BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tension have risen between the Brown administration and the Common Council in recent weeks.
"This council did not hold up these funds," said council President Darius Pridgen during a special session Thursday.
Councilman Rivera echoed the sentiment of Pridgen.
"We have asked for two years now to release this money, and to send the budget amendments," Rivera said.
After delaying a vote on three American Rescue Plan fund measures on Tuesday, the Common Council approved all the requests made by Mayor Brown and his administrative team.
One of those measures is a $4.3 million small business grant program. The grant program is why the vote never took place on Tuesday.
Councilmember Golombek raised questions about whether the council could approve the contract between the city and the National Development Council, because the NDC is not Buffalo-based.
On Thursday, Councilman Rivera said he and council leadership met with corporation counsel and were convinced the application would hold up if challenged.
"I'm going to err on the side of voting for this so that the money can be released to our communities," said Councilman Golombek. "I'm uncomfortable with it, though, to be quite honest with you."
Ultimately $3.5 million will make its way to small businesses in Buffalo, after the NDC uses $800K for disparagement costs.
The Buffalo Common Council and Mayor Byron Brown are taking steps to support small businesses across the Queen City.
The $3.5 million in ARP grants will be disbursed in grants from $5,000 to $50,000 for small businesses. The approval of these items comes with an amendment and a resolution that will be filed on September 5, 2023, asking the administration to provide the Council with monthly updates with the status of the small business program and the movement of the ARP dollars.
"By equally dividing the $3.5 million among the nine Buffalo Common Council Districts, we ensure that every area of our city benefits from this support," said University District Common Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt, who is also Chair of the Buffalo Common Council Finance Committee. Wyatt added, "This strategic allocation empowers each district to address the unique needs of their local small businesses, fostering a stronger and more resilient Buffalo."
The approval of these funds also aligns with the approval of Mayor Brown's special economic development activity which allocates $562,557.57 in funding to provide assistance to Braymiller Market.
Fillmore district councilmember Mitch Nowakowski said the Braymiller deal wouldn't have been made unless changes were made to the store.
"As someone that has talked to the mayor in order to get my vote, they had to change their model," Nowakowski said.
Perhaps the largest impact, however, will be the $59,900,000 that will be taken from previously announced programs, and instead the city will use the money for revenue loss replacement.
"A day of reckoning is coming," said Councilman Wyatt. "This council has also been and pushing for reductions, because we know that at the end of the day, that day is coming."
Wyatt said the administration did not give the council the specifics as to which holes the $59 million will fill.
"It's just like the whole issue regarding the user fee," Wyatt said. "The user fee was out of balance for a long time, then all of a sudden, he had to increase it dramatically and it hurt a lot of people."
Mayor Brown told 2 On Your Side that the adjustments to the uses for the ARPA funds needed to be made.
"We need to make sure that there are no shortfalls, no weaknesses in the city budget and the amendment today to be able to use resources for revenue replacement strengthens the entire city," Brown said.
The common council is on recess until September 5.
