Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Buffalo Sewer Appointment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Nominee Swanacamp fields council questions over $900 million sewer plan and resident engagement
Summary
The committee considered a nominee for the Buffalo Sewer Authority board, who emphasized capital-project experience and state/federal financing. Council members pressed for better community engagement and transparency about rate impacts; the appointment motion was made but the transcript records no roll-call vote.
Swanacamp, a nominee for the Buffalo Sewer Authority board, told the Committee on Community Development he has experience overseeing large sewer districts and is prepared to help guide major capital projects.
"Nearly $900,000,000 in plant infrastructure investments in their 5 year plan," Swanacamp said, framing the work ahead as driven by DEC and EPA compliance. He added he would push the authority to pursue state and federal financing and to explain benefits to residents.
Council members pressed him on accountability and outreach, saying past rate or fee increases left residents "blindsided." A council member asked, "What will you do, and how will you be instrumental in making sure they're more accountable to the residents?" The member said board nominees should be sensitive to council concerns and to the potential rate impacts of multi-hundred-million-dollar projects.
Swanacamp responded he would recommend earlier engagement between the authority and council, explore financing tools such as statewide bond sales, and emphasize explaining what residents receive for large investments. He also warned that some capital projects, especially underground tunneling, can disrupt neighborhoods for years and require robust communication and mitigation.
Members asked clarifying questions, including the nominee's term; it was answered as three years. A motion to close discussion and a motion to approve the appointment were recorded and seconded (the transcript does not include a roll-call tally or an explicit outcome). The committee then moved on to the next agenda items.
Next steps: the committee recorded the motion to approve the appointment; the transcript does not show a vote count or formal confirmation in this record.
