If you’ve ever built a house, or even watched the process, you know how important it is to start with a strong foundation. You need a solid plan, the right resources, and hard workers for what you’re building. The same is true for a city.
Before we can build the Erie we want for the future, we have to make sure the foundation underneath us is strong. And now that the 2027 budget season is here, it is more important than ever that we take a hard look at Erie’s financial foundation.
When I took office in January, I knew we had work to do to address Erie’s long-term fiscal challenges. By May, we had a clearer picture of just how significant those challenges were. Years of one-time budget fixes, limited revenue growth, and difficult financial decisions had left the city with a budget that needed our full attention.
As has been widely reported and documented by Public Financial Management (PFM), Erie is facing a $12 million deficit heading into 2027. Since the magnitude of this deficit became clear, my administration has been working on short-term budget adjustments, including the elimination of multiple positions and city-wide operational cuts.
But just as we were beginning to gain some traction with those efforts, a different set of challenges arose when the September storm tore through our city and caused widespread damage.
In a matter of minutes, the City of Erie lost an estimated 800 to 1,000 of mostly healthy trees, which accounted for nearly 10% of our total canopy. The combination of downed trees closed streets, loss of power, and damage to homes and neighborhoods impacted many Erie residents.
The storm also came with an unexpected financial cost, adding approximately $3 million of unanticipated and unbudgeted expenses to the 2026 budget.
Erie residents begin to clean up from a Sept. 3, 2026, storm that sent trees crashing down in the city. This damage remained Sept. 4, 2026, in the 2700 block of Liberty Street.
But just like a contractor can encounter an unexpected problem in the middle of a build and keep working, the City of Erie did not stop. We assessed the situation, made adjustments, worked with our partners and residents, and kept moving forward.
And during all of it, we witnessed something that was just as impactful as the damage itself: the spirit of Erie.
Neighbors checked on neighbors. City employees worked long hours to clear streets and respond to calls. Local businesses, nonprofits, community organizations, and volunteers stepped up to help. People gave their time, resources, and energy because they knew their neighbors needed them.
That is the Erie we all know and love. And that spirit is exactly what we need as we move into this budget season.
As mayor, it’s not only my job to lead our city through a crisis, but also to provide clear and consistent communication to our residents about what is happening and what it means for them. I hope I did that during the September storm, and I’m committed to doing the same as we face the difficult budget decisions ahead.
To close the $12 million deficit we face, we will very likely need to increase property taxes. But we won’t do that without first exploring ways to increase every other revenue source and decrease every operational expense that impacts our budget.
I know that increasing taxes is unwelcome and unpopular news. And it’s not a decision that I or City Council will take lightly. But you deserve honesty from your leaders, and you should demand that we present a full picture of our city’s financial health, in both the short and long term.
The reality is that we cannot build a strong financial foundation for Erie by avoiding difficult conversations or by continuing to do things the way they have always been done. And my responsibility as your mayor is to make decisions today that will ensure Erie can grow and flourish for generations to come.
Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing a series of short videos to help explain our budget — where the money comes from, where it goes, and why we are making the decisions in front of us. I hope you’ll watch, ask questions, and stay engaged. You deserve to understand how your city operates and how we are working to put Erie on stronger, more sustainable financial footing.
Erie crews race to clear storm damage before autumn leaves fall
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Briggs Transport owner Boom Briggs gets set to haul away ground tree limbs, stumps and brush filling his truck at the City of Erie compost area in Erie, Pa., on Sept. 22, 2026. The cleanup follows a severe wind storm on Sept. 2, leaving fallen trees across large parts of the city. (GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS)
There is no doubt that difficult decisions are ahead. But we owe it to you, our residents, to do the hard work and to be honest about how our decisions will lay a solid foundation for Erie’s future.
We saw the spirit of Erie during the storm. Now we need to carry that same spirit into this next chapter: facing the financial challenges in front of us with honesty, leading with commitment and integrity, and continuing to build a stronger Erie, together.
Daria Devlin is mayor of the City of Erie.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Devlin pledges open process as Erie confronts $12M deficit | Opinion