May 11, 2020
Buffalo Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams issued a response to Mayor Byron W. Brown’s 2020-2021 recommended budget that is geared toward returning the City to a path of economic recovery amid the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. “While the recommended budget clearly reflects strategies to combat the challenging impacts on our economy resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, I have serious concerns about adopting this budget which relies heavily upon funding from the Federal and State governments that not been authorized to date,” said Barbara Miller-Williams.
In the Comptroller’s Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Response, Miller-Williams stated that the recommended budget includes more than $155.8 million in tentative revenues, consisting of $65.1 million in Federal Disaster Relief Aid and $11 million in Tribal State Compact (TSC) casino revenue. “While I continue to urge our Federal and State Delegates to provide fiscal relief, I strongly recommend the implementation of a local fiscal contingency plan to bridge the potential budget gap should the crucial funding not be made available to the city”, Miller -Williams said.
The Comptroller’s analysis draws attention to the reductions of various items in the recommended budget, including Special State Aid and Sales Tax and how such reductions could impact the delivery of mandated services to citizens and taxpayers. "As Comptroller, I will continue to monitor revenues, expenditures, debt and cash trends in an effort to redirect the financial future of the city during these fiscally unprecedented times”, Miller-Williams said.