Mayor Gatsas unveiled his budget for fiscal year 2014, which raises taxes and allots more funding to schools.
Gatsas' budget pushes for the maximum amount of new revenue allowed under the city's tax cap. That's just more than a two-percent increase.
The bulk of new revenue would go towards bolstering the city's school system, which has experienced layoffs and overcrowding in recent years.
Gatsas was optimistic that the budget could be hammered out before the city's June deadline, but acknowledged it would be a difficult process:
"No doubt there are many obstacle we face in this budget. I believe that they can be overcome in this tax-cap budget. I don't pretend that the road ahead is easy. The road is difficult, most notably for schools."
The mayor's proposal also contains a plan to modernize schools' technology by providing wi-fi access, tablets, and higher internet speeds.
