TROY, N.Y. -- Mayor Patrick Madden announced his proposed budget for 2017 on Friday, which includes what he calls an "unfortunate tax increase" of 28 percent.

"I have repeatedly stated that we have hard choices ahead of us," said Madden, the first-year mayor. "The time to wrestle with those choices has arrived."

Citing "a long-standing historical budget imbalance," Madden announced the tax increase, noting a state comptroller's report criticizing Troy's budgeting practices.

"We never wanted to do a 28 percent increase. We've looked at everything we possibly could look at to change that number, but our deficit is enormous," Madden said. 

City Council President Carmella Mantello -- who had created a list of 15 proposals she'd like Madden to consider that included a hiring freeze at the beginning of 2017, reducing overtime, and cutting departmental spending across the board -- called on the council to reject the tax increase."

"This tax hike is the extraordinary result of political budgeting by the former City Council and administration, and the failure of the current Mayor to address the City's financial problems throughout 2016," Mantello's statement read in part. "The taxpayers of Troy cannot afford a tax increase of this amount! ... I believe this is the largest tax increase proposed in the history of this city."

The proposal will be passed along to the city council to approve.

In response to the proposed tax increase, Nassau Supervisor Dave Fleming took to Twitter, touting lower taxes in his community: