Common Council votes to approve Brown’s proposed budget

The Buffalo Common Council voted Wednesday evening to approve Mayor Byron Brown’s proposed $618 million budget with amendments and recommendations from the finance chairman, setting the deadline at just hours.

The vote was delayed Wednesday afternoon when city officials said there was some confusion over whether or not New York state had approved a 9 percent property tax increase.

Whenever property tax increases are included in a local municipality’s budget, the state must agree before voting. However, the Corporation Council considered that appropriate measures had been taken and that, through negotiations with the administration, the property tax increase was reduced to 4.19%.

Council members say this budget has been particularly difficult.

“This was a difficult budget, probably one of the most difficult budgets, if not one of the two, that I have had to deal with during my tenure on the council,” said Christopher Scanlon, Chairman. advice. “And as the city of Buffalo, we are at a point where the lack of revenue is going to, in the immediate future, have a significant impact on the operations of this city. If we do not realize new revenue or increase in the immediate future, we will be in some sort of financial crisis. I think we know that, and I for one will not allow that to happen. »

One of the other amendments called for maintaining weekly recycling collection in the City of Buffalo.