Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The bond battle in the City of Buffalo is not budging.
It's been about a month since Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon asked the City Comptroller to issue bonds for $110 million worth of Capital projects. Barbara Miller-Williams is continuing to hold off on borrowing, insisting that it could jeopardize the city's financial future.
"Unfortunately, some construction in the North District is being held up," said North District Councilman Joe Golombek with WBEN on Wednesday. "One of my smaller streets, Malsch Street, should have been done last year. We ran into difficulty because of weather and it got moved to this year. Now I'm finding out that the money has not been bonded because of this fight between the council, mayor and comptroller's office. It's really unfortunate because it's the taxpayers that will ultimately end up suffering."
Miller-Williams is awaiting legal interpretation on her next step.
Lawmakers continue to press her office to go to the market to secure loans for roads, buildings and other major infrastructure projects. About half of the funding is earmarked for projects in Buffalo Public Schools.
Golombek says he has spoken to some lawyer friends about the matter, and has received different responses.
"It's a tough battle because the Comptroller's Office has to the job of protecting the city's money, but the Council is the legislative body and we did vote on the mayor's recommended Capital Budget," Golombek said. "What everyone is forgetting is that a huge number is coming back in grants, mostly from state government. So while we're bonding $110 million, we're only spending $28-to-$30 million.
Mayor Scanlon indicated that an announcement may be coming soon on possible legal action in the matter.