BUFFALO, N.Y. — For years, City Hall dallied in the face of a lead poisoning epidemic among children in Buffalo’s poorest neighborhoods. City officials have finally put in place a plan being praised as a “huge step forward.”
Most importantly, ordinance updates approved by the Common Council in November give inspectors, for the first time, the right to test the interiors of rental apartments for lead paint. It also prohibits landlords from renting contaminated units.
Another improvement: loan and grant programs are being established to help landlords pay for the cost of remediating properties.
Shortcomings remain to the city’s approach, however.