BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — After critiques from the comptroller, Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon's capital budget got the green light from the Buffalo Common Council on Tuesday, with some changes.
What you need to know:
- The plan is aimed at upgrading streets, sidewalks and buildings across Buffalo
- City of Buffalo Comptroller, Barbara Miller-Williams, urged the administration to reconsider, saying it would exceed the city's debt cap by $82 million
- Scanlon maintained that it wouldn't exceed the debt cap
- With all but one approval, that plan can now move forward
Q&A with Mitch Nowakowski, Chair of the Common Council's Finance Committee
Nowakowski walked me through what's next:
Q: Is this plan fiscally responsible?
A: It is, and I like to put this down in 3 parts, the first is the regular capital budget that's set at $27 million for us to pass before the 15th. That's going to well-needed projects like infrastructure, streets, sidewalks lighting...then we're borrowing $55 million for the Buffalo Public Schools...and it's 100% reimbursable...and the next is the thing called BANS [Bond Anticipation Notes], they're short-term bonds for $24 million that would only cost $900,000 to take out to then leverage hundreds of thousands of dollars in infrastructure work...People want to see work done, they want to see shovels in the ground and we have to get this done.
Q: What amendments were made?
A: Some of the amendments are specific to local districts, so mine was another thing where I needed $900,000 to go towards Marine Drive where it's a huge state infrastructure project that's going to get done, but the city had to chip something in...very targeted things will be done in those districts.
Q: What happens next?
A: Now in the spring, we can authorize and issue or authorize and unissue, so say these projects that we authorize for the BAN to be done if they're shovel ready, we can issue the bond, if they're not we can hold off and we can also stagger the amount of money to make sure that there's very minimal, if at all, implications to the city's budget.