Auburn Mayor Jimmy Giannettino on his first 100 days

That legal challenge over how state agencies handle Owasco Lake watershed rules and regulations was one of Giannettino’s top priorities during his first 100 days in office — a milestone he reached this month. While the process plays out in the courts, it reflects his commitment to water quality. 

But it’s far from the only issue Giannettino, a Democrat, has tackled in his first few months in office. The city is in the midst of its 2024-25 budget process, with department heads providing detailed presentations about their day-to-day operations. Those presentations include their budget requests for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Giannettino told The Citizen he made some changes to the traditional process to help two new councilors, Christina Calarco and Dr. Rhoda Overstreet-Wilson, and to inform the public about how their tax dollars are being used. 

“It’s a tremendous amount of service, a tremendous level of service,” he said. “Unless you’re calling police, fire or ambulance, I think people take it for granted.” 

Like many municipalities, there is uncertainty due to the late state budget. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a conceptual agreement this week, but the budget bills are still being finalized. The state Legislature began voting on the bills Thursday. 

One unanswered question is whether the city of Auburn and other local governments will receive more in state aid. Giannettino has been among the most vocal supporters of increasing funding through the Aid and Incentives for Municipalities program, the main source of unrestricted state aid for localities. 

The aid program was intended to provide increased funding in return for holding property tax rates in check. But the state cut funding for a few years before freezing it early in former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s tenure. The state aid for local governments hasn’t changed in more than a decade, even as costs rise. 

“We’ve never broken the tax cap,” Giannettino said, referring to the state-imposed limit on property tax levy growth. “We’ve done our part. We just want the state to do their part.” 

Beyond the fiscal challenges, Giannettino has been involved in discussions about the future of economic development in Cayuga County. An outside consultant conducted a review of the embattled Cayuga Economic Development Agency. There have been proposals to make other entities the county’s leading economic development agency. 

No decision has been made, but Giannettino said there is agreement with Cayuga County Legislature Chairwoman Aileen McNabb-Coleman that the county needs a one-stop shop. He wants the Auburn Industrial Development Authority to be part of that one-stop shop, as it is now with CEDA. 

During the mayoral campaign, the city’s ambulance service was a much-discussed topic. Tim Lattimore, a former mayor and county legislator who was Giannettino’s opponent in the 2023 election, criticized the decision to establish a municipal ambulance service. As a member of the city council at the time, Giannettino voted to create the city ambulance service. 

Giannettino acknowledged there were some “bumps in the road” early on for the ambulance service, mainly with billing and collection issues. But he thinks the city made the right decision, especially after what happened at the end of 2023 with AMR pulling out of Cayuga County. 

With AMR no longer providing emergency medical services, Auburn City Ambulance has helped fill the gap. City ambulances are on track to respond to more than 9,000 calls this year, up from 7,358 in 2023. 

There is also a push at the state level to make EMS an essential service. If that happens, Giannettino believes the city will be “ahead of the curve” because it’s already taken action to establish an ambulance service. 

“I think it sets the stage to partner with the county and other municipalities,” he said. 

Giannettino and the city council are also looking for new revenue streams. One potential source is a hotel tax. The city must receive state approval to institute its own occupancy tax. The legislation has been introduced in the state Legislature. 

With the county needing to renew its 5% occupancy tax this year, the city requested that the county split the revenue collected from hotels within Auburn. 

Giannettino explained that the additional revenue is being sought to help maintain city services and to provide aid for cultural and historical sites in Auburn.

Even if the county doesn’t agree to share the revenue, Giannettino wanted a conversation about how to support the local landmarks. 

“Their visitation is higher than it’s ever been, but they are struggling with their budgets,” he said. 

Giannettino served two terms on the city council before becoming mayor, so there wasn’t a steep learning curve. One change, though, was how often he needs to sign his name on various city documents. 

After 100-plus days in office, Giannettino said he takes the job seriously, but also enjoys it. 

“I take a lot of pride in it,” he said. “I love this city.”