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Common Council approves 2025–26 budget as amended after dispute over overtime and reserves
Summary
The Buffalo Common Council approved the mayor’s 2025–26 operating budget as amended after hours of debate over police and fire overtime, the city’s depleted reserves and a short-term gap plan. The measure passed 6–2; council members called for audits, reserve deposits and an MOU on a property tax circuit breaker.
The Buffalo Common Council voted to approve the city’s 2025–26 operating budget as amended on May 27, 2025, after several hours of debate focused on police and fire overtime, rebuilding the city’s reserve fund and the mayor’s gap-closing plan. The measure passed 6–2.
The vote followed a series of late-filed amendments that leaders said would hold roughly $1 million in savings for the general fund, require reimbursement of public-safety costs at large events, and create a memorandum of understanding to pursue a property tax circuit breaker for low-income homeowners. Council members also requested additional documentation on the mayor’s gap plan, which the council was told includes a proposed $30 million short-term deficit note if projected revenues do not materialize.
Councilmember Wyatt framed his objections around public-safety overtime,…
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