The Civil Service and Finance Committee meetings had terrible audio quality this week. For the sake of government transparency, we urge the council to make sure that its meetings are recorded with high-quality audio and video. The city’s own charter states, “A free society is maintained when government is responsive and responsible to the public and when the public is aware of government actions…. The more open a government is with its citizenry, the greater the understanding and participation of the public in government.” We agree with the city charter that government transparency–including well-broadcasted public meetings–is critical for resident involvement in government.

We couldn’t decipher what happened in the Civil Service Committee, but we heard a bit of what happened in the Finance Committee meeting. Here, council members heard about the police department’s plan for a new training facility and firing range on Paderewski Street near Fillmore. They also heard about the city’s plan to temporarily house the police’s B District next to the downtown library, on Ellicott Street.

Council Member Wyatt again pressed Raymour Nosworthy, commissioner of the Administration and Finance Department, about the city getting American Rescue Plan funding out to community groups. “They’re still waiting for their money…. They’re non-profit organizations. For us to be talking about ‘we’re going to get them that money by 2026,’ that just doesn’t make sense.” Wyatt noted that the city is still earning interest income from the money that hasn’t been disbursed.

The Waterfront Development Committee met for only two minutes because various department representatives—the Buffalo Sewer Authority, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the city’s Climate Action Manager—all said they were unavailable. The committee says it will reschedule to give speakers time to assemble information.

In the Legislation Committee, members talked about allowing the city to increase taxes by more than 2%. Council Member Wyatt objected, mainly because the proposed ordinance doesn’t set a limit for the tax increase. This means that if the council passed the ordinance, the Scanlon Administration could propose a budget with whatever size tax hike it wants to. The rest of the committee, however, voted to recommend that the full council accept the ordinance. The budget, by the way, has not yet been proposed, but both the administration and the council anticipate that it will definitely call for raising the tax rate.

Community members came to speak about short-term rentals because new legislation regulating these Airbnb-type businesses will be coming before the council soon. When challenged, council members spoke up strongly in favor of block clubs having a say over what happens in their neighborhoods.

The Community Development Committee began their meeting by working to fill the Water Board. Currently, the board has only two members. It also has no leader, as the last director, O.J. McFoy, left for a new job amid accusations of improper fund allocations. The board doesn’t have enough members to legally meet, so the administration and the council wanted to appoint new people before their next scheduled meeting.

Catherine Amdur, from Permits and Inspections, came at the request of Council Member Wyatt to speak about a property in his University District. Wyatt wanted assurance that the department follows up when they find problems in an inspection or get a report of problems in rental housing. Amdur repeatedly stressed that anyone having problems with their housing should call the city’s 311 line.

Jocelyn Gordon, from Buffalo Erie Niagara Land Improvement Corporation (BENLIC), presented BENLIC’s plans to build 47 new single-family homes on vacant lots throughout the city. The funding, $24.6 million, will come from American Rescue Plan funds. These will be small houses, ranch-style and two story; BENLIC decided on this after a public input process. Construction is slated to begin as soon as the weather allows, and purchase will be allowed by lottery. A household of four, Gordon said, could make no more than $95,000 to be considered for purchase, and even if the house is sold, it must remain affordable housing.

Niagara District council member David Rivera spoke about how important it is to use this process to help people stay in their neighborhoods. However, Gordon explained that legally, BENLIC couldn’t prioritize some people over others in the lottery process. BENLIC has been rehabbing and building homes for 11 years. Their next meeting is scheduled for March 20th, and these meetings are open to the public.

On Thursday, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency’s Loan Committee met to decide whether the owner of Braymiller Market would have to pay back money the city had loaned it. The terms of the loan said that if the store stayed open for long enough, the debt would not have to be paid back. When it closed prematurely this winter, the owner asked for loan forgiveness, pointing out that he employed low-to-moderate-income full-time employees. Note that this was a condition of the loan.

Two lenders are in line for repayment of the loan before the city. This means that unless the building is sold for over $6 million, the city will not see any money. Since this outcome is far from certain, the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) added a condition to the decision: BURA will accept whatever money it can get after the primary and secondary lenders get their money. After that, BURA will close the matter.

Friday morning, there was a public hearing about a new law creating a City Charter Revision Commission. The meeting was not well-publicized in advance, so very few community members or elected officials were there. Several people spoke about the importance of having a robust and transparent process for revising the charter. The charter determines how city government is structured and how it functions. It is an important document, with many real-life implications for community members. As PPG, we will work to help people and partners throughout the city get involved in its revision. Residents are encouraged to apply to be on the revision commission.