BUFFALO, N.Y. — The City of Buffalo took in $4.3 million from its annual auction of tax-delinquent properties in 2019, the year the Brown administration changed how it handles the money those foreclosure sales generate.
Out of that $4.3 million, the city paid itself $700,000 to account for the back taxes and fees that led the properties to the auction block.
That left $3.6 million is surplus, much of which rightfully belongs to the individuals who lost their properties to foreclosure. For them, the money represents their remaining equity after all their creditors — the city, the banks, the utility companies — are paid.