BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan does not have to officially submit his first budget until April 15, but in the meantime, his administration has been clear about one element: it will include a proposed 25% property tax increase for Buffalo homeowners.
Last week, Deputy Mayor Benjamin Swanekamp said putting the 25% number out to the public is not a bargaining tactic, but the actual number they believe is needed to get Buffalo on a more stable fiscal footing.
But will the council vote for a budget that includes a 25% property tax hike?
The answer on Tuesday was a resounding "no."
Not one of the nine councilmembers told me they would vote for a 25% property tax increase at this stage, with the information they currently have. Most told me 25% is just too much of a burden to place on taxpayers, especially when other expenses are also increasing, such as utilities and water bills.
That dissent starts at the top, with Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope.
"Obviously, we need to raise resources, there's no question about that," Halton-Pope said. "But I also need to look out for those that are vulnerable in our city, and so protecting those generational, low-income homeowners is really important."
South District Councilmember Christopher Scanlon knows the city's finances better than most, having been acting mayor from October 2024 through December 2025.
Scanlon said he'd "be very hard-pressed" to support any budget with a 25% property tax increase, though he added he will have to see the Ryan administration's justification for the boost once the official budget is submitted.
"A lot of this depends on what the budget is and what is included in the budget that is proposed to us," Scanlon said.
The council has the power to make and vote for amendments to the budget, and some councilmembers said they want to suggest cuts to try to lower that tax rate in budget negotiations.
But Buffalo's financial woes are not a new problem, and the council has been talking about the issue in public meetings for at least two years. They all seem to understand that the city's expenditures have outweighed revenues over successive budgets.
WATCH: 'It's a no:' Buffalo Common Council against mayor's proposed 25% property tax increase
So I asked longtime councilmember Joseph Golombek Jr., why he has not stepped up to suggest tax increases on the public record before, noting he previously told 7 News he did so behind the scenes under the Brown administration.
Golombek told 7 News he didn't "have the guts" to publicly suggest a tax hike at the time.
"I think now people understand the problem that we're in," Golombek said. "I don't think people understood 10 years ago, I don't think they understood 15 years ago,."
The North District representative said he has been voting against appointing some vacant positions in an effort to save the city money.
Councilmember Rasheed Wyatt represents the University District. He has voted against the last two budgets, citing concerns about the city's spending. He says this one is no different.
"People I represent are hurting right now," Wyatt said.
Even if the council votes against the 25% property tax increase, the city charter gives the mayor the power to move ahead with his proposed budget anyway.
The council has pushed back against a smaller proposed property tax hike in recent years. In 2024, the Brown administration proposed a 9% property tax increase, which the council knocked down to 4.19%.
