Buffalo Common Council approves amended three-part capital plan [Video]

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Common Council has officially signed off on the city’s capital budget for the upcoming year, alongside bonding measures to fund significant projects across the city and Buffalo Public Schools.

The plan was slightly amended compared to what Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon first proposed. University District Council Member Rasheed N.C. Wyatt was the only no-vote. Niagara District Council Member David Rivera was excused from Tuesday’s meeting.

A Rocky Start, But a Unified Vote

When Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon first introduced his capital plan, it raised some concerns, especially from City Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams. 

In a 2-page letter to the council, Miller-Williams implored “all approving parties to seriously reconsider,” worrying that the plan might stretch Buffalo’s resources too thin, especially considering the city’s already challenged operating budget.

However, according to Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope after a meeting with the Comptroller, the …