NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — The governor's proposed 2021 budget calls for a $39 million reduction in the state's Aid and Incentives to Municipalities program.

It would eliminate direct payments to towns and villages and reduce aid to cities based on a formula that calculates their budgets' reliance on those payments.

Assemblyman Bill Conrad, D-Town of Tonawanda, said he and other legislators are working to restore those cut funding.

"The governor's got to find a way to be able to right the budget. So does the Assembly and we just don't think it should be on the backs of these local governments who have already done more with less," Conrad said.

But in examining the budget proposal, he found another problem. The city of North Tonawanda was facing what seemed to be a larger than proposed cut of 20 percent or nearly $870,000.

Conrad said under the formula it should have been a little more than $215,000

"You cut $800,000, that could be their summer programming," he said. "That could be their parks and rec jobs. That could be full-time people with homes and families."

The assemblyman discovered North Tonawanda was one of nine cities that did not submit 2019 financial reports to the state within the required first 120 days of the 2020 calendar year and as a result defaulted to the larger cut.

"I liken it to basically, I was a teacher, if you don't hand your paper in on time, you know, before the end of the semester, there's going to be repercussions," he said.

Democratic Alderman-At-Large Austin Tylec said the city did end up submitting the documents in October. He said the oversight appears to have happened because North Tonawanda went months without appointing a new city accountant.

"We as elected officials rely on different departments to do their job but we also have to put people in certain positions to do their job and if we don't have an accountant at the time that really falls on the city leaderships responsibility," he said.

But Tylec said the city, which recently voted to seek a short-term bond to cover payroll costs, badly needs the money.

"We're trying to move forward from this and correct the mistake and work with the state not yell at the state," he said. "You don't bite the hand that feeds you."

Conrad and Republican state Senator Rob Ortt both said they're working on it. Thursday the state Division on Budget delivered some good news.

Spokesperson Freeman Klopott said while municipalities had more than a year to submit their 2019 financial information, those that act before May 15 will have their reduction restored to the level it would have been had they submitted on time. He went on to say if the federal government delivers funding to address the state's deficit caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, AIM could be restored entirely.