywide Reassessment Since 1993

The budget sets aside $1 million to begin a citywide property reassessment. The City’s last full reassessment was completed in 1993, and City Council passed a local law earlier this year to move the work forward.

City Lays Out Homelessness and Problem Landlord Plans

City officials say they will roll out a homeless encampment response in the coming weeks. The plan would use local dollars and federal grants to deploy caseworkers and housing subsidies with the goal of helping unsheltered people find housing and closing encampments on riverbanks and other public land.

The proposal also calls for money from recent State Supreme Court judgments against problem property owners to support the Law, Code, Police, and Fire departments involved in those cases.

Mayor Kraham Says Budget Keeps Binghamton on Solid Footing

Kraham said the budget is meant to keep the City moving forward while protecting taxpayers as costs rise.

“The 2027 Budget puts into place the resources we need to build on the progress of the last five years and deliver lasting change to Binghamton,” Kraham said in his prepared budget address. “It also keeps the City on sound financial footing heading into the future, protecting taxpayers even as cities and households across New York State struggle with rising prices.”