BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo’s fiscal watchdog has raised concerns about some of the $331 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds the city received, claiming a portion of it remains unaccounted for.
The city comptroller, Barbara Miller-Williams, recently submitted a document to the Common Council for review at next week’s meeting, highlighting $2.5 million that her team found unclaimed during a review of the city’s accounting system.
“I simply want to make sure that all the funds have been properly obligated and encumbered, and that they got out the door properly," Miller-Williams said in a phone call. “You know, as a Comptroller, there is no room for politics...Let’s figure out why. It could be improper entry. It could be just human error. It could be maybe they didn’t update the system yet. You know, a lot of transitions are going on.”
However, not everyone in City Hall agrees with her findings. Council Member Mitch Nowakowski is questioning the claims, suggesting they might be politically motivated.
Nowakowski: To me, with the way the document went down, with the figures that she states, is she trying to make us all look bad? Is she trying to erode public trust within city government, like, what's going on here? How did we get here, and then, how did you sit on it until weeks after the common council had a very public process of reallocating these dollars?
Me: So where's the disconnect between the comptroller's office and Common Council and acting Mayor's office?
Nowakowski: Well, that's where the political undertones feel, and that's where it feels like there's personal beefs. It's like wait a minute. Let's put our glasses on and cut through it here. What's political chicanery and what's real?
Me: So safe to say here the $2.5 million that she has mentioned in her letter did make it out the door.
Nowakowski: Yeah, the mayor is asserting it, and he's going to show the evidence that it did.
Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon disputed these claims and said the money is accounted for.
"The bulk of that money is the arrears program that they're talking about that the council approved in the last 10 days until 2024 meeting the federal guidelines to have that encumbered the other couple categories. We had a letter going to the controller today that explains that that money's been encumbered with conversations with our law department, with our financial experts, we feel comfortable that we've met the guidelines of the American Rescue Plan," Scanlon said.
The bottom line? No one in City Hall wants to see this money returned to the federal government. Nowakowski said Council members hope to hear soon from both the administration and the comptroller’s office to clarify where the $2.5 million stands.
