Buffalo Mayor Christopher Scanlon gives his State of the City address in the Buffalo Common Council chamber at Buffalo City Hall on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
The Buffalo Common Council has approved a budget that maintains an 8% increase to the property tax levy outlined in Mayor Christopher Scanlon's initial proposal, but moves almost $1.3 million to different budget lines.
The approval of the amended budget marks one of the final steps in a tumultuous budget process. Over the last few months, Council members stood with Scanlon in asking state lawmakers for key provisions that were ultimately delivered in the state budget, and engaged in back-and-forth over overtime and the possible consolidation of city positions.
Several Council members, including those who voted to pass the budget, expressed serious concerns about the city's financial outlook. Scanlon's office agreed to work with Council members on a package of initiatives aimed at protecting low-income residents from large tax increases, reining in overtime and restoring funding to cultural and anti-violence groups, among other items.
People are also reading... A Ken-Ton mother wants 27 books pulled from school libraries over explicit sexual content Hamburg baseball coach says Williamsville East threw a game against his team Williamsville East baseball coach Chris Gruarin, accused of tanking for favorable playoff draw, steps away Money not-so-well spent: The Bills' 5 worst contract values Family 'will never forgive' driver who killed 8-year-old boy in Hamburg crash Buffalo Bills personal seat license sale process approaches halfway point, 'on pace' to sell out Inside the NHL: If Sabres are seeking a new voice, Brendan Shanahan would be a good call Amerks get North finals to decisive Game 5 with 5-1 win at Laval Judge questions defense attorney's conduct in Niagara Falls gun case 'Serial fraudster' sentenced to prison for a third scam that cost investors $400,000 Mistrial declared in gun case in which judge questioned defense attorney conduct Has it been raining for a month straight in WNY, or does it just feel like it? Bills are getting a lot of bang for their buck from some players. Here are their top 5 contract values 'Relentlessly' working: Chase Lundt's road from Texas high school to UConn to Buffalo Bills Alan Pergament: Hallmark runs the same pattern in Bills movie; Lindsey Moppert job searching
Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope said the commitment from Scanlon to work with the Council on those changes helped her get to a yes vote, despite still having concerns.
Now, the Council will need to hold the Scanlon administration to those commitments, she added.
As deadline nears, details of Scanlon's budget plan come into focus
Mayor Christopher Scanlon's administration has provided new details on key components of its proposed budget to Common Council members as they work to finalize amendments to the spending plan due to the mayor's office this week.
"I'm going to hold you to that, because that's what the City of Buffalo deserves," she said. "They deserve the best. They deserve for us to fight vehemently."
The largest cuts come from police and fire overtime budgets - $200,000 from police and $800,000 from fire - with several Council members noting the departments' inability to control overtime costs. Both departments routinely exceed their overtime budgets by millions of dollars each year.
The largest increase comes in the general city charges line, which went up by $1 million through the amendment process. Council members also restored or added several positions, including a director of data management position with a salary of $87,729. The amendments also added to salaries for positions including chief information security officer, deputy commissioner of management information systems. The amendments took away a director of open data position with a salary of $129,000.
No current employees will be laid off as a result of Scanlon's spending plan or the Council amendments.
Scanlon said he is proud of the budget he and the Council passed, given the difficult circumstances the city faces, and specifically thanked Commissioner of Administration and Finance Raymour Nosworthy for his work in finding savings and creating plans to generate revenue.
Can Buffalo rein in overtime costs at public safety departments?
The Scanlon administration is trying to bring the costs of public safety overtime down in the next city budget.
"This budget addresses our immediate needs, protects essential services and lays a foundation for long-term financial stability," Scanlon said.
Scanlon now has until June 8 to veto the Council's amendments, though he said he does not anticipate that he will exercise that power.
Scanlon became mayor in October after former Mayor Byron Brown resigned. Shortly after beginning budget planning, Scanlon acknowledged that there was a deficit of likely tens of millions of dollars, a figure he has said at one point was as high as $70 million. His administration has instituted controls on spending and a soft hiring freeze, which he has said saved the city almost $30 million.
The measures approved by the state - a hotel occupancy tax and the sale of city parking garages - account for another $30 million in the spending plan.
0 Comments Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!
Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Justin Sondel Author email Follow Justin Sondel Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today