Buffalo Common Council passes budget, cuts tax increase

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Common Council unanimously passed the $618 million city budget Wednesday after a handful of amendments, the biggest of which was to reduce the tax levy increase.

The process was stalled for more than five hours. The biggest question was whether the council would approve the mayor’s budget, which called for a 9 percent tax hike, well above the state’s 2 percent cap.

Ultimately, the council approved a budget with the tax increase reduced to 4.19 percent.

“As a council, it is our responsibility to protect the residents of the City of Buffalo, financially and otherwise, and this city has failed to do that for them all these years,” said Council Member Zeneta Everhart.

Council President Christopher Scanlon says this year’s budget is a victory for city residents.

“The shock associated with releasing the budget on May 1 has been significantly reduced,” Scanlon said. “The impact on residents’ tax rate will only be 4.19 percent, so we were able to negotiate a considerable reduction.”

As of early Wednesday afternoon, there appeared to be a budget agreement with the Brown administration to call a vote, but a last-minute hiccup delayed the entire process.

“That was the big delay — just trying to make sure everything was okay as far as the local law and the tax cap,” Scanlon said.

The council had agreed to remove the cap on state tax levies last month. The mayor’s office was supposed to have the deal certified by New York State, but they couldn’t find the documents.

The mayor’s spokesperson told News 4 the state certification was done properly.

Although the vote was unanimous, some council members expressed concerns over what they described as a delay in the financial woes of the city and local voters:

“We rely on one-time revenue — the $14 million from the reserve fund, the $25 million from the ARP — it’s a one-time thing,” said council member David Rivera.

“Either they’re going to have to make drastic cuts where it’s going to hurt,” Rivera added. “We should have made these cuts years ago. We pushed it down the road, we threw the can down the road. This will catch up with us.

“The mood here tonight during this vote can tell that no one is really happy with the situation we find ourselves in and I think that’s probably a wake-up call for everyone,” Scanlon said .

The council also voted to reduce exempt vacancies within the city.