Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Buffalo Common Council, in special session on Thursday, unanimously approved millions of federal dollars to allocate to small Buffalo businesses, made possible through the American Rescue Plan Act.
The deal paved the way for the council to also approve eligibility for more than $562,000 in pandemic-relief funds for Braymiller Market.
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"I want Braymiller to do well, I want every business who sticks their neck out there to do well. This was not a matter of a particular business, it was a matter of process. It was a matter of equity. It was a matter of making sure that those who did not have relationships, that we built those relationships now so that other businesses would benefit. It is my hope, it is my prayer, that Braymiller succeeds," said Council President Darius Pridgen.
Specifically, the council approved $3.5 million in grants for struggling Buffalo small businesses. Buffalo will also see an additional $2 million through loans, made possible through an agreement with the National Development Council (NDC).
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"This money has been long and arduous to get out," said Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski. "And this money was not meant for the municipality to sit on and collect dust or interest. We need this money out on the street. And as we move forward, when we come back from recess, I want to start seeing actual contracts come to the committee, because some of these moving items, they're nice, [but] they're words on a piece of paper until we start seeing contracts. With a lot of organizations, this is just talk. So we need to move forward. I can't stress it enough that we really need everybody in this in City Hall, to get this money out in the street."
University District Councilman Rasheed Wyatt will be preparing a resolution calling for regular monthly updates to report how the money is being distributed to small businesses.
"We'll put forth a resolution asking for regular updates, because we want to make sure that this is moving. We've gone through the process of approving it, now is the process of monitoring and make sure it happens. Residents and businesses have been waiting for an awfully long time. This is a desperate time for a lot of businesses, businesses are still closing every day, this money has to get out as soon as possible. So having those monthly updates, we'll continue to keep the light on it."
Braymiller Market could now see an additional $500,000 on top of the funding recently approved thanks to Paul Ciminelli, who promised the grocery store the funds contingent on the council's approval.
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