This week, the Common Council held two meetings. For this summary, we will focus on both the Caucus Meeting and the 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. The Regular Meeting is the Common Council's primary meeting, where they make official decisions on issues.

During this week's Caucus Meeting, council members discussed items to go before the full Common Council at the Regular Meeting. The Comptroller's Office will submit the July and August cash flow reports that reflect the actual and projected snapshots of the City of Buffalo's finances.

An agenda item from the Department of Management Information Systems seeks permission for the City of Buffalo to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with New York State. Back in February, Buffalo worked with New York and five other large cities in the state to establish initiatives in response to Governor Hochul's $30 million investment in cybersecurity upgrades. Joint Security Operations Center ("JSOC") was the first program to roll out a central (cyber) command center across government levels. Funding is available for the City of Buffalo ("the City") to utilize JSOC at no cost for three years. After the allotted time frame, the City will decide if it wants to pay to use the software or find an alternative.

Corporation Counsel attended the Caucus Meeting for questions regarding a compulsory interest arbitration award between the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association. Council Member Rivera inquired if there were things Council could examine publicly with Corporation Counsel regarding the award. However, the City's legal entity disclosed that an executive session is necessary to discuss specific details.

The Buffalo Common Council sent an item to appoint a Director of the Office of New Americans to the Civil Service Committee during the Regular Meeting. The City of Buffalo Office of New Americans ("ONA") aims to "ensure that all City services are accessible to Buffalo's growing newcomer and New American population." Expanding language access for persons with limited English proficiency ("LEP") through a comprehensive law and full implementation—at the city, county, and state level—is plank six on the PPG 2022 Community Agenda.

Council approved the City of Buffalo to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with New York State. The legislative body sent a compulsory interest arbitration award between the City of Buffalo and the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association and an item to appoint a Deputy Corporation Counsel to their respective committees (Finance and Civil Service). Common Council approved a police arbitration award allocation for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (after an executive session)—in addition to Police Athletic League initiatives and a proposed agreement with the Say Yes Summer Camp program.

Council Member Wyatt thanked the Western New York Law Center for its work in trying to codify a surplus funds process for the City of Buffalo. He noted community members who've lost homes due to finances and other setbacks could benefit from a transparent, streamlined process. "We've been talking about this for the last year and a half, and we still haven't gotten to the point where we make some type of decision to help those most vulnerable who are hurting right now," the council member added. He remains hopeful of resolving the matter within the next 90 days to prevent a "paralysis of analysis" that stifles progress. Common Council sent the item to the Legislation Committee.

Council members discussed a resolution to explore at-large member positions. Council President Pridgen believes the current body works well together but is open to looking at a structure with public input. At-large members would represent the City of Buffalo and not a particular district like a traditional council member. Council Member Nowakowski appreciated the discussion and noted a past referendum vote to downsize the Common Council. 

Assistant Corporation Counsel Carin Gordon explained that adding or removing at-large members is ideal during the City of Buffalo's redistricting process through a referendum. Another option is if Buffalo gets a large influx of people before the next Census to activate a referendum.

Council Member Golombek supported the resolution to discuss at-large members and recalled his time on the Common Council when there were 13 members. However, he's uncomfortable with at-large members because the North District did not have a representative in the past. Golombek noted that the Fillmore, Masten, South, and Delaware Districts represented the majority of previous at-large members that ultimately "catered to their base"—giving districts multiple votes. The Council adopted the resolution to explore an at-large structure and sent components to the Legislation Committee to continue the dialogue.

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