BUFFALO, N.Y (WKBW) — Buffalo's Common Council voted to override Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown's veto on amendments to change the city's budget process due dates.
Last July, the council passed several amendments including moving the mayor's budget deadline from May 1 to April 8 and their deadline to approve the budget from May 22 to May 26.
In a 7-2 vote Tuesday afternoon, most Council members voted with Council President Chris Scanlon and Council member Joseph Golombek siding with Mayor Brown.
"It was really a sprint of 22 days, where not only do we have hearings, we had work sessions, we had a whole public hearing of the public and way in by our constituents by then, ultimately, then having to then deliberate on a budget," Council member Mitch Nowakowski said.
Below you can watch our report from when the Common Council proposed the changes.
The Council said these changes give them more time to discuss the budget because they say they haven't had enough time in the past.
In a letter sent to Council members, Brown says changing these dates would create an "unnecessarily early and lengthy budget process." He also says doing so would make it difficult for the city to draw up a budget that best meets the residents' needs.
The new budget deadlines come at a time when the city is facing a $40 million deficit.
"We're in debt, and we've been in debt for some time, and so this will allow us to have a more deliberate discussion with constituents beforehand," Council member Leah Halton-Pope said.
The override means the amendments to the budget deadline now become law.
