BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Dozens of Buffalo residents voiced opposition Monday to a proposed 8% increase in the city's property tax levy, which is part of Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon's $622 million budget proposal.
If approved, the increase would raise property taxes by about $11 per month for a home valued at $150,000. The proposal must go through a public hearing before the tax levy can be overridden.
Many residents who spoke at the hearing, held at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, said the hike would disproportionately affect low-income homeowners, seniors and communities of color.
"I stayed and continued to invest in our generational home but if this tax increases, we will no longer be able to afford that," one resident said. "Breadwinners who continue to live on the east side will be squeezed out. Our seniors will be squeezed out. Those are our homeowners."
Another resident raised concerns about the potential impact on renters and the city's homeless population.
"This is really going to hurt a lot of Black and brown families and it's going to hurt the poor because taxes that are going up, that means rents are going up. We have a huge problem with the homeless in Buffalo, so I don't understand. From your chart, it looks to me that I should move to Cheektowaga," one resident said.
One also criticized the increase, arguing that legacy homeowners in historically undervalued neighborhoods will bear the burden.
However, not all attendees opposed the hike. One resident with a background in city budgeting warned that failing to raise revenue could result in cuts to essential services.
"If you come to the point where you can't deliver the fundamental services, and then the add-ons in the case of the City of Buffalo, citywide. We're talking about capital improvements, if these services diminish those circumstances can be a lot more dire than a modest tax increase," the resident said.
Scanlon defended the proposal, saying the city has already cut $30 million from its budget and left $16.5 million in jobs unfilled.
"We're trying to keep that number as low as possible," he said. "When they talk about eliminating jobs, there's already $16.5 million worth of jobs that aren't going to be filled, so we are at bare bones when it comes to staffing levels and things of that nature. If we continue to cut, you're going to see an impact on services. That is police, fire, public works-- the most essential service to our residents."
