For this summary, we will focus on the Regular Meeting. The Regular Meeting is the Common Council's primary meeting, where they make official decisions on issues.

The primary resolutions approved during this week's Regular Meeting included a resolution to collect better data on potholes across the city to ensure more equitable efforts to address road issues and urge the City of Buffalo to strengthen its Office of New Americans and take official steps toward becoming a Welcoming City. The Common Council also confirmed the timing of its city budget hearings and workshops, set to livestream the weeks of May 9 and 16.

Resolution: Pothole Research and Monitoring—The Common Council passed a resolution prioritizing data collection and reporting on potholes around the city. It also asks the Department of Public Works to create a system to follow up with companies who complete repairs to ensure accountability for fixing issues in a high quality and lasting way. The Council urged residents to call in pothole complaints to 311 to track the data on the number and locations of potholes to ensure a more equitable response to filling potholes across the city. The Common Council will review, map, and publicly share data monthly from the Department of Public Works and 311. 

Resolution: Making Buffalo a Welcoming City for Immigrants and Refugees—The Common Council passed a resolution urging the City of Buffalo's Office of New Americans to establish Buffalo as an official Welcoming City, submit an official Welcoming City ordinance, and prioritize the creation of a Language Access Plan for the city that provides both translation and interpretation. The resolution also calls upon the mayor to establish a New American Advisory Council to ensure directly impacted communities have a say on how to prioritize and implement the work of the Office of New Americans. Passing an ordinance that officially establishes Buffalo as a Welcoming City officially codifies a commitment to protecting immigrants and refugees settling in Buffalo. This resolution expands an earlier resolution passed in January 2022 that focused primarily on Language Access.

Common Council Budget Hearings—The Common Council will host budget hearings on the City's proposed budget starting the week of May 9. It will also host budget workshops the week of May 16. Department heads will present their budget requests and engage in Q&A with the Council during these sessions. All meetings will be streamed live at www.facebook.com/BFLOCC. 

Additional highlights of the meeting included:

• Council Member Bryan Bollman acknowledged that April is Autism Awareness Month and read a proclamation to honor Autism Services, Inc. for their work in Buffalo;
• Council Member Rasheed Wyatt spoke in support of an adopted resolution requesting additional financial support for 8 Days of Hope from the City of Buffalo to expand their efforts to provide critical home repairs for households in need of support; and 
• The Common Council approved an emergency notification from the Department of Public Works regarding an emergency contract with T&T Salvage to repair the sinking U.S.S. The Sullivans at the Naval and Military Park downtown

Need more than just a summary? Contact us at info@ppgbuffalo.org, or find full meeting information and schedules here: http://buffalony.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx