For this summary, we will report on the Caucus and Regular meetings. ‘Council Member’ is abbreviated as CM; ‘Council President’ as CP; ‘President Pro Tempore’ as PT; and ‘Majority Leader’ as ML.
 
The Caucus meeting is the “meeting before the meeting,” at which the council members’ votes are largely determined. This is also where the council plans which items to move to committees for further discussion or recommendations. For example, items concerning hiring usually go through the Civil Service Committee.
 
This week, the police department is promoting several police officers, so those items will be sent on to that committee. Recently opened police records show that two of these officers were investigated for “city involved accidents” (i.e. police car crashes). These promotions arrive the same week as the council is being asked to okay the payment of hundreds of thousands of dollars to the victim of a reckless police driving accident.
 
City departments also come to the Caucus meeting to explain what their proposals. Delano Dowell, Commissioner of Administration and Finance, was there this week, reporting on American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding. The money must be used or contracted by the end of this year. Dowell noted that 84% of ARP dollars have been dedicated to various purposes; $51.4 million remains to be used. You can see the spending plan, and all the ways it has been amended, here: https://www.buffalony.gov/1441/ARP-Spending-Plan.
 
In the Regular meeting, the council members talked about what to do when CP Chris Scanlon steps into the mayor’s position. That would leave the South district without a representative on the Common Council, and it would leave the council with just 8 votes–subject to deadlock. In their attempt to deal with this, some CMs have suggested appointing a temporary fill-in for South District. Then, after the mayoral race in 2025, Scanlon could return to his seat on the council if he does not win mayor. The city’s lawyers have told the council that this is not legal by city charter, and it would involve amending the city’s laws in a way that some feel is illegal.
 
The council members also talked about revising the City Charter. A majority of CMs support this idea, and the item was sent to the Legislation committee for discussion.