Geneva City Council held the latest session in its 2027 budget process this week, opening the proposed spending plan to public comment after beginning its departmental review with a detailed examination of police staffing and expenses earlier this month.
Only one resident spoke during the budget hearing. Charlie Bodder, who identified himself as a member of Mayor Jim Cecere’s ad hoc finance committee, told council he supports the city manager’s proposed budget and a 3% increase included in the plan.
Bodder said maintaining services and staffing was preferable to deeper cuts, and used his own property as an example of the potential tax impact. He said his assessment increased from roughly $150,000 to between $225,000 and $230,000, but estimated the budget’s impact on his property at about $80 annually, or less than $7 per month.
No other residents spoke, and council closed the hearing without taking additional budget action. The meeting adjourned immediately afterward.
The brief hearing came after a much more detailed budget workshop focused on the Geneva Police Department, the first in a series of departmental reviews as council works toward a final 2027 spending plan.
Police Chief Ronald Eveland told council during that session that the department currently has five vacancies and could enter next year with six if another officer transfers to a nearby department. His plan calls for hiring four officers for the 2027 Finger Lakes Law Enforcement Academy while leaving one position unfunded.
Eveland is also proposing a deputy chief position as part of a broader restructuring intended to prepare the department for upcoming retirements and strengthen supervision on evening and overnight shifts.
Fourteen Geneva officers currently have fewer than five years of experience, and the department is anticipating several potential retirements over the next two years.
That workshop also highlighted the increasing workload facing the department.
Geneva police made 477 arrests in 2022 and 647 in 2025. Through the earlier budget workshop, the department had already recorded 552 arrests in 2026 and was on pace to finish the year in the mid-700s if the trend continued.
Mayor Jim Cecere asked for a deeper examination of what is driving that increase, including the role of mental health, substance use and other underlying issues and whether some calls could eventually be handled differently.
The police proposal also includes two patrol vehicles, about $17,000 for training and roughly $70,000 for Axon artificial intelligence technology intended to reduce report-writing time and return officers to patrol more quickly.
Council members did not make changes to the police budget during that workshop, although several expressed support for Eveland’s approach.
The broader budget process remains unfinished. Council is continuing to review departmental requests, staffing and spending as it works toward adoption of the city’s 2027 financial plan.
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