This week's summary focuses on four meetings. The Education Committee focuses on issues regarding teachers, schools, school property, training, and the Board of Education. The Finance Committee concerns all matters about the budget and issuance of bonds. The Community Development Committee focuses on issues about work or improvement using revenue from another government unit. The Legislation Committee focuses on local laws, ordinances, and general legislation—except for civil matters.

The Education Committee meeting focused on reintegrating the Drug Abuse Resistance Education ("D.A.R.E.") program into Buffalo Public Schools ("BPS"). Council Member Bollman put this forward as he was reminiscent of his experience going through the program. It was impactful for him to make the right choices, as peer pressure was evident. The question surrounding D.A.R.E. is its effectiveness, but Bollman argued that it is hard to quantify its success.

The council member hopes D.A.R.E. will give student resources officers ("S.R.O.s") and community officers the chance to be in schools and become positive role models for the students. Former BPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Will Keresztes spoke of his experience with the D.A.R.E. program and how officers provided positive experiences while educating students on the dangers of substance use. Dr. Keresztes mentioned he spoke to current BPS Superintendent Dr. Tonja Williams, who has an interest in the conversation of bringing Buffalo police back into schools.

Seneca Babcock residents brought up D.A.R.E. during a community meeting which sparked questions about where the program went and how to bring it back. Council Member Wyatt noted advocacy to remove police from schools and his opposition to those efforts. However, he is insistent that D.A.R.E. works, and there should be a narrative change due to the "level of disrespect" for police officers. Wyatt believes 99% of officers "come from good communities," and children need to see that.

Council Member Rivera expressed concerns that D.A.R.E. would bring more officers into schools and keep them from responding to community emergencies. He also wants to make sure program funding comes from the school district. However, Rivera believes having officers back in schools is a good thing to "build a relationship of trust at an early age."

The Finance Committee discussed the City of Buffalo's ("the City") plans to hire a consultant to study downtown streets for a potential redesign. Council President Pridgen reminded city planners Common Council wants the City to install five electric vehicle charging stations in downtown Buffalo.

Council members also discussed an update on the American Rescue Plan ("ARP") funds. According to Brendan Mehaffy, Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning, a Request for Applications for some ARP funds will go live the week of October 3. The application process will be online, and groups will have six weeks to apply. After that, the City will review applications for six to eight weeks. 

By early 2023, Mayor Brown's administration ("the administration") will send proposed contracts to the Common Council for approval. Council member Wyatt expressed his hope that these timelines are accurate. The administration initially told council members that they'd see ARP applications in September 2022 yet delayed the process without explanation. Council President Pridgen asked Director Mehaffy to create a project dashboard. That way, council members could see the status of ARP projects without having to inquire with the Office of Strategic Planning every time they need an update.

At the Community Development Committee meeting, Council Member Wyatt reiterated his opposition to the Hopewell Opioid Center ("the Center") opening in Cleve-Hill Plaza. Wyatt explained that he'd recently spoken to Hopewell folks, who are still "insistent" on opening the Center despite resident pushback. The council member would like any relevant government officials to come to speak to the Common Council. Wyatt expressed his frustration that, as a council member, he hasn't been privy to the governmental conversations about the Center's approval and development.

A resident named Peter Reese spoke about his proposed Trap-Neuter-Return ("TNR") program for the City of Buffalo. A TNR program would humanely trap stray cats, bring them to the vet to spay or neuter them, vaccinate them, and then return the cats to their outdoor homes. This practice helps to control stray cat populations in a safe, humane way. Peter is offering $50,000 to the City to create this program. He asked that the City match this financial commitment. The council members did not comment on the proposal and tabled the item.

The Legislation Committee opened with three public hearings for non-owner-occupied units to become short-term rentals for Airbnb. Council Members Rivera and Feroleto sent the items in their districts without recommendation to the full Council. Council Member Golombek motioned to approve the short-term rental request in his district the Legislation Committee supported based on his interactions with the family in question. Two more public hearings occurred during the meeting for non-owner-occupied units to become short-term rentals. The committee sent both to the full Council without recommendations.

Kate Lockhart, Director of the Vacant and Abandoned Property Program at the Western New York Law Center ("WNYLC"), spoke on how the City of Buffalo handles surplus funds to codify a process that makes procedures equitable for residents. She noted a website indicating how Buffalo homeowners apply for funds that raise concerns and could change at any time. "You could literally decide tomorrow to take it off the website, and there would be no public discussion on whether or not a homeowner could have access to the equity that they have built in these homes for generations," she stated.

During her testimony, Lockhart revealed she looked at all the listed properties during the last In-Rem auction (in 2019) and found almost 75% owed $5,000 or less to the City of Buffalo. "It's so impactful to our homeowners when they already experience a hardship, and they lose their home, to have access to the equity in that home," the non-attorney advocate added. "It's life-changing." A codified policy would make accessing surplus funds after foreclosure easier for homeowners and establish safeguards—such as mandating a public hearing before any policy amendments—to protect the program.

Council Member Wyatt expressed concerns the City of Buffalo doesn't have a codified policy and wants homeowners to recouple available equity after foreclosure without hurdles. Assistant Corporation Counsel Carin Gordon said the City of Buffalo looked into the matter and recommended a non-public executive session to discuss perceived issues with the WNYLC's proposal and potential consequences for the City. Council Member Feroleto recommended the city policy include a timeline—within three months—for the City of Buffalo to settle funds after a foreclosure that mirrors the time frame it takes for a person to close on a home.

Need more than just a summary? Contact us at info@ppgbuffalo.org, or find full meeting information and schedules here: http://buffalony.iqm2.com/Citizens/Default.aspx