BUFFALO, N.Y. — The City of Buffalo has a new budget for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The Common Council passed it by a vote of 6-3 on the same day it was due, with cuts of $6.5 million included and $1.5 million in additions.
A vote on the slimmed-down $577 million budget compared to the Mayor's proposed $582 million was held during a special meeting Monday. The meeting was a continuation of one held last Thursday where a vote had been expected but did not happen amid ongoing negotiations.
Council members Joe Golombek, Rasheed N.C. Wyatt and Bryan Bollman were the three who opposed the amended deal.
The largest cuts negotiated between council leadership and the Mayor's office involved Buffalo police and fire department overtime. Their projected overtime budgets were cut by a respective $2 million and $1.5 million.
In total, those departments spent $23 million in overtime in 2023 according to public filings.
"We recognize first of all how important our first responders are. We had some very significant events last year and hopefully, we will not have those same events every single year," said Council President Darius Pridgen.
"There has been concern about overtime for a while so that line the administration agreed to reduce."
The Buffalo police union, however, says the reduction in overtime is a disappointment.
"Hopefully, there is no catastrophic event or anything like that, that that would boost the overtime to a higher level," said John Evans, president of the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association.
Evans says it will be interesting to see where the council and administration think that overtime will be able to be reduced.
"I guess maybe it's an easy target," Evans said. " I can tell you this, though, any overtime in the police department has got to be approved."
"I don't know that it's it's controllable in that sense."
The budget will require reports to the council on overtime to make sure departments are in compliance. Pridgen said $1.5 million in cuts from various departments were also requested by the council and the administration came very close to that number.
"At least that way we have information upfront, and are able to adjust together with police or fire with council and administration," Pridgen said. "And not get this kind of sticker shock that we always get at the end of the year."
The amended budget cuts the city's estimated cannabis tax revenue from $8 million to $3 million along with corresponding expenditures.
What the finalized budget does not change are a 3.8% property tax increase and a garbage fee increase for all city neighbors.
"We did understand the need for the revenue right now and so yes the tax increase will stay," said Pridgen.
According to the mayor's office, the garbage fee will cost between 7 and 22 dollars more a year depending on a home's tote size. The property tax increase will be an extra 46 dollars a year for every $100,000 of assessed value.
The city comptroller requested two new positions be added to her department in the budget as well.
In a statement sent to 2 On Your Side Monday Buffalo Mayor Bryon Brown said he was pleased the budget was passed.
"I'm pleased that this fiscally sound budget was passed. This budget was designed to strengthen the City of Buffalo for all residents."
