Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) representative Charles Riley came to speak to the Finance Committee about next year’s sewer budget. The BSA is proposing a $79.4 million plan, $5 million over last year’s budget. This includes funding sewer bill relief for low-income households, who are eligible to get $60-$90 a year, and seniors, who can receive $106 per year. The average annual bill for sewer is $477.
 
Council Member Rasheed Wyatt chided Riley for being unable to say just how many low-income folks and seniors receive these discounts. Wyatt also asked how much the BSA’s upcoming projects would cost taxpayers. One future project in the budget is “Queen City Clean Waters,” to help with combined sewer overflow. Overflow happens when rainwater fills the sewer drains, causing sewage to be released into the Niagara River. This is a plan that the NYS Dept of Environmental Conservation required as part of a consent decree (i.e. a rule the courts enforce that allows one of the parties to fix what they’ve done wrong without admitting guilt). The BSA is seeking grants to help fund this, Riley explained, but the numbers are up in the air.
 
The BSA was originally slated to receive many millions of dollars in American Rescue Plan funding to do infrastructure work and to erase overdue bills. That money was all stripped away, however, as Mayor Byron Brown and Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon moved the funds to the city’s general fund for “revenue replacement.” In the meantime, Erie County is spending over $63 million—a third of all the money they received—in COVID relief funds on sewer improvements.
 
The committee discussed, and eventually tabled, Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope’s proposal for a “circuit breaker” for low-income households faced with sudden and big tax hikes. This program would cap property taxes as a percentage of household income. This would help protect homeowners from displacement and maintain generational homeownership. Because of the city’s decision not to raise property taxes gradually for the last two decades, some folks are now facing devastating and unexpected tax bills.
 
Council Member David Rivera said that they would need to be very careful about who ends up funding these tax breaks. “Somebody has to pay it,” he said. “If somebody gets a reduction somewhere, somebody else has to pick it up somewhere else.”  It is important to figure out how to create an equitable tax structure, and how to communicate that to residents, Rivera said.
 
In the Legislation Committee, members debated North District Representative Joseph Golombek’s proposal that the council go back to their old budget schedule. Previously, the mayor had until May to turn a budget proposal over to the council; now the document is due April 8th. The idea was to allow the council more time to study the numbers and to allow for more public engagement. Golombek’s proposal was tabled pending more information. However, it will likely be voted down as several members spoke at length about why they will vote to stick with the new timeline.
 
The committee also took up a resolution, by University District’s Wyatt, asking for the Acting Mayor’s office and the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency to come speak about the city’s lead remediation work. This arose when the city had to give back $1.5 million earmarked for fixing lead in houses because they failed to spend the money. The resolution asks for the creation of a task force, a report on the city’s lead work, and a strategic plan. No one came from either group  to speak to the council members, and the resolution was tabled.
 
Community Development Committee members heard from community members about the dangers of menthol tobacco use. Speakers included the director of the Buffalo Center for Health Equity, Pastor George Nicholas, Reverend Blue from the NAACP, and a No Menthol Buffalo team including high schoolers. Restricting flavored tobacco sales is an equity issue, these advocates argue, since these products are marketed deliberately to young communities of color and at LGBTQ+ people. “Menthol tobacco is not just a health issue,” advocate Stan Martin said. “It’s a civil rights issue.”
 
Council Member Wyatt compared it to the state’s failure to undertake a full study of the health effects of the Kensington Expressway. When it comes to Black lives, he said, we are always putting things off.
 
Council Woman Zeneta Everhart said that she did not want to make any moves until the legal department weighed in; Majority Leader Halton-Pope worried that legislation might open the city to litigation. Speakers and some council members, however, pressed for the council to go ahead and demand legislation and let the courts sort out the legalities. The council has directed the law department to write a law banning sales of menthol tobacco products within the city and given them a month to do so.