Welcome to our weekly Buffalo Common Council update! Here, we summarize the most interesting information from Buffalo Common Council meetings. We will also include information from meetings related to our Community Agenda items. This week, the Common Council held two sessions: A Caucus Meeting and a Regular Meeting. A Caucus Meeting and a Regular Meeting. A Caucus Meeting is where members from a specific political party – in Buffalo's case, the Democratic Party – meet, but official voting on issues does not occur. A Regular Meeting is the Common Council's primary meeting, where the body makes official decisions on issues.

During the Caucus Meeting, the Council stated its intention to approve a site designation for the Delevan-Grider Community Center as a COVID vaccination site where immunization will begin on November 3, 2021. Police are buying three new vehicles totaling $75,000 to use for "Community Policing" at the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority. Common Council approved the contract for the purchase of the vehicles in January.

The Council is preparing to send a letter to the NYS Vaccine Equity Task Force about zip code 14207. The area residing in Councilmember Golombek's North District is in the top three for the number of positive COVID cases in Buffalo, and the top four for the highest percentage cases. Yet, the NYS Vaccine Equity Task Force did not include 14207 in early vaccination and did not explain their reason to the Common Council.

Council President Pridgen stated he received a text that both Commissioners Finn and Helfer are unavailable to meet this week with the Council and Peter Rizzo, the independent investigator of the School Zone Speed Safety Program. He noted that the Council Chief of Staff is on notice to ensure the meeting occurs in the next two weeks.

During the Regular Meeting, Common Council mainly reiterated its points from the Caucus Meeting. However, the Council approved the vaccine site designation for Delevan-Grider. Common Council further discussed the lack of early vaccination in 14207, met with the NYS Vaccine Equity Task Force, and is scheduling community town halls on the issue. The Council noted that a health center in that zip code qualified to receive vaccinations directly from the federal government.

An Amherst home repair and renovation company filed a class-action lawsuit against the City of Buffalo. The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the city's right to operate a photo speed violation monitoring system near the Buffalo Promise Neighborhood Children's Academy on Bailey Avenue and assess fines for speeding motorists.

The Council signaled its intention to discuss the Buffalo News article mentioning the lawsuit in the next Legislative Committee meeting, which history suggests will occur in an executive session. When Common Council goes into an executive session, that means they pause the public hearing session – and the Council discusses the issue in private due to the sensitive nature of the issue.

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