The city of Erie is facing a budget shortfall that officials said could continue in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
A new financial review by Public Financial Management found the city has been relying on non-recurring funding while spending and debt costs continue to rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo just like if I sell my car to pay for my groceries, eventually I get hungry and I don\u2019t have a car. The city is in a place where some of those one-time revenues are going away,\u201d said Gordon Mann, the managing director of Public Financial Management.<\/p>\n
City council heard those findings Thursday, and members began to discuss the city\u2019s financial outlook.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Erie County awarded $270K for childcare pre-apprenticeship\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Council members said the focus now turns to what steps can be taken to help reduce the city\u2019s budget deficit moving forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot that needs to change, right? We need to revisit some of these positions that are being funded through the ARPA money that came through, some of those grant things that are one time that are no longer here,\u201d said Tyler Titus, president of Erie City Council.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also need to look at and make sure that people who are using the services that the city is mandated to provide are also giving and contributing back in even if they are tax exempt,\u201d Titus added.<\/p>\n In terms of cost saving, city council said they need to evaluate what services are essential to the city and what expenses they can cut.<\/p>\n