Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The Buffalo Common Council is scheduled to vote Monday on amendments to the American Rescue Plan. At stake is $19 million in federal funding that the city must soon use or lose.
Common Councilmember David Rivera says a meeting scheduled for last Thursday was rescheduled for today. "We were called by leadership of the council to inform us that they were going to hold a meeting. I had some concerns with regards to the meeting. We hadn't had a chance to vet, to ask questions, to look at the audit, so we asked that that we reschedule the council meeting, so they rescheduled it for Monday at three o'clock," explains Rivera. He says he has questions, especially from different groups that had gone through the vetting process.
Rivera says nobody wants to lose $19 million, but he adds this has been a tactic that has been used by the previous mayoral administration, waiting to the last minute to do things, pressuring the common council to move forward. He notes councilmembers have also been concerned about the length of time it was taking to release the money to a number of organizations. "By them not releasing the money, obligating the money they use more of the money itself to plug a deficit that they had. Year after year, they've used the money, AARP money, to plug the deficit, refusing to make structural changes in the budget," contends Rivera.
Mayor Scanlon was not available for comment Friday, but issued this message Thursday: "I am disappointed that the Buffalo Common Council has chosen to cancel this evening’s special session regarding American Rescue Plan (ARP) amendments. Since learning of the postponement, I have been in communication with Council leadership and have asked that any additional requests for information be provided to my administration immediately due to the time sensitivity of this matter. I am committed to continuing to work with Council members throughout the coming days, including the weekend, to address their concerns and ensure they are prepared to act on the ARP amendments at Monday’s Council meeting at 2PM. It is critical that we move forward working together to mitigate the risk of returning $19 million to the federal government and to ensure that these dollars stay here in the City of Buffalo.”
All ARP money must be spent by December 31st.