| Date: | December 27, 2024 |
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by PPG Staff
Each week, PPG summarizes important takeaways from the major Buffalo Common Council meetings. We also include information from council meetings related to our Community Agenda items. If you want to learn more about how the council meetings work and how you can get involved, check out our guide. As a reminder, anyone can attend these meetings. They are on the 13th floor of City Hall, and all the agendas can be found on the council’s meeting website.
The Caucus Meeting on the 23rd was held in council chambers, to accommodate people who wanted to speak about the city’s use of American Rescue Plan funds. That discussion consumed most of the meeting. You can see a recap of those conversations in our special ARP coverage here.
Also in this meeting, Department of Public Works Commissioner Nate Marton spoke about the city’s new 15-year agreement with Spectrum. This agreement includes moving the public access channels back to lower channels to make them more accessible to the public. Niagara District representative Rivera said that he wanted to see this all in writing because he did not trust Spectrum. “They haven’t been a good corporate citizen,” he explained. On January 14, there will be a public hearing about the city’s contract with Spectrum.
Commissioner Jason Shell, from Assessment and Taxation, came to say that the department was seeking permission to purchase new software for the in rem auction. The in rem auction ("in rem" is a latin term meaning "against a thing") is the tool that the city uses to collect unpaid property taxes. If a homeowner is behind on their city property taxes for some time, the city can choose to auction the property off to buyers to collect on those unpaid funds. This is true even if a homeowner owns their home outright. In this way, the auction can result in significant loss of generational wealth.
In the Regular Meeting, council members approved a police contract with Dataminr, an information-gathering software company. Council Member Wyatt was the sole negative vote, citing community concerns; some groups have raised questions about Dataminr information being used against, for example, Black Lives Matter activists.
Members put off a vote on a resolution banning wind turbines in Lake Erie. This resolution builds on Congressperson Nick Langworthy’s (R., NY-23) proposal in the U.S. House. The council’s plan is to adopt this measure in the new year.
The council adopted a resolution calling on the comptroller’s office to do an investigation into Buffalo’s use, and possible mis-use, of American Rescue Plan funds. “It’s time for our Fiscal Watchdog to act,” the resolution reads; however, any information that comes to light will be after the fact. Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams filed a letter with the council outlining her disappointment with the city’s ARP process.