Library
Select a TopicSearch
Buffalo Common Council Procedures and How You Can Get Involved
Sarah Wooton — Jul 31, 2023
The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the City of Buffalo. The council meets every week to discuss city matters, including resident concerns. At PPG, we want you to know how the council works so that you can feel confident making your voice heard in council chambers.
View Resource
Ranked Choice Voting in Western New York? Successes & Lessons from New York City
Jay Wendland, Erin Carman — May 8, 2023
Western New York (WNY) should consider joining the ranks of the sixty-two jurisdictions nation-wide that have chosen Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) over the more commonly used plurality voting system. In weighing the importance of such a change, voters and leaders may consider lessons and successes learned from New York City (NYC) in its adoption and implementation of RCV.
View Resource
Self Help Guide: How to Submit a Freedom of Information Law Request (FOIL) Without a Lawyer
Civil Rights and Transparency Clinic, University at Buffalo School of Law — Jan 26, 2023
The ‘Self-Help Guide: How to Submit a Freedom of Information Law Request in New York without a Lawyer’ (the “Guide”) is for anyone who has requested information under the New York State Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). This Guide also assists users who have been improperly ignored, denied, or charged an unreasonable fee for their request for information. The Guide also provides the information you need when determining whether to pursue a pro se lawsuit and illustrates …
View Resource
The True Cost of Child Care: Erie County NY (Final Report)
Lou Jean Fleron, Russell Weaver, Catherine Creighton — Oct 26, 2022
Funded by Erie County and supplemented with New York state funds allocated to the Cornell ILR Buffalo Co-Lab, the study builds on the Phase One report issued earlier this year and analyzes data on the child care industry and workforce for both Erie County and the state.
View Resource
How To Better Welcome Refugees and Secondary Migrants
Laila Rahbari — Sep 7, 2022
This report examines assets, challenges, and potential recommendations for supports for refugees and migrants in Buffalo.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: Delaware District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: Ellicott District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: Fillmore District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: Lovejoy District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: Masten District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: Niagara District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye, Lorena Flores — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: North District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye, Katy Kaufman — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: South District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
Buffalo Common Council Districts: University District
Sarah Wooton, Alana Barrington Dye — Aug 1, 2020
The "Buffalo Common Council Districts" fact sheet series is a set of 9 fact sheets about each of the 9 Common Council districts in the City of Buffalo. For each district, we explore resident demographics, community landmarks, household income, housing costs, and educational attainment data.
View Resource
The Eastside-Airport Metro Rail Extension
Citizens for Regional Transit — Aug 23, 2019
This policy brief provides information regarding the expansion of NFTA metro-rail services in east-side Buffalo to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
View Resource
Census 2020: Making Western New York Count
Anna Blatto — Jun 10, 2019
This policy brief offers an overview of the 2020 Census: what it is and why it matters for Western New York.
View Resource
Women in Elected Office Challenges and Opportunities in Erie County
Erie County Commission on the Status of Women — Jul 26, 2018
"This report offers a snapshot of the political landscape in Erie County with a focus on women in elected office. Women comprise 52% of Erie County's total population , 49.5% of its labor force, and 53% of the county's registered voters. Women current comprise nearly 33% of elected government officials with men comprising nearly 68%."
View Resource
Venue Directory
Partnership for the Public Good — Jul 11, 2018
Community groups often need accessible, affordable spaces for events and meetings. This directory provides a list of event and meeting spaces sorted by size. Entries list the contact information and street address for each venue, as well as details on cost, catering, capacity, and parking.
View Resource
Cruelty and Cost: Money Bail in Buffalo
Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, Colleen Kristich — Apr 26, 2018
This policy report was drafted by Andrea Ó Súilleabháin, Deputy Director at PPG, and Colleen Kristich, Master of Social Work Candidate at the University at Buffalo.It presents new data on bail in Buffalo, including frequency of money bail, average amounts by level and type of offense, and racial disparities. This dataset is based on PPG's observation of 240 arraignment hearings from November 2017 to February 2018.The report includes several stories from Buffalo City Court, …
View Resource
Executive Sessions Studied in Alphabetical Order by Municipality
Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government — Feb 1, 2018
This reports out on the executive sessions in municipalities in 2017.
View Resource
Behind Closed Doors, Executive Sessions and the Public's Right to Know
Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government — Oct 2, 2017
The Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government evaluated the Annual Financial Disclosure Forms utilized by ten municipalities in Erie and Niagara County. The Disclosure Forms were ranked from best to worst based on criteria we established. The ten municipalities reviewed were: Cheektowaga, Erie County, Buffalo, Town of Hamburg, Niagara Falls, Town of Lancaster, Amherst, Town of Tonawanda, Clarence, Niagara County.
View Resource
Initiatives for a Smart Economy 2.0
Mark Poloncarz — Jun 30, 2017
Just like its predecessor, I4SE 2.0 is organized in a manner that focuses on those sectors of the local economy identified by WNYREDC as growth sectors. It identifies initiatives within those sectors where ErieCounty can make a meaningful contribution. These sectors include: advanced manufacturing, smart growth implementation, workforce development, agriculture, bi-national logistics, energy, and tourism.The report also identifies specific initiatives that Erie County will undertake in other …
View .PDF
Freedom of Information Law Report 2017
Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government — May 17, 2017
The Buffalo Niagara Coalition for Open Government evaluated the response of a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to sixteen municipalities in Erie and Niagara County.
View Resource
One Region Forward A New Way To Plan For Buffalo Niagara
University at Buffalo Regional Institute — Jul 20, 2015
This document represents the culmination of three years of research, community engagement, partnership building and planning under the banner of One Region Forward. Within the pages of this plan, you will find the major research findings of what the data tells us about where the region is today and expressions of thousands of citizen voices on the direction people in the region want to see Buffalo Niagara go. Proposed strategies and actions, built by a team of 100+ subject matter experts, are …
View Resource
Initiatives for a Smart Economy
Mark Poloncarz — Mar 14, 2013
"The concept of sustainability has gained a foothold in Western New York and previous brownfield sites. These efforts continue as New York State (“NYS”) Energy Research and Development Authority (“NYSERDA”) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) offer communities the opportunity to compete for tens of millions of redevelopment dollars for the presentation of a thorough, innovative, and collaborative sustainability plan for their …
View .PDF
How local public administrators, nonprofit providers, and elected officials perceive impediments to fair housing in the suburbs: an analysis of Erie County, New York
Kelly Patterson, Robert Silverman — Jan 27, 2011
View Resource
Municipal Unions
Edward Hawthorne — May 2, 2009
Erie County cannot hire part-time workers in place of full-time workers. An arbitrator from the state's Public Employees Relations Board ruled in favor of the Civilian Service Employees Association Local 815. The union filed an improper practice charge last year after County Executive Chris Collins hired about 150 regular part time workers. The arbitrator ruled that the county violated the state's Taylor Law when it failed to negotiate with the union before hiring part time workers …
View .PDF
Regionalism Revisited: The Effort to Streamline Governance in Buffalo and Erie County, New York
Craig Bucki — Jan 16, 2008
During the first half of the twentieth century, burgeoning grain transshipment trade and heavy manufacturing spurred the bustling economy of Buffalo, the eastern-most port on the shores of Lake Erie and the second-largest city in the State of New York. With the jobs that these industries provided came residents to occupy them. In the 1900 census, Buffalo ranked as the eighth-largest city in the United States, with a population of over 350,000. By 1950, Buffalo could claim over …
View .PDF
Local Advantage in a Global Era: Making Local Procurement Work for New York
Amy Kedron — Nov 13, 2007
Around the country municipalities have enacted local procurement preference laws, which give a competitive advantage to local firms bidding on public contracts. Much of this legislation has been informed by a broader “local first” movement. Those in this movement champion the many benefits of conducting business on a small local scale.
View .PDF
Achieving a Greater Buffalo
Niagara River Greenway Commission Apr 1, 2007
This policy report argues that improving the quality of life for residents of all backgrounds living in Buffalo’s urban neighborhoods should be a central objective of any economic revitalization plan for the region. In the process of strengthening housing and employment opportunities in the urban core, Buffalo should strive to become a premiere destination for innovators, artists, and entrepreneurs seeking a low-cost, culturally vibrant place in which to live and work. The …
View .PDF
Governance in Erie County: A Foundation for Understanding and Action
Kathryn Foster, David C. Perry, Alfred D. Price, John B. Sheffer, II, Henry Louis Taylor, Jr. — Jan 26, 1996
Project Name: The University at Buffalo Governance Project The University at Buffalo Governance Project was an interdisciplinary research effort to study governance issues in Erie County. The Governance Project was founded upon the premise that a vigorous region requires competent, informed decision making, especially in the public sector.