Unpaid rent at Buffalo City Hall concerns comptroller’s office

BUFFALO, NY – In the basement of Buffalo City Hall is a cafeteria. It is operated by Sue’s NY Deli, not to be confused with Sue’s Deli on Main Street in downtown Buffalo.

According to an audit by the city comptroller’s office, the cafeteria operator is expected to pay a little more than $25,000 a year for rent.

This is part of a contract with the city that is managed by the Department of Public Works.

According to Buffalo City Councilman Mitch Nowakowski, the city owes more than $103,000. This is for rent from April 2020 to April 2024.

The audit shows the contract expired in December 2019.

When 2 On Your Side asked if the operator had to pay since there was no contract, Nowakowski responded, “I understand where they’re saying, look, we’ve been in purgatory for four years, we haven’t not received a contract. we have not received anything in writing. Correspondence appears to be missing through the Department of Public Works and the supplier. So that needs to be clarified as well, but I think that’s the baseline expectation, as opposed to it not being. have a lease where you go back to the old one and you stick to the terms that you once agreed to to maintain that type of stability until you are given a new contract and you can negotiate it with the city of Buffalo , I do not do it. I don’t think it’s common sense that you can just say, well, I’m here and I don’t have to pay.

According to the owner/operator, no request for proposal (RFP) was presented to them.

Nowakowski said, “The board is really looking to clarify what happened here. Where was the communication problem and how much fault really lies with the Department of Public Works, who didn’t really stay on top of the situation and didn’t supervise their contracts that they have with vendors responsible for paying the rent to the city of Buffalo”

The comptroller’s office made some recommendations, including ensuring it is included in the review and approval of revenue contracts with the city.

This issue will be discussed July 2 at the Buffalo Common Council Finance Committee meeting.